Naturopath sets example for patients

Northwest Healthcare's naturopathic physician Lynn Troy looks so much the part that she might have been found through a casting call.

Radiating good health with clear skin, shiny hair and a fit body, Troy, 37, presents the best argument for her patients to pay heed to her prescriptions for good health through proper nutrition and supplementation.

"I definitely try to follow my own advice but I'm just like anybody else. Coffee is my vice," she admitted with a laugh. "I start out with coffee and switch to green tea. If I had to recommend something, it would be the health benefits of green tea."

Troy divides her time between the Montana Center for Wellness and Pain Management and Northwest Oncology and Hematology at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. Her affiliation with the oncology division of Northwest Healthcare began a little over a year ago as part of a cutting-edge trend of providing patients with a full spectrum of medical and wellness services.

She said this hospital is the first and only one in the western region of Montana to include naturopathic services as part of cancer care. Troy finds this aspect of her work particularly satisfying.

"We're giving supportive care to help them maintain a good quality of life," she said. "My job is to guide patients through the overwhelming information and advice available about natural medicine and cancer treatment."

According to Troy, naturopathic medicine focuses on the whole person, including the mind and body rather than just the illness. It represents a distinct, comprehensive system of primary health care that covers diagnosing, treating and preventing illness.

SHE DOES NOT provide hospital care, but rather works exclusively in clinical settings. In Montana, naturopathic doctors also may not prescribe synthetic medicines. That varies among the states.

"As a naturopath, you study medicine and botanicals and you use them in practice," she said.

It was the plant connection that initially drew her to the profession, although she also had parental role models in medicine while growing up in Butte as part of Dr. David and Susan Repola's family of four girls. Her father was a pathologist and her mother was a nurse.

"My father definitely tried to get us interested in medicine," she said.

She recalled her father showing her tissue slides, but her love of outdoor activities - camping, skiing and hiking - drew her toward forestry as an undergraduate major at the University of Montana. Troy first thought of going to graduate school in botany, but finally decided on naturopathic medicine as a better fit.

"I had been interested in medicinal plants for a long time," she said.

In 2004, she earned her a doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University in Seattle. Her training included basic medical sciences and clinical training.

"It's good because it prepares you for what you do," she said. "I get to diagnose, order labs and imaging. I also refer to specialists."

AFTER graduation, she and her husband Wakefield, a therapist at Pathways Treatment Center, decided to relocate to the Flathead Valley. As a Montana native, she said she just couldn't stay away.

She said they both loved it here immediately. They bought a home in Columbia Falls, which reminds her of Butte.

"I really like it a lot," she said. "It's a great little town for kids. The people are wonderful."

Troy started in private practice on her own in her first years as she and Wakefield started their family of two boys. She next practiced for two years at the Bridge Medical Center in Whitefish then for three years at Imagine Health in Columbia Falls.

She said she was excited when the opportunity opened to work a day and a half each week with cancer patients at Northwest Oncology and Hematology. A major attraction was working as a team with the medical doctors, providing patients with what she calls "the best of both worlds" with integrated treatment.

"It's important for me to work with medical doctors," she said. "That's the best medical care out there."

ACCORDING TO Troy, she provides a dietary analysis, nutrient and supplement review, physical and individualized treatment plan. As part of her initial work, she asks patients to bring in all of their supplements.

"One thing I'm doing is checking for drug/herb interactions," she said. "People come in with up to 50 supplements that are self-prescribed. I go through everything to make sure it's safe."

Troy said cancer patients need good nutrition to ensure they don't become malnourished. She also provides supplements toward the goal of lessening side-effects of treatment and enhancing quality of life, which research has shown improves survival.

She finds cancer patients welcome the information she provides.

"They're such a pleasure to work with," Troy said. "They have the motivation to be healthy and make changes."

Her typical private practice patient often needs help in the area of motivation. Troy describes her work with the Montana Center for Wellness and Pain Management as a continuation of her private practice work with a wide variety of patients. She conducts annual examinations for women, weight-loss programs and well-child visits.

She said her work with people with chronic pain represents a continuation of the Montana center's vision of going beyond traditional pain management to treat the whole person. Along with naturopathic services, the center offers chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapists, counseling and physical therapy in addition to medical pain and addiction interventions.

As a naturopath, Troy said she looks at the whole person, but considers each person from an individual perspective. She looks at herself as a teacher as well as practitioner.

"I'M GOING TO educate you on how to keep yourself well," she said. "If you come for an annual, we're going to talk about your diet. You're going to get recommendations for prevention. It's more than just a physical."

Like the other four or five naturopaths in the valley, Troy can prescribe hormones and antibiotics but not synthetic formularies which she said people need to keep in mind if they need refills of those drugs. She recommends homeopathic remedies along with the botanicals she enjoys researching.

New studies have shown some herbs work differently than what was assumed. Troy said there is still much that isn't known about supplements and herbs.

"You know that when you get into botanical medicine, you accept the element of the unknown," she said. "You do things known to be safe."

For her daily wellness, Troy takes a multivitamin, D-3, a probiotic and fish oil along with her green tea. She urges people to look at the back of supplement bottles to check the nutrient label and the ingredients list so they know exactly what they are buying.

For her family, she takes the time to cook whole foods rather than relying on prepared meals and limits sugar intake.

"If you want to have a healthy diet, you have to spend time cooking food," she said.

People interested in learning more may contact her at 257-4604.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.