Check out Ecopalooza at http://econw.org/

Naturopathic doctors Sara Kates-Chinoy and Lindsay Baum of Grain Integrative Health

You know there will be music, a solar-powered stage, resources to help you learn more about sustainability and plenty of beer.  Now you know that if you need any help at Ecopalooza, we got you covered there too.  Doctors Lindsay Baum and Sara Kates-Chinoy are co-owners of Grain Integrative Health in Southeast Portland.  They’ve been busy beyond even their own expectations since seeing their first patients in February.  But on August 7th they’ll be on hand at Fernhill Park to provide care for anyone who needs it.

“We’re really interested in supporting an event like Ecopalooza because it supports the environment and so much of what we do as integrative health providers, and naturopathic doctors especially, is focus on how we can reduce harm to individuals and also the environment,” says Dr. Baum.

It’s not just Lindsay and Sara who will be lending a hand.  They’ll bring along a taste of the versatility you’ll find at their clinic on SE Belmont Street.

“We’re planning on having a mental health therapist there, an acupuncturist, and a massage therapist for people who have heat stroke or minor injuries.”

Grain Integrative Health is brand new on the Portland health scene.  Dr. Baum and Dr. Sara Kates-Chinoy are sharing a vision that combines health with sustainability.  It also creates a sense of community by allowing already practicing physicians and specialists to take part and see patients at the new clinic.  You’re as likely to get a physical at Grain Integrative Health as you are to talk to a psychologist or get an acupuncture treatment.

“We’ve got incredible resources here for these new business owners so it’s a pretty stellar group,” says Dr. Baum.  ”We’ve got a really nice group of people here.  We were able to sort of handpick because everyone wants what we’re offering.  Including our patients.”

It’s a long road to do what Grain Integrative Health is doing.  Both Lindsay and Sara endured 9 years of schooling.  They’ve also done work in traditional hospital settings before following their dream in Portland.  Sara was working at a clinic in Seattle just last year.  When she’s not seeing patients at Grain Integrative Health, she’s also teaching local medical students.  Lindsay doubles as the head of clinical research in rheumatology at Providence Hospital.

Despite the traditional backgrounds, Sara and Lindsay have a vision for making naturopathic remedies more accessible not just here, but eventually around the country.  The goal of their practice is to help people get healthy without becoming reliant on drugs.

“The goal is to reduce harm and not just palliate.  Chemical drugs tend to be palliative.  Any drugs can be palliative… What we try to do is optimize the function of the body, so that the body can do what it needs to do.  We’re not focused on giving things.  We’re focused on helping people make the changes they need in their lives to optimize their health.”

Grain Integrative Health is part of Ecopalooza because both share similar values.  Dr. Baum hopes the event is a huge success.

“I hope that Rahmiel and all of the people who got this started are hugely successful and that they’re applauded for their effort.  I know from our experience it takes a lot of effort to do something that no one’s done before and it takes a lot of effort to do something that’s ethically based that no one’s done before.”