About Cher Boomhower
I received my Bachelor of Science (biology concentration in human genetics) with distinction from the University of Victoria in 1998. I was a very typical premed student and was completely unexposed to any alternative medicine. I wanted to be a medical geneticist. During my co-op program I had the opportunity to do work experience with a medical geneticist at Victoria General hospital, and this is where I became disillusioned with my dream. I learned that although there is excitement and brilliance in the field of genetics, there are almost no clinical treatments available for patients.
I promptly had a career crisis, fell into depression, realizing I had ‘wasted’ 6 years getting my degree, and one day wandered into a health food store looking for some alternative to using prescription antidepressants. At the time I also suffered from chronic bronchitis, and had abysmal knowledge of nutrition. It was there I was introduced to my first Naturopathic Doctor (at whom I looked with much scepticism) and thought to myself “You can do this for a LIVING?” As I had two co-op work terms remaining in my degree, I talked to co-op director into letting me do full time research for two local Naturopathic doctors for 8 months in Victoria. This was very enlightening- what I was able to do in these 8 months was to critically look at what being an ND meant, what treatment tools were available, and what the quality of information was that ND relied on to make clinical decisions.
So I was very excited when I went on to complete my 4 year Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto. I have learned something every day in the last 12 years of practice since graduating. This is a tremendously exciting field.
I am now a mother of two and married to another Naturopathic Doctor. I have maintained a general practice in Prince George since 2002, also serving as adjunct faculty at the University of Northern British Columbia in the Faculty of Medicine for 9 of those years. I got to introduce conventional medical students to the field of Naturopathic Medicine so that by the time they graduated the field was hopefully somewhat demystified to them. It was and is still my intention to open the lines of communication between conventional medical doctors and Naturopathic Doctors, because at the end of the day, the needs of the patient are the primary concern.
I have several interests in particular, for example, given my own history, in the treatment of anxiety, fatigue, depression and addictions, using orthomolecular treatments (see www.orthomolecular.org), Natural Hormones and intravenous amino acids. I also do a lot of work in women’s and children’s health.
