We recently connected with Dr. Chelsea Smithback and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Chelsea, thanks for joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

There have been quite a few defining moments already, which I’m so grateful for. One of the reasons why I love Naturopathic Medicine is that we do further investigative testing and at times have a different approach to treating patients, so i thought I’d share just 2 stories.
The first patient was a mid 20’s female, who had gastro symptoms for years, since she was young girl. She had gone to multiple gastroenterologists, multiple clinics/hospitals throughout the years with no clear answers or relief. She found out about naturopathic medicine and decided to try it. We went through her history, and gave her a different treatment plan than she had ever had before, and she followed up 3 months later, completely symptom free since our visit, for the first time that she could remember. She was extremely grateful and cried happy tears in clinic and couldn’t believe it. And that is why I love my job, to give patients their healthy lives back.
Another patient was a cancer patient, who I was providing adjunctive therapies to their chemotherapy. I saw her often throughout her chemotherapy and would be my normal bubbly, energetic self, but didn’t think much of it. A couple months in, the patient was able to do surgery and after came in to see me. She had said that on one of the days in the hospital after the surgery, she wasn’t feeling great, and her daughter had asked her which doctor she wanted to call (as she had multiple doctors on her team.) She was going to call me. She went on to say she started to feel better and didn’t need to call, but that she wanted me to know and thanked me for the energy and personality that I brought each time I saw her. I had always thought that the best thing I could do for patients is to give them medical advice and medical treatments. While that is very true, it wasn’t until then, that I also realized how important it is to also bring the energy that a patient may need; be it a safe space for them to share what they are going through, make sure they know they are heard or an energetic, bubbly personality to brighten their day. The patient had said it meant a lot to her, and it truly meant a lot for me to know who I am, aside from my medical expertise, is also important to make patients feel at ease.

Dr. Chelsea, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a licensed naturopathic medical doctor, personal trainer and nutritionist.

I became a naturopathic Doctor because i wanted to see my patients not only be healthy, but truly thrive in their lives, becoming their best, strongest, most vibrant, happiest selves.

My clinical specialties’ include: Sports Medicine, PRP injections, Skin health, Mental health, Hormones, Weight management and Gut health.

My own skin and hormonal health was what propelled me to find alternative health treatments and led to becoming a naturopathic doctor. I have always had an interest in sports medicine, and was a dual sport college athlete and is also a certified personal trainer and nutritionist. I love to bring people to their optimal level of performance to help them reach their goals.

My clinical approach is very patient-centered and based on finding the root cause and treating with a variety of naturopathic modalities. I believe in the mind-body connection and the power each person has to take their health into their hands.

I grew up in Germany, which is where many of my holistic, naturopathic upbringing came from. I hold a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree from Bastyr University and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelors in Sports Biology and completed Naturopathic Medical Residency in Encinitas, CA.

In my free time I cook, surfs, plays tennis, beach volleyball, skis, dance, I love traveling the world and spending time with friends and family.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Similar to what I shared before, but the connection with patients is very important. Firstly you want to be giving the best treatment plan for them, but secondly making patients feel truly heard and understood. The amount of times I have had patients at the end of the visit say how nice it was to feel like a doctor truly listened to them without rushing them, and to be able to say all their thoughts and what they have been going through. I have gone through this myself as a patient in the past, when I would talk with doctors that empathized and related to me, I felt great and heard vs doctors that I only had 10-15 min with and it was in and out for the most part.
I do think that the relationship with your doctor is definitely underrated and can truly help patients.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Word of mouth and reviews are great, and many of my patients are either friends or family of other patients I have seen or have seen reviews for me. Patients will want to see a doctor if they have a friend/family who has raved about a doctor or had great results with someone. That is definitely vital. Also some patients resonated with my content on instagram, facebook or instagram and liked the content and information I was sharing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://drchelseasmithback.com
• Instagram: dr.chelseasmithback
• Facebook: Dr. Chelsea Smithback
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dr-chelsea-smithback-san-diego-3?osq=smithback
• Other: https://www.healthgrades.com/providers/chelsea-smithback-upmrls