Dr. Laura Torgerson
?My job is to share medical knowledge with my patients to lead them to see the connection between their daily habits and their health problems. Changing life style habits can be difficult, but as you learn to make healthier choices which make you feel better, it becomes easier to make healthier choices the next time around.?
–Dr. Torgerson, ND
Dr. Laura Torgerson is a licensed primary care Naturopathic Physician at Everyday Wellness Clinic which she co-founded in 2004. Dr. Torgerson graduated from the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland in 2003, where she enjoyed year long rotations in cardiology and gynecology.
She has a background in emergency medicine, firefighting and rescue work. She is married and is very active with twin boys. She welcomes both adults and children to her downtown practice as well as speakers of all languages. She delights in the opportunity to work with the partners, spouses, children and friends of her established patients.
Dr. Torgerson?s practice focuses on both helping patients maintain wellness via early recognition of new onset problems and by reducing inflammation to help reverse chronic health issues. Chronic health conditions that have an underlying pathology of inflammation include: digestive disorders, constipation, IBS, weight gain, obesity, insulin resistance, type two diabetes, fatigue, insomnia, auto-immune conditions and osteoporosis. Reducing inflammation means that her patients experience a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular, liver and kidney disease as well as cancer.
Dr. Torgerson treats hormonal imbalance, menstrual problems and menopause with herbs and bio-identical hormones.
She believes strongly in the power of the doctor patient relationship to support the healing process. No one protocol or approach fits every patient. And, not every patient reacts the same way to neutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals or therapeutic lifestyle changes. With this in mind, Dr. Torgerson obtains a detailed personal and family medical history, performs thorough examinations and orders comprehensive laboratory tests to create an individualized plan for each patient. She also uses sequential lab tests, questionnaires and follow up subjective assessments to modify treatment plans to make sure that they are working.
Dr. Torgerson takes the Naturopathic principle Doctor as Teacher very seriously. She provides the information necessary for making life-long healthy choices. In addition to encouraging an active lifestyle, she strives to help her patients have a healthy relationship with food. She prescribes dietary changes, botanical medicines, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbal teas, physical therapy, hydrotherapy, a positive mental state and pharmaceuticals (when deemed necessary) to promote a return to wellness.
Helping her patients to gain insight into their health problems, Dr. Torgerson works together with them to envision better health, set goals and create a treatment plan. She reduces life style and dietary changes into small steps that achieve sustainable results over time.
She received her undergraduate degree in Russian Language and History from the University of Chicago. While studying and working in Russia in the mid 1980s, she was introduced to botanical medicine and alternative healing methods. She was impressed by the knowledge that every Russian she met had regarding mushrooms, herbs and berries. She was also amazed that with relatively few ingredients, her friends made delicious, nutritious meals. No doubt this has influenced her belief in avoiding processed foods and eating whole foods whenever possible.
Dr. Torgerson speaks Russian and German, and is currently learning Spanish along with her boys whom she is thrilled to have enrolled in a public school Spanish Immersion Program.
