A New Chapter

Last month we held an open house to celebrate Serenity’s one year anniversary (which was technically September) and honor naturopathic medicine week.  There was great food, great people, and great live music (check out the videos on our YouTube channel). This event gave me a much-needed opportunity to reflect on this past year, so pardon the brief deviation from the typical health-related article.

Open house celebration!

First, I am so grateful to everyone that attended, both in person and in spirit, and can’t wait until next year’s celebration.  It has not always been a time for celebration though. I’ve made mistakes.  Growing a business while balancing great patient care has been more than challenging.  But instead of dwelling on those difficult times, I am looking toward the future, recognizing that all the vital lessons learned from those mistakes will help Serenity continue to grow.

The past year, for me and Serenity, can be summed up with the word courage.  It takes courage to switch coasts, to move to a town where you know no one, and start a new business with very limited business experience.  It takes courage to make mistakes and admit things are hard but keep showing up every day and moving forward.  Just like it takes courage for my patients to try a “different” approach to their health, to take charge and make changes, and to be compassionate towards themselves on their journey to greater health.

Now with lessons learned, year two of Serenity will be the year of authenticity.  In March, licensure begins in Maryland, so licensed NDs will be able to provide more authentic medicine; medicine that utilizes more of our doctor tool bag.  That means being able to diagnose and treat medical conditions instead of make “recommendations”.  Being able to draw blood and order labs, and offer other naturopathic tools that we’ve learned.  Even something as simple as being able to touch our patients for physical exams (great Ted Talk about the power of a doctor’s touch).

So I’m excited about year two.  We’ll be adding another member to the Serenity team, creating a community Serenity Health partnership, post more informative health articles and recipes, online classes (free to Serenity Health Partners), and hold regular cooking classes. Plus, we’re starting our Saturday Night Health Gathering, where every month the office will be open to the public for you to chat with Dr. Russell about general health questions (ie “Is fat really bad?“), meet other like-minded friends, and Dr. Russell will pick one health topic to discuss. Join us for our first one next Saturday, Nov 14th from 6p-7:30p.  And it’s one year closer to our 10 year health center plan.

Serenity’s mission is to provide the residents of Frederick, Maryland and the surrounding community with exceptional natural health solutions and educational resources, focusing mainly on women’s health, migraines, and mental health. Serenity is here to help you, so please let us know how we can best serve and support you on your path to radiant health and a balanced life.

“When you help, you see life as weak. When you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole.” -Rachel Naomi Remen, MD

Stay radiant,
Dr. Russell