Dr. Russell’s Story
“You will need to be on this medication for the rest of your life” are words no one wants to hear. When I was told that by a psychiatrist at the age of ten, I resigned myself to that temporary fate but deep down I knew that I would not let this be true.
But as a ten year old child who has gone through a year of counseling without success and is diagnosed with major depression and OCD, you feel like you start running out of options. I would cry myself to sleep at night. I became obsessed with death and dying. A far cry from the normal antics of the average ten year old.
My parents opted for medication because it was the only option presented to them, and thus we began that journey. What started with Zoloft for a few years (and all the lovely side effects), was eventually substituted with another, and then another, ending up with a literal page-long list of failed pharmaceuticals. While some may have provided temporary relief by numbing all my emotions (I honestly can’t remember feeling true happiness and joy until around 18 years old, post-psychiatric medication), they did not cure my ailments. At best, they were a faulty band-aid.
In addition to the depression and OCD, I suffered from awful periods. They were completely irregular and I would easily bleed through a tampon in a few hours. And then the pain. I would get almost daily abdominal pain throughout my cycle that seemed to have no cause nor pattern. I vividly remember in high school having to frequently leave class to go to the bathroom to just sit and sweat through the pain until it passed.
Luckily, at 17 years old, the addition of birth control to my drug cocktail, to control what was diagnosed as endometriosis, graciously allowed my moods to stabilize enough to get off the psychiatric medication. But still I knew that birth control was not the way to solve with my period issues and I held fast to my goal to be medication-free.
After high school, I began experimenting with nutrition, exercise, and supplements. I was able to get enough relief to eventually discontinue the birth control. When I entered naturopathic medical school, I learned about even more natural treatments for mood and menses, and continued to improve my health naturally.
While stress can always throw a wrench in the works, my periods are much more like what a period should be: a minor inconvenience. And as for the needing medication for the rest of my life, I am proud to say it has been well over two decades since I have been prescribed a psychiatric pharmaceutical. Not only do I live without any psychiatric medication, I would even go so far as to describe myself as a happy person who loves to laugh, something that my ten-year-old self could not have even dreamed about.
I’m not saying this was an easy road to take. In fact, it’s not. It’s much easier to take a pill each day but it doesn’t make for a happy or healthy life. It required a lot of experimenting, patience, education, and time. But it is possible. This is why I am so passionate about helping others on their path of healing, so they can live a happier and healthier life of their choosing.
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Dr. Russell’s Training and Experience
Dr. Ashley L. Russell graduated from the Sonoran University of Health Sciences (formerly Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine) in Tempe, Arizona. Dr. Russell’s clinical experience was heavily focused on women’s health, homeopathic medicine, and botanical medicine. She completed several clinical rotations at the Sojourner Center, a women’s domestic violence shelter. She completed additional training in botanical medicine from Gaia Herbs in North Carolina. In addition, she has received over 200 hours of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy training.
She is owner and naturopathic doctor at Frederick Natural Health Center in Frederick, Maryland, and an expert on natural treatments for women’s health, specializing in period issues and peri/post-menopause. She is currently working on writing her first book, “Reclaim Your Cycle: The savvy woman’s guide to naturally balance your hormones to live a PMS-free and energy-filled life”.
Dr. Russell was adjunct faculty at Frederick Community College and taught Nutrition, Anatomy, and Physiology. She has previously taught Biochemistry and Genetics. She has also taught classes at the Common Market and gives other health talks to the public. She spoke at the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) Annual Conference in July 2023 on medical trauma.
Dr. Russell has previously held several leadership positions for various organizations including President of the Maryland Naturopathic Doctors Association (MNDA), VP of Legislation for the Naturopathic Medical Student Association (NMSA), and President, Vice President, and Public Awareness Chair for Naturopathic Advocacy and Community Awareness Team (N- ACT).
Prior to medical school, she received her B.S. in Applied Ecology from the University of California, Irvine, where she spent over a year researching the impact of bioremediating plants on Costa Rican soil.
In her spare time, Dr. Russell enjoys baking vegan, gluten-free treats, knitting, curling up with a good book, and spending time with her partner Mark, daughter Emerson, and dog, Millie.
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Dr. Russell’s Publications
November 2016
Migraines: Naturally Prevent Them Before They Start in NaturalPath
September 2016
Migraines: Finding the Best Medication Combination in NaturalPath
April 2016
Migraines: The Unclear Conventional versus Naturopathic Detective Approach in NaturalPath
March 2016
Migraines: When A Headache Is More Than A Headache in NaturalPath
June 2015
Migraines: New Research On An Old Disease in Naturopathic Doctor News & Review
February 2015
The House That Epigenetics Built in Frederick Gorilla
December 2014
Cost-effective Medicine: A Way to Answer our “Highest Calling” in Naturopathic Doctor News & Review