One of California’s leading holistic medical practitioners, Dr. Goodman-Herrick has been seeing clients for more than 30 years.
Considered a master classical Homeopath, she has been a Diplomate of the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians since 1989 and is a former Vice-President of the Academy.
Interview With Dr. Goodman-Herrick
She graduated in 1979 from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, the world’s first Naturopathic Medical school. There are now four other Naturopathic Medical schools.
Licensed in Connecticut and California, over the years she has helped thousands of children and adults recover and then maintain good health.
A nationally acclaimed teacher, Dr. Goodman-Herrick has taught both other doctors and lay students at the National Center for Homeopathy, is an adjunct professor at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona and is a former instructor at the Atlantic Academy of Classical Homeopathy in New York City.
She regularly mentors young doctors in private trainings and supervision.
A respected author, Dr. Goodman-Herrick is one of the contributors to Simillimum, the professional journal of the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians, and is also on their editorial board. Additionally, she is a contributor to Homeopathy Today, the journal of the National Center for Homeopathy.
Video Transcription
Interviewer: We’re speaking with Dr. Pearlyn Goodman-Herrick, a Naturopathic physician based in the San Francisco Bay area. Good morning doctor, and thanks for taking the time to talk with me. Can you explain to us exactly what homeopathy is?
Dr. Goodman-Herrick: Homeopathy is a highly systematic method of powerfully stimulating the body’s own healing process to cure illness. It seeks to cure the person so that the person is ultimately medicine free. Minute doses of medicinal substances are prescribed specifically based on the totality of the person’s systems. Not just the disease condition, each person is looked at as a whole.
How he/she responds to the environment mentally, emotionally, and physically. Each patient is regarded as an individual. For example, if we take 10 people with asthma or any other diagnosed conditions, each may receive a different remedy because each person is really quite different in how he/she responds.
One person is chilly, another is very warm. Some crave fats, some sweets, some both. These are all the minute details which help the homeopathic practitioner to prescribe the remedy best suited for the individual.
Interviewer: Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you got started in homeopathy.
Dr. Goodman-Herrick: Two years after graduating from college, I returned to do my pre-medical coursework in preparation for becoming a conventional physician. During the time, my health started to decline. I was exhausted. Possibly I would be diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome. Unfortunately, conventional medicine seemed to offer no solution. In hopes of healing myself, I studied nutrition and made dietary changes. My health improved to some degree, but it was really a far distance from what I hoped for. At that time, I was living in Rochester, NY and was referred to a naturopathic doctor who worked in Toronto.
I traveled there and was very impressed with the doctor’s caring manner, as well as the thoroughness of the interview. At the end of the visit, the doctor prescribed a homeopathic remedy, which I started taking. Within a short time, much to my surprise, but in a short time my energy and overall sense of well-being improved a great deal. I’m pleased to say that, with homeopathic care, 35 years later, my health is better than it was then.
Interviewer: How do insurance companies treat homeopathic and your business specifically?
Dr. Goodman-Herrick: I wish I could give you an easy answer to that question, but as we well know the insurance issue in our country are just so complex. Each insurance company, each policy, is so different and provides such different coverage. The best thing to do is to check with your insurance company and to see if your policy covers the office visits of a licensed naturopathic doctor, an ND, and most do, but it’s really important to check. If they do, visits to my office for homeopathy and other services in general will be covered, since I’m a licensed naturopathic doctor.
If the insurance company says they don’t cover the services, you may want to become active to promote for these services. Insurance companies are starting to find out that naturopathic medicine, homeopathy, with its emphasis on preventative healthcare is actually cost-effective and will save them money. This is the big selling point for the insurance companies, and so we should use this as consumers, as well.
Interviewer: Do you think homeopathy makes a good career? Would you recommend young people going in to study it?
Dr. Goodman-Herrick: I would definitely recommend the practice of homeopathy as a career. I’ve been in practice for 35 years. It’s still a passion and a very satisfying career. One of the best routes is to become a licensed, naturopathic doctor. You get rigorous training in the naturopathic medical schools, in the basic medical sciences conventional diagnostics and therapeutics.
The schools also provide in-depth courses in nutrition and other natural holistic therapeutics, as well as homeopathy. If you’re interested in applying to a naturopathic college, it’s best to contact the colleges recognized by the accrediting association of naturopathic medical colleges. You can learn the admission requirements and go from there.
Interviewer: Tell me a little bit about the problems you can treat homeopathically.
Dr. Goodman-Herrick: I work as a family doctor. I treat a wide variety of conditions. I work with first aid situations, such as strains, sprains, and burns. I also see acute problems. colds, flus, bronchitises, pneumonia, ear infections, urinary tract infections, vaginitis, urethritis, shingles. I see a lot of different kinds of problems in my practice but, in addition, I’m really known for work with people with chronic problems. People who are prone to the recurrent, acute problems that I just mentioned.
People who want relief from a wide variety of conditions, such as asthma, PMS, menopausal symptoms. I spent at least an hour with each new patient taking a thorough history and then laboratory work is requested as needed.
I look at each person on an individual, holistic basis. I look at what’s going on in their lives mentally, emotionally, as well as physically. I work with patients to make nutritional changes and lifestyle changes as needed, but at a comfortable pace. Then I also prescribe homeopathic remedy based on their [inaudible 00:06:35] picture. My goal is to help patient obtain and maintain the highest possible level of health.
Interviewer: All right, well I thank you very much for your time today, doctor. It was good speaking with you.