Hello

Hello, and welcome!  My name is Ashleigh.  If you’ve read my bio, you know a bit about how I found my way to alternative medicine and why I’m here.  I’ve struggled with health issues for my entire life - issues that confounded MDs. As an infant, I never got fevers, no matter how sick I was - something I now know to be a sign of a weak immune system.  I was plagued by constant digestive issues and ear/throat/sinus infections.  I had chronic urinary tract infections that started at 6 years old.  I had mono at the age of 8 (almost unheard of - most people don’t get it until they’re in college).  I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome at 12, also unheard of. I developed shingles at 19 - and then again at 31.  While I was not chronically ill at that time, I constantly had strange things popping up that took me to the doctor’s office or emergency room, but left doctors mystified. 

As an athlete (runner and swimmer), my health was always a priority.  I ate as my coaches directed me to, for performance.  I stopped drinking soda when I was 12 years old, because I was worried that it might negatively impact my running.  I never did drugs, I didn’t party.  I did what I thought were all the right things - I took care of my body.  While I was in great shape from an athletic viewpoint, the constant medical hiccups were disruptive and frustrating. 

It wasn’t until I was 26 years old that my chiropractor pulled me into the world of alternative health - after yet another trip to the emergency room without any answers.  I’d been seeing him for over a year at that point, but he waited until he thought I was ready to have the discussion that changed the course of my life - and likely saved it.  From that point on, he started giving me reading lists (he knew how much I loved books), he pulled me into his office after treatments to chat about health in general and worked to further educate me. 

As I learned more and more, I got fired up - now that I knew about the corruption in the food industry and medical system, I was determined to change it by getting involved in politics.  My chiropractor eventually convinced me that this road would lead to nothing but frustration, and that I should, instead, become a practitioner to reach individuals on a more personal level. 

In the end, I took his advice.  After completing my 500 hour yoga teacher training in Nosara, Costa Rica, I became a certified health coach and Reiki practitioner, then eventually moved to the west coast, where I completed masters and doctoral degrees in East Asian medicine from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, as well as a master of science of nutrition degree from the National University of Natural Medicine.

I now have my own practice, reWild Wellness, located in Portland, Oregon.  My intention for reWild, as a medical practice and as an online platform, is for it to be a space of community, where those of you who have been failed by our current medical system can see that you are not alone in your struggles, and where you may also find answers to your own medical mysteries. Whether you are here because of your own health struggles, or to better understand the health struggles of a loved one, I’m thrilled to have you join me on this journey.  If you see something in your story that resonates with what I share here, please reach out - I’d love to hear from you!  If you’d like to be part of the conversation moving forward, please subscribe to the reWild mailing list - we’ll let you know when we publish more blogs and the reWild podcast (coming soon!).  And if you want to know about everything going on, including what I’m commenting on more broadly, follow me on Instagram.

Next week, I’ll be digging further into my nine and half year journey with chronic illness.