As far back as the 8th grade, Marianne Calvanese knew that she wanted a career in medicine. But years later, her undergraduate studies in psychology left her feeling that something was missing. That something was a more holistic approach to wellness that caters to body, mind and spirit. After acquiring a degree in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University in Seattle, WA, Dr. Calvanese embarked on a twenty-year career in naturopathy. Today her work is devoted to the balanced well-being of the whole person and is uniquely suited for expectant women.
 
Q: Explain naturopathic medicine. How is it different from its conventional counterpart?
A: One of our basic tenets is to do no harm. We don’t use toxic or harmful pharmaceuticals. We basically concentrate on whole patient wellness. We attempt to find the underlying cause of a problem rather than just focusing on symptom relief. We use a variety of natural therapeutics, things like nutrition, homeopathy, botanicals, and counseling. We’re trained with all the same basic sciences as medical doctors. We know how to do lab tests and conduct medical exams, but there is a certain freedom in being a naturopathic doctor, and each practice is different. One of things about naturopathic medicine is that if it’s done with awareness, then it is completely safe and effective.
 
Q: What is important to you when you see patients?
A: I spend a lot of time with people. I get to know them, their childhoods, their personalities, even their spiritual beliefs. I like to know as much as I can about a person. This is important because we’re not just physical bodies. We’re interconnected beings. Everything affects everything else, so we view the body as more than physical. We’re made up of energy. If we can have an impact of the energetics of the body, then it filters down into the physical body.
 
Q: How busy is your practice?
A: I see probably between 400 and 600 patients per year. I have patients all over the country. I talk to them over the phone, and I’m developing my local practice now. I’ve been here in Austin for one and a half years.
 
Q: How is naturopathic medicine beneficial for pregnant women?
A: For pregnant women and children in particular, homeopathy is so wonderful for them because it has no side effects. It’s an energy medicine. It affects the physical body through energy bodies. It’s very safe for children and pregnant women, and it’s one of the few things that you can do to treat something that’s out of balance without causing any harm.
 
Q: Do you have a lot of pregnant clients?
A: Often times I’m treating someone for a specific problem, and they end up getting pregnant and I treat them through pregnancy. But I also have women who come to me who want a safe alternative to conventional medicine. More and more women don’t want to take any (conventional medicines) during pregnancy.
 
Q: Does naturopathy have applications for laboring women?
A: There are definitely homeopathics for this. Often times, midwives will have a homeopathic repertoire with them. Certain remedies help to dilate the cervix or help with excess bleeding or nausea. There are remedies for all kinds of things. Same for the baby. I always give Arnica to a newborn. Arnica helps to deal with trauma and to regain one’s balance.
 
Q: What is an example of a profound healing that you witnessed as a result of naturopathic medicine?
A: I once saw a woman who had cancer that had metastasized to the bone in her arm. This was confirmed by x-ray. I gave her a homeopathic remedy, and one month later she came back to me and said that her doctor did not see a tumor on the x-ray anymore. I also had a woman who had rectal and vaginal prolapse. Her gynecologist was saying that the only thing for her was surgery. After treating her for six months, she had no further symptoms or need for surgery.
 
Q: Where do your patients get their prescribed remedies?
A: I have a homeopathic pharmacy, and I’ll give them a remedy from what I have.
 
Q: What other services do you provide for pregnant women?
A: I also teach Hypnobabies. It’s a six-week childbirth education class that includes teaching self-hypnosis for women to have the most comfortable easy and gentle birth that they can. It’s very much like other adult education classes in that we teach nutrition, exercise and ways to stay low risk, but we also do self- hypnosis. This is very empowering for women. We help women to expect positive outcomes. We change the conventional birth language. We view birth as a natural event. A woman’s body is made to give birth.
 
Q: Do you feel that naturopathic medicine is perceived by some as a new method of therapy or a new age approach to wellness?
A: Naturopathic Medicine actually has its roots from several different older traditions. Hippocrates talked about water, air and light as healing modalities. Later, in the 1700’s and 1800’s, the MDs would branch off into various orientations of healing that take wisdom from Native American traditions with herbs, hydrotherapy, and proper diet. They even talked about the benefits of a positive mental outlook. And then there was the homeopathic movement in late 1700’s started by a German MD and based on the like-cures-like philosophy. By the turn of century, roughly one on four doctors were practicing some form of naturopathic medicine.
 
Q: Do modern day doctors of conventional medicine typically work in tandem with naturopathic doctors?
A: I think that sometimes there’s a lack of understanding there. They want to hold up things to a medical model, a standard that doesn’t always make sense to me. And studies can be so distorted. Naturopathic medicine doesn’t fit into that model.
 
Q: From your perspective, would you say that naturopathic medicine is most often used as a complementary method of wellness used alongside conventional medical practices?
A: Actually, I think that there is a movement to use naturopathic medicine as a primary choice, just from the people that I see. They’ll use conventional medicine as a back up or when something is an emergency. And people seem to be willing to pay out of pocket for this.
 
Q: So insurance doesn’t typically cover this type of service?
A: Some insurance carriers are beginning to cover naturopathic medicine.
 
Q: Is naturopathic medicine growing as an industry?
A: It is definitely a growing field. It is becoming more commonplace. In more and more states we’re becoming licensed too. Right now we’re licensed in 18 states. Licensing brings more standardization to the field and more creditability.
 
Dr. Calvanese presently works in Austin, TX where she resides with her three children, son Nick, 15, and daughters Faith and Grace, age 7. To learn more about Dr. Calvanese’s practice, call (512) 288-6668 or email at drmacal@sbcglobal.net.
 
 

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Julia Hockenberry is a writer, reporter and doula living in Marble Falls, TX. She studied vocal music at Florida State University and was a classical music announcer for WFDD radio in Winston Salem, NC before becoming a news anchor for WNAV radio in Annapolis, MD. Hockenberry has also written extensively for The Capital newspaper in Annapolis, MD, as well serving as a contributing writer to The River Cities Daily Tribune and The Highland Lakes Business Journal in Marble Falls. In addition to being a perpetual student in the dynamic fields of pregnancy and childbirth, Julia is married to her husband, Jay, and is mother to three children, Clara, Ben and Calvin.