Gary Ferguson , ND
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
907.770.6700
Dr. Ferguson's comprehensive lifestyle approach is one of empowerment with his patients. He likes to spend longer sessions with clients, ideally helping them understand the links between nutrition and lifestyle, learning behaviors that can help them achieve a greater degree of wellness. He uses Chinese and Western herbal formulas along with nutritional approaches as his primary therapeutic modalities.
Dr. Ferguson completed his Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2001 and has been a licensed Naturopathic Doctor in the State of Alaska since that time. Additional training includes a 10-month Fellowship with I.H.S. Healthy Native Communities and an Master of Science in Oriental Medicine (2002), with a Master's Thesis to be completed in 2008. He presents at local and national conferences on such topics as Stress and Chronic Disease, Holistic Healing for Addictions; Diabetes Wellness, Stress Management, and Integration of
Naturopathic health care for Native People. He serves as a board member for the American Lung Association of Alaska Advisory Board; Access Alaska; The Aleut Foundation and Alaska Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
Dr. Gary Ferguson is also currently the Director of Wellness and Prevention at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Before joining the ANTHC staff, Dr. Ferguson worked 5 years in the Aleutian Pribilof Islands region for the Eastern Aleutian Tribes as their Wellness Coordinator and for
Southcentral Foundation as their Naturopathic Consultant.
"Naturopathic doctors practice as primary care providers. They make a conventional Western diagnosis using standard diagnostic procedures such as physical examination, laboratory tests, and radiology. However, they also make a pathophysiologic diagnosis using physical and laboratory procedures to assess nutritional status, metabolic function and toxic load. In addition, a considerable amount of time is spent assessing the patient's mental, emotional, social and spiritual status. Therapeutically, NDs use virtually every known natural therapy: dietetics, therapeutic nutrition, botanical medicine, physical therapy, naturopathic manipulative therapy, lifestyle counseling, exercise therapy, homeopathy, psychological and family counseling and hydrotherapy. Naturopathic medicine concentrates on whole-patient. wellness-the medicine is tailored to the patient and emphasizes prevention and self-care. Naturopathic medicine attempts to find the underlying cause of the patient’s condition rather than focusing solely on symptomatic treatment. Naturopathic doctors cooperate with all other branches of medical science referring patients to other practitioners for diagnosis or treatment when appropriate."