Is Nature Healing for Real? | Wellness

From naturopathic care to cold-water plunges to herbal medicine, many people are exploring how reconnecting with nature can improve physical and emotional health.

Dr. Michael Corsilles, a naturopathic and functional medicine physician, said,  “A lot of patients who come to us have already tried the traditional medicine path. Naturopathic medicine is more of a holistic approach, trying to look at the whole person versus just the symptoms.”

Some of his most common complaints from patients include chronic fatigue, hormonal imbalances, digestive issues, or anxiety — all problems that rarely have a simple solution.

As part of his Bellevue-based practice, Corsilles emphasizes the importance of longer visits and more involved follow-up appointments. For him, the work is as much about connection as it is about diagnostics.

“The rewarding thing is getting to know the patients,” he said. “Not just seeing the healing but building that old-school rapport and connection.”

“The root cause is not always quick to treat,” he added, describing how he might prescribe a steroid cream to treat eczema symptoms while continuing to look for a long-term solution. For Corsilles, the naturopathic practice is not an alternative to traditional medicine, but rather a complement to it, or even an expansion of it. He said this approach provides patients with “the best of both worlds.”

For some, the path to healing is less clinical and more daring. Caroline Haas, a cancer survivor who has been part of the Puget Sound Plungers — a community of cold plungers who primarily meet in the South Sound, but who have smaller plunges across the region — for more than two years, often reflects on her cold-plunge journey.

“I started healing mentally and physically,” she said. “I struggle to get here some mornings, but I know that if I do come and I do this, I’m going to feel better, and I’m going to feel less pain.”

For Haas, the cold brings several days of relief from chronic pain, granting her periods of time when she no longer needs prescriptions or ibuprofen to get by. Other members expressed similar sentiments, describing how the cold boosts their mood, reduces their pain, or simply provides camaraderie.

“You get out there, you start talking, and the next thing you know it’s been 30 minutes,” said Michelle Opalio, another long-time plunger.

In Tacoma, Sara Butters, who just opened her storefront Hawthorne and Honey in Tacoma, shares a similar belief in the healing power of nature. Her shop specializes in foraged ingredients used to create natural remedies. Butters’ path to herbalism was guided by her mother’s homemade cures and a childhood spent relying on natural healing.

“I grew up seeking comfort from nature, and now I help others find that,” she said. “Humans have had to rely on plants since the beginning of humanity.”

As interest in these practices continues to grow, many find that looking to nature doesn’t replace modern medicine; it simply adds another layer to how people understand and support their health.

“Being in nature is not a luxury — it’s a necessity,” Butters said.