Working from Home: Mastering the Art of Sitting at Your Computer

Guest Bio: Dr. Mitchell Kershner ND

I was raised in North Miami, Florida though relocated to South Miami, where I went to a junior college and my future as a Naturopathic doctor took shape.  I was a massage therapist, personal coach, a personal trainer and I attended one of the very first accredited Vegetarian Nutrition courses at Miami Dade. I knew deep inside me that there must be something out there that tied all of these modalities together. 

After reading an article about naturopathic medicine from a local supermarket magazine, I knew that was my calling.  I knew there was healing in the touch. 

In 1990 I packed up my things and moved to Portland Oregon to study Naturopathy.  After five years I completed my schooling with a doctorate bachelors in naturopathic medicine science.  I was intrigued by the philosophy of bridging the mind and body, emotions as well as the spirit and soul. I learned how emotions and thoughts can alter our pathways.  

In Western medical schools, they don't talk about emotions. They don't talk about feelings. They just talk about topics like the cholesterol pathway and Krebs cycle. Here's how you produce ATP - the end result of your energy, productive pathways.  What was discussed in naturopathic school was how this pathway will be affected if you're in a bad mood, if you're angry, or if you're nutrition is suffering.  All of these are factors.

In the 90’s nobody really knew about Naturopathy when I had heard about it. My family was asking me, am I crazy? What am I doing?  You could walk around the streets and ask a thousand people if they'd ever heard of naturopathic medicine and you would've gotten a thousand nos.  My goal was to incorporate massage therapy and personal training with healthy eating and healthy cooking.  I just knew there had to be something that brought it all together.  I just knew that naturopathic doctors would be the general practitioners (GP) of the future. 

In 1999 I moved to Northern New Mexico. In 2002 I became an adjunct faculty member at the University of New Mexico where I taught several courses in the nursing program.  For the next 12 years, I learned a lot about the many different cultures and religions.  I also had a better understanding of what the body's capable of.  The physical body can go weeks without food, days without water, and only minutes without oxygen.  But what about the other elements?  The mental and emotional habits we cling to.  This is where our mind starts to play tricks on us.  We think…"Oh my God, I can't skip a meal. Or Oh my God, I can't get off bread."  We’ll say,” I’ll die without my pasta.” When in reality, the pasta may be what’s killing you.  

I was a search and rescue member of the ground medical team for six and a half years.  It was great to be a part of a team especially for someone like myself who was a solo practitioner.  How did this help me?  Well, if I'm going to ask somebody who's having trouble making some big life changes, like changing their diet, changing their habits, I’ve found that people that are the most successful typically have a support system around them, which means people that will help them or hold them accountable or be there to support them. 

Once I completed 10 years in private practice and six and a half years of adjunct faculty at The University of New Mexico, I moved back to South Florida, and while I was there is when I had decided to attend culinary school and completed with a diploma in culinary arts.

Over a period of five years, I was involved with intensive personal and professional development work and graduated as an Introduction Leader with Landmark Education. As a member of Toast Masters International for 7 years, I attained a level as a Bronze Competent Communicator in public speaking. This skill has given me the ability to give talks and deliver information that's fun and engaging.