Amy Rothenberg ND

Dr. Amy Rothenberg, has practiced as a licensed naturopathic doctor for over 36 years in Northampton, Massachusetts. Dr. Rothenberg is a beloved teacher in the world of integrative medicine and a popular speaker at continuing education conferences and at public lectures and events. Her humor, grace and knowledge as both a doctor, a patient, a wife and a mother inform both her teaching style and her prolific writing..Dr. Rothenberg is a former member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) and was the 2017 AANP Physician of the Year. She served on the Board of Health in Amherst, Massachusetts for six years and as Vice President of the Board of the Amherst Survival Center, which offers free medical care, food, clothing and community to people in need. She is the current president of the Massachusetts Society of Naturopathic Doctors and spearheaded the successful effort to license NDs in the Baystate. Her first book, The A Cappella Singer Who Lost Her Voice & Other Stories from Natural Medicine, illustrates naturopathic medicine through patient stories. She blogs for the Huffington Post, Medium, and Thrive Global, often sharing a naturopathic medical perspective on health and societal issues in the news. Her writing is practical, filled with applicable information as well as inspiring. She is skilled at breaking down the science for a lay reader and encouraging informed decision making and self-agency for patients in the medical setting

Dr. Rothenberg is also a cancer survivor/thriver who publicly chronicled her experience going through conventional cancer care while also using natural and integrative approaches to enhance efficacy of care, prevent side effects, address side effects that arose and then to begin the process of healing from those aggressive therapies. Since 2014 she has consistently worked to share what she knows with her patients and the general public while modeling healthy living and promoting integrative and natural medicine tools. After 18 rounds of chemo in 2014, she decided that six months later she would compete in her first triathlon, a thrilling accomplishment for her and her family and she continues to participate in triathlons each year.

Dr. Rothenberg is the proud mother of three wonderful adult children and is rounding the corner on 36 years married to the love her life, Dr. Paul Herscu. They share a cherished partnership in the countryside outside of Amherst, MA. When not busy with work and family and friends, Drs. Rothenberg & Dr. Herscu are avid ballroom dancers. Dr. Rothenberg enjoys time in her art studio, playing guitar, and puttering in her garden and kitchen.

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What I hoped to accomplish by my writing:

My hope is that other health care providers will read my work for information and also to take a peak inside one person's experience of offering medical care. I hope to inspire those readers to find time for reflection about their own work and to feel empowered to share those thoughts and feelings with others. It is, at least in part, by exposing our experiences and sharing openly, that we advance our professions.

I also hope my writing finds its way into the hands of those less familiar with natural medicine approaches. There is so much room for the expansion of this profession. My interest in writing is to create accessible and interesting works, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, with something there for everyone.

I have noticed when people pick up The A Cappella Singer book, they immediately turn to the table of contents; I know what they are looking for--help for themselves or for a loved one. We all have things we are trying to fix or people we are trying to help and we often look to experienced people for advice. I love that innate urge I often see in people to help others; it is such loving compassion that is alive and thriving in all avenues of medicine.

By sharing about myself as a person, a bit about my family and my experience in becoming an ND as well as practicing over 36 years, I hope to gain the confidence of readers and share information for everyone's benefit. I think many of us are drawn to stories, so patient stories seemed, at least in my hand, a colorful and compelling way to share the work of naturopathic medicine with the world.

And from my second book, You Finished Treatment, Now What? A Field Guide for Cancer Survivors, I go even more in depth, for this population, but with the same goals-- to inform and hopefully, inspire!

Amy Rothenberg ND