A bit about Dr. May

Hi, my name is Dr. May.  I practice in Fairbanks, Alaska, at the Alaska Center for Natural Medicine.  I am a naturopathic doctor who practices family medicine and specializes in physical medicine, pain management, weight loss, men’s health, and chronic disease.  Many of my patients have been passed from doctor to doctor, their health concerns poorly managed, and have slipped through the cracks of our healthcare system.  I am invested in each patient that comes through my door.  I am dedicated to using every resource at my disposal to help bring them back to health and a life they are excited about living.  That’s what it’s all about…living this life to its fullest! 

Here’s a favorite quote of mine by Henry David Thoreau:

“I did not want to live what was not life. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. To put to rout all that was not life and not when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived.”

As a naturopathic doctor, I try to always consider six principles:

1.  The healing power of nature: I believe our maker designed our bodies to be ordered and intelligent, giving it the ability to heal itself.  Many times, there are obstacles that need to be removed in order to allow the body to do so. That’s the first thing I try to identify and eliminate.

2.  Identify and treat the cause: Too many times, we (doctors) treat our patients’ symptoms and not the source.  This palliative care makes the patient feel better, however, they are not able to achieve wellness because there still remains an underlying dysfunction. This is one of the reasons chronic disease, especially in America, is rising at an alarming rate.

3.  First do no harm: This includes prescribing medicines that are effective with minimal side effects. Did you know the #3 cause of preventable deaths in America is PROPERLY prescribed pharmaceuticals?!  Also included in “do no harm” is not suppressing symptoms.  What comes to mind here is fevers, especially in children.  We’re inundated with commercials sympathetically displaying sick children with fevers and if you want to be a parent that doesn’t want their child to suffer, you must give them an antipyretic (Tylenol). This is SUPPRESSION! There’s a reason for the fever.  By suppressing the fever, the immune system is disabled in its ability to work effectively.

4. Doctor as teacher: This is one of the principles I love most and I think patients appreciate the most. I love being able to help my patients and provide medicine or therapies that allow them to heal. However, I take the greatest pleasure in educating patients about their disease or illness so they are able to be successful, longterm, in treating the disease or preventing the illness.

5. Treat the whole person: Rarely is there ever an illness, disease, or disorder that is one-dimensional. Most have physical, emotional, spiritual, and environmental aspects that must be addressed. 

6. Prevention: I always emphasize disease prevention, assess for risk factors and hereditary susceptibility to disease, and then make the appropriate intervention to prevent illness. This is the most difficult aspect of modern medicine. We’re all inundated everyday with unhealthy lifestyle choices that look more appealing and are more convenient. This is hard to compete with, as a doctor trying to steer someone back onto the right path.  Add this to the nomadic nature of our society, it becomes almost impossible to track, monitor, and encourage patients to do the things necessary for them to prevent disease and illness. Of course that’s not going to stop me from trying .

This blog is intended to be a resource for my patients and general public. I aim to educate readers on difficult issues and to keep them updated on new developments in research and news that may affect their health. Enjoy

In the pursuit of health,

Dr. Ashley D. May, ND

The following are my credentials:

Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine- Bastyr University, Seattle, WA

10+ years in the health and fitness profession (working as a personal trainer, athletic trainer, program director, fitness director, instructor). Certifications as a Master Fitness Trainer, Health Promotion Director, Basic Pilates, and Indoor Cycling. 

Internship at the world-renowned Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research & Cooper Fitness Center founded by the “father of aerobics” Kenneth Cooper- Dallas, TX

Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, with minors in Athletic Training and Biology- East Texas Baptist University, Marshall, TX

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