Garrett L Smith NMD CSCS BS - Naturopathic Physician

Garrett Lloyd Smith NMD CSCS BS, son of Carol Smith and Lloyd A.W. Smith DDS, was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. He currently lives and practices in Tucson with his lovely wife Cori and their dog Daisy.

Education:
Dr. Smith graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Physiological Sciences with a split minor in Nutritional Sciences and Chemistry. Following undergraduate school, after exploring the fields of both Athletic Training and Physical Therapy, he decided upon the study of Naturopathic Medicine. Dr. Smith graduated from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Arizona in the summer of 2005.

Medical Interests:
In addition to his education in the foundational Naturopathic Medicine techniques taught in school (physical medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, botanical medicine, nutritional therapy, hydrotherapy, counseling), Dr. Smith has thoroughly expanded his knowledge of and personal repertoire of treatment modalities through both experiences as a patient himself and continuing education.

Dr. Smith has found that physical medicine (soft tissue techniques, manipulation/adjustments, therapeutic exercise) and individualized nutrition have shown themselves to be the safest, most powerful, least invasive, longest lasting, and preventative therapeutic modalities available. Those areas are the focus of his practice and will continue to be the focus of much of his future continuing education.

Athletic History:
As a young man, Dr. Smith played many sports, including baseball, basketball, swimming, sprint & Olympic distance triathlon, soccer, tennis, snow & water skiing, snowboarding, track & field, golf, kettlebell lifting, and non-competitive bodybuilding.

At age 11, Dr. Smith started training with five-pound dumbbells under his father’s guidance, an auspicious beginning to a lifelong interest in fitness, nutrition, and health.

Dr. Smith obtained his first (of three to date) Personal Trainer certification at the age of 18. Since then, he has become a certified instructor in the areas of Olympic weightlifting, kettlebell lifting, strength & conditioning, road cycling, stationary cycling, and group fitness.

Currently, Dr. Smith’s personal workout routine involves a diverse mixture of weight training, calisthenics/bodyweight training, gymnastics, metabolic conditioning (also known as “cardio”), yoga, martial arts, and Z-Health dynamic joint mobility exercises.

Needless to say, Dr. Smith enjoys both participating in exercise and learning about exercise, for the benefits of himself and his patients.

Personal Interests:
In his spare time, Dr. Smith enjoys exercising in his home gym, reading, cooking, road cycling, and spending time with his family.

Practice Philosophy Detail

There is one guiding principle in my philosophy of life and medicine. I will present it here in two ways:

1) The Golden Rule--“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

2) “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary. Go and learn it.” Hillel, Talmud, Shabbath 31a

While these are easy to recite, I make great efforts to live my personal life and treat my patients according to this dictum. This means that I take great care in following the basic principles of Naturopathic Medicine, put into my own words as follows (“commentary”, as noted above):

1) First Do No Harm (primum non nocere)—The prudent use of therapeutic modalities that are effective and (most importantly) safe. Period. A physician who uses substances and/or modalities that have well-known or expected side effects and/or are invasive as first-line treatments of disease is blatantly disregarding and violating this principle.

2) The Healing Power of Nature (vis medicatrix naturae)—A physician’s role is to facilitate and stimulate the body/mind/spirit’s inherent ability (also known as ki/chi/qi/prana/vital force/bio-energy/orgone energy) to restore health through the employment of safe and effective therapeutic modalities. Physicians do not “heal” or “cure” patients. Only the patient can. In my judgement, any statement otherwise is misguided and arrogant.

3) Discover and Treat the Cause, Not Just the Effect (tolle causam)—As stated by Samuel Hahnemann in the foundational book of classical homeopathy, the Organon: “The first and sole duty of the physician is to restore health to the sick.” Physicians are bound by oath to seek and treat the underlying cause of a disease. Nothing less is acceptable. Symptoms are a signal that something is out of balance, expressions of the body's natural attempts to heal itself. The origin of disease, also known as the “obstacle to cure” must be treated and/or removed so that the patient’s innate healing ability can instigate a full recovery.

4) Treat the Whole Person (tolle totum)—In our modern world, “obstacles to cure” come from any number and combination of places. These include, and are in no way limited to incorrect nutrition, lack of exercise, environmental factors, and emotional/spiritual factors. All of these must be addressed in order for the patient and physician and patient team to affect a cure. The physician must create an individualized and flexible treatment program that incorporates all aspects of a patient’s health care needs. Ignorance is far from bliss in this area, this can be the reason why specialists fail in their treatment—they cannot or choose not to see the forest (whole person) for the trees (symptoms).

5) Physician as Teacher (docere)—Also known as “Doctor As Teacher”, the name of this website! The physician's major role is to educate patients in order that they are empowered and motivated to take responsibility for their own health. It is my mission to spread my medical knowledge as far and wide as I can through this wonder we call the internet—this is my calling.

6) Prevention is the best "Cure" (praevenire)—True prevention of disease is only accomplished through education coupled with self-discipline in maintaining a lifestyle that supports an individual’s health. Physicians assist in disease prevention by assessing risk factors, heredity susceptibility, and lifestyle factors to provide the patient with personalized recommendations and focused education that will aid patients in their personal quest for prevention. While physicians may be able to provide the education and recommendations necessary for prevention, the day-to-day actions of the patient will determine the final outcome.

I am the first to admit that I am an idealist. I believe that I was put on this Earth to help as many people as possible with their current health issues, educate them as to how they can prevent future health issues, and provide them with the knowledge and ability to obtain the most potent, highest quality, naturally-derived foods and supplements that I can find.