welcome to
THE CLINICCelilo Natural Health and Alta Natural Medicine are the naturopathic medical practices of Dr. Orna Izakson, serving patients in Oregon and Alaska.
I came to herbalism and naturopathic medicine through an interest in my health, my evolving passion for environment and science, and a lifelong love of plants and the wild places and gardens where they grow. I’ve used herbs, food, water and homeopathy as the mainstays of my own health care for more than three decades.
Before medical school, I was a full-time journalist covering science and the environment for newspapers, magazines and online media. That work let me explore the depth, complexity and interdependence of ecological systems — which include all of us on this earth. As a physician, I now apply these insights to the physical, emotional and spiritual systems of individual patients, in their social and environmental contexts.
As a naturopathic doctor I treat people, not conditions. My preferred tools are plants — as food, spices, teas, tinctures and flower essences — along with clinical nutrition, homeopathy and hydrotherapy. My job is to remind you that health is in your hands. I am here as a teacher and cheerleader, helping you toward better health.
the power of
natural medicine
“Cure consists first in removing the cause; second, in preventing its recurrence; third, in empowering the individual to regulate [their] own life and command [their] own destiny.”
— Dr. Benedict Lust
Naturopathic medicine has been around for more than a century, but its philosophy and tools are as old as medicine itself. Naturopathic doctors look for the underlying impediments to health and tailor treatments specifically for each individual patient. Our major medicines are gentle, effective and natural substances including food, water, plants and minerals.
Naturopathic doctors are licensed, primary-care physicians, the general practitioner who helps you maintain your ongoing health. We’re also functionally tertiary-care providers: the ones you come to when other avenues aren’t helping. Working together, we will identify your unique health needs and create a plan to address them. Expect this to be a long-term relationship.
Read this article in Utne Reader, or jump to the FAQs page.
a look into
one patient’s journey
what is Celilo?
Celilo Falls, near the present-day city of The Dalles, Oregon, was the most important salmon fishing and cultural gathering site in the entire Columbia River basin for thousands of years.
In 1957, The Dalles Dam gates closed, choking back the river, submerging the falls, and devastating the native peoples. As a writer, environmentalist and physician, Celilo Falls inspires me to the action prescribed by my Jewish tradition of tikkun olam — the mandate to work to heal and repair the world.
Biologists, environmentalists and Native Americans look to dams as underlying obstacles to ecosystemic, cultural and personal health. As a physician, I work with you to find what hinders your physical and mental health, to help uncover and restore your power, purpose and joy.