Dr. Jen

Dr. Jen Stotlar, ND, CNS, LDN

Naturopathic Doctor, Nutritionist

MY JOURNEY

Why did I go from being CFO at a large catalog e-tailer to a naturopathic doctor and nutritionist? The quick answer is that I learned the power of food and mind first-hand, and it brought me back to my true passion.

What was going to be when I grew up? An accountant? Nope. I wavered between doctor and teacher. I kept a list of my favorite learning activities in school so I could use them later as a teacher. And one of my favorite gifts as a child was my first “real” stethoscope. When it came time to make a decision I went to the University of Illinois with plans of being a pediatrician. But those plans changed. I began having pain after I would eat and found that I needed to stay close to a bathroom – which made it difficult to go to class. This led to a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. The diagnosis didn’t mean much to me at the time. I took the medications I was told to take, had regular blood tests to make sure I didn’t have a negative reaction, and started to physically have less symptoms. However, I was no longer interested in the time and stress that pursuing a medical degree would entail. Instead, I decided to leave college after my freshman year. I also happened to get married and started working full-time at an entry level job that in an accounting department. I enjoyed it and started taking classes at night for an accounting degree.

Fast forward… I excelled in accounting and finance. I was also diagnosed with more autoimmune conditions – scleroderma, Crohn’s, vasculitis, and vitiligo. I was taking 5-10 medications, having regular tests, getting monthly infusions, seeing at least ten doctors at a time, and had numerous hospital stays. Coordinating it all was like a part-time job (in addition to my actual job). But I still didn’t feel well. The medications were causing new symptoms, which led to more medications, and so on. I finally decided that something needed to change, and this time I didn’t want to add another medication. If anything I wanted less drugs and I wanted to know what was causing these conditions. This was in 2014, and I was not able to find a holistic doctor near me. So I went online. After doing a lot of research on my own with online resources and books, I learned about the value of diet and the mind. I decided it was time to try it. I won’t go into the specifics because everyone has their own unique situation and what worked for me is not necessarily what I would recommend to you. Within weeks of changing my diet, actively repairing my gut, and and beginning to let go of beliefs that no longer served me, I was feeling amazing. (Although the first two weeks was a physical and emotional rollercoaster).

At that point I made a personal decision to discontinue all the medications and infusions to see what would happen. I was symptom free for a year, but did have another Crohn’s flare and blockage in 2015. At that time, I felt that even though I was not creating any new diseased tissue, the old damaged area of my colon was beyond repair, so I elected to have the diseased tissue removed with surgery. I don’t know that I would make the same decision now that I have learned so much more, and I believe there are still times when surgery or medication is appropriate.
I have been symptom free and medication free since August 2015. 

My passion for being a doctor was re-ignited, except this time I wanted to help people with complex health issues find their whole health with nutrition and nature. I started a part-time program with the Nutritional Therapy Association while I was still working. Somehow, I had still not heard of naturopathic medicine – until I was reading a book for the nutrition program and the author had the initials ND behind their name. I looked it up and I was hooked! I immediately knew this is what I was meant to do. I left my job as CFO and spent the next four years in the naturopathic doctorate program at National University of Health Sciences. And now I am grateful for the opportunity to be both a doctor and a teacher!