When clinical aromatherapist and certified drugless practitioner Tammy Davis was invited in October 2013 to work in the local Amish community, she jumped at the chance to return home to Pennsylvania after 26 years in New Mexico. With 30 years experience and a background in holistic nutrition, Davis travels among the Amish, answering questions and treating conditions using dried herbs and essential oils. “I’m basically an apothecary on wheels,” she explains. “I make customized teas and essential oil blends for the community members, and I give them ideas on improving their nutrition and supporting their well-being. For them, it’s convenient and safe to have me in their homes. They are not always comfortable with a clinic setting and appreciate the availability.”

Davis has since begun work at Tree of Life Health Ministries, a wellness center comprising a team of practitioners led by a pair of naturopathic doctors—together, the group collaboratively combines their skills to provide personalized care to each client. The center offers holistic health services, including naturopathic consultations, licensed dietitian services, water and air purification, detoxification therapies, exercise, stress management, chiropractic, massage and craniosacral therapy.

The goal of naturopathic medicine is to bring the body back to its natural state of self-healing by providing cellular support through proper nutrition and supplementation, along with reducing exposure to environmental pollutants and removing bodily toxins. At Tree of Life, Bob Miller, ND, and Rhonda Ehrgood, ND, perform tests to reveal a client’s current level of health and use the results to determine which food-based supplements and detoxification therapies can help restore balance to the client’s system. Rather than diagnosing or treating disease, they minister to people’s needs, providing recommendations and offering therapies that can help the body begin to heal itself.

Testing involves gathering a family history to identify hereditary commonalities, as well as saliva and blood testing and hair and urine analysis, which can reveal problems such as high levels of toxic heavy metals present in the body. Other factors are assessed, such as stress level or the presence of other imbalances, to form the whole picture and get to the root of the problem.

According to Davis, aromatherapy complements the naturopathic approach to wellness because it encourages healthy cell communication by activating receptor sites that trigger the cell to do what it is supposed to do; for example, produce enzymes or introduce oxygen to other parts of the body. When cells are functioning properly, they are better able to utilize the nutrients delivered to them. “The testing we perform gives us the whole picture of what is going on much sooner than if we relied solely on client reporting,” says Davis. “With more information, we are able to get to the root of the problem much faster and select the appropriate oils, nutritional supplements and healing therapies. For example, people have different responses and results to medical treatments. When our testing results show me how the body is responding to a certain protocol, I can offer essential oils that will support the healthcare process.”

Davis asserts that she has been busier these last few months than any other time in her career. “The openness the community has about what aromatherapy offers is superb,” she says. As Tree of Life discusses expansion, she eventually plans to formulate her own healing oil blends based on genetic testing results for each individual, similar to the approach Miller takes with his line of nutritional supplements.

In the meantime, Davis continues to be excited by new challenges. “Each day I get to solve a new puzzle,” she enthuses. “My skills are constantly being tested as I play detective and try to put the pieces together to find a solution that will benefit the client.” She and the other practitioners at Tree of Life consider themselves wellness partners, educating clients on what they can do to help themselves. “I coach people on ridding negative thought patterns so they can reinvent a healthier future,” Davis says. She tells clients, “You don’t have to be a statistic. Some family genetics can be reversed with proper nutrition and lifestyle modifications.”

Tree Of Life Health Ministries is located at 15 Pleasure Rd., in Ephrata, and 36 Houston Run Dr., Ste. 201, in Gap. For more information, call 717-733-2003 (Ephrata) or 717-442-3200 (Gap), or visit ToLHealth.com.

Nancy Somera is a frequent contributor to Natural Awakenings