Dawn Bantel, Naturopathic Doctor

I love helping people become their best selves.

I earned my doctorate of naturopathic medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon in 2001. I was fortunate to have experienced diverse medical rotations at the many community clinics that serve Portland. Prior to that, I received my bachelor of science in psychology from The University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. I currently live in Tucson and run Integrative Recovery Medicine.

My first position as a naturopathic doctor was in private practice with a focus on family medicine for several years. At the same time, I was teaching physiology at a massage school and several western medical classes at a traditional Chinese medical program. I eventually transitioned to full-time work at Mirasol.  I was the medical director of Mirasol’s eating disorder treatment center from 2003 to 2015. During that time, I managed the medical care of adults and adolescents at all levels of treatment; residential, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient programming.

After Mirasol, I accepted the position of the first medical director of Sabino Recovery, a residential treatment center for those with addictions and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from 2015 to 2020. I provided medical services, including detoxification services to residents at Sabino Recovery. Additionally, I ensured both state and accreditation compliance oversight for the center. It was a great experience to be part of the leadership team while it was a start-up.

I am the only naturopathic physician with the eating disorder specialist supervisor (CEDS-S) certification. I maintain membership with the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp), and have previously served on the board of the Tucson chapter.

My other professional memberships include both the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) and the Arizona Naturopathic Medical Association (AzNMA). I’ve been trained and certified in both Trauma & Tension Releasing Exercises (TRE) and in BrainSpotting. Both are helpful in the body’s processing of trauma.

I am very excited about psychedelic medicine and am a part-time ketamine prescriber at Tucson Counseling Associates. Having completed the MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) MDMA training program, I am hopeful that the FDA will approve it as a treatment soon!

Being passionate about naturopathic medicine, I love to educate about it on social media. I manage my own health by using food as medicine, and am committed to my daily exercise and meditation practices. I’m married to a great guy, I have two daughters, and some furry critters that I adore.