How Naturna Is Pioneering New Approaches To Holistic Health

As the world dives deeper into embracing lifestyles focused on wellness, Naturna is a brand and practice that is pioneering new approaches to holistic health. I caught up with founder Dr. Christina Burns to find out more.

Growing up, Christina had her share of health challenges. Throughout her childhood and teenage years, she struggled with low immunity, acne, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, and a variety of aches and pains. She visited many doctors, none of whom offered any solutions.

Her foray into natural medicine began when she was 19 and ventured to Asia on a gap year. There she learned a completely new paradigm of health that took what she ate into consideration as well as the use of herbs, meditation, and various healing modalities to address her health challenges. She returned home and began seeing a naturopath and Chinese medicine doctor, and finally started to feel better. Motivated by her experience, she spent the next nine years studying Eastern and Naturopathic medicine in Canada and abroad. Her education involved extended stays with Buddhist and Daoist monks in China to India and Nepal where she volunteered her skills in underserved regions.

While doing her residency in Chinese Hospitals that integrated eastern and western medicine, she was inspired to form a bridge between conventional and natural treatments to make the best of both worlds accessible to patients. When she moved to New York City, she teamed up with a well-known fertility specialist to help women address hormonal and fertility challenges; and, deepened her connection with what women and couples endure amidst the fertility struggle.

“What really caught my attention was each patient’s willingness to completely transform their lives in order to conceive. They were ready to take on the world, be that overhauling their diet, taking up meditation, or drinking a rather awful tasting herbal concoction. At Naturna, we are firmly rooted in the principle of physician as teacher. We guide patients in what to eat, how to exercise, mindfulness techniques and provide supportive coaching to help navigate a new way of approaching their daily routine. Depending on the nature of the complaint, we might use acupuncture, herbal medicine, or vitamins to bolster results. It is a comprehensive approach to wellness involving both treatment and education.”

Burns shared what she thought was missing in the space. “Two things mainly: unity and education. Healthcare and wellness are often very fragmented, forcing many patients to see a variety of practitioners to address a single complaint. Most people I talk with are overwhelmed by a long list of appointments and would love to have a single point of contact for a comprehensive, individualized approach. I’ll review lab results with my patients, communicate with their doctor; and, offer education, resources, and a variety of treatment modalities to help them reach their goals.”

She shared her views on how taking a holistic approach improved the entire experience by treating the body and mind as a whole interconnected system. She believes if we work on the root cause, often everything falls into place. “Gut health, for example, is crucial to overall well-being,” she says. Burns stresses that if we can improve digestion, the skin will clear, pain dissolves and hormones regulate. “Same goes for mental health - calming stress hormones improves sleep, regulates cravings and metabolism and can boost fertility.”

She also shared some of the success stories she’s heard from people who’ve gone through the experience. One of her patients with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) didn't ovulate or menstruate on her own. Burns taught her how to balance hormones with food. They then used traditional Chinese herbal formulas in combination with weekly acupuncture to regulate her menstruation so that she could conceive naturally. She went on to have three healthy children.

Another patient of hers had Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) and was told by every doctor in NYC that she would never conceive with her own eggs. Burns had her patient do acupuncture, improve her nutrition, and use Chinese herbs in combination with an Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and she went on to birth a healthy little girl.

Unrelated to fertility, a patient with severe pelvic pain from endometriosis was exploring surgery after every other intervention had failed. Burns customized a potent herbal prescription and within two weeks her condition improved and she was able to avoid surgical intervention.

Finally, she shared more about a new product she’s launching to help with emotional wellness. “Since many of my patients lamented taking a fistful of pills, I set out to develop a single formula that would tick as many boxes as possible when it came to their symptoms. My signature herbal product, “Supernatural” was designed to level a person’s stress response, boost energy, and foster emotional balance and clarity. Lovingly referred to as "junk juice" due to the murky nature of the beverage, this herbal blend has become a major part of my arsenal. “My patients love it”. She recommends it for anxiety, overwhelm, brain fog, PMS and more. “My goal with this product is to bring more peace and happiness to people's lives through the wisdom of natural medicine.”

In addition to launching Junk Juice, Burns has an online fertility course, and hosts the popular podcast Fertility in Focus. “I think what people really need is access to information and mentorship to reach their goals. Whether I’m talking with someone in my office, working with them virtually, or offering on demand education through my course or podcast, I will keep making sure people have access to information and support. I don’t want anyone feeling alone during this process. There is so much we can offer to ease the journey.”