Hi everybody! My name is Tim Ammons. I am a
6th Trimester naturopathic student here at
NUHS.
I love to talk and tell stories, yet when presented with the
honor of sharing my experiences here at NUHS, I had to think for a
bit. After all, I would be exposing my life to everyone on the web.
After some thought, I decided that I believe in family and I care
deeply for the family of students (of all programs) and faculty we
have at NUHS. If I can express that confidence and share some
of the fun, trials, challenges, successes, failures, and joys along
the way, then we stand to build a stronger family as the years pass
at our little school! After all, Rachel and Miravone (our
previous ND bloggers) painted an honest picture of life at NUHS. I
am honored that they would consider passing the torch for me to
carry. So, here we go!
I was born and raised in Mars Hill, North Carolina. Mars Hill is
a small town of about 1,500 people just north of Asheville in the
Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. Being from a small
town and a large family are two things for which I am eternally
thankful. We grew up simply, raised our animals, and tended our
garden (both literally and in the spirit of Voltaire).
I earned an undergraduate degree in business management from
UNC-Asheville. Then I embarked on a career that involved middle
management in the food processing industry along with many
positions in information technology at corporate headquarters in
construction and banking. Being a first generation college graduate
from humble beginnings, I was your typical American worker who grew
up believing the answer to life was to work hard and play hard,
while saving a little for retirement along the way. That lifestyle
paid off well with regard to a paycheck, but did little for mind,
body and soul, or for meaningful healthy time in relationships. The
bottom line, while always important, became the determining factor
as to whether my life was a success. That was a mistake for me.
I found naturopathic medicine through a very close friend in a
very challenging time in my life. I was your typical 'Joe Six
Pack', sitting in a cubicle and working all day just to go home,
plop on the couch and catch up on whatever show was hot enough to
talk over coffee at work. I paid no attention until a severe
wake-up call in 2008. During and after that time, the principles of
naturopathic medicine helped to bring me back to a state of health.
By working with re-establishing a healthy mindset on the important
things in life, along with respecting and aiding the body and its
ability to restore itself to health, the path to a happier spirit
and return to family was opened to me at that time of my
life.
Naturopathic medicine and its principles had such a huge impact
on my life that I started rethinking my life plan. After some
research about naturopathic medicine vs. traditional western
medicine along with the differences, similarities, treatment model
comparison and conversations with MD friends, I decided to leave
the bank and pursue a degree as a naturopathic doctor.
Once that decision was made, I needed to find the right school.
This would be a school based in the sciences. After all, the body's
functions are the body's functions. We all need to understand how
things work before we can learn to fix them. Along with the
sciences though, I needed a school that taught the philosophy of
the Naturopathic Principles, their special fit in each unique
person's life and the necessity of understanding which of the
principles fits most appropriately at the appropriate time (I
didn't know how to phrase that back then, I just knew it :).
When I visited
NUHS, I was able to see the solid scientific foundation of
study immediately upon arrival (and believe me I felt it during
the first two years, too!). As I spoke with other ND
students and faculty during the visit, I was able to get an
excellent read on their viewpoints of naturopathic medicine. To
have a professor discuss the intricacies of a biochemical process
in a passing conversation and end with 'Namaste' was almost surreal
to me at the time, given my mindset developed from the
manufacturing and banking worlds. I think this example is
best at getting my thought across that the science is serious and
so is the philosophy at our school.
NUHS has been one of the most fulfilling, challenging and joyous
experiences of my life, and I've been around the block a couple of
times. It has also been absolutely the most humbling time of my
life. Come to this school prepared to show up for class, work hard,
be relentless in your study, and learn a lot! Being a truly
integrated medical school with naturopathic medicine, chiropractic
medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and acupuncture gives
the students at NUHS a distinct advantage with the real world and
the growing practice of cooperative care for patients in our
society.
If you choose NUHS, you will build a family while here, both in
your field of practice and your complementary colleagues who will
enter practice along with you after you graduate. I think we all
agree that the world is a little smaller when we have a larger
family to share it with!
Always feel free to contact me via email
if you have any questions. I'll do my best to answer them. If I
don't have the answer, I'll find someone who does!
My best to each and every one of you! Much success with each of
your decisions and may they embark you on 'Your Appropriate
Path'!