Jolene Brighten, N.D.
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
Jolene Brighten, N.D., is a women’s health expert currently working as the President and Chief Medical Officer at Rubus Health in Portland, Oregon. She received her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine at the National University of Natural Medicine and a bachelor’s in Nutrition Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She is the best-selling author of Beyond the Pill, in which she shares her clinical protocols aimed at supporting women struggling with symptoms of hormone imbalance, including Post-Birth Control Pill Syndrome and birth control related side effects. Dr. Brighten has been featured in the New York Post, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, ABC News, and The Guardian.
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Q&A
What is your wellness philosophy?
The most powerful medicine happens every day by the choices we make. What we put at the end of our fork, the way we talk to ourselves, who we hang out with, how we move, sleep, and truly live has the greatest impact on creating lifelong health. It has always been my philosophy as a doctor that I don't heal my patients, I teach them how to heal themselves. Essentially, I help them build the user manual for their body and see myself more as a guide on their journey. People don't heal in the doctors office, they heal by living their life to the fullest.
What brought you into wellness?
I've always had a fascination with the human body and natural therapies. As a kid I would comb through anatomy books, texts on herbal medicine, and became really interested in using nutritional therapies. I struggled with my digestive health much of my childhood. When I was a teenager, my doctor told me I'd be on a medication for the rest of my life to manage my symptoms. It was at that time I took my health into my hands and leveraged the power of nutrition, which made it possible to discontinue that medication.
What does You. We. All. mean to you?
When we heal ourselves it is like a drop of water into a large body of water. It creates a ripple effect that moves out to the collective, raising the resonance and creating change in ways we couldn't even imagine. The change we need in this world starts with ourselves with a respect that our own actions impact the planet as a whole.
What renews you?
Movement, meditation, journaling then thinking time. I try to incorporate this as part of my daily practice. And of course, an indulgent bath with herbs, salts, crystals and oil.
What’s your best piece of wellness advice?
You are the only person living in your body and the only one who knows your normal. Stay in tune with your body, honor the messages it sends you, love yourself fiercely, and be relentless in advocating for your health.
