Biography
Dr. Sarah Buck is a licensed naturopathic doctor living and working in Maine. She graduated from Bastyr University’s California campus in 2016.
Since a young age Dr. Buck has been interested in healing. Perhaps the first inkling was when she was in first grade, Dr. Buck wrote and illustrated a book in which she cast herself not as the princess, but as the healer. From there she proceeded to create “potions” in the basement of her family’s home, often incorporating plants and various items from the kitchen.
As a young child her mom took a young Dr. Buck to see an “alternative doctor” who had Sarah tap on her sternum (over the thymus) to “wake up the immune system” and who was able to guess at a recently consumed meal of French fries by squeezing the fleshy part of Sarah hand between forefinger and thumb (ouch!)
Dr. Buck now still makes potions (more conventionally known as teas or tinctures) from medicinal plants. She continues to be interested in waking up the immune system or stimulating the vital force. And although she does indulge in the occasional meal of French fries (life is all about balance), she enjoys cooking fresh, healthy, and nutritious foods and teaching others about the power of foods.
Dr. Buck's journey to naturopathic medicine has been a bit roundabout, but the path has enriched her understanding of people, nature, and health. Dr. Buck began her study of medicinal plants in college when she spent a year in Switzerland, where every pharmacy is stocked with calendula succus, chamomile capsules, and herbal oils. Pharmacy students in Europe must learn the pharmacological actions of a broad and specific repertory of herbs, and Sarah was lucky enough to partake in some of these introductory classes. After that, Dr. Buck sought herbal teachers wherever she could find them. This lead to studying traditional medicine and Ayurveda in India, and back to Maine to learn from some of the local heroes, Deb Soule, Corinne Martin, and Mary Bove.
Training and experience
Dr. Buck’s love of science is what drew her ultimately to naturopathic school, where the science and art of medicine are blended into a unique approach to health and healing. Naturopathic schools require two years of basic sciences such as biochemistry, anatomy, and physiology which are taught alongside homeopathy, botanical medicine, and physical medicine.
The next two years are comprised of immunology, pathology and diagnosis with a focus on standards of care and naturopathic approaches to treatment. These final two years also include time in the clinic treating patients under the supervision of a doctor.
Dr. Buck has also shadowed and interned with several doctors in Maine, Montana, and California.
Although her primary passion is botanical medicine, Dr. Buck uses nutritional supplements, lifestyle modifications, pharmaceutical interventions, homeopathy, and physical therapy techniques to treat each individual. As a naturopathic doctor Dr. Buck is also able to run a full range of lab tests from standard labs to more in-depth and functional labs. No two people will have the same treatment protocol, as each person is unique and requires a fully tailored treatment plan. Sarah is passionate about finding what works for each patient to make them feel healthy and vital.
