Dr. Amy Derksen, N.D.
Seattle Integrative Naturopathic Physician
My passion is helping you uncover new layers or clues to complex illness that may have been overlooked.
There’s nothing more frustrating than investing your time, money, effort, and hope in getting well and then hitting a brick wall.
My specialty is viewing each patient as a whole person, looking at each layer carefully to discover the missing piece that’s stalling your progress.
I find that uncovering the layers within is much more enlightening and effective than putting a label on an illness — especially in chronic illnesses like Lyme, PANS, and autism that frequently live “outside the box.”
I take a holistic approach to see the big picture, allowing me to look at illness in a whole new way.
There is so much we don't yet know, but I’ve found that, as a doctor, I must always stay curious and never stop learning.
Specialties
Autism (MAPS Fellow and DAN! trained physician since 2005)
PANS/PANDAS
Lyme & chronic infection
Mold illness and chemical sensitivities
Detoxification
Thyroid & adrenal health
Mitochondrial dysfunction
Peptide therapies
Methylation and genetic evaluation
LDA/LDI (low-dose antigen and low-dose immunotherapy)
Sports & recovery medicine
Hormone support
My Path to Holistic Healing Arts
I was an extremely environmentally-sensitive kid.
If I got even a hint of a cold, it was instant bronchitis and antibiotics. I couldn't go to the mall or candle store without severe reactions. As time went on, I was put on more medications which just caused more issues.
It wasn’t until my family moved and my health drastically improved that we realized the problem was environmental allergies and aggravation from secondhand smoke.
Years later, as a competitive athlete in college, I began to struggle again. This time it was hamstring injuries and muscle tears. The team physician just kept telling me to take more ibuprofen...and told me my running career was over.
I was devastated, but then my health insurance sent me a book on alternative medicine.
In it, I read that calcium and magnesium imbalances were linked to muscle injury. I immediately bought the cheapest magnesium I could find (I was a poor college student!) and within days I was back to running and competing.
It opened my eyes to the importance of nutrition and diet, and how often these basic components of health are ignored.
In my quest to learn more, I took an alternative medicine course and learned about naturopathic medicine. I had never heard of it before, but I knew immediately that this was what I was looking for, and I’ve never looked back.
I graduated with a B.S. in biochemistry and then became a Naturopathic Physician in 2003.
I started Holistic Healing Arts in 2006 as a comprehensive center for healing from complex chronic illness.
I feel very fortunate to have a team of physicians around me whom I’d trust with my own family.
Words will never convey the gratitude we feel to Dr. Amy for all she has done for us and our child with autism.
We don't know how she does it...how she’s able to make us feel like her priority each and every time we meet when we know she works with the most chronically ill/ sensitive patients in her practice. Our child has been a patient of Dr. Amy since 2018. His symptoms have improved through LDA/LDI and various alternative treatments for Lyme. Dr. Amy is such a gifted naturopathic practitioner. Her compassion and dedication to our autistic son is such a blessing to our family.
-- S.N., Turnwater, WA
About Dr. Derksen
Dr. Amy Derksen, ND (“Dr. Amy”) is the founder and owner of Holistic Healing Arts.
She is a Naturopathic Physician, graduating from Bastyr University in 2003. She was fortunate enough to be Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt’s first naturopathic resident until the end of 2005. During that training she learned extensively how to use his system of autonomic response testing (ART) to help with tailoring a protocol to each individual.
Dr. Amy taught ART to other physicians through the Klinghardt Institute for more than 10 years.
She’s spent the last 15+ years working with autism and PANS/PANDAS, as well as Lyme patients who were either coming off antibiotics or not tolerating other protocols. She’s also spent time studying mold illness and its effective detoxification from the body.
Dr. Amy did her undergraduate studies in biochemistry, which she applies to understanding the latest research on detox and genetic susceptibilities, especially as it applies to methylation and mitochondrial needs.
She continues to push herself physically and academically, but sometimes struggles with a mold-induced thyroid autoimmunity.
She also was very ill with COVID in early 2021 with significant cognitive symptoms, clotting issues, and a post-viral immune flare that no one was expecting. This was humbling, but also a great learning experience. She gained insight about treatments that worked amazingly well to stop the cycle that was trying to become something more.
Coaching work to help separate from identifying with the illness, LDA (low dose antigen therapy), peptides, and methylation and mitochondrial support have been incredibly helpful to keep her moving forward.
Personally, Dr. Amy loves the outdoors and being out in nature doing anything possible to stay active, including mountain biking, hiking, trail running, skiing, and SUP.
Education & Affiliations
Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs (Fellow)
American Association of Integrative Medicine (Board Certification in Integrative Pediatrics)
American Academy of Environmental Medicine (Member)
Klinghardt Academy (Instructor)
Washington Association of Naturopathic Physicians (Member)
American Academy of Environmental Medicine (Member)
International Peptide Society (Member)
Honors
Invited to become Board Certified in Integrative Pediatrics from the AmericanAssociation of Integrative Medicine, which is typically limited to D.O.’s and M.D.’s.
One of the few physicians Dr. Klinghardt has honored to teach his work in ART.
One of the first Naturopathic Physicians to become a Fellow with the Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs.
National Champion 100m collegiate hurdler and named Western Washington University’s Female Athlete of the Year
Speaking Engagements
Autism One
LIA
Dr. Cowden’s Academy of Comprehensive Integrative Medicine
Hope to Heal Lyme
Autism One
The Forum for Integrative Medicine
The Peptide Summit
I have no doubt that I would be struggling with autoimmune issues were it not for Dr. Amy’s care and expertise.
HHA has been treating our family for years! With nutritional supplement guidance and key diet and lifestyle suggestions, I have been able to remain healthy and active. Also, one of my sons dealt with heavy metal toxicity for many years as a child, but with Dr. Amy’s expertise, he is doing much better now!
-- S.D., Georgia
NEW: Consult with Dr. Amy
Dr. Amy hasn’t accepted new patients for several years. But now she’s opening her practice again to assist your managing physician with the big picture solutions to your health. Dr. Amy’s greatest strength lies in looking at your labs, history, genetics, and family life to figure out what might be missing from the picture.
Sometimes you’ve tried the right medications, but at the wrong time or in the wrong combinations. Sometimes it’s about needing to feel supported in your journey. Other times, there are little clues along the way that are hard to see unless you step back.
New patients for Dr. Amy will likely already have a managing physician who is open to outside input, or your managing physician could be another doctor here at HHA.
All patients seeing Dr. Amy will have an in-person visit, including ART testing, clinical evaluation, labs, and physical exam. One of the most important things ART helps with is identifying the priority needs to attain wellness.
In other words, ART makes it obvious what infection or stressor needs to be addressed first. It also helps identify which treatments are the best for YOUR body at this particular moment in time. Using the ART technique, along with reviewing your history and appropriate lab testing can get you on the road to health faster.
Patients who are unable to travel to see us in person or who do not want to have ART testing will have other opportunities for case reviews, phone consultations, and lab and other assessment tools.
Patients who would benefit from these consults:
Have already seen several doctors and specialists.
Have relatively “normal” labs that don’t match with the symptoms they’re experiencing.
Tend to be more sensitive and reactive to foods, supplements, and their environment.
Patients who have encountered a plateau in treatments.
Lyme patients on heavy antibiotic protocols with other Lyme doctors. The goal here is to work with your doctor so you get the full benefit of these protocols while maintaining digestive integrity, reducing Herx symptoms, supporting methylation and detox, and supporting the organs of elimination.
Have another doctor who can manage your care and is open to working with Dr. Amy.
Dr. Amy is also doing extensive training as a transformational coach with the Awaken Coaching Institute.
Stay tuned!
Dr. Amy is also working to expand her care to an online forum. This would allow people to get help who could never afford to travel to Washington or who have other limitations like being unable to leave their homes. This is in the works and will be coming within the next year.