DR. JOANNA T FORWELL, ND
VITALIA HOLISTIC HEALTH CENTRE, PLLC
The founding owner of Vitalia, Dr. Forwell (“Dr. Jo” to her patients) is a Canadian who came to Seattle to study medicine at Bastyr University in 1988 and has been in the Emerald City practicing ever since. Her medical skills are comprehensive and she quips that she’ll treat ‘whatever ails you’ – though her specialty is in Regenerative Injection Therapy (RIT).
A leading innovator in natural health education, Dr. Forwell has been using some form of RIT in her practice of 30 years. As such, she has a wealth of clinical experience that exceeds any other such practitioner in Washington State, and is counted among the first female physicians in the country to offer the vast realm of injection therapies to her patients.
She served on the boards of both the American and Washington Associations of Naturopathic Physicians, and was a founding board member & faculty instructor with the Naturopathic Academy of Therapeutic Injections (NATI). She is a member of the American Academy of Osteopathic Medicine (AAOM) & formerly a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management.
As a naturopathic physician, Dr. Forwell approaches each of her patients as a composite, whole individual. This means that any injection intervention occurs within the context of a comprehensive, health-promoting protocol. In seeking to address and enhance the various factors that contribute her patients’ health and optimal wellbeing, Dr. Forwell counsels her patients on foundational issues such as diet, lifestyle, sleep, and movement. To augment this, she may also recommend specific nutrient supplements, as appropriate to her patients’ unique biochemical and physiological needs.
The principles of injection therapy align beautifully with the philosophical roots of naturopathic medicine. Instead of masking the pain with pharmaceutical agents (such as narcotics, steroids, and anti-inflammatories), or jumping immediately to a surgical option, the injection therapies that Dr. Forwell offers, such as neural therapy, prolotherapy or PRP, have the capacity to address the root cause of the problem.
Dr. Forwell brings a gentle touch to her work, ensuring patient comfort and ease. She is very deft with the needle and takes great care in optimizing the patient experience. She finds this work to be richly rewarding, not only because of its ability to achieve relief from pain and injury but also because of its ability to help so many regain enhanced function and quality of life.