About Meg

Why I Started Interior Medicine

Hi! I’m Meg. Anytime someone brought up non-toxic living to me when I was in my twenties, I rolled my eyes. Now, my life’s work is dedicated to it. These are the five pivotal experiences that changed my mind and ultimately gave rise to Interior Medicine, if you’d like to read about its origins.

First, I became very curious about how invisible molecules in anti-depressants could change people’s moods and lives when I worked at a little pharmacy during my high school years, so I read Molecules of Emotion by Candace Pert. Before that, I had visited colleges with the intention of majoring in Interior Architecture, but the book made me decide to major in Biochemistry and Biophysics instead. Spending four years learning about tiny molecules is likely what makes “toxins” feel more real and relevant to me to this day.

Then, while in my last term of undergrad, I learned in a class called Molecular Medicine that pet birds died when people cooked with non-stick Teflon pans. Teflon is made of PFAS, and when PFAS were released into the air, birds inhaled them and died. It was thought, even back then in 2007 (!), that PFAS may also be carcinogenic to humans (which of course, now we know they are). We also learned about the biochemistry of pesticides and food additives, and this marked the first time I had an interest in organic food and natural cleaning products. Before, I had dismissed them as unnecessary and just “for the hippies,” but learning how synthetic chemicals affected my body on a molecular level changed my mind.

After graduation, I was studying for the MCAT and working as a clinical research coordinator at the hospital. During a conversation with an elderly patient recovering from a stroke in the ICU (he was widowed and mostly ate frozen dinners) the physician I was working with prescribed Plavix, a blood thinning medication. Which is good!! But for weeks afterward, I couldn’t stop thinking about the patient’s loneliness and his microwave meals, both of which are stroke risk factors. I felt a pull to help him, and others like him, in a more holistic way than just medication. To be clear, I wasn’t seeking an alternative to medications and hospitals, but something I could do that would feel more comprehensive, and potentially preventive, too. I can’t state enough how much I respect MDs and ICUs and the wonderful care they provide, but this particular experience is what gave me pause about “regular medical school” being the right fit for me.

Stalling, I spent a year in an Epidemiology and Biostatistics Master’s program. My time in it ended up being invaluable— I learned how to think about public health vs. individual risk, correlation vs. causation, and much more— all of which I still use constantly to this day, both in creating this website, and while navigating the news about Americans’ relationship with health. A professor in the program tipped me off to the fact that Naturopathic Doctors were licensed and board-certified primary care physicians, could prescribe a full formulary of medications in Oregon, and were covered by insurance. I had no idea! The focus on prevention and holistic treatment seemed to align with my ideals, so I applied to NUNM and became a naturopathic doctor.

Finally, full of naiveté after receiving my ND, I was sure I could help prevent chronic disease. I tried mightily, in an ALS clinic, cancer institute, and practicing in an integrative gastroenterology clinic. It does turn out, however, that patients really only come to the doctor after they’re sick (haha) and while I hope I helped prevent something on some level for some people, COVID is what finally provided the setting for weaving together my background with my holistic prevention goals. 2020’s lockdown gave me time to wonder about my Ghost Ship— that alternative life where I had become an Interior Architect instead. I took online classes in Architecture and Interior Design for fun in the evenings, and while choosing materials for one of my projects, I noticed that stain-proof couch upholstery was made with PFAS, just like the Teflon pans of 2007 were. I wondered if I could help prevent disease by choosing a couch made without PFAS for my (imaginary) design client. Making a home healthier, where people spend so much of their time before they get sick made sense. The more I learned, the more I was convinced I was on to something. I started Interior Medicine in early 2021 as an evening hobby. Since then, it’s become a (more than) full-time endeavor, thanks to you, and I plan to keep improving and growing it as long as possible.