Windy City Times: What made you decide to go into naturopathic medicine?

Dr. Marianne Marchese: I decided to become a naturopathic doctor after years of being in the field as an occupational therapist. I was talking with doctors I worked with and said I wanted to be a doctor so I could work with people on their diet and exercise to reverse conditions like diabetes. They said to me, you don't want to be a doctor because you won't have time to do any of that. You will just be prescribing medication and seeing patients every 15 minutes.

I got a little discouraged and then I heard about naturopathic medicine as I was reading a magazine. It was a perfect blend of what I was looking for. I can spend an hour with a new patient and as long as I want with follow up visits. I can work on preventative medicine with my patients. Here in Arizona, I am also a full primary care physician so I can also do minor surgery and prescribe medication.

WCT: You run your own private practice and teach gynecology at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Ariz. Tell me what that is like.

Marchese: [ Laughs ] Well, I have a lot more wrinkles and gray hair. I'm very busy. I'm in private group practice three days a week. There's six of us and we all have a different focus, mine is women's health, gynecology and environmental medicine. I teach a gynecology lab course at the college one day a week. Then on my fifth day, I sit at home and do a lot of writing for medical journals, magazines and public speaking engagements. I like it because it's a nice blend of patient care plus education and teaching which keeps me up to date on the latest studies and research.

WCT: Has being openly gay affected your work, positively or negatively?

Marchese: It was a neutral issue when I practiced in Portland, Ore., and Berkley, Calif., and it's been iffy here in Arizona. It's like I've gone back in the closet. You just don't talk about it here but it didn't keep me from thanking my partner in the acknowledgements of my book. I couldn't have written it without her.

WCT: Why did you move to Arizona?

Marchese: Partly for my mother who lives here and my partner's work as well as the cost of living. I had taught at the college in Portland and I missed that when I went to Berkeley so I knew I could come to Arizona and teach here.

WCT: In a nutshell, describe what the readers will find in the book.

Marchese: They are going to be educated about women's exposure to different chemicals through food, cosmetics and cleaning products. I give very detailed information on what to buy and what not to buy, what food, cosmetics and cleaning products to use. Then they will find out the science behind the chemicals we are exposed to as they relate ten different women's health conditions. Then they will learn about a treatment plan to remove these chemicals from the body using detoxification methods.

WCT: You mentioned that these are conditions. What does that mean?

Marchese: Most women's health conditions are due to hormonal changes in a women's body which are estrogen mimicking and/or hormone disrupting.

WCT: There are many toxins out there but which one are the worst for a woman's body?

Marchese: There are three that women need to be most aware of; bisphenol a ( BPAs ) , phthalates and parabens.

WCT: How do people figure out which products are the safest to buy since there is so much conflicting information out there?

Marchese: Use my book as a guide and go to the Environmental Working Group website here www.ewg.org . They have a database where you can enter in the brand names of the products you use and they will tell you what chemicals are in them and rate them on a toxicity level.

WCT: What's the coolest development in products in the last few years? What has made you believe that people are getting the message?

Marchese: Due to consumer demand and public awareness companies have had to pull chemicals out of their products. Some states like Missouri and New Mexico are banning BPA in products and other states are taking action and not waiting for the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) to intervene.

WCT: What is the one thing that you would like all internal medicine, general practice and gynecological doctors to ask their patients that they don't ask?

Marchese: They never ask their patients what their environmental exposure is and never consider that as a factor contributing to their patients health conditions. I'd love for them to learn how to do an environmental exposure history and if they don't have time refer patients to doctors who know how to do this.

WCT: How can patients find naturopathic doctors in their area?

Marchese: If people want to find out where naturopathic doctors are in their area they can go to the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians website www.naturopathic.org .

WCT: What do you hope happens with medicine as time marches on?

Marchese: I hope that naturopathic medicine becomes licensed in every state because right now it's only limited to 16 states. I want people to see that they have an option in the type of doctor they choose to see.

WCT: Is there anything else you would like to say?

Marchese: As people read the book they shouldn't get overwhelmed. The point of the book is to empower women to make healthy lifestyle changes in order to stay healthy, reverse a health condition or prevent a health condition from occurring.

Dr. Marchese will be in Chicago to do a book reading and signing at Women and Children First Bookstore on Friday, July 29 at 7:30 p.m. To contact Dr. Marchese visit www.drmarchese.com . To find her on Facebook go here http://www.facebook.com/drmariannemarchese.