NEDRA DOWNING, D.O., M.S. HUMAN NUTRITION, B.S. PHARMACY Nedra Downing, D.O. combines traditional medicine with nutritional and environmental medicine in the comfortable Downing Clinic in Clarkston, Michigan. She brings a broad experience and perspective to her work. She graduated from The University of Michigan College of Pharmacy as an Oreon B. Scott Scholar, one of the university’s highest honors. She worked at University Hospital as a pharmacist before starting a family. When her youngest was in kindergarten, she started back to work as a pharmacist at Flint Medical and Surgical Supply on a part-time basis. Later, she owned and operated her own pharmacy, Consultant Pharmacy, for ten years. She worked both as a dispensing pharmacist and a pharmacy consultant to nursing homes. During this time, she became disenchanted with the system. When she graduated from U. of Michigan, she was fascinated with drugs and chemistry and used to believe that if we did not have a drug to treat everything, pretty soon one would be developed. During the ten years she worked long hours in her pharmacy, she came to realize that drugs were not the answer, and in fact, were often part of the problem. She saw patients who smoked cigarettes, ate fast food and junk food, spent their time watching television and expected a handful of prescription drugs to make them well. She knew this was wrong. Realizing her limitations as a pharmacist, she started back to school working toward her M.S. in Human Nutrition from Michigan State University while still running her pharmacy. East Lansing was close enough to commute. Then she sold her pharmacy and became a full-time student when she entered the College of Osteopathic Medicine in East Lansing. Her goal in starting out was to combine nutrition with medicine and return to the basics for her patients. She believes that health begins with what we eat and do, the thoughts we have, and our choices. While realizing the importance and necessity for prescription drugs, she felt that many people could preserve or enhance good health with simpler, safer measures; namely diet, vitamins, minerals, herbs, homeopathic remedies, exercise, energy and body work, and lifestyle choices. This approach has been highly rewarding to her and has benefited many patients. Dr. Downing learned good nutrition at home while growing up. Her parents had a big garden, and her mother canned vegetables for the winter. They had a fruit cellar with squash, onions, potatoes, apples, cabbage. They had a chicken coop and her father hunted for pheasant. She grew up in a small town in Ohio where produce was readily available. Her mother prepared lunch for her and her two sisters while they were in grade school. There was always a salad or fresh fruit on the plate when they arrived from school. Her mother knew they would be hungry and eat what was in front of them, as they did. So she and her sisters grew up eating fresh fruit and vegetables. Her father was ahead of his time. He ate yogurt and blackstrap molasses. He took Vitamin E, drank sassafras tea and did spring cleansing. He bought a juicer and he and her mother made fresh vegetable juice. This was many years ago before these things were popular as they are now. So she learned, as children do, from the ways of her parents. Dr. Downing emphasizes that we are much more than just chemistry with vitamins and minerals bouncing around in a body, we are energetic and spiritual beings with a genetic blueprint different for each individual. The master plan we were given is expressed in different ways, depending upon food choices that interact with our genes, our emotions, toxic load, and lifestyle habits. Dr. Downing’s credo: Provide the body with what it needs Lead with healing thoughts and intentions Rid emotional and metabolic blockages, and one will automatically move toward healing.