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Professional Bio

Dr. Kotarski is a licensed Naturopathic Physician in Seattle, WA treating folks of all ages.  She is dedicated in helping her patients determine root causes of their illnesses and disease prevention.  Her areas of interest include: mind-body medicine, psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology (PNIE), environmental medicine, nutrition and digestion, and LGBTQIA health care.

Dr. Kotarski blends theories and therapies of Western and Eastern medicine to provide individualized care. She is committed to empowering her patients and to supporting their innate ability to heal.  

Dr. Kotarski attained her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto, Ontario. Her naturopathic medical training included primary care assessment and diagnosis, botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, physical medicine, homeopathy, Asian medicine and acupuncture, psychology and lifestyle counseling. Prior to attending medical school Dr. Kotarski attended Buffalo State University of New York, where she graduated with honors earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. 

She is passionate about equal access to health care for all, understanding social determinants of health, and reducing barriers to accessibility.

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History

I grew up in and around Buffalo, NY.  When I was ten years old my family moved into a new home unaware of its proximity to Love Canal, in Niagara Falls. Love Canal is infamous for being one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in history. The devastation it caused to families, the community, and the land lit the spark that would later fuel my passion for social justice and environmental medicine. 

Soon after we moved, I began experiencing my own health concerns. For decades I was plagued by female health issues, hormone instability, anxiety, depression, digestive issues, physical pain and recurrent infections. I received conventional treatment, but was frustrated that nothing helped. Treatment options were limited to symptom suppression and typically made things worse for me and my overall condition steadily worsened.   

At university, psychology intrigued me and I devoured required reading such as “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers” by Robert M. Sapolsky. Through my studies, I discovered an entirely new world of understanding the biological connections between the brain, mind and body.  How our conscious and subconscious perceptions trigger a stress response which can result in mental, emotional, and physical illness. I learned that, in addition to stress, social determinants of health such as poverty and adverse childhood events, to name a few, have a direct negative impact on our health.   

By graduation I had a better understanding of the interconnectedness of a person’s mind and perception, their unique biology, and the impact the environment plays on our health.  However, I remained stuck as I did not yet have the tools to do anything about it. 

How I Became an Expert 

My expertise evolved equally from my experience as a patient and my training as a doctor.  As soon as I started medical school I began weekly appointments in the clinic and continued with treatments until I graduated.  Working with naturopathic doctors, they helped me connect my symptoms I discovered my polycystic ovarian syndrome, blood sugar dysregulation, celiac disease, and eventually other underlying genetic issues. Together, we balanced my physical body with diet, lifestyle, herbs, hydrotherapy, homeopathy and acupuncture. We unraveled faulty belief structures that were obstacles to my healing. 

I experienced this powerful medicine first hand, both the blissful treatments (like acupuncture) and the difficult ones (working through negative faulty beliefs). 

My personal experience taught me to always respect the healing process and to meet my patients where they are at in their journey. My medical training taught me the importance of integrating modern medicine with ancient wisdom and practice. Primary care, clinical assessment and diagnosis, functional medicine, chinese medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy and traditional naturopathy combine to create a powerful toolbox of therapies.  I work with patients specifically on individualized, patient-centered care, and these modalities work wonderfully together providing a borage of treatment options to treat disease and promote health and wellbeing. 

My approach to health care is through individualized patient-centered care that focuses on the dynamic interdependence of mind-body medicine and environmental medicine. I am humbled and grateful to be able to help others find their path to wellness.  I greatly enjoy working with patients as they awaken to their full health potential and I am excited to be a part of the paradigm shift that is leading us away from sick care and toward disease prevention and healthy living.

I have continued my medical education with studies in epigenetics and nutrigenomics, the human microbiome, transgender health care, Trauma-Informed Care (TIC), mind-body medicine and mindfulness, among others.  

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Dr. Cyn Kotarski, Naturopathic Physician

(pronouns: she/her)