Heidi Weinhold, N.D., saw her first homeopathic doctor when she was 12 years old.

Her mother, frustrated with steroids and other medications prescribed by conventional doctors to treat her severe allergies and eczema, brought her to a homeopath in Indiana, Pa., to help alleviate her symptoms.

Within six months of treatment, her conditions cleared up, and she never really had a problem with either again.

Her own success story at the hands of an alternative medicine practitioner gave her the drive to want to help other people holistically.

Weinhold, raised in Bethel Park, received her undergraduate degree in biology from Washington and Jefferson College and, afterwards, completed a four-year course of studies at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Ariz., one of only four accredited schools for naturopathic medicine in the United States.

She owns her own practice in McMurray, Pa., and earlier this year began seeing patients a few times a month at Health Alternatives, located on Blackburn Road.

"Naturopathic doctors are highly trained specialists who differ from conventional doctors because they treat the whole person, not just the symptoms," she said.

Her practice specializes in naturopathic support for irritable bowel syndrome, autoimmune disorders and for patients undergoing conventional cancer treatments, homeopathic therapeutics for neurological and cardiovascular conditions, skin diseases, arthritis, lupus and endocrine disorders of the ears, nose and throat.

She's a certified DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) Doctor, treating Autism Spectrum Disorders with homeopathy, as well as a certified AIDS counselor. Weinhold is also president of Appalachian Botanicals, where she formulated Nat-Oral, an oral analgesic that has been proven effective in preliminary studies to treat chemotherapy-induced mucositis.

Though many naturopathic doctors prefer natural remedies over most synthetic drugs, Weinhold said she is not against conventional medicine.

"There is a time and place for medicine," she said, but added that society today is very over-medicated. Many people are looking for a "quick fix" or "magic pill" to cure any health problem that should arise.

But what people may not even realize, she said is "if you're choosing a medication, you're also choosing its side effects."

Naturopathic medicine focuses on preventative measures, but also is used to complement conventional medicine.

However, because it is not licensed in Pennsylvania, many traditional doctors are hesitant to work together with alternative medicine practitioners.

Currently, House Bill 1998 is in Harrisburg for the licensing of naturopathic medicine. If passed, it would allow alternative medicine practitioners to perform minor surgery, prescribe medicine to patients and formulate botanicals.

There are 14 states with full licensure for alternative medicine practitioners -- Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Vermont, New Hampshire, Oregon, Utah and Washington, as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Weinhold, who is a licensed physician in Arizona and Vermont, is hopeful for a decision on House Bill 1998 sometime this year.

Should the bill be passed, it also would allow more people to access an alternative form of health care and provide insurance coverage for it.

"A lot of people don't have access to our care and that's a shame," she said.

With the climbing prices of health care and prescription drugs each year, people are searching for alternative ways to cut costs.

"The overall health care system is a mess. We need health care reform, not only in Pennsylvania, but throughout the entire country."

Weinhold said naturopathic medicine is relatively low-cost, because its doctors were taught to teach patients how to properly take care of themselves.

However, without state licensing, many alternative medicine doctors from Pennsylvania end up moving out of state, including the doctor she saw as a child.

"Many practitioners are afraid to come back home to practice because (not having that state licensing) makes it a lot tougher to treat people," she said.

To set up an appointment with Weinhold, call 724-263-3603.

For more information about Weinhold and naturopathic medicine, visit www.doctorheidi.net.