Casey Bowen, a longtime Carbondale resident and naturopathic doctor, has returned to her practice, joining Hilary Back at Back to Balance in Carbondale after taking a few years’ hiatus to focus on growing her own family. Dr. Bowen looks forward to working with families in the Valley who are looking to either start or grow their families through combating “idiopathic” or “unexplained” infertility through integrative practices which focus on digging deeper with patients to get to the root cause of fertility challenges.
She provides holistic fertility care for all genders, individuals who want to build up their fertile foundations in the months leading up to a pregnancy, folks preferring to try naturally to overcome their challenges and individuals who hope to improve their chances with in vitro fertilization (IVF).
“Roughly 30% of fertility cases are labeled ‘unexplained’ according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine,” Dr. Bowen told The Sopris Sun. “I see these cases as opportunities to dig deeper. There’s almost always an underlying cause. It just takes the right lens — and a bit of detective work — to find it. And as I like to remind my patients, ‘Once we have a cause, we have a compass!’”
She explained this process further, stating, “My first patient visits are two hours long, allowing us time to explore every factor influencing fertility. I combine conventional methods like a physical exam and imaging with deeper functional laboratory testing to make sure my patients are on the path that’s best for their timeline and unique challenges.”
Dr. Bowen’s medical background begins even before her education and training. She knew she wanted to pursue medicine from a young age, growing up hearing the stories of her parents, both Level 1 trauma health workers.
“My parents’ dinner table stories were far from ordinary,” Dr. Bowen shared. “Brains coming out of noses after motorcycle accidents, a farmer’s lower leg “de-gloved” by a potato auger — you name it. Most people would run from medicine after hearing that, but I ran toward it.”
Her formal medical education began at Colorado College, where she studied premedicine and evolutionary physiology. She explored various medical professions before settling on naturopathic medicine. She completed her medical studies at Bastyr University in Seattle, earning a four-year doctorate in naturopathic medicine in 2017.
While there are misconceptions surrounding holistic medicine, Dr. Bowen asserts that her practice is integrative and evidence-based, with one principal in mind: Do no harm.
“Symptoms are signs that the body’s physiology and biochemistry are out of balance. I didn’t want to mask symptoms. I wanted to address what caused them. I loved the idea of having a ‘toolbox’ that extended beyond the pharmacy,” Dr. Bowen explained. “One of the biggest misconceptions about my field is that it’s ‘woo-woo.’ Medicine gets polarized — conventional or holistic, evidence-based or alternative. My approach is integrative and evidence-based. I suppose I’m a doctor-witch, but definitely the Good Witch!”
She continued, “Naturopathic training is rigorous. The first two years of the four-year program are the same foundational sciences as in an MD or DO curriculum — the ‘ologies’ — while the last two focus more on nutrition, herbal medicine and holistic therapeutics. We’re also trained in pharmacology, and we understand when pharmaceuticals are in the patient’s best interest.”
The route of her medical practice is something deeply personal, as well. She described living with severe endometriosis in her late teens and early 20s, which left one of her ovaries adhered to her uterus. She shared how she and her husband were told they’d likely need advanced reproductive technologies to conceive. With this background and her own family success, she looks forward to returning to her practice to help people of all backgrounds start navigating their fertility journeys.
“When my husband and I were told we’d likely need IVF to conceive, I didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. That lit a fire under me to explore every avenue of traditional and integrative fertility medicine. I channel our experience in my medical practice. Fertility care can be emotionally and financially draining. Having been through it myself, it’s my greatest passion to walk alongside other hopeful parents on their journey. Naturopathic medicine has so much to offer,” she concluded.
For more information or to book an appointment, visit backtobalancedoc.com/fertility or call 970-963-6500.
