About Dr. Pistoia

My journey into health began in childhood, driven by my own struggles with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Those early years were emotionally overwhelming, shaped by my sensitivity, difficult family dynamics, and the separation of my parents. I believe these experiences played a significant role in triggering my IBS.

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Growing up, my family knew next to nothing about natural medicine. I'd never heard of a naturopathic doctor (ND) or natural medicine. Like you, I went to conventional doctors (MDs) for help. After seeing several MDs who couldn’t provide me with effective solutions, I realized I had to take my health into my own hands and explore what else was available.

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Fortunately, my father had a strong interest in healthy living and inspired me to develop healthy habits. I began reading books about nutrition and fitness and searched for ways to feel better. Learning also became a source of comfort and stability during my childhood, which was at times emotionally challenging. As a child I was both curious and studious and I had many interests. These traits caused me to excel academically. I earned multiple academic awards before I finished middle school, and grew rather introspective about life from an early age, and often reflected on my circumstances and experiences. I consider myself to be an ancient soul.

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One of my earliest health realizations was that my IBS improved after I changed living environments. I realized that I took on an emotional burden from the separation of my parents, which dramatically affected my health. At that time, one of my parents abused alcohol, my brother was violent and physically abusive toward me, and I was insecure. When I became a bit more emotionally stable, the symptoms of IBS seemed to disappear. This intrigued me. 

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By the time I started high school, I had a basic understanding of how nutrition, exercise, and emotions impacted my health. Despite this, I frequently came down with colds and was often absent from school. My home life improved, but I struggled with anxiety, low self-esteem, and insecurity. I continued to find comfort in reading, learning, and academics. I was very curious about health topics which were not at all discussed in school.

 

Determined to stop getting sick, I came across a book titled Finally, The Common Cold Cure. It introduced me to natural remedies like high-dose vitamin C, zinc, and green tea. The results were life-changing. It allowed me to successfully abort many common cold symptoms, and prevent them too. As a result, I became a passionate advocate for this protocol, educating my friends and family about it. I also spent some time at the local supplement store exploring some of the natural medicines, which I found to be exciting. 

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In my senior year of high school, I was unexpectedly summoned to the vice principal's office and appointed to represent student interests on the school's faculty health committee. I'm not sure why I was chosen, but I used this opportunity to propose replacing vending machine junk food with healthier options like water and nutritious snacks—options that I thought would benefit everyone. I'd also identified that the school lunches were nutritionally void, but graduated before I could complete either of these projects. 

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In college, my commitment to health deepened. By age 21, I transformed my body through fitness and became an ISSA Certified Personal Trainer. My goal was to help others achieve their health and fitness goals while demystifying wellness. I also volunteered as a youth tutor, earning an excellence award from the Town of Islip, NY, and likewise volunteered as a coach for Stony Brook University’s Fit Families for Life, where I taught children how to exercise.

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During my junior year in college, my life was changed by the sudden and untimely death of my brother, with whom I had a poor relationship. My family collapsed. His death shook me to my core and sent me into an existential crisis. If you’ve ever lost a loved one prematurely, then you know what it’s like—you feel like a piece of you was stolen away, and you have to go on living without it. You feel angry, anxious, depressed. You may think about death and dying . . . and that trauma changes the way you interact with the world.

 

While I was going through the early stages of this trauma, I was wise enough to know that I could either choose to let this void I felt consume me for the rest of my life, or I could choose to use it to empower myself. As an optimist, I chose to empower myself, as I always do. 

 

My life fundamentally changed in many ways after the death of my brother. There is nothing quite like death to remind us how to live. My reflections led me to what some call a “spiritual awakening,” where I began exploring spirituality, consciousness, and psychology, which set the stage for the rest of my life.

 

After earning my Bachelor’s in Health Science from Stony Brook University, I was drawn to medicine but I was conflicted. As a child I always imagined I would become a doctor, but I didn't see the value in prescribing drugs. It sounded boring and repetitive to me. After some time Googling alternative career paths, I discovered naturopathic medicine! The philosophy of using lifestyle counseling and natural medicines to treat the whole person resonated deeply with me, and it was clear that I’d found my life’s passion.

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I later applied to the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) to pursue a career as a naturopathic physician and was honored to receive the Stellar Achievement Scholarship. 
 

Within a few months of starting medical school, I was forced to confront the biggest fear I had before entering school: getting sick and being unable to recover.  For about 8 weeks I was struggling with an illness that would improve but then worsen again. It would prevent me from falling asleep due to a cough that worsened while lying down, and when I did fall asleep, I would wake up with severe throat pain some hours later. I couldn't find any natural medicines or drugs to help the symptoms. It was very upsetting, and the worst part was that I needed to perform under the pressure of weekly exams. In medical school, falling behind is a looming threat, and poor performance on a few exams can put you into a bad position.

In desperation, I visited an MD who diagnosed me with a viral infection and advised rest and fluids. I'd already come to that conclusion myself, and I once again found myself without clear guidance and no help from conventional medicine.

 

Determined to find a solution, I started reading a book called Nature Cure, which opened my eyes to new therapies and introduced me to homeopathy—a type of medicine I’d never heard of. Nature Cure was written by Henry Lindlahr, who is considered to be a prominent figure in the development of naturopathy in the United States.

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While researching homeopathy, I discovered a medicine called Pulsatilla that seemed like it could help with my lingering symptoms based on what I read. I took a dose of it, but nothing happened. Hours later, I took another dose and then went to bed. The next morning, I woke up completely free of symptoms. My cough, sore throat, and emotional turmoil had vanished. I felt an inexplicable lightness, as though a burden had been lifted. Emotionally I felt peaceful, and physically, I felt normal again. This experience left me in awe, and I felt a deep sense of gratitude and debt toward homeopathic medicine. Needless to say, I was intensely curious about how a medicine could produce an overnight cure.

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Motivated to learn more, I began religiously studying homeopathy and soon re-established the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians (HANP) chapter at my school, serving as its student representative. True to my passion for helping others, I shared homeopathy with those around me. One of my neighbors, who had the same night cough as me, experienced the same remarkable recovery with Pulsatilla after I suggested she take it. This reinforced my belief in homeopathy and revealed my natural aptitude for it. I also began helping fellow students by prescribing homeopathic medicines and teaching them what I was learning about homeopathic philosophy and case taking, often with great success. By my junior year in medical school, a rumor developed that I'd attended medical school exclusively to study homeopathy, which of course was not true!

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During this time, I also represented the Naturopathic Medicine Institute’s Vitalist program (VNMI), which emphasizes traditional naturopathic practices like hydrotherapy and the body’s inherent capacity for healing. To further promote these principles, I co-founded the Naturopathic Society (a student vitalist club) and later served as its president.

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In my second year of medical school, the most stable and supportive person in my life was diagnosed with cancer. Although the condition didn’t require immediate treatment, the news hit me hard, stirring waves of anxiety, insecurity, and uncertainty about their health and my life. This experience increased my interest in the causes and treatments for cancer from a naturopathic perspective. It also led me to discover the value of mistletoe therapy and an eclectic branch of medicine known as Anthroposophy.

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My dedication to naturopathic medicine was ultimately recognized by the academic community when I received the Benedict Lust Award—an honor for embodying the core principles of naturopathy. Benedict Lust was the founder of naturopathy in America. I received this award again the following year. 

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Naturopathic medical school introduced me to many new principles and modalities of health, such as how symptoms are an expression of the body's attempt to heal itself, and how body systems could be re-balanced using medicines. But by far, homeopathy was the most profound subject I'd studied. Reading and learning about it fundamentally transformed my understanding of health, illness, psychology, and what it means to be human. It deepened my knowledge and taught me that health extends far beyond the physical body. I came to appreciate the crucial role of psychology and spirituality in medicine, realizing that psychospiritual well-being often forms the foundation of both health and disease. From this perspective, homeopathy can be profoundly transformative, addressing the emotional (psychological) and spiritual roots of illness.

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I became a naturopathic physician in 2020, but like many others, I faced uncertainty during the pandemic. With no clear direction, I knew only that homeopathy would be central to my career. I relocated to Connecticut with my other brother and soon published my first book, In Pursuit of Health. This also marked the beginning of a period of deep personal growth. While physically stable, I grappled with unsettled feelings of anger, sadness, grief, and depression, all of which I finally had the opportunity to confront. The pandemic gave me the time and space to work through these emotions, leading to a revision of my personality and beliefs. True healing, I’ve found, often demands some degree of self-transformation—releasing outdated perspectives and beliefs while embracing healthier ones. This can be a highly therapeutic process and is something I explore with most of my patients. 

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Since 2020, I’ve been practicing both independently and collaboratively with other healthcare providers. Thus far, I've spent about three years in primary care, treating patients of all ages with various acute and chronic conditions. My specialty as a provider is addressing what I call the true cause of your symptoms, which I've found to be associated with your psychology and lifestyle. As a result of my focus on psychology, evaluating your mental and emotional health is core to my approach.
 

Having always struggled with gastrointestinal issues, digestive health and the microbiome are also major focus areas for my practice. The “gut-brain axis” has become a pivotal area of scientific research, highlighting the complex relationship between digestive health and emotional well-being, as the microbes produce the chemicals that form the foundation of our moods. 

 

While homeopathy and lifestyle counseling remain my cornerstone therapies, I integrate herbal medicine, supplements, and nutraceuticals to support detoxification, improve organ function, and to restore balance in your body. I also frequently use the ZYTO scan in my practice, which is a biofeedback device that provides me with an evaluation of the health of your body, its specific stressors, and which medicines may potentially help you. 

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After a couple years of practice in Connecticut, I decided to get involved with the state naturopathic society to help expand the presence and reach naturopathic medicine. After giving testimony at a public hearing in 2022, I was invited to join the board of the Connecticut Naturopathic Physician's Association (CNPA).

 

After joining, I became a key player shaping and enforcing the organization’s overall mission and legislative strategy. As detailed in my book, In Pursuit of Health, naturopathic medicine has been under attack by the American Medical Association (AMA) since the early 1900s. The AMA openly rejects naturopathic medicine, providing preposterous and inaccurate assertions about the medicine that have no ostensible purpose other than to minimize the influence of natural medicine. Interestingly, many conventional colleagues—from MDs, DCs, DOs, RNs, APRNs, and PAs—find value in the naturopathic approach, which they recognize to be an important part of healthcare. However, their parent organizations detest the medicine, pay almost no attention to lifestyle or basic health topics like nutrition. Smart providers understand the limitations of their respected approach, and I am no exception. Naturopathic medicine cannot and should not be used under certain circumstances, and the same can be said of conventional medicine. Knowing when to use either is a sign of a competent provider. In the exams leading up to graduation from naturopathic medical school, students must demonstrate that they know when not to use natural medicine and when to refer. Conventional providers never learn why or how using a drug would cause more harm than using a natural medicine, and thus always use drugs when a natural medicine could have been used. 

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For my efforts in protecting naturopathic physicians in Connecticut, I became the chair of the CNPA legislative committee. I revamped our legislative strategy, rewrote the committee bylaws, hired a new lobbyist, and gave the whole organization a mission and vision. With the help of other board members, we began enacting the new legislative strategy.

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​In 2023, I published my second book, Pocketful of Sunshine: How to Cultivate Joy When You Feel Depressed, offering actionable lifestyle strategies for managing mild to moderate depression. In addition to my books, I’ve also authored numerous wellness articles for Healthline.com and Psychcentral.com, and I've published case reports in medical journals. If you're interested in my literary works, please see the publications page of my website. 

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One year later, I became the Vice President of the CNPA and a state delegate for the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), which represents the national interests of naturopathic physicians. I served in these roles because I believe that naturopathic medicine should be a household concept.

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Following a revealing legislative scope of practice correction session in late 2024 that demanded a significant amount of my time, patience, and mental labor, I decided to resign from the CNPA. The knowledge I obtained working with Connecticut’s legislature caused me to rethink how I spend my time in pursuit of my goals and in honor of my values. I strongly value community health and decided that instead of asking for legislative changes, I could reach the community by making my health knowledge accessible in other ways. I decided to launch a develop a trademark self-healing course and founded a second company called Health Evolution Network.

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​​As you can see, I have a deep commitment to health and wellness. It is who I am. After nearly two decades of studying health, the core belief that guides the way I practice is that illness originates in your mind before it manifests in your body. By enhancing your psychology and lifestyle, not only will you find greater joy and fulfillment, you can also transform your physical health. You'll wonder why you didn't make certain changes earlier in your life!

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If you found my website searching for answers, I'm sure that you probably resonate with my approach to health. Is it possible that you too have endured or are currently enduring a specific trauma, emotional disturbance, or psychological imbalance that's creating your physical symptoms? If so, let's explore what that looks like for you. I'm happy to guide you along your journey to finding optimal health and wellness!