Meet Natalie Sanaty-Nya | Founder of The Wholistic NP

We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalie Sanaty-Nya and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
If you would have asked me a few years ago if I would ever have my own business, I would have smiled and said “never.” I was working as family nurse practitioner in a primary care office and was content to let someone else run the business so I could focus on treating patients. It wasn’t until I realized that I wasn’t truly healing people with the resources western medicine provides and the limited time I was given to spend with each patient that the thought first crossed my mind: care could and should be administered differently. I researched how to help address root causes of diseases and enrolled in my first course through the Institute of Functional Medicine. I remember feeling that I was finally on the right path. As I moved through the different curriculum, I started to apply this newly-learned information in the primary care office, however I was still falling short due to not having enough time and feeling that I would get in trouble for recommending more natural remedies or trying to help patients without pharmaceuticals. By this time, I understood the business model of primary care, which was to have as many patients as possible returning every 2-3 months for management of their chronic diseases. I started growing more and more discontent and disheartened that I finally had the information but was not able to share it freely with my patients. It wasn’t until I started going to conferences to get certified in NET (Neuro Emotional Technique), that I met amazing healers of all backgrounds, many of whom were entrepreneurs and business owners. Through watching them and working on my own blockages with NET, it gave me the confidence I needed to see that I could do this too. And that was when I founded “The Wholistic NP” on the premise of finally being able to treat and heal my patients holistically, without a broken healthcare business dictating the type of care or restricting the resources utilized. Needless to say, I did not start my business on my own. I credit my NET community and friends with their own businesses who were especially supportive during this process.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My idea of what healthcare should be like started at a young age growing up in Bavaria, Germany, due to the fact that Germany is a country of many medical advances and wealth of knowledge. From a cultural perspective, homeopathic remedies have been used for decades and were available in local pharmacies along with books and resources. Imagine wanting to use natural treatments but not knowing what to try and being able to go to your local pharmacy, have a conversation with the pharmacist about a particular ailment, and buy a recommended homeopathic remedy right there to take home and start. The physicians in our local primary were also able to recommend non-pharmacological interventions as well as dietary changes before initiating medications. If you had an outpatient surgery, you would at most get ibuprofen 800 mg, there were no prescriptions for painkillers. Often, for depression or anxiety, doctors would prescribe a “Kur”, which translated means literally ‘the cure’ – a three-week long period of work leave that can be taken every three years – and includes staying at a wellness retreat with three healthy meals a day, massage therapy, relaxation, saunas, etc. The German culture had already understood a very important concept – that in order to be healthy, a healthcare provider has to address body, mind, and spirit. If we focus treatment on only one of the three, we might see some short-term improvement however the person will not return to homeostasis or a “balance”. I feel very fortunate to have grown up in this culture as it has instilled both the importance of treating this triumvirate and the value of using holistic modalities.

In addition, I grew up in a multi-cultural family so using herbs, spices, and teas for healing was a cornerstone in our household. My grandmother went to several Ayurvedic retreats that changed the way she nourished her body. My exposure to these various approaches, tools, and techniques imprinted on me the myriad resources available to restore people to health and livelihood. It made me excited to be a health care provider!

And so, upon graduating from Westminster College with my Masters in Nursing, I couldn’t wait to begin working as a family nurse practitioner. Initially, I felt fulfilled treating the whole family, establishing long-term relationships with my patients, and treating acute and chronic conditions. It wasn’t until I realized that I was not truly healing patients that I slowly started to understand that our current healthcare model was not conducive to helping patients regain their health and lead happy and fulfilling lives. Instead, I was simply treating symptoms and managing to keep them at bay. I found it difficult to continue down the path of following my role as a primary care provider (prescribing medication, and more medication, sending them to one specialist to another, and having them come back every three months) and knowing deep down that I was not fixing the underlying reason.

Something I learned along the way is that not everyone is ready to fully heal themselves and that for some, taking a medication and seeing their doctor every three months is enough. I also learned that I couldn’t fix everyone and that those who do not know better cannot ask for better. I finally decided that in order for me to feel fulfilled and to honor my oath to helping those in need, that I needed to venture out on my own and treat patients the way that aligned with my values and ethics.

One of my proudest achievements thus far is becoming certified in Functional Medicine and applying this knowledge in helping chose the best treatment for my patients.
I think what makes me most unique is that I have a western medicine background (ICU nursing, Primary Care, Functional Medicine) along with eastern medicine (Ayurvedic principles, herbals, supplements, Neuro Emotional Technique and Lebowitz protocol, both of which rely on applied kinesiology or muscle testing, and NET which utilizes Chinese meridians) and using a variety of healing tools in my practice. I also see a varied patient population including children ages six and up. I see patients throughout the state of Florida for Functional Medicine and offer both virtual and home visits for those who wish to engage my services in the comfort of their homes. I also offer evening and weekend appointments to ensure patients will be able to be seen no matter their schedule. 

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
After picking up my best friend from the airport, I would take them to Christopher’s Kitchen for their Buffalo Cauliflower pizza. Next on the list would be Planta for their Bang Bang Broccoli, and Darbster for their Hummingbird cake. I also really like taking guests to Utiki Beachfront Water-resort restaurant for fresh seafood and intercoastal views. For live music and mocktails I would take them to Spruzzo at the Ben Autograph, with a view of the ocean. At least one of the mornings I like to get up early and watch the sunrise at the beach. There is a little coffee ship called Chik Monk Coffee on the island, which is a 4th generation coffee grower from India Rainforest Alliance Certified Farms (they make a great decaf latte). I love taking friends and loved ones visiting to my favorite outdoor places which include MacArthur State Park (you cross the intercoastal via walkway bridge and walk through mangroves to get to the beach), Blowing Rocks in Jupiter, and Jonathan Dickinson State Park (they have amazing hiking trails and mountain bikes for rent). On Satudays, we would go the Green Market (farmer’s market) in West Palm Beach to get some local yummy finger foods and goodies. On Sunday we would start the morning with outdoor yoga with Maki at Grandview Market. For the afternoon, we would rent bikes or rollerblade on the Lake Trail on Palm Beach, which is next to the intercoastal. I also love taking the scenic route from Palm Beach to Delray Beach via Alternative A1A, which includes driving next to the beach, and driving down roads with a canopy tree cover. For rainy days (or sunny), I would take them to the Norton Museum in West Palm Beach, which has amazing outdoor grounds to relax, a restaurant on the first floor, and art exhibitions. The Society of the Four Arts is another great outdoor venue where one can walk the grounds, sit on a bench and listen to the birds, and enjoy the gardens, which are divided into themed spaces that reflect popular architectural and planting styles in the area.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to thank my undergraduate nursing professor Diane Forster-Burke, who was the most intimidating professor I have had and who was tough on us to make us into the best nurses possible. I also wouldn’t be where I am today without the strong nursing foundation that I gained working as an ICU nurse at the University of Utah hospital Level 1 trauma center, who took a chance on me and hired me as a new nurse graduate. I worked my way up from Step-down ICU, where they trained me as a charge nurse within four months, to the Medical ICU as well as the Cardiac ICU on my pursuit to becoming an Air Med nurse before changing gears and becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner to focus on preventative care to keep patients out of the hospital. Opening my own practice would not have been possible without my NET colleagues, who helped me realize that I too could have my own practice and giving me the courage to take that step. I would like to thank my NET practitioner Kate Hoffman for talking me into my first NET basic course, my NET mentor Don Strasburger, as well as my NET friend and colleague Jason Wasser, who owns a successful business called The Family Room Wellness Associates, and answered all of my business-related questions and alleviated my fears every step of the way.

Website: www.thewholisticnp.com

Instagram: @thewholisticnp.fl

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thewholisticnp/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-wholistic-np-palm-beach-gardens

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewholisticnp

Other: https://www.ifm.org/practitioners/natalie-sanaty-nya/ https://www.netmindbody.com/more-information/what-is-net/ https://michaellebowitzdc.com/html/VialTesting.html