Dr. Holly German is a Naturopathic Doctor. Over the past 13 years, Dr. Holly has supported hundreds of patients overcome their biggest health challenges so they experience greater energy, peace and strength.
She specializes in women’s medicine. Many of her patients come to her feeling frustrated after being offered treatments or medications by other practitioners that don’t align with what they want for their bodies. Dr. Holly supports them in putting an end to their suffering by using the dynamic combination of ancient healing wisdom and modern medicine.
Dr. Holly German works in partnership with each patient to to develop a holistic treatment plan that is effective and sustainable. By educating and assisting patients to achieve and maintain optimum health, she empowers them to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.
Dr. Holly German’s unique combination of skills creates profound outcomes for her patients.
She is an expert in conventional medical standard of care, as well as natural therapies like:
- Homeopathy
- Botanical medicine
- Medical nutrition (food as medicine)
- Nutritional supplementation
- Counseling to integrate holistic practices into a healthy lifestyle
Before transitioning to a telemedicine practice, Dr. Holly German co-founded Thrive Natural Medicine on the California Central Coast. Her passion and skill, and that of her colleagues and staff at Thrive, were recognized by the community and voted, “Santa Cruz’s Best Alternative Medical Clinic” multiple times over.
Dr. Holly German earned her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) and her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Texas A&M. She enjoys teaching and is a former member of the adjunct faculty at Five Branches University in Santa Cruz, Ca. She currently offers health lectures for small and large groups and companies. She is the co-host of a YouTube cooking video series called Nutritious Delicious and has been a guest speaker on the wellness radio show – “Better Beyond 50.” In her free time, Dr. Holly German enjoys soaking up the beauty and goodness of nature with her family and friends.
My Journey
From an early age I was consistently and gently invited onto the path of being a healer. My mother taught me to appreciate the intelligence and magic of nature, how to keenly observe, how to see the unseen, and how to allow my innate sensitivity to be a gift. I have vivid memories of walking through the woods with her, brushing my hands over the soft moss, feeling the warm beams of sunshine, and sensing the heartbeat of the trees.
When I was 12 years old, my mother was in a devastating car accident. Thankfully, she survived. But she took months to recover and she needed a lot of help. She had chronic pain from a crushed rib cage and a punctured lung. So as an adolescent, I learned how to do energy work and how to trust my abilities to support the healing process. During this time I also saw my mother shift her focus to nurturing her authentic self. She let go of attachment to other people’s expectations and began to honor her own truth. Witnessing her transformation planted the seeds for me to be able to do the same and to cultivate these skills in other people.
Finding My Path
By the time I began my undergraduate degree, I knew I wanted to work in the healing arts. But my experience with medical care felt cold and dissatisfying. I never felt connected to the doctors I saw. I was interested in mind/body medicine. I wanted to work in a way that allowed me to connect with people heart-to-heart. I chose to study psychology rather than medicine. But learning about Freud didn’t light me up. So when I discovered naturopathic medicine, I knew I had found the best of both worlds. My heart and soul lit up! I discovered a career where I could connect with people who wanted to heal on a deep level. I could engage my brain in sciences like anatomy, biochemistry, and pathology AND learn how to use food and herbs as potent medicines. I could be a doctor AND a healer. I felt enormously blessed to have stumbled upon my life’s calling.
After finishing my undergraduate degree and premedical coursework, I began my 5 year program in naturopathic medical school. Over the next 5 years I was immersed in modern medicine and traditional/ancient modalities. When I began clinical rotations I got to see first hand how effective naturopathic medicine really is. And when I ultimately opened my own practice and began seeing patients, I began to serve people in the way that I had always dreamed of.
Becoming A Mother
“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.” ~ Osho
Giving birth to my first daughter was an incredible rite of passage. I had never felt so vulnerable, so unprepared, yet so consumed by love. I loved my baby so much it made my heart feel like it was going to burst. But I also experienced deep grief and mourned for my “former” self in those early months of motherhood. I felt confused and ashamed for having these conflicting emotions. The support I did receive left me desiring more. Although this was a challenging lesson, it awakened me even more to the importance of women receiving the right kind of support. It also taught me how to hold women in the entirety of their experience, not just that which is socially acceptable.
Becoming a mother helped me see even more ways to share my gifts as a healer. My daughter ignited in me an intense desire to create a more peaceful and joyful world. I see the urgent necessity for all people, especially women, to be able to show up and really shine in their lives. As I raise my daughter in this world, I want her to experience empowered women all around her. I’ve seen the difference that living an authentic life can make – in my mother, in myself, in my friends and colleagues, and in hundreds of my patients. I am inspired to help women feel their best, so they can hear their own heart’s calling and honor their inner wisdom. I feel that the more people on this planet who act in alignment with their inner wisdom, the more access we will all have to greater peace and grace.
“I honor the place in you in which the entire Universe dwells.
I honor the place in you which is of love, of truth, of light, and of peace.
When you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me,
We are one.” (Namaste)