A trusted and well-respected naturopathic health care provider, Dr. Andrea Purcell has been in private practice for over two decades.. She is licensed as a primary care doctor in both states. As founder of Portal to Healing Naturopatic clinic, Dr. Andrea has spearheaded the full scope naturopathic medical practice, providing primary care natural medicine to a diverse roster of patients.
Passionate and committed to naturopathic medicine, Dr. Purcell says: “I love the naturopathic concept that we are regenerative instead of degenerative. Integrative natural medicine, which I believe is the future of healthcare, provides the doctor with all of the pieces of the puzzle – whole body, emotion and diet – so that we can then construct the puzzle pieces into a map towards well-being that the patient can follow. Naturopathic doctors shine the light on the path that leads patients to a longer, healthier life.”
Her extensive background in environmental medicine led her to a position as an industrial health hygienist with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) in New York in 1996. In this position, she conducted inspections of health exposures in the workplace and assessed the impact of such exposures on employee health.
After three years with OSHA, Dr. Purcell recognized a growing need for physicians who combined an understanding of the environmental impact on health with a natural approach to detoxifying the body. This led her to earn her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine and, eventually, to opening Portal to Healing clinic.
Recognized as a knowledgeable resource on a wide variety of health issues, Dr. Purcell has frequently appeared as a guest speaker for such groups as the Scleroderma Foundation and the City of Hope. She has also participated in expert panel discussions for numerous organizations, most recently for the Orange County African American Women’s Health Coalition, and has appeared on Pacifica Radio’s Page to Pantry program. She regularly appears on television news station in the Phoenix area as the expert doctor on a number of health issues. The most recent appearances include: CBS Channel 5 AZ, 92.3 KTAR-FM, & the Today Show on Phoenix’s Channel 12 news. She also presents a lecture series, free to the community, on a number of topical health issues.
Dr. Purcell has also written and published articles on a variety of health and nutrition related subjects. She is the author of 2 best selling books: Feed Your Cells, 7 Ways to Make Health Food Fast, Easy, and Gluten Free and Over 35 and Pregnant. Educating women about their health and empowering them to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives is at the core of Dr. Purcell’s naturopathic practice.
Dr. Purcell is a certified practitioner of the Blood Type Diet, the Wiley Protocol, Ozone Oxidative Therapy and Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome thyroid protocol, and is recognized as a metabolic specialist in anti-aging. She is a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, the California Naturopathic Doctors Association, the Arizona Naturopathic Medical Association, the National Center for Homeopathy and the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine. She is also a member of Toastmasters.
Dr. Purcell received her Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Environmental Science with an emphasis in Public Health in 1996. She received her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from Arizona’s Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2002.