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Meet Kaitlyn Popp of Katas Integrative Health in West Highland

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlyn Popp.

Kaitlyn, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and went to the University of Iowa, where I majored in English and Dance. I was and still am passionate about dancing – it was a big part of my life. I had it in my mind that I wanted to be a high school English teacher. When I decided I didn’t have the patience to be a teacher, I considered law school because of my passion for language and writing. When I graduated from the University of Iowa, I landed a job at the State of Illinois Appellate Court as a Deputy Clerk. I kept this job for three years! During this time, I learned how much I disliked the legal system and decided to radically change my career path (again) and enter into Naturopathic Medicine. I have always been fascinated by the human body with being a dancer for 18 years. I was constantly drawn to natural medicine, reading up on remedies and trying to advise others in more natural ways.

During college and after, my primary care physician was an Eastern Medicine Chiropractor. This man… this witch doctor turned my world upside down by healing my chronic health issues. I say witch doctor with love because those clinicians who look at health through a different lens are by far the best. I had severe joint pain, cystic acne, skin rashes, and gut disturbances. It took me a long time to accept the fact that certain foods were making me sick. Once I hit my 100th wall, I caved and listened to the man. I removed gluten and dairy, incorporated specific nutrients into my routine and the rest was history. My joint pain vanished, my skin cleared up and my energy was back! I was sold.

Once I experienced how the body can innately heal itself, it brought me down a long and winding road to where I am today. I thank my mom for introducing me to this man, and I thank him for inspiring me to become what I was meant to be, a natural medicine doctor.

Although my Doctorate is in Chiropractic, I have always practiced like a Naturopath aligning with the Naturopathic principles: (1) first do no harm, (2) the healing power of nature, (3) identify and treat the cause, (4) doctor as teacher, (5) treat the whole person, and (6) prevention. I attended the only school in the nation that has Chiropractic and Naturopathic Medicine in the same curriculum, the National University of Health Sciences. I started in the Naturopathic program, but quickly switched to Chiropractic due to the fact that Naturopathic Medicine is not yet licensed in the State of Illinois… where I thought I was going to reside and practice.

So, I found a way to incorporate the two. Chiropractic is a love I can’t resist. It resets the nervous system and allows the body to heal naturally and quickly. I have repeatedly found in patients who do not get better with physical medicine, that the problem lies within. This is where Functional Medicine comes in, a systems-based approach meant to unravel underlying health issues and get to the root cause of your pain. Without taking a look at the whole body and how it is functioning inside and out, individual pieces are being treated. Our bodies are interconnected in every way and it has to be treated as such. I have seen a radical shift in patients who commit to a whole health approach.

Has it been a smooth road?
My journey has not been easy, but nothing worth doing is! I graduated in April 2017 and moved to Denver in July 2017 without a dime to my name. I had friends that took me in, allowing me to get on my feet as I took on the challenge of opening my business right out the gate. I look back on this decision with a lot of “what the heck was I thinking?” moments. I felt like throwing in the towel more times than I’d like to admit. My mother raised me to never give up, however, creating this independent little girl who hasn’t thrown in the towel on any feat thus far.

I am currently still lifting my business off the ground, trying to build the right systems, create partnerships and learning to develop and grow my business. I have made baby steps for the past three years. I think the greatest challenge I have faced is learning to be uncomfortable, for in that space, I have found the greatest growth. I am lucky to have found a strong, supportive community that has allowed me to grow with them here in Denver.

Please tell us about Katas Integrative Health.
We began as Highlands Chiropractic and recently rebranded to Katas Integrative Health. We did this because we are not just a chiropractic clinic. We are a whole health center focused on treating the whole person inside and out. We dive deep into your health history and current health concerns, peeling away the layers to reveal underlying mechanisms of illness rather than treating just your presenting symptoms. We incorporate both physical medicine, including chiropractic, acupuncture and cupping, with functional medicine, a method of treatment that works to unravel the root cause of your illness. We love bloodwork and lab analysis as a way to track your improvement under our care.

There are three elements that should always be addressed when an individual is seeking health and wellness:
Physical: structural, spinal health, muscle balance
Chemical: nutritional status and biochemical balance
Emotional: psychological, mental, stress-induced.

If you are looking to revitalize your health, the best thing to do is seek holistic and integrative care that understands how everything in your life is impacting your health and teaches you to fix it and feel better. Katas Integrative Health is still growing! We will slowly be increasing the services and therapies offered at our clinic. We invite you to grow with us.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Community is HUGE here in Denver. Everyone supports each other and helps each other in their small business ventures. I have never felt so supported in my life from strangers, patients, and new friends. It is truly an amazing city.

What do I like the least? The housing market is too expensive, making it difficult to plant roots here. We spend so much on rent and mortgage that we end up spending less on our health.

Pricing:

  • Initial Consult, Eval & Treatment: $150
  • 30 minute follow up: $75
  • 15 minute follow up: $49

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Brayshaw Creative
CLS Photography

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