Dr. Safiya McCarter, ND, LAc, FAIHM
Founder & CEO
Dr. McCarter founded Flourish and Balance Integrative Medicine in 2020 with the mission to provide compassionate, personalized integrative care that is culturally informed and responsive. Dr. McCarter believes that people deserve a doctor that listens and engages them as a partner in their health and wellness journey.
Dr. Safiya, as she is called by her patients, grew up in Rochester, NY where the foundations of good health were instilled in her by her parents who made sure that good diet, physical activity and proper rest were firmly rooted and incorporated into the lives of their children. For Dr. Safiya, pursuing a career in natural health sciences feels like a return to her roots and has provided her with the opportunity to study and understand the science behind the care she received growing up.
Dr. Safiya's journey to naturopathic medicine came after witnessing the rapidly declining health of both her parents. Having been involved in their care, she saw firsthand how important lifestyle, diet and environment were to overall health and how those factors were wholly absent in the care they received. These experiences ignited a desire to find a career in medicine that combined, the necessary western medicine diagnostic tools and treatments with treatment recommendations that considered the importance of culture, mental health, lifestyle, diet, and environment. That search lead her to naturopathic medicine, which she found to combine the best of both worlds. After completing her post-doctoral fellowship and personally experiencing the efficacy of acupuncture, Dr. Safiya decided to return to Bastyr to earn her Master's degree in Acupuncture and East Asian medicine. During the course of her studies, she took advantage of the opportunity to complete an externship in China (Chengdu and Shanghai) where she was able to see the seamless integration of western medicine with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) while taking classes and shadowing doctors. With the ability to tailor her studies in China, Dr. Safiya focused on the treatment of reproductive health concerns (particularly, fertility and menstrual cycle irregularities) and pain management.
TESTIMONIALS
"Dr. Safiya's knowledge, expertise, emotional intelligence and professionalism show she truly cares. She listens to you and allows you to be exactly who you are while providing stellar medical care. Each time I see her, I leave more informed and feeling better not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well"
-J.J.
"When I say this woman is outstanding, it's truly an understatement. She's professional, knowledgeable, and honest. What's best of all is that she listened to me and my needs. There is nothing like having a practitioner listen to you and not disregard what you say and how you are feeling."
-K.B.
"Dr. Safiya helped my intense back pain. She is so kind and compassionate, she listened to what was wrong and used several techniques to get me functioning again. Prior to my session, I could not put my shoes on without pain, afterwards, it was so much better. I highly recommend her services!!"
-G.A.