Meet Haven: Your Trusted Naturopathic Doctors from Chicago to Beyond
Our naturopathic medicine story begins in the suburbs of Chicago, on a Little League field in Clarendon Hills, Illinois, where our friendship first took root. We’re Dr. Alex and Dr. Kolby, childhood friends who grew up like many others—on hot dogs and mac & cheese, with parents rushing us to the doctor at the first sign of a sniffle. Like most families, our parents trusted the authority of the white coat, following modern health fads without understanding the deeper, universal principles of true health.
As we grew older, both of us experienced firsthand how the medical system could fail. Specialists offered costly solutions that never addressed the root of our struggles, leaving us feeling hopeless. Yet, in His own way, God guided each of us toward healing and purpose. That path led us to naturopathic medical school, where we rediscovered the timeless principles that had been missing in our own health journeys.
A Shared Mission
Though our personalities differ, our passion for naturopathic medicine united us. In school, we realized that conventional and even functional medicine focuses on reductionist, mechanical views of the body. Peers debated biochemical pathways, trendy supplements, and expensive lab tests—but these were just theoretical concepts disconnected from how health truly works.
Seeking answers, we ventured far beyond our formal education, traveling across North America to learn from our naturopathic doctor colleagues achieving remarkable results. From California to Connecticut, Montana to Mexico, we pursued mentors who stayed true to the vitalistic principles of traditional naturopathic medicine—principles refined over centuries and rooted in the body’s innate ability to heal itself.
This journey showed us that functional medicine, while well-intentioned, still views the body through a mechanistic lens, ignoring its dynamic, self-healing nature. True healing lies in reconnecting with time-tested principles that honor the wisdom of nature.
The Birth of Haven
Haven started humbly, with scribbles in a notebook at Kolby’s family kitchen table and a dream to bring ancient healing wisdom to the modern world. Despite student loans and countless challenges, we committed ourselves to applying naturopathic principles in ways that are relevant and accessible today.
We’ve explored nearly every avenue imaginable, both personally and professionally, to bring this vision to life. We’ve invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in our journey; consulting with the top business coaches, marketing gurus, intuitive healers, chiropractors, and functional medicine doctors; undergoing expensive tests; fasting for extended periods; and trying every crazy diet under the sun. Each experience brought us full circle, back to the timeless naturopathic foundations that first inspired us.
We hold nothing back in what we offer to our clients. We share both our successes and failures, driven by the responsibility we feel to pass on what we’ve learned from our mentors to the modern world. Every new avenue we try ultimately brings us back to where we started: the naturopathic principles that first connected us.
Traditional Naturopathic Doctors for the Modern Age
Our mission is to empower individuals across Chicago and beyond to reconnect with their bodies’ innate healing power through the principles, therapies, and modalities of traditional naturopathic medicine.
If you’re searching for a naturopathic doctor rooted in holistic health philosophy, we invite you to join us on this transformative journey. Together, we can rediscover the health and vitality you were always meant to have.
Our Values
Radical Responsibility
Of all the things in life you can’t control, you can control much more than you think. Taking responsibility means choosing to actively participate in your life, no matter the circumstances. Nothing is more empowering.
Don't Get Caught in the Weeds
It’s easy to get caught up in all the little details, with health and with life. But hyper-focusing on details can kill momentum. Leave the details to nature and God and focus on the big picture instead.
Many Paths Up the Mountain
While the principles of nature are the same for everyone, each person must find their own way to relate to them. This is what individualization is all about. You are the hero of your own story.
Our Values
Trust Nature, Trust God
Holistic medicine is built on the foundation that the body is intelligent. That God has given us everything that we need to heal. Observe nature, listen to your intuition, and trust in the grand design of life.
Education = Empowerment
You cannot take proper action without knowing the truth. The truth will set you free, even if its painful. Through knowledge, we can perceive with greater clarity and take more effective action to manifest the life we really want.
Enjoy the Ride
Healing (and life) consist of natural ups and downs that are unavoidable. Instead of becoming attached to the outcome, realize that health is a long game. Learn to be present and flow with the process, wherever it takes you.
About Dr. Alex
Naturopathic Doctor, Owner & Founder of Haven
Saying that I grew up with a “sensitive stomach” is an understatement. I have puked on more road trips and plane rides than I could possibly count. Sometimes, when we would go out to eat, the meal ended with me being double over at the table.
And stomach issues went hand in hand with chronic eczema that I couldn’t shake outside of caking topical steroids over my rashes (which I would sneak into my dad’s bathroom and steal when I was 7).
But the worst thing of all was feeling anxious and insecure in myself.
I didn’t know it at the time, but I see clearly now how all of these issues were completely connected. The gut is a second brain, so gut issues and emotional issues reinforce each other. And the skin is a direct reflection of the digestive tract.
Things got worse when I went to college and really decimated my health by staying up late into the night, doing drugs, and eating horrendous fraternity food. I began having panic attacks (some in public), which led to agoraphobia. I could barely leave my dorm room or talk to a cashier without feeling panicky.
Needless to say, I hit rock bottom. I have been regaining my health ever since.
Things started to change for me when I focuses on the basic element of health that I took for granted before. Basic foundations, like eating regular meals with enough protein and nutrients, getting to sleep on time, going on walks in the sun, journalin–these things all significantly improved my state of health in the most obvious way.
Once I went to naturopathic school, I was confronted with all of these theories and dogmas about medicine. Different diets that were opposite of each other. Different theories about disease. “Shiny new toy” supplements and products that were the answer to all calamities.
I had done so much healing work over the years, I was completely committed to the process, yet I became confused as ever as to what path I should follow to continue my healing journey. I tried different diets, had appointments with various naturopathic doctors, tried different protocols, but nothing seemed to really make a difference in how I felt.
But through that process, I also learned about the historical roots of naturopathic medicine, before there were fancy products and modern theories of illness. It was a time when pioneers observed the simple truth that the way we live, what we eat, and how we think has the most profound impact on our health. Disease was not a mystery. It was an inevitable result of violating the basic laws of nature that govern health and healing.
When I began to work on the most basic foundations without chasing white rabbits down rabbit holes, my health took a massive leap forward, along with my confidence and self-understanding.
My hope is to help you find the same, with the same common-sense, powerful strategies that helped me climb out of the dark hole that I was in to a place of peace and well-being.
Our Principles
Principles are our North Star. Without them, we compromise what is most important for short-sighted gain and end up lost. This is exactly what we see in our modern medical culture.
These seven principles help to us stay aligned with the truth no matter what happens.
- First Do No Harm
- Healing Power of Nature
- Treat the Whole Person
- Treat the Root Cause
- Doctor as Teacher
- Prevention
- Heal Thyself
About Dr. Kolby
Naturopathic Doctor, Owner & Founder of Haven
Speaking has always been been a problem for me. Since my first words at age 3, I stuttered. I followed the advice of “the specialists.” I learned, trusted, and followed. I did the tongue exercises and exposure therapy, but still saw no results.
I couldn’t even order a drink without stammering on the first “L” in lemonade.
My healing journey led me down many paths, each uncovering more about myself but nothing could help uncover why speaking was so difficult for me.
In college, I studied nutrition and exercise science. I followed Tim Ferris since the launch of 4 hour body and worked out everyday, I counted my grams of protein, and I avoided toxins as best I could since I was in my late teens!
However, I still couldn’t speak cohesively.
Then I discovered Naturopathic Medicine. It offered a paradigm that teaches a new way of healing, a framework embracing more than just the physical body, and a solution that doesn’t view the body as a mere machine.
I followed the approach we now teach all our clients. I embraced the pillars of healing, tailoring them to my specific constitution, responsibilities, habits, mindset, toxin load, and nutritional needs.
I supported each pillar of health: Detoxification, Nutrition, Lifestyle, and Mental/Emotional.
By following the principles that were taught to me I decreased the toxin exposure which led to decreased brain inflammation. I focused on foods that healed my digestive tract, which improved brain function. I provided my body with essential fat-soluble vitamins and trace minerals to optimize neuronal connections. I drank spring water to enhance hydration.
I focused on the proper breathing techniques to increase oxygen flow to my brain. I ensured my body was structural aligned.
I worked on my relationship with myself which allowed for me to uncover false belief patterns. I felt a need to be seen, which stemmed from my perception that my two older brothers always received attention while I didn’t. I deepened my relationship with God.
I significantly reduced my exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs). I utilized homeopathy to build a more resilient constitution …
And, the list of healing practices continues to evolve every day rooted in the principles of Naturopathic medicine.
I implemented the healing paradigm that we now teach people every day, and my speech hasn’t crossed my mind in years. I overcame the condition that specialists claimed I’d live with forever due to my “oversized” tongue. I intuitively knew there was a different path to healing.
My personal journey fuels my passion for our work at Haven—it worked for me. Now, I have the privilege of guiding others through this same transformative process daily.