Sonoma Roots Natural Medicine named Business of the Year

The Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce honored the naturopathic health clinic and herbal shop Sonoma Roots Natural Medicine with the 2024 Business of the Year award during the State of the Valley event held on Jan. 9 at Sebastiani Theatre.

Sonoma Roots, which provides both clients with holistic clinical appointments and walk-ins with access to their herbal apothecary, was founded by third generation Sonoman Dr. Danielle Schwaderer Kettler, ND nearly 10 years ago. Schwaderer Kettler attended San Diego State University and studied biology before completing her naturopathic medical degree from the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon.

Naturopathic medicine is a method of healthcare that utilizes natural, holistic therapies to promote overall wellness. Naturopathic doctors like Schwaderer Kettler help their patients make dietary and lifestyle changes to improve overall health and also can work in tandem with Western medicine to treat illness and ailments.

“Most people have a primary care doctor and then they will incorporate me either for a different opinion or different treatment recommendations,” Schwaderer Kettler said. “Normally, I will start off with the least invasive therapies first; diet, nutrition.”

Clinicians at Sonoma Roots will oftentimes order comprehensive lab testing that primary care physicians don’t initially offer their patients, such as digestive health analysis, food allergy testing and other functional labs. They also provide patients with appropriate alternatives in terms of supplements and diet support if needed. Additional services include nutrient injections and IV therapy.

“Another big difference is we typically spend a bit more time with our patients,” Schwaderer Kettler said. “Some people really really like their primary care doctor, but they just feel like they don’t have enough time to ask them questions, or they kind of go ‘I’m gonna come to you to ask about diet and inflammation.’”

Sonoma Roots also has an herbal apothecary shop where walk-in customers and clients alike can browse natural remedies and high-quality supplements to help aid their overall wellness or address specific ailments, such as eczema, hormone imbalances, digestive issues or other health concerns.

“Most of our products are professional lines, meaning they can only be dispensed by somebody who’s licensed,” she said. “We also have a full tincture bar — those are all the liquid herbs. Most of them are individual herbs but we do have some formulas that are preformulated blends or ones that I have formulated.”

Schwaderer Kettler is also heavily involved with Cancer Support Sonoma, a nonprofit dedicated to providing complementary therapies to cancer patients in the area, and serves as a board member with the organization.

“I am not offering alternative treatments for cancer, but most of our patients are undergoing conventional treatments – chemo, radiation. I’m helping reduce or minimize their side effects associated with that,” Schwaderer Kettler said.

The Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce selected Sonoma Roots for 2024 Business of the Year for their dedication to the community, saying they embodied everything the chamber looks for when selecting a candidate for the award.

“When the community faces challenges, they step up, such as in 2017 when they provided free IVs, vitamin injections and a tincture that helps you with breathing challenges during the fires,” said Chamber of Commerce CEO, Mark Bodenhamer during the award presentation at the State of the Valley event on Jan. 9 .

Winning the award was an honor for both Schwaderer Kettler and her staff, many of whom were also born and raised in Sonoma County.

“It just felt really good to be seen especially in my profession and what I do, it’s not something that is an easy concept for people to grasp,” Schwaderer Kettler said of Sonoma Roots being named Business of the Year. “There are still a lot of people who don’t know about us or even what we do, and so this is just one more piece of exposure for holistic medicine and for the valley to kind of understand a bit more.”

To learn more about Sonoma Roots Natural Medicine, visit www.sonomaroots.com.

You can reach Staff Writer Isabel Beer at 707-933-2734 or [email protected]. On X (Twitter) @IsabelSongBeer