Naturopathic physician Jerry Taylor recently moved to Helena, bringing with him his concept of practicing medicine through his patients’ homes.

Taylor makes his way from house to house, many times, on his bike pulling a trailer packed with his adjustment table and his doctor’s bag.

“(Patients) feel comfortable on their own turf and take more responsibility in their health care,” Taylor said.

Taylor is a naturopathic doctor so his approach to healing is just as unconventional as his where he practices.

Those who are trained with a holistic view to health care and have much of the same training as traditional doctors, Taylor says. It’s the philosophies that are different, he adds.

“I treat the cause not the symptom,” he said. “I treat people not the diagnosis, although diagnoses are important.”

Prior to moving to Helena, Taylor lived in Big Sandy and practiced across the Hi-Line. One of his patients, Gary LaValley says he avoided a lung transplant because of the direction and advice he received from Taylor.

Havre is the closest town to LaValley’s ranch 85 miles from the Canadian border. On a cool, calm evening in late October LaValley, 55, was just over a mile from the home when he found himself unable to breathe.

“It didn’t hurt but it scared the bejabers out of me,” he said.

Diagnosed with chronic fibrosis, LaValley was given five years to live with a lung transplant, three without. He sought other options.

Unimpressed with the amount of time doctors spent with him over a hospital stay, LaValley was delighted to have Taylor come to his home, spending well over an hour talking about his health and getting to know him as a person.

Taylor was confident LaValley could fight his illness with a change in lifestyle, most importantly diet.

“He approached it as a teacher to a student,” LaValley said. “Your body is a pyramid of strength, and if you can learn to live without all of these outside influences that your body is having to deal with, you can heal yourself.”

LaValley completely changed his diet and began taking supplements.

“Through research and passion to solving my problem we found out that protein in certain meats I was easting was regenerating the fibrosis in my lungs,” he said. “I’m a meat and potato rancher and farmer. It all comes back to what you put in your body is what you are.”

LaValley’s fibrosis is breaking up and he and Taylor are optimistic he’ll be able to metabolically and biologically condense all the fibers in his lungs.

“Without his timely teaching and passionate influence I would either not be here or I would have had to have a lung transplant,” he said.

Taylor takes his time, getting to know his patients thoroughly.

Taylor doesn’t see dozens of patients of day, as in a typical office setting; he takes his time with each patient sometimes up to three hours a visit if needed.

“It’s about the doctor-patient relationship that’s nurtured through the home visits,” Taylor said. “Every experience is a learning experience for the physician if they open their minds to it.”

The initial visit is around $130, and some insurance companies provide coverage, Taylor said.

“We provide an insurance claim form so the patient can pursue reimbursement,” he added.

Mary Reski doesn’t have insurance but has been treated by Taylor for her lupus.

Reski, 52, of Havre, retired from her advertising job at the local newspaper because the disease made it impossible to work.

Lupus attacks the immune system, causing a severe lack of energy and all her joints to be in extreme pain.

“I’ve battled with it for 20 years and done a lot of pharmaceuticals,” Reski said adding that nothing seems very effective.

She was depressed without hope of enjoying pain-free life, but that’s all changed.

“I had always been open to the idea of a naturopath, there was just never anyone around,” she said.

When she found Taylor and his willingness to come into her home, she was overjoyed, and once he met him, her hope was once again renewed.

“When you are in your own home, you always feel better, and it helps with the healing process,” she said. “There are some people that as soon as they walk into the doctor’s office, they get this white coat syndrome and blood pressures go up.”

Reski believes the home visits are more effective than medical offices.

“They are able to treat you better because they are more in tune to what your environment is,” she said. “They get to know you more on a total patient basis.”

Free of pharmaceuticals and taking an array of vitamins she is happier and nearly free from pain through Taylor’s direction.

Taylor knows not everyone would welcome the idea of having him in their homes, so he offers other options. He, along with Helena naturopathic doctor Jeff Roush, has opened the Montana Family Wellness clinic. Their services include but aren’t limited to diabetes, autism, prolotheraphy, childhood and adult obesity, spinal manipulation, pediatrics and geriatrics.

Not all patients see Taylor for chronic illness. Some, like Suzanne Huston, see him for general health and wellness. It’s not that she hasn’t has illness — she’s had broken bones, pneumonia, been diagnosed with a low thyroid and rheumatoid arthritis — but continues to see him for general health issues.

Huston said conventional doctors always gave her medicine but she felt they were keeping her from getting better.

She said Taylor doesn’t treat in an isolated manner.

“I think basically his approach is good general health, exercise, diet n it’s an overall treatment,” she said.

Taylor has a prescription pad — but it doesn’t get much use.

“I could write prescriptions all day long, but I’ve never had too,” he said.

“In general, we Americans want a pill and want to feel better immediately and I don’t think that’s the real answer,” Huston said.

Taylor is accepting patients and can be reached at 422-6302.

Reporter Alana Listoe: 447-4081 or alana.listoe@helenair.com