For years, Pam Craddock, nurse practitioner, certified midwife and owner of Wise Woman Healing, has integrated holistic and alternative health services into her practice. First introduced during a nurse practitioner program in 1993, Craddock was immediately drawn to the approach which seeks to understand and care for individuals’ physical, spiritual, psychological and emotional health. “I loved it. I read everything I could get my hands on about it and learned as much as I could,” she reflects. “All of it interested me.”

Craddock’s nursing career initially took her to Georgia and later to Lancaster, where she opened a solo midwifery practice in 1997, attending the births of thousands of infants and serving as a resource for holistic medical care to colleagues and OB-GYNs throughout the county. While Craddock relishes her work, the cumulative effects of stress, fatigue and less-than-adequate sleep eventually led her to open Wise Woman Healing. “I had a really good diet and good stress reduction practices, but I wasn’t getting enough sleep,” says Craddock, who spent three or four nights a week without sleep while working as a midwife.

Wise Woman Healing opened in August and supports women from adolescence through the end of life. Located within the Maternal Fetal Medicine office, in Lancaster City, Craddock offers a range of holistic services from lifestyle changes and dietary counseling to hormone balancing, diabetes management and support for anxiety and depression. Her approach draws on wisdom from Western and ancient medicine practices, and integrates the use of herbs and supplements.

During an initial two-hour appointment, clients complete an extensive health intake form with questions about family and medical history, sleep and bedtime routines, dental care, menstrual history, relationship satisfaction and support systems, sexual history, work and financial circumstances, spiritual practices, sibling and birth history, exercise, self-care and trauma history. Craddock also discusses what gives her clients meaning and purpose.

Subsequent visits allow for further exploration of their history, lab results or ultrasounds (if indicated) plus short-term and long-term plans for improved health. Throughout the process, Craddock educates her clients about choosing quality supplements, food health and how personal choices affect health and quality of life.

On how Wise Woman Healing differs from Western medicine, Craddock notes, "When I work with a client, I want to dig in and understand what’s causing the symptom to show up, not just write a prescription to manage the symptom. I want my clients to feel heard, understood and validated. In this role, I’m able to offer the time and space needed to accomplish that.”

Craddock also highlights the importance of collecting a thorough trauma history as mounting research indicates a relationship between adverse childhood events and chronic and inflammatory illness later in life. “While I can’t erase what happened in their lives, I can help them uncover better coping mechanisms and lifestyle choices,” says Craddock. “I live this work. It’s made a world of difference in my own life and those of many other women.”