Biotherapeutic Drainage ("Drainage" for short) is a medical philosophy and practice developed in Europe and brought to the U.S. in the early 2000s by Dr. Gerard Guenoit, MD.

It efficiently eliminates physical and emotional toxicity from the body and restores organs, tissues, glands, and cellular systems to optimal functioning.  

When cells function correctly, they release wastes and toxins, which are carried out of the body through organs of elimination called emunctories.

Our primary organs of elimination are the bowels/liver, kidneys, lungs, and skin.  We remove toxins through bowel movements, urination, breathing out volatile gases such as carbon dioxide, and sweating. An essential primary emunctory that is commonly overlooked is emotion. Emotions can be a significant source of internal toxicity that accumulates and interferes with our well-being. Drainage can address this.

When the Emunctories are inefficient or not working properly, the body wisely attempts to release toxins through alternative routes called secondary emunctories.  Secondary emunctories include the mucous membranes, musculoskeletal system, skin, and mental/emotional.  When the body diverts toxic debris to the secondary emunctories, symptoms such as chronic sinus/vaginal infections/BPH, joint/muscle pain, skin rashes, infections, or depression/anxiety occur. Inflammatory conditions ("itises")  like arthritis, rhinitis, and colitis occur. These are signs that the emunctories need to be addressed and toxicity released.  

Biotherapeutic drainage beautifully facilitates the organism's natural ability to release toxicity. It is safe for infants, children, adults, and elderly patients.  It can be used with various medications and in conjunction with herbs, constitutional homeopathy, and natural therapeutics.

Drainage Philosophy – Drainage casts a wide net within the body, improving many areas of health.  We understand that:

– The body has the innate ability to release toxicity made endogenously and acquired exogenously.

– The goal is to restore the body to normal and optimal physiological function.

– Disease cannot exist when physiology operates normally.

– Each person is different and must be treated individually.  

– It works on the cellular level and can positively affect cellular function.

– It doesn't happen overnight, but optimal function and homeostasis are restored over time. 

The current medical paradigm is that we take a pill, and symptoms quickly go away, but that is not how the body heals.  Lasting health takes time.  Like healing a broken bone, it feels better before completely healing.  And so is it with everything in the body.   Feeling better and being better are not the same; being better takes time. 

How does your body rid itself of toxins?

In addition to opening the emunctories, biotherapeutic drainage is also effective in affecting cell function.  This is particularly important for patients with chronic infections.   The cell and immune system are supposed to recognize things that are "non-self" and attack them. When the body doesn't do that, mold illness, chronically elevated viral loads, and Lyme bacteria can live happily in the body, making us sick because of an ineffective immune response. Biotherapeutic drainage can activate enzymes and stimulate immune function to keep these microbes at bay.

I am fortunate to work and study extensively with Dr. Dickson Thom, who wrote the book on Unda Numbers and is one of the world's foremost experts in biotherapeutic drainage. I have incorporated this clinical training into my practice because it is an incredible tool for promoting healing and wellness.

The education and training of primary care providers and naturopathic doctors are very similar. The differences between the two stem mainly in philosophy. Naturopathic doctors believe the body has an innate ability to heal. And we see this all of the time! If we skin our knee or cut ourselves, the body stops the bleeding, produces a scab and makes new skin all on its own! If you get a cold, you eventually get over it...and faster if you rest and support the immune system. The body is the most miraculous thing on the planet and it knows what to do to heal and return to balance. Naturopathic doctors believe our job is to remove impediments to healing and stimulate the body to do its job.
Naturopathic doctors follow these principles of healing:

Dr. Cheri King is a naturopathic doctor specializing in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) chronic constipation/diarrhea, heartburn and reflux (GERD), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), and microbiome restoration. She treats men, women, and children with chronic conditions such as allergies, anxiety, asthma, autoimmune conditions, cardiovascular disease, chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia, diabetes, and skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis and also has a passion for exploring and treating the emotional and energetic roots of disease. 

In 2010, Dr. King received her doctorate in Natural Medicine with Honors in Research from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, the oldest and one of the leading naturopathic universities in North America.  During her time at NUNM, she also co-founded the Naturopathic Medical Student Association and received multiple achievement awards for outstanding performance in the field of natural medicine and for applying holistic healing principles in her own life as well as the lives of others.   She holds a BS in Finance from the University of Colorado School of Business in Boulder, CO.   

She mentored with Dickson Thom and Rebecca Krisko in Portland, Oregon, learning the art and science of treating emotional obstacles and chronic disease using Biotherapeutic Drainage. 

She currently serves on the board for the Colorado Association of Naturopathic Doctors, is guest faculty at the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism and a former adjunct professor of nutrition at the Community College of Denver.   

Dr. King is also a member of the following organizations:
Colorado Association of Naturopathic Doctors
Gastro Association of Naturopathic Doctors

Dr. King is a naturopathic doctor registered in the state of Colorado.  Naturopathic doctors are not licensed in the state of Colorado.  Dr. King is not a medical doctor.