Dr. Avery Colby, Petal & Thorn

Petal & Thorn in Downtown Camas has history … family history. The naturopath clinic and apothecary was born of a family history of health and well being.

Dr. Avery Colby, founder of Petal & Thorn, has put down roots in Downtown Camas. And those roots extend from her family history. “In my family, I have two sisters that are chiropractors and we were raised by a mother that focused on nutrition and healthy habits. Natural healthcare is a part of my roots. Originally I was focusing on chiropractic, but pivoted towards naturopathic medicine. I found an amazing school in Portland and it all kind of fell into place. I love this medicine!”

Avery talked of her love for Camas. “My family has lived in Camas or Vancouver for my entire life. I have spent many summers boating at Lacamas lake, hiking trails, taking my dog to swim in the Washougal lake, and enjoying downtown Camas. When thinking of places I wanted to open my clinic, Camas was an obvious choice.”

She watched for years as her oldest sister, Trista Darling, bought and operated a chiropractic office in Downtown Camas. “I knew for years prior to opening my business that I wanted to be located in Camas. I love how supportive everyone is of small businesses and I truly feel like I am a part of a community here.”

When she put pen to paper, looking to open a clinic in 2019, “it felt like everything was a challenge. I had just graduated with a doctorate of natural medicine, not with a degree in business. I had to learn everything from the ground up. There was a lot of trial and error … and luckily I had the support of my family and friends. It really did take a village to get Petal & Thorn up and running.”

Now that the clinic is going strong, Avery shows gratitude for her patients. “For the majority of the time, people that walk into the clinic have had no experience with naturopathic medicine but they all come in with curiosity and eagerness. They are each on their own health journey and I love finding ways to support them with that. There is an energy that lives in my patients that I love!”

Joining them on their health journey, Avery meets and talks with each client, “that has always come easily to me. I truly love connecting with people and hearing everyone’s individual health stories. I forge genuine connections with my patients because I care about them. I hope they feel that too.”

The name of the business, Petal & Thorn, came from the different modalities that Avery loves to treat patients with. “I love botanical medicine, which is a gentle medicine representing the petal, and I also love needling techniques, which represents the thorn of a plant. Before opening the doors, we had a list of about 15 different names and this is the one we fell in love with.”

At Petal and Thorn, they offer a variety of services. “Naturopathic doctors are trained in so many different natural modalities. The ones I love to use are botanical medicine, nutraceuticals (supplements), IV therapy, nutrient injections, prolotherapy, soft tissue injections, and general healthcare. I see patients ranging from hormone support to gastrointestinal issues. I love supporting the fundamental pillars of health including diet, sleep, stress, and movement,” Avery said.

So are there IV therapies or other services Avery recommends to help prevent illness during this challenging time of Covid?

“One thing we can do as a community is support our immune systems through these challenging times. IV therapy is an amazing option to do just that. Getting nutrients through IV therapy allows 100% of them to be available to your body. When supplementing you are only able to absorb a fraction of what you are taking. Nutrients such as B12, zinc, and vitamin C are just some of the nutrients available to add into IV drips or pushes,” Avery said. “Also addressing the basic health pillars is fundamental in supporting a healthy immune system. I love deep diving into people’s health to address different concerns and get their body in peak fighting condition. Whether you are coming in for IV therapy or to become a patient, we welcome any and everyone to the Petal & Thorn tribe.”
Are you interested in learning more or seeing what Dr. Colby has to offer? Visit them at 233 NE 6th Ave. Camas, WA or call (360) 210-7226.