Most physicians who practice integrative or wellness medicine come to it from primary care or family practice. Dr. Aschtgen came to it from oncology — and that difference shapes everything about how he works.
His entire clinical career has been spent caring for people with cancer. After earning his doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University, he completed a hospital-based naturopathic oncology residency at the Midwestern Regional Medical Center of Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Zion, Illinois — providing integrative therapeutic care for patients receiving medical, surgical, and radiation oncology treatment. He earned board certification in naturopathic oncology (FABNO) in 2007, placing him among a small number of physicians nationally to hold that credential.
"My role isn't to second-guess your oncologist. It's to make sure the person they're treating is as strong, supported, and well as they can be."
In 2008 he founded Seattle Integrative Oncology, which grew into one of the Pacific Northwest's leading naturopathic oncology practices — operating across Seattle, Everett, and Olympia, and becoming Providence's regional partner for naturopathic oncology, with hospital-based integrative cancer care and the state's only naturopathic oncology residency program. Over more than twenty years he has personally cared for thousands of patients, always in close coordination with their medical, surgical, and radiation oncology teams.
Beyond direct patient care, Dr. Aschtgen has helped build the field itself — training the next generation of naturopathic oncologists, co-authoring the national board's residency curriculum, contributing to research, and shaping the profession's standards through years of board and policy service. Montana Integrative Oncology brings that depth of experience to Montanans, so patients across the state can access expert, coordinated supportive cancer care without leaving home.