The structured version of what I teach in clinic.
I'm Dr. Joyce Knieff, a naturopathic physician in Minnesota. I built Wayfinder's Well because my patients kept telling me the same thing. They'd done the research, tried the protocols, watched the TikToks, and were still stuck. The information was out there. The structure wasn't.
Credentials and training
I hold a dual degree in Naturopathic Medicine and Acupuncture & East Asian Medicine from Bastyr University. I'm pursuing advanced certification in Clinical Biofeedback under Dr. Brad Lichtenstein. I'm certified in Tensegrity Medicine and trained in Visceral Manipulation through the Barral Institute.
I practice at Yggdrasil Naturopathic Medicine in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and serve as Vice President of the Minnesota Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
My clinical focus: MCAS, motility disorders, hormones, autoimmune conditions, and the messy overlap between them. I blend naturopathic principles, functional medicine, bodywork, breathwork, and lifestyle medicine. When something works better conventionally, I say so. When something works better naturopathically, I say that too.
Why this exists
Most of what I do in clinic is structure. I'm usually not the first person a patient has talked to. I'm often the fifth or the twelfth. By the time they land in my office, they've read more about their condition than they ever wanted to. They know the supplements. They've tried the diets. They can spell cromolyn.
What they don't have is a way to decide what to do, in what order, starting from where they actually are.
That's not because the information isn't online. It's because free content rewards engagement, not structure. A 60-second TikTok about nervous system regulation teaches one thing. It doesn't tell you where that one thing fits, or what has to be in place first for it to work.
The courses fill the gap between a TikTok and an hour with a clinician. They're not a replacement for clinical care. They're the thing I'd want my patients to have read by the time they get to me.
How the courses work
Every course teaches the same way, in the same order:
- First, how the condition actually works.Mechanism, not protocol. You learn what a mast cell does, what goes wrong in MCAS, what tryptase measures and what it doesn't. Without the mechanism, the rest is just memorization.
- Second, what the research says and doesn't say.I name the diagnostic debates. I tell you which trials are worth weighing and which aren't. Where the evidence is thin, I say it's thin.
- Third, how to actually move forward.In sequence. What to stabilize first, what to add second, what to save for later. Skipping ahead is how people flare.
Who this is for, and who it's not
This platform is built primarily for patients. Curious clinicians-in-training are welcome. I also host a separate course for practicing clinicians, Mastering MCAS, which is a clinical literacy course with different depth and scope.
This is education. It's not medical advice, and it's not a replacement for working with a provider who knows your history. I don't prescribe here. I don't interpret your labs. If you need individual clinical care, see the clinical services note below.
Some people aren't a fit, and I'd rather be honest than waste your time.
- If you're looking for a rigid protocol to copy exactly, this isn't that.
- If you're acutely unwell and need someone to stabilize you right now, that's clinical work, not educational.
- If you want someone to tell you supplements are the only answer, I'm not that person. Conventional medications have a place.
Looking for one-on-one clinical care?
Dr. Joyce sees patients in Minnesota and offers remote case analyses.
Yggdrasil Naturopathic MedicineNot sure where to start?
Download a free guide. If it's useful, the courses go a lot deeper.
Clinician-designed. Evidence-based. Built for patients.