INTRODUCTION TO THE DOCTOR

Dr. Angela Rauter, AP, DOM, is an Integrative Physician specializing in women’s health and is recognized by the Florida Department of Health as a Primary Care Physician.

She is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture Physician, Advanced ATMAT® Practitioner, and a Functional Medicine Doctor.

Dr. Rauter seamlessly blends modern and traditional techniques to achieve success by treating the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.

WHAT WE DO

TCM diagnosis and treatment through acupuncture and herbs.
Biomedical health review and functional medicine testing.
ATMAT® assessment and treatment through Naprapathic structural assessment, visceral manual therapy, and traditional Belizean remedies.
Musculoskeletal imaging.
Dietary guidelines using TCM food therapy, blood type diet, Chinese herbs, and whole food supplements.
Movement guidelines to promote overall health including Pilates, yoga, Qi Gong, and Tai Chi.
Mental/emotional health through meditation, self-awareness, and self-empowered action.

CREDENTIALS

Dr. Rauter graduated from an intensive 5-year medical program with a Master's degree in Oriental Medicine from East West College of Natural Medicine. While still in college, she interned with Dr. Deanine Picciano and Dr. Shaun Dumas, both highly respected local physicians. She is nationally certified through NCCAOM and an active member of FSOMA and AAC. She has studied under the world renowned Naprapath physician Dr. Rosita Arvigo during her ATMAT® training. Dr. Rauter never quenches her thirst for knowledge and regularly doubles her required CE credits for license renewal.

Dr. Rauter has been an educator in her field since 2007. Her contributions include the creation and co-creation of courses such as Eastern Theory: Five Element Shiatsu Bodywork, and Orthopedic Assessment for the LMT. She taught Anatomy and Physiology for 7 years at the Sarasota School of Massage Therapy. She also taught Pathology for the LMT and Prenatal Massage. She created courses such as Anatomy and Physiology for Yoga Instructors and Self Care during COVID for empowering women, with BeingWE and SPARC, as well as presentations for New College of Florida and EWCNM.

Dr. Angela Rauter founded Five Petal Holistic Healing Center in 2014 with the vision of bringing together like-minded practitioners to offer a place of education, renewal, healing, and discovery for the community. She has created and facilitated countless classes and networking events at her center, as well as supported the growth of new and seasoned practitioners. She has been a certified Pilates instructor since 2005 and uses her knowledge of the body and movement to create corrective routines for her patients. In spite of her busy practice and educational pursuits she finds time to contribute to the community through volunteering for local charities such as Selah Freedom, Sarasota Contemporary Dance, and Waves of Hope.

MY STORY

Hello my friend, welcome.

This is a short summary of my life's journey:

I have spent my life mastering integration. I have been practicing life’s dualities/dichotomies since I was a child. At the age four I saw Swan Lake on TV and was smitten with the fairy like wonder of ballet. On the other hand, I loved spending time in the garden, digging my hands into the nit and grit of the dirt, and watching the scientific magic of plants growing. Before I could call it by its name, I knew and revered the law of our universe, Yin and Yang, negative and positive, the polarity of the physical and the ephemeral.

I have enjoyed a rewarding career in dance. Having exceptional promise as a young dancer, I was accepted to Julliard, TISCH school of the Arts at NYU, Boston Conservatory, and my alma mater: SUNY Purchase. These institutions were and are the pinnacle of Dance education. Eventually my career brought me to Sarasota, where I joined the acclaimed Sarasota Contemporary Dance for 6 seasons. Although dance brought me much joy with its ability to integrate physicality and spirituality through expression, I had always felt a greater need to serve my fellow humans, and the planet. Although Art is a human need for connection and higher awareness, for me, it was somewhat self-serving. The joy of expression was felt by me and the audience, but separately. I longed for a vocation in which I could directly cooperate, guide, and share the experience of transformation in an intimate and profound way.

Health on all levels, proved to be my answer.

In spite of my optimal health, being raised by hippies eating “health food” long before it was a fad, and dancing almost every day, I have battled my own health challenge since the age of 12. At the most important time in a young woman’s life to explore and find my individual voice, I lost mine. Repetitive Respiratory Papillomatosis is a rare disease in which papilloma growths reoccur, most commonly on the vocal folds, impeding phonation or the ability to make sound with the larynx. During the first 3 years of onset, my mother explored every alternative treatment she could find. Eventually I elected to have the growths surgically removed. The first surgery took 6 hours and had to be finished at another date. 95% of my airway was covered by growths. This left scar tissue on 90% of my vocal folds. Since then, I have sustained 17 surgeries. Although that appears to be a lot, the average of RRP patients undergoes 1-2 surgeries per year. I know that my diligence in maintaining my overall health, and my wealth of knowledge in nutrition and herbs, is what keeps me out of the surgery room longer than normal. One of my mentors, Kahlina Shannon, taught me that “In every situation there is INSPIRATION, INFORMATION, and TOOLS. This health challenge is no different, a true gift in learning the value of integrating Modern Medicine with Traditional medicine, for the greatest good and best outcome, not to mention the symbolism of “finding my voice.”

While studying dance in New York I attended the esteemed Swedish Institute of Allied Health Sciences, attaining my associate degree in health sciences. I passed the New York State board exam to practice massage therapy in 2004. While attending this 2-year college, I became fascinated with eastern healing modalities, including Shiatsu. Although the curriculum includes over 500 hours alone for eastern studies, I knew it just scratched the surface of this ancient and powerful medicine.

Desiring a change from the face paced, assertive energy of New York, I moved to one of my favorite places in the world: Sarasota, FL. The beach has always been a respite for my soul, having spent many summers vacationing on Crescent beach since childhood. When I found out I could receive my Bachelor of Health Science and a Master of Oriental Medicine from East West College of Natural Medicine right here in Sarasota, the move was final. Upon graduating and passing all of my Florida State board exams, I opened my practice in downtown Sarasota. I quickly gained a reputation for relieving pain with my integrative approach using acupuncture pain relief techniques and manual therapy. Although this brought me and my patients much joy, my true passion was working with those intent on the whole picture: body, mind, and spirit wellness. My favorite style of Chinese medicine was, and is, Wu Xing, meaing the five elements, five movements, or five cycles. This “theory” or rather, understanding, conveys the wisdom of our intrinsically intertwined existence of the physical and ephemeral. This is symbolized in humans, as the conduit between Heaven (the ephemeral) and Earth (the physical). Here is the dichotomy represented in us and our relation to the world. As I made the shift away from a musculoskeletal focus towards holistic medicine for female reproductive health, I found the crux of my many talents: The Arvigo Techniques of Mayan Abdominal Therapy® or ATMAT®. This ancient technique, passed down through generations of Shamans in Belize, was tenderly endowed to Rosita Arvigo by the renowned rainforest medicine man, Don Elijio Ponti. Infused with Rosita’s more scientific naprapathic approach, the bridge between Ancient Traditional Medicine, and Modern Medicine was finally complete for me. I quickly finished all four levels of intense training. Since then I have strengthen my understanding of the human body and it's holistic health with continuing education in woman's health on a yearly basis.

I never stop learning. I am currently finishing my Functional Medicine training through the Functional Medicine University and continuing my never-ending education of both Chinese, and medicinal herbs. I innately integrate my training, expertise, and experience in both Biomedicine, and Chinese Medicine as well as my wisdom and knowledge of the human body as a dancer and certified Pilates instructor. I am proud to honor my role as a Primary Care Physician and use modern medicine tools and knowledge in order to identify dis-ease in my patients. This includes blood tests, hormone testing, imaging, and saliva tests to name a few. I then take this information and balance it with my practiced techniques of Traditional or Alternative medicine through acupuncture, herbs, food therapy, meditation, therapeutic movement, and visceral manual therapy. My specialty is assisting women along their holistic healing pathway, treating the mind, physical body, and the spirit. I utilizes the Five Petals of Health approach with each patient. One cannot heal the body without addressing the mind and spirit, and vice versa.

http://www.sarasotacontemporarydance.org

https://www.swedishinstitute.edu

https://www.ewcollege.edu

https://rositaarvigo.com

http://achpm.com/naprapathic-medicine/