Hard to believe it, but the guy behind all this is a medical doctor… who can handle high-stakes neurology all day yet gets the heebie-jeebies from wrecked feet.
Dr. Donald “Doug” Strobel is a board-certified neurologist who spent decades treating patients with nerve pain, migraines, autoimmune conditions, and the everyday wear-and-tear that comes with life. Before that? He served in the Marines, then as a Navy pilot, and only then went to medical school and completed a neurology residency.
He’s been slimed, splattered, and sneezed on in every way medicine can throw at you—and kept a total poker face. But blistered, chewed-up, ultra-runner feet? That almost did him in.
When Doug started doing endurance races and ultra events, he ran into a huge problem:
everything on the market was either greasy, full of junk, or just… meh.
He wanted one thing he could throw in his pocket that would:
So he did what a neurologist with a genetics background does: he went to the kitchen and started formulating.
After a lot of trial, error, and feedback from runners, patients, and very honest family members, Miracle Balm was born.
At the core of every product we make is Doug’s original Miracle Balm base:
No water. No preservatives. No parabens. No petroleum.
Just a dense, long-lasting balm that stays on from shower to shower and supports your skin barrier instead of stripping it.
From there, we build for specific needs:
Every formula starts with the same question:
“Will this genuinely help someone feel and function better?”
If the answer isn’t a clear yes, it doesn’t go in the jar.
There are plenty of “natural” and “clean” brands. Here’s what sets us apart:
These aren’t random kitchen experiments turned into a brand overnight. Doug brings decades of medical experience, a background in human/medical genetics, and years of treating real patients with real pain. Our balms are also dermatologist-tested, so you’re not just taking our word for it.
You can read our ingredient lists out loud in under ten seconds. No mystery chemicals. No long paragraphs of “other ingredients.” If it doesn’t serve your skin or your nervous system, it doesn’t make the cut.
We hear this all the time:
“We have one jar we reach for for everything—dry skin, bug bites, sore muscles, all of it.”
Our customers use Dr. Doug’s for:
We’re not trying to sell you 25 different products. We’re here to give you a few great ones you actually finish.
Our balms have been:
Runners show up barely walking, get Recovery Balm on their legs, knees, or feet—and come back to the booth shaking their heads, “What is in this stuff?”
Parents write us because their kid finally slept, or wasn’t clawing at eczema all night.
That’s the bar we hold ourselves to.
We’re not a giant lab or a faceless conglomerate. We’re a small team that cares a ridiculous amount about people.
Every jar that goes out the door is made with the same intention Doug had when he mixed his very first batch:
“How do I help someone feel better, faster, without harming the rest of them in the process?”
Co-Founder • Neurologist • Ultra Runner • Reluctant Foot Expert
Dr. Donald “Doug” Strobel is the medical brain behind Dr. Doug’s.
Doug’s passion has always been helping people with complex neurologic conditions—neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune disorders, migraines, neuropathy, and more. Over time, he saw the same themes again and again: chronic pain, poor sleep, inflammation, and a sense that people were drowning in medications and products that weren’t giving them their lives back.
When he began training for adventure races and ultras, he realized his patients weren’t the only ones suffering. His own body—and especially his skin—needed support. The balms he created for himself quickly made their way into his clinic, into his patients’ hands, onto runners’ battered feet, and eventually onto thousands of bathroom counters.
Today, Doug continues to:
He’ll joke that he’s “a brain doctor who accidentally became a balm guy,” but the throughline is simple:
he wants to help people hurt less and live more.
Co-Founder • Biotech Veteran • Heart of the Brand
If Doug is the brain, Natalie is the heartbeat behind Dr. Doug’s.
With nearly 20 years in the biotech industry, Natalie has spent her career at the intersection of science, operations, and human stories. She’s seen how powerful modern medicine can be—and also where it sometimes falls short for everyday quality of life.
When Doug started handing her jars of his “race balm,” Natalie felt the difference immediately. Her reaction was simple:
“People need this. Not in five years. Now.”
Natalie:
She’s the one answering DMs late at night, talking to moms about restless legs in pregnancy, helping runners figure out their chafing issues before a big race, and building relationships with practitioners who want better tools for their patients.
To Natalie, this is more than a product line. It’s a way to:
Whether you found us through a friend, a race, your chiropractor, your doula, or late-night scrolling while scratching your legs—we’re glad you’re here.
Our hope is simple:
Because at the end of the day, we’re not chasing trends.
We’re just here to help you feel better in the skin you live in—one non-toxic, neurologist-crafted balm at a time.