A naturopathic physician takes a long time to meet with patients and carefully examine all the factors that contribute to their health. These include medical history, environmental and genetic influences, spirituality and diet.
Naturopathy can effectively treat a wide variety of illnesses and conditions. From insomnia to hormonal imbalances, naturopathic treatments can help.
The healing power of nature (vis medicatrix naturae) is a guiding principle in naturopathy. It means that the body has an innate ability to heal itself. Naturopathic medicine helps to support this process by treating the body with natural methods that are non-invasive and have minimal side effects. Naturopathic doctors are trained in a variety of therapies and treatments, including physical manipulations, herbs, nutrition, exercise, and mental health techniques.
Medical Doctors
Naturopaths work alongside medical doctors at hospitals and other health facilities across the country, in outpatient settings and with patients of all ages. While the number of naturopathic physicians is growing, it is important to speak with your primary care physician before trying a new treatment or therapy. This will help ensure that any treatments you undergo won’t interfere with any medications you may be taking.
There is an increasing interest in alternative modalities that provide safe and effective treatment for many chronic diseases, but the number of studies conducted on individual naturopathic therapies is limited. This lack of research has raised concerns among some members of the medical community. Despite this, there is a growing body of research showing the effectiveness of many naturopathic modalities. A recent review found that acupuncture, for example, relieves pain and improves mood in cancer patients.
The naturopathic approach is patient-centered, with longer visits and more time spent discussing individual needs. Naturopaths focus on the whole person and look at all aspects of a patient, including lifestyle, diet, genetics, environmental and emotional factors. They also consider spiritual health, and encourage patients to find their own path.
The naturopathic approach to treating disease has its roots in European “nature cure” practices, which were popular in the nineteenth century. By the early 1920s, naturopathy had spread to the United States and Canada. Laws regulating naturopathic practice were enacted in Ontario by 1925, in British Columbia in 1936, Manitoba in 1943 and Saskatchewan in 1952. The Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors has been representing the profession since 1955.
First Do No Harm
The principle of first do no harm mirrors the Hippocratic Oath and is central to naturopathic practice. The naturopath seeks to use the most natural, least invasive and least toxic therapies when treating a patient. Rather than merely suppressing or masking the symptoms, naturopaths look to find and treat the underlying cause of a disease.
In this way, naturopathy focuses on restoring the vitality of the body so it can heal itself. It is not uncommon for naturopaths to suggest changes in diet, lifestyle, or physical activities as part of a treatment plan. This is because naturopathic medicine treats the whole person, taking into account their mental and emotional well being as much as their physical health.
Using the most natural and least invasive medicines is important because it helps minimize side effects. As such, naturopathic physicians avoid the use of harsh medications and instead opt for more gentle treatments. This approach is especially important when treating infants and children because of their more fragile state of health.
However, naturopathic physicians are willing to utilize pharmaceutical substances when it is necessary in the interests of safety and quality of life. The physician will only use such drugs if they are deemed to be the best and most effective method of managing the patient’s condition.
Another important naturopathic principle is that of doctor as teacher. This means that naturopathic physicians must teach their patients how to recognize the warning signs of illness and promote a healthy lifestyle. They also encourage their patients to engage in spiritual development.
Health and disease result from a complex interplay of physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, and social factors. Naturopathic doctors must take all of these into consideration when diagnosing and treating their patients.
Naturopathy is an excellent option for those who are looking for natural ways to improve their health and feel that it may be an alternative treatment for certain conditions. However, it is important to talk with your primary care physician before pursuing any naturopathic treatment. They can help ensure that the treatment you choose is safe and won’t interfere with any other medications you are taking.
Health and Disease is a logical process
When a doctor is treating a patient, she is addressing the whole person. This entails not just identifying and treating the disease, but also assessing lifestyle factors that may be contributing to or detracting from health. This is called treating the cause (tolle causum). In this way, a naturopathic physician treats the body as an integrated whole – not just a collection of organs and systems.
Naturopathic doctors use a variety of treatment and diagnostic modalities. All of these therapies are guided by naturopathic principles and applied clinical theory. This theory influences the selection, sequencing and integration of treatments; the diagnosis of the patient; the healing practices used to treat the patient; and the overall therapeutic goal of promoting self-healing.
For this reason, naturopathic physicians are involved in research on a variety of different natural therapies. As more double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are conducted on naturopathic medicines, it is anticipated that the evidence will continue to grow in support of these therapies. This growing support is in part due to the fact that many of these natural therapies are safer than pharmaceutical drugs and have fewer side-effects.
After the Second World War, medical science focused on high-tech solutions to disease. Surgical techniques were advancing, antibiotics were becoming available and the pharmaceutical industry was developing wonder drugs. However, the public became dissatisfied with the rapid pace of advancements in medicine and a return to more natural approaches was made.
NDs use a combination of modalities to diagnose and treat disease, including acupuncture, biofeedback, homeopathy and physical therapy. They also offer diet and lifestyle advice, such as recommending fresh foods for their nutritional value. In some cases, they will administer vaccinations and perform minor surgeries.
NDs believe that their patients can be cured of their disease without the use of harmful pharmaceuticals. However, the lack of pharmacologic drugs that have been approved by the FDA for long-term use has led to an increasing number of people turning to naturopathic treatments to find safe and effective health care. The naturopathic approach is not for everyone, but those who see the value in it will likely find that it is one of the most powerful tools to maintaining and restoring their health.
The role of the doctor
The doctor’s role is to facilitate the patient’s healing process. They do this by helping to establish a doctor-patient relationship with inherent therapeutic value and by listening to the patient’s unique experience, goals, intentions, resources and limitations. They also encourage patients to participate in their own wellness and health care by providing education and support throughout the journey.
Naturopathic doctors strive to understand the root causes of illness and disease, viewing symptoms as the body’s attempt to communicate an imbalance. Treatments focus on the underlying cause, rather than symptom suppression or elimination, using therapies such as diet and clinical nutrition, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, botanical medicine and physical manipulation techniques similar to chiropractic and osteopathic methods.
Like all healthcare professionals, naturopathic physicians are expected to maintain high standards of professionalism and ethical behaviour. They must manage and disclose any potential conflict of interest and adhere to standard limits of confidentiality within their jurisdiction. They are also mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse and neglect.
NDs believe that disease prevention is a major goal of good healthcare. They help their patients understand their risk factors and hereditary susceptibility to illness and make appropriate interventions to prevent disease from occurring. They use the latest research in areas such as genetics, nutrition, stress management and the environment to guide their practice.
While many people see a naturopathic physician to treat a specific condition, they often discover that by adopting certain lifestyle changes and incorporating some naturopathic treatments, their overall health improves and their chronic conditions may disappear altogether. As a result, they continue to see their naturopathic doctor regularly for general health maintenance.
The naturopathic philosophy is that of treating the whole person (tolle totum), which recognizes that illness can have many causes, some nutritional, emotional, environmental and spiritual, and that these must be addressed in order for the patient to be healthy. As such, naturopathic physicians encourage their patients to seek out a wellness lifestyle that supports their individual needs, including healthy eating habits, exercise, positive thinking and spirituality. The Latin word for doctor is docere, meaning “to teach.” For this reason, naturopathic doctors are primarily educators who seek to empower their patients to take responsibility for their own health by teaching them how to live a healthy life.