The Natural Approach to Health & Wellness
Have you ever heard of naturopathy? How could there possibly be an entire field in healthcare solely dedicated to treating and caring for patients using natural treatments? Well, there’s more to this alternative form of medicine than you might think.
Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a unique and holistic practice of medicine that can be literally translated to “natural healing”. As a branch of alternative medicine, there are many differences that distinguish the beliefs and methods that are used in naturopathy, in comparison to standard approaches to medical care. The most essential belief lies in the “self-healing” ideology that the body has an intrinsic ability to heal itself, and naturopathy can be considered as simply a personalized tool to help facilitate the individual’s natural healing journey.
The therapeutic methods used by naturopathic doctors are derived from this very principle, encompassing a long-term vision to care involving the integration of the mind, body, and spirit. These are therapies that do not directly aim to relieve one’s symptoms, but consider symptomatology as imbalances in one’s lifestyle (e.g., diet, sleep, stress) and bodily functions, thus shifting the focus on determining the underlying causes of patients’ conditions. This often takes the form of individualized treatment plans with the goal to restore health, stimulate the body’s self-healing processes, and continuously support the patient in actively engaging with their own care to foster empowerment and reduce risk of future health concerns.
There are also six core principles that are rooted in naturopathic medicine:
First, do no harm
The healing power of nature
Identify and treat the causes
Doctor as teacher
Treat the whole person
Prevention
All professionals in this field can be found practicing naturopathic medicine with these principles in mind. It is also important to consider that not all healthcare professionals in naturopathy possess the same qualifications and responsibilities. For instance, there is both a naturopathic doctor and traditional naturopath, which are two distinct professions and may seem confusing to differentiate based on the terms alone.
A naturopathic doctor (ND)—oftentimes inaccurately referred to as a naturopath—is a licensed and regulated primary care practitioner who is trained to diagnose and treat healthcare concerns. These are doctors that have completed a four year degree, residency training, and are accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medicine Education. NDs have a wide range of responsibilities in primary care: prescribing treatments like herbs and supplements, offering dietary and lifestyle advice, promoting meditation and relaxation techniques, and performing minor surgeries. The focus of all of these methods align with presenting “natural cures” that rely on noninvasive and natural treatments, just as the core principles portray.
A traditional naturopath, on the other hand, is used to describe non-medically trained health providers practicing in this field under unlicensed and unregulated jurisdictions. Since naturopaths do not require completion of a standard curriculum or residency program, nor a national board exam, they act more similarly to a wellness counsellor and are unable to prescribe medications or make diagnoses.
In interdisciplinary care, we can see NDs working alongside MDs to address patient health concerns and developing more effective treatment plans in collaboration. Resultantly, there is opportunity to embrace the complementary knowledge and skills from both specialities to promote patient health. Patients who may desire a change to their lifestyle or wish to reduce the use of prescribed medications can look for alternative treatments with the help of a naturopath. This could look like the ND helping to adjust drug doses or providing recommendations for other vitamins, mineral, or herbal combinations that can benefit the patient’s condition with a more naturopathic approach.
As you can see, naturopathy has transformed the vision for healthcare, blending together both modern and traditional methods of treating individuals. So, if you’re someone that is becoming more and more interested in prevention, mind-body medicine, and an overall desire to tend to patients’ needs with natural methods of care, then you might want to consider naturopathy as a potential fit for your career journey!
Your Healthcare Prospectives Team
