You may have heard of naturopathy or naturopathic medicine, but if you’re unfamiliar with the term, you’re probably wondering what is naturopathic medicine. Is it really a sound approach to medical care?
Even for those unfamiliar with the practices of naturopathic medicine, you’ve probably considered herbal supplements, tea, acupuncture, massage, or adjustments to your diet as an approach to healing. Guess what? Those all fall under the definition of naturopathic medicine. Even psychotherapy falls into some definitions of a naturopathic approach.
Exactly What is Naturopathic Medicine?
Naturopathy or naturopathic medicine is sometimes called natural medicine or alternative medicine. It’s a philosophy and an approach to health care that uses modern treatment methods as well as ancient, earth, and traditional medicine approaches.
The heart of naturopathic medicine focuses on the idea of “healing thyself.” Our bodies are amazingly regenerative, and often with the proper care, we are capable of preventing and correcting many different ailments. For example, using a low-sodium diet can help improve blood pressure. Stretching, resting, and certain dietary supplements can alleviate arthritis inflammation and discomfort. Herbal teas and ginger can soothe an upset stomach.
Naturopathic practitioners often focus on prevention and holistic health. In a modern medical sense, we might hear about diet, lifestyle, and exercise to improve our health. Natural medicine prioritizes these approaches over the pharmaceutical route.
Many people also find ways to include naturopathic medicine complementary to their pharmacological treatments. For example, someone undergoing radiation or chemotherapy for cancer may also include naturopathic approaches like acupuncture, meditation, diet adjustments, and other practices in their supportive treatment plan. When our stress is reduced, sleep is improved, and our diet is healthful, we feel better, and our body shifts into the optimum state to heal and recover.
Naturopaths also look at other aspects of our whole health picture, including our mental and even spiritual health. The goal of naturopathic medicine is to do no harm. That means that naturopathic treatments shouldn’t create adverse reactions or side effects. Natural medicine is supportive medicine that fortifies the body’s natural defenses, immunity, and health.
The principles of naturopathic medicine are:
- Promoting self-healing
- Addressing underlying symptoms
- Providing harmless treatments
- Approaching health care holistically
- Empowering patients with education and knowledge
- Using a preventive approach to health
Because the definitions of naturopathic medicine are broad, some approaches are more scientifically-based than others. Still, in most cases, a naturopathic approach to healing and healthcare is complementary to traditional, scientific, and pharmacological methods.
What are Naturopathic Medical Treatments?
Many different naturopathic practices fall under the umbrella of naturopathic medicine, and some may even sound surprising if you aren’t familiar with the term.
- Diagnostic Tests: Many diagnostic and laboratory tests fall under the definition of naturopathic.
- Earth Medicine: Botanical medicine, including herbal medicine, essential oils, aromatherapy, homeopathy, teas, and tinctures, all fall under naturopathy.
- Natural Childbirth: Doula and midwife services and natural obstetrics are naturopathic approaches.
- Nutrition: The services of nutritionists and dieticians are often a naturopathic approach.
- Physical Therapies: Chiropractic medicine, massage, acupuncture, and some IV and injection therapies are considered naturopathic medicine. Even some minor surgeries may fall into this category.
- Psychotherapy: Counseling, mindfulness practices, and coaching can be naturopathic approaches to mental healthcare.
- Public Health: Outreach, education, preventative therapies, hygiene, and general public wellness are often aligned with naturopathic philosophy.
- Yoga: Yoga, ethnomedicine, Ayurvedic medicine, and mindfulness practices are holistic approaches to spiritual and physical health.
When you seek a naturopathic treatment, you can expect a less traditional approach. Often in the modern healthcare system, patients feel pushed through and unseen. The approach might be to treat only the immediate problem rather than looking at the many factors that can land us in the emergency room or urgent care. Many issues are treated with a prescription, and patients are sent out the door.
In naturopathic practices, practitioners focus on the whole person. They may talk to you a lot and ask questions about everything from sleep habits to lifestyle stressors to your health history, family health background, diet, and more. The more information a naturopathic practitioner can gather, the better they can find the right solution that fits patients. Naturopathy isn’t one-size-fits-all.
It’s also important to know that naturopathic doctors and practitioners may hold different licenses and qualifications. In addition, the qualifications requirements can vary from state to state, so it’s helpful to do research on your practitioner before visiting. Most will be happy to share and explain their qualifications and background.
To become a licensed naturopathic doctor, practitioners complete four years of schooling at a certified institution. Traditional naturopaths might not hold the same licensure. These practitioners may hold certifications from other countries or bring life experience to their practice, so it’s important to inquire about their history and background. Many other practitioners and therapists like massage therapists, acupuncturists, or instructors may have completely different licensure based on other guidelines. Finally, some medical doctors, nurses, dentists, and even veterinarians use naturopathic approaches in their practices even though they hold traditional medical licenses.
Before meeting with a naturopathic practitioner, prepare to answer questions as honestly and thoroughly as possible. The more information you can offer your practitioner, the better they can formulate the right approach to your care. They may ask about your job, stress, lifestyle, sleep, habits, and hobbies. They will likely ask you about medications you might be taking and other treatments you are undergoing while you plan to be under their care.
What Do Naturopathic Doctors Treat?
So when should you see a naturopathic practitioner? Is naturopathic medicine the solution for every illness?
For most people, naturopathic medicine is a supportive and supplementary approach to health and wellness. You’ll reduce stress and improve your health by improving nutrition, minimizing risky behaviors like smoking or excessive drinking, and changing your lifestyle to include exercise. In addition, most naturopathic practitioners will make suggestions and recommendations around moving toward a healthier lifestyle.
A naturopathic practitioner may suggest an elimination diet to figure out if certain foods are causing inflammation or other responses in the body. Then, they may encourage supplementation with vitamins or probiotics. Typically, the products they recommend are high quality and reliable, like those from Melaleuca and other well-known healthcare companies.
Your naturopathic medical professional may encourage you to change your diet by shifting to seasonal foods, following a yogic diet, or eating whole foods.
The approach and suggested treatments will depend on your body and the health conditions you are trying to treat. For example, a chiropractor might recommend manipulative therapy or hydrotherapy (movement in water) to improve a pinched nerve in your neck. A dietitian or nutritionist might make dietary changes and suggest supplements to reduce inflammation in your body and improve nerve health. An acupuncturist might suggest certain herbal tinctures to complement their direct nerve stimulation with acupuncture needles. A therapist or coach might help you examine how to reduce anxiety, strain, and pressure in your neck. Finally, a naturopathic practitioner may also suggest aromatherapy, exercise, meditation, and other practices to address your tension and stress.
As you can see, all the approaches could be very different, but they all fall under the naturopathic umbrella, and they can produce a similar healthy end result.
Naturopathic medicine is a great way to address certain issues in the body, and it’s effective for many mental and physical conditions. Some studies have shown success in a naturopathic approach for improving diabetes, high blood pressure, and more. Naturopathic approaches can be an essential part of improving a range of conditions, including:
- Mental health issues like anxiety and depression
- Pain associated with arthritis and autoimmune conditions
- High blood pressure and cardiovascular disease
- Effects of hormonal imbalances including PCOS, menstrual and menopause discomfort
- Gastrointestinal discomfort and digestive disorders
- Musculoskeletal and nerve pain
- Chronic stress, insomnia, and sleep disruptions
Many people have found relief through naturopathic medicine. At the end of the day, it makes sense that paying attention to our body’s signals and the ways we’re impacted by lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, and stress would lead to greater wellness.
Research is still out on naturopathy as a cure-all for most conditions, but as a supportive route to overall wellness, naturopathy is a sound approach. Stress and burnout can leave you run down, tired, and unable to heal and recover. By choosing naturopathic medicine, you’re offering your body the extra support from someone who can help you look at the complete picture of your health.
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Comments & Reviews
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Indeed,
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