What is Naturopathic Medicine?

Naturopathic Medicine is a unique system of health care, promoting natural healing and prevention of disease. Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine are trained as primary care general practitioners who use a variety of non-invasive natural therapeutics to holistically treat both acute and chronic health conditions.

Philosophy of Naturopathic Medicine:

Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine are guided by six Principles of Naturopathy, which emphasize a holistic and natural approach to patient care, diagnosis, management, and treatment of medical conditions. The Principles of Naturopathic Medicine include:

• First Do No Harm - Naturopathic Doctors use safe, gentle, and natural therapies to improve the well being of a patient’s health, while limiting risk and adverse effects.
• The Healing Power of Nature - Naturopathic Medicine respects the innate intelligence of the human body to heal. The Vital Force stimulates the physiological systems of the body to bring the organism into balance and equilibrium moving towards a state of optimal health.
• Find and Treat the Cause of Illness - Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine address lifestyle and nutritional factors that cause disease susceptibility. Through tonification of tissues and organs, and supplementation of nutritional deficiencies, Naturopathic Medicine goes to the source of disease and promotes the true treatment of illness.
• Treat the Whole Person – Naturopathic Doctors treat the whole person while taking into consideration the complex factors of human existence, including lifestyle, diet, nutritional status, environmental toxins, genetic predisposition, and emotional, mental, and spiritual health.
• Doctor as Teacher - Docere, the Latin root for doctor means “to teach”. A principle objective of Naturopathic Medicine is to educate the patient with current scientifically-proven information and clinically-valid therapeutics to promote self-responsibility for health and well-being.
• Prevention - Naturopathic Medicine teaches the benefits of healthy living in order to prevent the development of chronic illness and destructive disease states.

Naturopathic Training:

Naturopathic Doctors are trained at accredited, four-year, post-graduate naturopathic medical schools. The comprehensive medical training includes studies in basic medical sciences, clinical and physical diagnosis, laboratory and diagnostic imaging studies, clinical medical sciences, naturopathic philosophy, pharmacology, and a wide variety of natural therapeutics. In order to become licensed practitioners, Naturopathic Doctors are required to successfully pass national board exams in the basic and clinical medical sciences as well as all of the Naturopathic therapeutics.

Natural Therapies and Modalities:

Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine can use a variety of natural and non-invasive therapies, including clinical nutrition, lifestyle counseling, physical medicine, hydrotherapy, massage therapy, botanical medicine, homeopathy, stress management, and natural hormone therapy. Naturopathic Doctors may have additional training and certification in craniosacral therapy, acupuncture, somatic therapy, and natural childbirth. Naturopathic therapies are effective in the treatment of many disease conditions without additional intervention. Naturopathic Medicine is also beneficial in an integrated medical framework, complementing the treatments of conventionally trained medical doctors, doctors of osteopathy, chiropractic doctors, and licensed acupuncturists. This results in a patient-centered approach striving to meet the needs of the individual person.