What is Naturopathic Medicine?
Naturopathic medicine is a system of primary health care that treats disease and illness through the use of natural therapies such as specialized diets, herbs, supplements, lifestyle and emotional counseling, massage, acupuncture, craniosacral and physical medicine. Naturopathic medicine emphasizes prevention and self-healing process.
What is a Naturopathic Physician (also known as NDs)?
Naturopathic Physicians provide a holistic and natural approach to healthcare. Naturopathic medicine supports the client with natural agents to stimulate and encourage the body’s inherent self-healing abilities.
A Naturopathic Physician acts as a primary health care provider, while recommending traditional medicine or surgery when necessary. NDs combine both modern scientific research and traditional methods to create an all natural means to treating acute conditions and chronic disease.
All aspects of a clients life, including emotional state, stress level, activity level, and diet and supplements are evaluated in an initial consultation to create an overall picture of health. An ND’s goal is to not just treat the present condition but to create and sustain a lifestyle that prevents further disease and promotes optimal health and well-being. We are your coach and confidant to a more fulfilling and sustainable life!
For more information on the benefits of Naturopathic Medicine click here.
What happens during my first visit or initial consultation?
The goal of a naturopathic physician is to create a holistic and personalized health plan unique to the individual patient. During your first visit, an optimized plan involves a comprehensive 1 -2 hour consultation, in which the doctor evaluates your complete health history, current medications, supplements, herbs, diet, lifestyle, and current stress level.
Your ND (Naturopathic Physician) will perform appropriate physical exams and order diagnostic testing or lab work. Once an assessment is made, a treatment plan is implemented, which may include natural agents, therapies, nutritional recommendations, and lifestyle adjustments.
Are herbs safe and proven effective?
Herbal medicine has been used for centuries to cure common colds, assist delivering or breastfeeding mothers and to soothe chronic ailments. When taken at the right dose and for the right reasons, herbs can be very powerful and work well. Many of the prescription medications that we take today have been derived from constituents within herbs. One example is aspirin. The main component of aspirin is salicylic acid, which was originally derived from White Willow Bark. One of the benefits of using herbs, is that because the component, salicylic acid remains in its more natural form it also makes it more gentle and non-irritating or damaging to the stomach and can be synergistically combined with other herbs to create a patient specific remedy.
