Top Ten Reasons for Adding a Naturopath to Your Healthcare Team
Nowadays, it makes a lot of sense to create a healthcare team focused on
maintaining your good health. This is especially true considering how
difficult it can be to find
a doctor taking new patients or even to get an appointment to see a specialist
or to get a particular procedure. A healthcare team's job is to take care of
different aspects of your health from prevention of disease to maintenance of
wellness, to acute care and to ensure quality and vital
living. It puts you back in the driver's seat regarding your health.
In Canada we have an amazing pool of professionals with resources geared for
serving your health needs. Medical doctors, osteopaths, dentists,
chiropractors, physiotherapists, psychologists and naturopathic physicians have extensive
training to care for your needs in specific areas. When combined into a team
they provide a powerful array of resources for your optimal care.
When looking at creating your own healthcare team, create a
strong foundation of primary care providers followed by your specialists and long
term maintenance practitioners. Primary care providers are those physicians well
educated in diagnosis of health conditions, dealing with acute, long term, and
preventative care. These include naturopathic physicians, medical doctors and chiropractors
with specialties in both acute and long term care.
Most people have a family medical doctor but it is important to also have a
family naturopathic physician on your team as well. Here are the top ten reasons why:
- Naturopathic training is extensive and in-depth. Following a
minimum of 3 years of pre-med courses, prerequisites and electives, candidates
must complete 4 years of naturopathic medical training. The first
2 years include all the basic sciences such as biochemistry, dissection
anatomy, pathology, physiology, histology and so on. The last 2 years
covers clinical sciences such as pharmacology, nutrition, physical medicine,
homeopathy, herbal medicine, counseling and a multitude of other classes.
Finally, before becoming licensed as primary care providers and doctors of
naturopathic medicine candidates must pass a grueling five days of board exams administered by
the College of Naturopathic Physicians.
- Naturopathic medicine approaches healing from a holistic perspective
that deals with the whole body rather than individual parts. The
body, mind and spirit work synergistically as a whole, unified entity that
interacts in unique environments. As such, for
healing to occur the whole system needs to be evaluated and treatment
protocols generated that consider the whole person. Rather than focusing
on a symptom, naturopathic physicians focus on determining the cause of
illness and disease within the setting of the inner and outer environment.
- Naturopathic treatments use therapies that are least invasive or toxic
and that stimulate the body's inherent healing system. Once the cause of
illness has been determined a naturopathic doctor will then work with the
patient in determining the best approach for healing. This revolves
around stimulating the bodies inherent
Intuitive Healing System (IHS).
When we cut our finger the body immediately steps into action, sending
the necessary components to seal and heal the wound. This IHS is
not limited to surface wounds however. Fortunately, it works throughout
the whole body. Naturopathic doctors use treatment modalities that
stimulate and activate the
Intuitive
Healing System creating an
environment where the body can heal itself.
- Naturopathic doctors build relationships with their clients through
longer clinic visits. In the past, medical specialists were able to spend
time with patients, creating relationships not only with individuals but also
with the entire family. I remember our family doctor from forty years
ago, he knew our family well and spent time asking questions about school,
friends and sports activities. He got to know how our whole system was working
from the physical to the emotional and even the family dynamics. This
kind of relationship is impossible in today's medical system. Visit length
averages less than five minutes and many people don't even have a family
doctor. A first office call with a naturopathic doctor averages between 20 and
60 minutes, return office visits, 15 to 30 minutes. In that time, a
doctor can not only develop a relationship with the patient but also evaluate
their physical and emotional health better, creating a stronger, more
effective environment for healing.
- Naturopathic doctors use "Food as Medicine". Naturopathic
physicians strongly believe this to be foundational in any treatment protocol.
We are what we eat. This is why naturopathic doctors promote the healing
properties of food as a primary medicine. Over thousands of years our
bodies have adapted to the synergistic healing properties of specific foods.
Foods contain phytonutrients that scientists are only just beginning to
discover and that naturopathic doctors have used successfully for thousands of
years. The bonus? Minimal if any negative side effects!
- Naturopathic doctors utilize many different treatment modalities for
more effective healing. Rather than focusing on one form of therapy, ie
drugs or surgery, naturopathic medicine brings to bear a host of treatment
modalities. This variety of treatment options gives the doctor many more
tools to use in helping patients get well . Having a variety of
treatment options also illustrates the breadth of the naturopathic training
and the ongoing continuing education most naturopathic doctors subscribe to,
constantly building their repertoire of knowledge in natural health and
healing. Some modalities include herbal medicine, homeopathy, Chinese
medicine, physical medicine, exercise therapy, counseling, nutritional
supplementation, stress management techniques, Neuro Linguistic Programming,
desensitization, to name a few. Combine all of these with current
nutritional science and you have a cornucopia of healing options in your
naturopathic clinic.
- Naturopathic medicine combines ancient wisdom with modern science.
Most of the therapies used by naturopathic doctors have a long history of use
in the healing arts. With this history comes the knowledge through time
and testing that the remedies used are safe and effective. Some of the
herbs have been used by different cultures for thousands of years. For
example, the oldest medical text refers to curry as being helpful in cases of
rheumatism and pain. Science has now discovered that curcumin, the
active ingredient in turmeric, is the most powerful anti-inflammatory
available and can successfully alleviate arthritis pain and reduce the risk of
developing Alzheimer's and a number of forms of cancer. The beauty of
using this earthy herb is there are no side effects...it's just a food, yet
naturopathic doctors have been using it historically to treat inflammatory
conditions for years. Another example is acupuncture, which has been
used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. It's gained
acceptance in western medicine now that science has explained the mechanism
behind its healing action . Finally, each year new phytonutrients are
being identified by researchers that explain the effectiveness of the specific
herbs used by naturopathic physicians. It's a win-win situation!
- Naturopathic remedies have few side effects. Each year 12,000
individuals die from unnecessary surgeries, 7,000 from medication errors in
hospitals, 20,000 from other errors in hospitals, 80,000 deaths occur from
infections contracted in hospitals and 106,000 from non-error, negative
effects of drugs. That's a total of 250,000 deaths per year due to iatrogenic
causes (Barbara Starfield, MD, MPH,
Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene
and Public Health.) Deaths from dietary supplements in a nine year period
between 1989 and 1998...seven. (Chicago Wellness Newsletter) Need I say more?
- Naturopathic medicine is cost effective. By keeping in mind 2
principles of naturopathic medicine: find the cause and treat the whole body,
the duration and intensity of illnesses is decreased. Patients get well
faster so they lose less time from work and this should make employers and
medical insurance companies happy. In addition, the medical system does
not feel the brunt of dealing with acute conditions that require long term
care like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune conditions.
Not only does it save the patient valuable resources it also saves our medical
system precious finances.
- Naturopathic doctors promote prevention as the best cure of all.
Hearing your doctor tell you you have a terminal illness is not fun.
It's frightening, overwhelming, and life altering. Why put yourself
through that? Preventative medicine avoids the stress of that
conversation. Your naturopathic doctor works with you to create a
preventive protocol that respects your choices, considers your environmental
situation, factors in emotional and familial support and carefully reviews
genetic predispositions. The result is a preventative protocol tailored to
your needs and current physical and psychological state. This is
combining science and ancient wisdom in the best way possible! All to
ensure you live a long and quality filled life!
Naturopathic doctors are fully licensed, primary care
providers dedicated to natural wellness. As part of your healthcare team
they provide ongoing healthcare in both acute and chronic conditions. A
healthcare team is one that works for your optimal health. They "first do
no harm" and promote the best care possible. The BC government has passed
legislature that will now provide prescription and testing rights to
naturopathic doctors. Check here to find out more. The following medical
professionals should be on your team: Primary Care Providers
- Medical Doctor
Naturopathic Doctor
Dentist
Chiropractor/Osteopath
Additional Service Provider
- Massage Therapist
Physiotherapist
- Pharmacist
- Podiatrist
- Psychologist
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