Naturopathic Medicine is rooted in the philosophy of whole body medicine,
utilizing a multitude of therapeutics to treat a variety of conditions
and patients of all ages. Doctors trained in Naturopathic Medicine
are competent to practice general medicine and may have specializations
within their scope. Modalities in which the physicians are trained
include homeopathy, nutritional medicine, botanical medicine, minor
surgery, natural childbirth, physical medicine, classical Chinese medicine,
and hydrotherapy. Licensed naturopathic physicians (ND) attend an accredited four-year
post-graduate medical school, of which there are currently six in North
America. See Links page for more information about these schools.
The differences between a naturopathic doctor and a “conventional” medical
doctor (MD) are several. First, though the naturopathic education
is similar in the first two years of school (basic sciences, pathology,
clinical diagnosis, pharmacology etc…), the last two year are
focused on the natural therapeutics, both in the classroom and in a
clinical setting. Our approach is about treating the cause with
safe and non-toxic natural medicine and not simply palliation of symptoms. The
six Principles of Naturopathic Medicine are illustrative of the core
essence of Naturopathic Medicine:
| Docere: Doctor
as Teacher
The Physician’s major role is to educate and
encourage the patient to take responsibility for health.
The Physician is a catalyst for healthful change, empowering
and motivating the patient to assume responsibility. It
is the patient, not the doctor, who ultimately creates and accomplishes
healing. |
| Vix Medicatrix Naturae:
Healing Power of Nature
The body has the inherent ability to establish, maintain, and
restore health. The physician’s role is to facilitate and
augment this process, to act to identify and remove obstacles
to health and recovery, and to support the creation of a healthy
internal and external environment
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| Tolle Causum:
Identify and Treat the Cause
Symptoms are expressions of the body’s attempt to heal,
but are not the cause of disease. Symptoms, therefore, should
not be suppressed by treatment. Causes may occur on many levels
including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. The Physician
must evaluate fundamental underlying causes on all levels, directing
treatment at root causes rather than at symptomatic expression.
|
| Primum no nocere:
First, Do No Harm
Therapeutic actions should be complimentary to and synergistic
with the natural healing process. Naturopathic physicians
strive to use the least invasive, most effective treatments possible
to gently bring back a state of balance. Methods designed
to suppress symptoms without removing underlying causes are considered
harmful and are avoided or minimized.
|
| Treat the Whole Person
Health and disease are conditions of the whole organism, involving
complex interactions between physical, spiritual, mental, emotional,
genetic, environmental, social, and other factors. The harmonious
functioning of the individual in each and every one of these
realms is essential to recovery from and prevention of disease.
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| Prevention
The Physician assesses risk factors and hereditary susceptibility
to disease and makes appropriate interventions to avoid further
harm and risk to the patient. The emphasis is on building health
rather than on fighting disease.
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