Recently, there has been a lot of hype in the media about Naturopathic Medicine and Naturopathic Doctors (NDs). Some good and some bad remarks, but hype non-the-less. Many skewed views exist regarding what NDs actually do. Many think that NDs are overly glorified “Witch Doctors”; others might view NDs similar to General Practitioners, but just using herbs instead of pharmaceuticals; and many think that homeopathic doctors and NDs are one in the same. It is my hope that I can “clear the air” and hopefully bring some justice to what NDs actually do.

Naturopathic Medicine aims at treating the root cause of disease, and not just merely the symptoms. Unfortunately, medicine sometimes looks at an individual merely as a broken arm, rather than looking at the person with that broken arm. NDs propose to try and look at the individual as a whole, and not merely their parts, and attempt to cure disease through this framework and looking for the cause of disease. A ND might, for example, look at the patient’s living conditions, nutritional status, safety, work conditions, etc., in attempt to discover what caused the broken bone and how could it be prevented in the future. As a result, each individual is treated as just that, an individual. One treatment might not work for another simply because everyone is different, and the cause of disease can be completely different for two individuals even with the “same” condition. For example, two individuals could present with headaches, but one person might get headaches due to muscle tension, while another might get them due to caffeine withdrawal. Though both of these individuals might have similar presentations, treating their headaches with the same treatment may not result in a cure for both.

Part of a NDs approach to care involves incorporating the principles of Naturopathic Medicine into ones care. The principles of Naturopathic Medicine are: First do no harm, treat the cause of disease, teach healthy living and preventative medicine, heal the whole person, emphasize prevention, and support the healing power of the body. NDs strive to incorporate all of these principles into each patient case in order to treat disease, support the health of the individual, and prevent future disease. A state of balance and harmony is sought after in the body, and thus achieved through this approach to care, as well as through the use of Naturopathic Medicine’s various modalities. The modalities are used to support the patient’s own healing capabilities, and consist of: Botanical Medicine, Clinical Nutrition, Hydrotherapy, Homeopathy, Physical Medicine (including massage and naturopathic manipulation), Primary Care, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, and Lifestyle Counselling. Despite what some believe, the practice of naturopathic modalities is not merely based on “gut instinct” or tradition, but is based on Evidence Based Medicine and Traditionally practices that have been tested and used for centuries.

It is my hope that being part of this profession will allow me to be part of the movement of our future health care that involves addressing disease before it presents, treating the whole person, managing disease with few side effects, and improving overall quality of life.