You may have heard of the term “naturopathic” while watching shows like Doctor Oz, or reading articles on the front page of Yahoo. More and more people are beginning to cross over to naturopathic medicine and are hiring doctors who specialize in these services. The great thing about naturopathic care is that it’s available for the entire family. Some even offer OB/GYN services, as well as allergy testing and treatment.
It’s good to perform research before trying something new. If you’re just starting out your journey towards holistic health, the following facts may be worthy of noting.
- In the past, health insurance plans wouldn’t cover a visit to a naturopathic center. However, today, there are numerous extended health plans that do. Check your policy to see if this is excluded. The great thing about naturopathic centers is that they aren’t restricted by OHIP regulations, which pay doctors by the number of patients they see. This means practitioners have more time to thoroughly treat each patient.
- On average, a trip to a family doctor is about seven minutes, while your first visit to a naturopathic doctor is between one and two hours. The follow-up is normally half an hour. This allows the doctor sufficient time to go over the root causes of any issues you are dealing with.
- Naturopathic doctors go to medical school for eight years to obtain a post- graduate degree. This breaks down into four years of university undergraduate studies and another four years in a medical college. This is the same amount of time as chiropractors and medical doctors.
- Naturopathic doctors carry a number of certifications for treating various modalities, such as botanical medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, intravenous therapy, nutritional therapy and orthomolecular therapy.
- Some naturopathic doctors in the U.S. offer both integrative medicine and primary care services. This means they are able to prescribe medications, such as antibiotics when needed. During their studies, they are required to study pharmacology.
- On the contrary to what a lot of people believe, naturopathic medicine isn’t fairy tales. All of the practices used are evidence-based. For instance, it’s been proven in a study performed in 2013 that naturopathic doctors are able to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease. There’s also a number of other studies that show therapies used by naturopathic doctors are effective.
- When traditional doctors are unable to find the root of a problem, naturopathic doctors are oftentimes able to. In a sense, they are the private investigators of the medical community. Patients undergo a comprehensive assessment, lab tests and physical exams.
- Both conventional and naturopathic health care professionals utilize cutting edge lab testing. They use the same methods to analyze iron levels and white blood cells, but they also use the tests to search for hidden problems like Lyme disease or food allergies.
- The word doctor actually means teacher. A part of naturopathic care is learning from your doctor, who will educate you about making better lifestyle and diet choices. In the natural community, it’s about empowering patients with knowledge, so that they can lead optimal lives.
Finding a Naturopathic Doctor
There are a variety of naturopathic doctors that offer excellent holistic care. These centers can help patients who are battling cancer, HIV and variety of other illnesses. You can benefit from the holistic services provided by naturopathic centers, even if you aren’t battling a debilitating disease.
