The ABCs of Naturopathic Medicine: What Do Naturopathic Doctors Actually Do?
Many people proudly tell me they have a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) or that I am now their ND. It is great that Naturopathic Medicine has received such widespread acceptance and occupies an increasing role in our healthcare. However, I find many people – even those seeing NDs for years – do not fully know what we do. The problem is NDs can do so many different things, and any two NDs may have completely different treatment styles and modalities that they use. To help clarify matters, here are some ABCs of what NDs can do. Please keep in mind this is only a short (yes, short) list of our total scope of practice.
Acupuncture: Most NDs receive over 100 hours of training. Acupuncture can be very helpful for pain, anxiety, insomnia and so much more.
Botanical Medicine: We learned about hundreds of medicinal plants. Some of which only we can prescribe.
Chiropractic: We call them “Spinal or joint adjustments”. I was trained by chiropractors, and many of the older NDs were both Chiropractors and NDs. My Tuesday afternoon shift at the Salt Spring Island Wellness Centre focuses on spinal care and physical medicine. For more info check out: http://ssiwellness.com/integrated-health/
Diet = Nutrition. Good nutrition is the foundation of our health. I received over 120 hours of training, vs. 1-4 hours for many MD programs.
Exercise: Sports Medicine is a passion of mine as a distance mountain runner and cyclist. NDs draw from the best therapies available to us to improve sports performance and speed recovery from injuries.
Fun! Laughter may not be the absolute best medicine, but the more the better in my books. Anyone who has attended one of my health talks will tell you that I keep things amusing and engaging.
Guidance: Counselling and directing you toward the best therapies and other practitioners to help with your health concerns.
Hormone Balancing: Many NDs are experts at identifying and treating hormonal imbalances. The hormones we address primarily include cortisol (the stress hormone), thyroid hormones, melatonin, insulin, and sex hormones.
Intravenous (IV) and Injection Therapies: IV nutrients, chelation, high dose vitamin C (for infections and cancer), and ozone. Why IV? Many people have poor digestion so IV nutrients bypass this and guarantee rapid and complete absorption. Also, some people find it difficult to take natural remedies daily so some IV nutrients may be administered a few times per week or month to replace many of these pills.
Injection therapies include Neural therapy for old scars or chronic pain, and Prolotherapy for unstable joints, connective tissue injuries that won't heal, and chronic pain.
A few other highlights of what this ND does are Lab testing, including new genetic tests for optimal nutrition and gluten intolerance. Also in my clinic, I test for food sensitivities, hormones, vitamin D, and toxic metals.
