What is Naturopathic Medicine?

Naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of primary health care - an art, science, philosophy and practice of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of illness. Modern naturopathic medicine is a progressive healthcare profession that integrates the most effective elements of alternative and conventional treatment modalities and focuses them toward a central goal: the betterment of human health. Its practice is thoroughly rooted in centuries of traditional wisdom about nature, guided by the principles and therapeutic order which underlie and determine its practice, and advanced by the ongoing discoveries of medical science.  Methods of diagnosis and treatment are consistent with the historical and philosophical influences of the medicine, are continually reexamined in light of scientific advances, and are chosen upon the basis of patient individuality.  Naturopathic medicine spans all aspects of family health care, from pediatric to geriatric. You can think of it as family medicine which specializes in alternative and complementary therapies. As with conventional family practitioners, naturopathic physicians refer out to specialists when needed. Naturopathic medicine excludes major surgery, therapeutic use of x-ray and radium, and use of drugs, except those assimilable substances containing elements or compounds of body tissues and are physiologically compatible to body processes for maintenance of life.

Who is A Naturopathic Physician?

A licensed naturopathic physician (N.D.) attends a four-year graduate level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all of the same basic sciences as an MD, yet also studies holistic and nontoxic approaches to therapy with a strong emphasis on disease prevention and optimizing wellness. In addition to a standard medical curriculum of clinical diagnosis and pharmacology, an N.D. is required to complete four years of training in clinical nutrition, acupuncture, homeopathic medicine, botanical medicine, exercise science, physical manipulative therapy, hydrotherapy, psychology and counseling. An N.D. takes rigorous national professional board exams so that he or she may be licensed by a state or jurisdiction as a primary care general practice physician. N.D.'s are the highest trained practitioners in the broadest scope of naturopathic medical modalities. An N.D. is NOT merely somebody in the community or another healthcare profession who claims to utilize natural medicine to treat illness. In addition to the basic medical sciences and conventional clinical and laboratory methods of diagnosis expected out of a physician, formal naturopathic training includes therapeutic nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathy, natural childbirth, classical Chinese medicine, hydrotherapy, naturopathic manipulative therapy, pharmacology and minor surgery. An N.D. is truly unique within the field of healthcare. Profile of a Profession