What Naturopathic Medicine Is & How It Benefits Your Family

Many times when people think about naturopathic medicine, all they think about is people using herbs and hating modern medicine. However, times are changing and that isn’t necessarily the case anymore. There are many families making the shift to integrative healthcare, so let’s look at what the basic philosophy this practice was founded on. There are 6 fundamental principles that naturopathic medicine is built on. Each naturopathic doctor utilizes these to create the best framework for patient care. This is only a summary of the vast topic that is naturopathic medicine, but this post is all about principles of naturopathic medicine and how these unique pillars establish a healthy environment for you and your family.

The Principles

1. Do No Harm

This one feels self-explanatory. First and foremost, naturopathic medicine should be keeping you safe. While treatments aren’t always as cookie-cutter as XYZ drug for XYZ symptoms like the traditional healthcare model, treatments are evidence-based (meaning backed by research or thousands of years worth of anecdotal evidence) and not making you more sick.

2. The Healing Power of Nature

Naturopathic medicine is the pioneer of functional or integrative medicine. While we love modern advancements in healthcare, there is nothing more incredible than the OG medicine – nature. Nature provides us with medicine in a variety of ways. Being outdoors can bring fresh air, physical activity, and opportunities to be grounded which support mental health. Herbs can bring cardiovascular support, increased ability to handle stress, and so much more which supports physical health. Nature allows us to connect with something greater than ourselves and witness God’s magnitude which supports our spiritual health. While I could discuss the healing benefits nature provides for paragraphs, I think you get the gist – nature is incredible and we can absolutely use it as a tool to improve every facet of our health.

3. Identify & Treat the Cause

While sometimes we need to eliminate symptoms to get through our day, naturopathic medicine strives to keep this treatment technique to a minimum by getting to the root cause of those frustrating symptoms. Through thorough history taking, often going back years in your life, and spending 60 minutes with you in an appointment, naturopathic doctors can act as detectives to understand every aspect of your current state and how you got there. We also use a variety of labs to get an even more in-depth, accurate, and data-driven picture of your health. By getting to the root of the problem, we’re able to manage underlying causes to make sure when you heal it’s for the longterm.

4. Doctor as Teacher

This is one of my favorite principles of naturopathic medicine. Often times, in a traditional primary care setting, you get 10 minutes with a doctor and zero of those minutes are for you to ask questions. In this field, you get up to an hour or more with your doctor and their goal is for you to understand your body better than anyone else. We want you to understand your disease and what each aspect of your treatment plan is doing to improve your wellness. If your doctor can’t explain what they’re doing for you and why they’re doing it, you may want to seek support elsewhere.

5. Treat the Whole Person

Sometimes your symptoms aren’t coming from where we think they are. For example, many skin conditions are due to problems with gut health. If we only looked at treating your skin, we’d be missing the bigger picture. You are more than just one symptom and you’re more than just your physical body. Treating all of you does mean treating every aspect of your physical health, but it also means prioritizing the connection between physical, mental, and spiritual health.

6. Prevention

Prevention is the best medicine. While there’s so much that can be done after we reach a diseased state, there is even more that can be done to avoid getting there. Naturopathic medicine focuses on keeping you healthy and managing conditions before they become unbearable (think reversing pre-diabetes rather than waiting until it turns into full-fledged diabetes). Optimizing your health so you wake up energized and feeling your best is the most fulfilling way to step into each day.

The Benefit

So yes, while we do use herbs, that is just one small component of what makes up the toolbox of this medicine. Naturopathic medicine is an incredible way to care of your health and the health of your family. Staying on top of our health not only benefits us, but those closest to us. We want to be present with our loved ones to build stronger connections, to have the energy to play with our children and grandchildren, and to receive treatments that fit our lifestyle and help us maintain true health and wellness longterm. With these 6 pillars prioritized in medicine, every goal you have for your health is finally possible.