Naturopathic Doctors

Our Training

Naturopathic doctors receive extensive education, with 4-5 years of training, which includes both academic and clinical components. Our curriculum is similar to that of traditional medical schools in many ways, in that we study the basic sciences, various system pathologies, laboratory diagnostics, physical examination, and standards of care. While our academic and clinical training includes pharmacology, we tend to choose non-pharmaceutical approaches, when feasible for a given condition. That being said, we often recognize the need for pharmaceutical interventions, and implement them accordingly.

Our Philosophy

Where we differ from most traditional medical doctors is in our philosophy of health and treatment of disease. To illustrate the unique nature of the Naturopathic physician, let’s take a look at the six principles of Naturopathic medicine:

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1. Treat the Cause – While naturopathy will offer symptom relief when necessary, we also address the underlying conditions that allowed the symptoms to arise, so as to alter disease processes and decrease the risk of the original symptoms or novel symptoms arising in the future. It is only when you address underlying factors, which often are related to lifestyle, that true health and healing can occur.

2. Treat the Individual – Naturopathy is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Rather, when devising a treatment strategy, we address the individual’s unique biochemistry, with their individual physical, mental, and emotional characteristics. Thus the same disease may be treated very differently in two different people.

3. Treat the Whole Person – Naturopathic doctors consider all aspects of an individual, including the biochemistry, the inter-relation of various organ systems, the physical structure, lifestyle, diet, psyche, sleep, and work.

4. First Do No Harm – Naturopaths utilize the ‘Therapeutic Order’, which basically calls for the use of the least invasive and least harmful treatment in a given situation that will effectively treat the condition. On the top of the list if lifestyle change, which is where we look first. On the bottom of the list is surgery. In between, we have our various other tools of naturopathic medicine. For example, we may transition someone from a pharmaceutical intervention to an herbal intervention, and ultimately to a purely lifestyle intervention. The benefit is that we minimize the risks of side-effects, and we correct the underlying cause of disease.

5. Utilize the Healing Power of Nature – Naturopathic strategies work to support the body’s own innate healing mechanisms. For example, certain hydrotherapy treatments work by increasing the immune system response, in order to improve the body’s ability to fight an invading organism.

6. Doctor as Teacher – Naturopathic doctors play an important role in the setting of today’s increasing prevalence of preventable chronic disease. We are trained to counsel patients on how to make effective lifestyle adjustments in order to treat disease conditions and maximize their health potential.