Naturopathic medicine is a system of primary healthcare practiced by Naturopathic Doctors for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic/acute disease. This approach to health care emphasizes education, self-responsibility, natural medicines and therapies to support and stimulate the individuals self-healing processes. 

Naturopathic medicine is rooted in the healing wisdom of many cultures and times. As a distinct healthcare profession is the United States, naturopathic medicine is over 100 years old. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, practitioners from a variety of medical disciplines joined in forming the first professional societies of naturopathic medicine. More than 20 naturopathic medical colleges we established and naturopathic doctors were licensed in a majority of states. Naturopathic medical conventions in the 1920’s attracted more than 10,000 practitioners.

During the 1940’s and ‘50’s the number of naturopathic doctors declined with the rise of pharmaceutical drugs, technological medicine, and the belief that drugs could eliminate all disease. Naturopathic medicine has experienced resurgence since the 1960’s as a more health-conscious public seeks alternatives to conventional medicine. The profession continues to grow and evolve, incorporating elements of modern conventional medicine that advance the knowledge of the mechanisms of natural healing and therapeutics, especially in the fields of diagnostics, immunology, clinical nutrition, and botanical medicine. The Council of Naturopathic Medical Education (http://www.cnme.org/resources/2004_hoa.pdf)

The basic tenets of naturopathic medicine:

First do no harm

Our job as doctors is to treat your condition using the least invasive methods possible. The goal is to work with the healing capabilities of the body, not suppress the symptoms. Suppression does not resolve the problem, but can prolong its duration and possibly enhance its severity.

Look to the healing power of nature

This statement not only refers to the healing power of botanicals, homeopathy, and nutrition, but that the human body itself has its own innate healing abilities when obstacles are removed.

Find and address the cause

A naturopathic doctors job is to find the root cause of your imbalance and to work towards a resolution.

Treat the whole person

You are a complex being that has spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical characteristics that are unique to you. This is why the treatment should be individualized based on your constitution.

Prevention

Prevention is a concept that needs to be lived every day. Our job is to teach and support this process to avoid the development of future acute or chronic disease.

Doctor as teacher

We want to teach you to be your own healthcare provider. Being a doctor is the study of a very complex language and how that is applied to the body. However no matter how much education we have, no one can know your body better than you. The doctor-patient relationship is a reciprocal one, we learn as much from you as you hopefully will from us.