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What is Naturopathy?

 
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The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine defines naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, as “a medical system that has evolved from a combination of traditional practices and health care approaches popular in Europe in the 19th century.”

Naturopathy uses holistic medicine, such as nutritional counseling and acupuncture, so that the body can heal itself. People may visit a naturopath for overall wellness, complementary treatment management of acute and chronic conditions, or for primary care. The 2007 National Health Interview Survey found that in the United States in the past year, 729,000 adults and 237,000 children sought care from a naturopath.

Three types of practitioners practice naturopathic medicine: naturopathic physicians, traditional naturopaths and other health care providers who have received training in naturopathy, which may include nurses, doctors of medicine, dentists, doctors of chiropractic and doctors of osteopathic medicine.

Naturopathic physicians attend a four-year program, in which they receive education on the basic sciences, clinical nutrition, wellness and holistic treatment approaches. A naturopathic physician will have either an N.D. (Naturopathic Doctor) or N.M.D. (Naturopathic Medical Doctor).

Several places have licensing requirements for naturopathic physicians, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine estimated that in the United States, about 1,500 naturopathic physicians were practicing in 2000, with that numbers nearly doubling in 2006.

Traditional naturopaths do not use treatments such as surgery or prescription drugs, and instead focus on healthy lifestyle approaches. Unlike programs for naturopathic physicians, programs for traditional naturopaths are not accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine adds that there are no licensing requirements for traditional naturopaths.

Naturopathy has two areas of focus, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center: “one is supporting the body’s own healing abilities, and the other is empowering people to make lifestyle changes necessary for the best possible health.”

For example, a naturopath will work with a patient to make lifestyle choices that will improve her health, such as changing what she eats and her exercise patterns. Patients following naturopathic treatments should follow their naturopathic doctor’s recommendations and should not take more than prescribed.

Because naturopathic treatments and conventional medical treatments may have serious interactions, patients should disclose conventional treatments to their naturopathic doctor and naturopathic treatments to their medical doctor.

References:

University of Maryland Medical Center. Naturopathy. Web. 16 January 2012
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/naturopathy-000356.htm

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Naturopathy: An Introduction. Web. 16 January 2012
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/naturopathy/naturopathyintro.htm

Better Health Channel. Naturopathy. Web. 16 January 2012
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Naturopathy

Reviewed January 16, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

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EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Naturopathy is a belief-based system of medicine rather than an evidence-based one. Naturopaths believe in the healing power of nature and natural products even when all the objective evidence indicates that their beliefs are wrong.

January 16, 2012 - 4:51pm
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