5 Reasons to Visit a Naturopath
Despite the fact that naturopathic medicine has been around for a long time, there is still a lot of confusion as to what role naturopaths play in healthcare. Healing comes in many forms, when you think of doctors, you’re likely thinking of traditional medicinal doctors which is absolutely one effective way of healing among many others.
There are a variety of methods of healing, including naturopathy, which has been quite effective for certain individuals. As the old saying goes, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! Below is a list of five reasons why you should try seeing a naturopath for your healing needs.
1. Root of the Problem
Naturopaths aim to find the root cause of an issue, as opposed to solely treating the symptoms. You may find that a naturopath is asking you strange questions that appear to be unrelated to the issue you’re having, this is because they’re searching for what is causing the problem.
A main philosophy behind naturopathy is finding the root of the problem otherwise the issue is likely to reoccur in the future. The methods of naturopaths may seem odd if you’re used to traditional medical practices, but that doesn’t mean they’re not effective or won’t work for you.
2. Holistic Approach
Naturopaths use the unique holistic approach in their medical practices. This means that they consider the whole person as opposed to only the symptoms the individual is experiencing.
The body is a complex and intricate system, when one part of the system is unbalanced or broken, the whole system, or body, is impacted. For this reason, naturopaths aim to treat all facets of the body by using an array of treatments.
3. Treatment Options
Naturopaths take their time when making a diagnosis because they are trying to learn as much about you so they can apply the holistic approach discussed above. Typically, your first appointment can last up to an hour or even longer.
Once your naturopath has determined a diagnosis, he or she can offer you a vast array of treatments. Examples of potential treatments you may be offered are acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutritional supplements, diet suggestions, homeopathy and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Some people want more than a fix it all prescription, a naturopath can provide that to you.
Because naturopaths are trained in medicine as regular doctors are, they often use naturopathic treatments in conjunction with traditional medicine practices. Basically this brings you the best of both, or rather many, worlds when finding the ideal treatment for yourself.
4. Training
Sometimes there is a bit of a stigma surrounding Naturopathic doctors on the basis that they don’t have the same level of training as medical doctors do. This is simply not true, naturopaths are highly educated, in fact, they receive the same training as medical doctors.
Naturopaths are required to complete a four year university undergraduate program before they can attend a Naturopathic College. The education they receive after undergraduate studies is composed of medical sciences, naturopathic principles, therapeutics and supervised clinical experience. Due to the level of extensive education, a naturopath is capable of handling any medical condition like a doctor would be.
5. Hope
Sometimes people decide to go to a naturopath simply because they’ve tried every other possible option with no success. Naturopaths can offer these types of patients hope.
The idea of hope may sound wishy washy, but for some people it can make a huge difference in their road to recovery. Of course, patience is necessary, but there is nothing more fulfilling than a person becoming free of pain after working through all of their bodily issues.
