What is naturopathy?
What is naturopathy?

Naturopathic doctors (NDs) are primary health care providers

Naturopathic doctors are thoroughly trained health care providers. Like your medical doctor, we perform physical exams, interpret laboratory tests and diagnose medical conditions.

Whether you suspect you have a medical condition, are already diagnosed or simply wish to prioritize your health, you can visit a licensed naturopathic doctor.

NDs are trained to be experts in a natural approach to medicine

After completing an undergraduate degree at a university, naturopathic medical students attend four years of naturopathic college. They learn about the body from both a medical and naturopathic perspective then learn about the various natural approaches to medicine. As naturopathic physicians, we learn about nutrition, nutrient therapies, therapeutic diets, botanical medicine, pharmaceutical medicine, physical medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and acupuncture.

All of the naturopathic schools, accredited through an independent body, teach a thorough background in basic and clinical medicine. This education is comparative to conventional medicine.

After passing rigorous exams, naturopathic graduates are licensed in most provinces. You can find a BC licensed naturopathic doctor near you.

The benefits of natural medicine:

A natural approach to medicine means using remedies that are known to be safe and work with the body’s own ability to heal. Symptoms of illness are seen as warning signs and clues about the improper functioning of your body. Rather than suppressing symptoms with medication, naturopathic medicine aims to address the root cause of illness so that health can be achieved. By investigating the root cause of illness we can also treat to heal you as a whole person.

Some interesting studies show that naturopathic medicine improves well-being, prevents, as well as, treats disease. Naturopathic care decreases the need for other medical interventions. It is also less expensive than conventional medical care.  With the use of natural intervention, you can have the relief you needed without taking any medications or injections. See a summary of research by the American Association for Naturopathic Medicine for more information.