About Naturopathic Medicine

About Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic medicine is a holistic approach to health care. The goal of our appointments is to get to the root cause of their ailment, taking into account the totality of the person and the symptoms they experience. Naturopathic medicine shines when it is used as preventative care and for wellness optimization but is capable of aiding with everything in between as well. 

Licensed naturopathic physicians attend a 4 year graduate-level naturopathic medical program at accredited universities and are required to sit for two sets of licensing examinations before they are able to see patients. Naturopathic doctors (NDs) are educated in all of the foundational sciences and they also study conventional and alternative approaches to treatment such as: pharmacology, botanical medicine, homeopathy, nutrition, and nutraceutical supplementation. NDs are also capable of prescribing pharmaceuticals (depending on the state’s scope of practice). 

7 Naturopathic Principles

Naturopathic doctors follow these 7 principles when practicing medicine:

1. The healing power of nature (Vis Medicatrix Naturae)

This refers to the body’s inherent ability to heal itself.  Naturopathic doctors believe in supporting the body through the use of various modalities in order to encourage the body to restore itself.

2. Identify and treat the cause (Tolle Causam)

This is something Naturopathic doctors really focus on with their patients. We are trained to look beyond the symptoms in order to identify and treat the underlying cause rather than just eliminate or suppress symptoms.

3. First do no harm (Primum Non Nocere)

Naturopathic doctors follow three key guidelines under this principle in order to avoid harming the patient.

1. We use medicinal substances and methods that minimize the risk of harmful side effects.
2. When possible, we avoid the suppression of symptoms, as this can be harmful.
3. We acknowledge and respect the patient’s individual healing process by using the least amount of force necessary for diagnosing and treating illnesses.

Personally, I take a lot of pride in upholding this principle. I feel that it shows patients we respect them and are looking out for their best interests on their path to wellness. 

4. Doctor as teacher (Docere)

As Naturopathic doctors, we strongly enforce this principle. We believe people should feel empowered about their health.  Empowerment through education leads to better health outcomes and lower costs for our patients in the long run. 

5. Teat the whole person (Tolle Totum)

As Naturopathic doctors, we treat each patient by taking into account the totality of their symptoms.  This includes taking mental, emotional, physical, environmental, genetic, and even social factors into account. 

6. Prevention (Praevenic )

Naturopathic doctors really emphasize disease prevention. We assess risk factors such as genetic predisposition as well as a person’s susceptibility to disease based on their health habits. Through healthy eating and good lifestyle habits, chronic illnesses have a stronger chance of being avoided.

7. Wellness

This principle is a bit special because it was adopted by Dr. Nikki’s alma mater, Bastyr University and added to the original 6 Principles of Naturopathic Medicine. Wellness is a state of health characterized by positive mindset, actions, and habits. This is something that everyone can achieve, regardless of diagnosis.