Most people’s primary instinct when they start to feel sick is to immediately see their doctor. More often than not, the doctor can run some tests and send you on your way with a prescription written and you’ll be able to pick up your medications within the hour. Seems simple enough, right? Have you ever stopped to think about all the side effects that your medication may cause as a result? It may be fixing one problem just to cause another. In various studies, researchers have found that about 100,000 people die each year from reactions to prescriptions —prescriptions that were legally and correctly prescribed, administered and taken. With this in mind, it’s time for people to open up to a different branch of medicine: naturopathic medicine.
So, what exactly is naturopathic medicine? Many define it as a method that incorporates various natural remedies that can help the body heal itself. Some of the remedies that this may elude to include herbal remedies, dietary supplements, vitamin regime, acupuncture and massage therapy. That’s just to name a few. The goal is to cure the person as a whole instead of simply alleviating symptoms.
All naturopathic doctors are different, but here’s a quick run-down of what an appointment would look like: The doctor would spend about an hour or two examining you and asking various questions. These questions are mainly focused around lifestyle habits, stress management, your health history and they may also run some tests to evaluate how your body’s biochemistry works. After all factors have been considered, the doctor may give you diet, exercise or stress relief tips as well as recommend some homeopathy or herbal medicine. Overall, the focus is on education about what is happening in your body and illness prevention.
There are many benefits of naturopathic medicine, such as strengthening your immune system (which can ultimately save you time and money from a decreased number of doctor visits), eliminating or reducing the side effects of prescription medicine and adding preventative measures to your health.
Despite all the positives, it’s not always enough. Naturopathic medicine can only do so much, but for more severe diseases such as cancer or heart disease, it cannot be the only solution.
Being a medical student, I have always felt that there was a bit of a stigma against using or recommending natural remedies to patients. Often times, patients come in expecting a prescription and plan on continuing the lifestyle that may be causing their disease. This prescription would then have to be continued for years or the remainder of their life because it may simply reduce symptoms instead of helping to cure the root of the disease. We have an entire pharmacology class meant to educate our medical students about the importance of prescription drugs, but not much is mentioned about natural remedies.
In an ideal world, there would be a blend of both natural and classical medicine. People often fail to realize the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle in order to help prevent many diseases that they may be prone to. Additionally, meeting with naturopathic doctors can specifically identify any issues in the biochemistry of your own individual body. It’s definitely not a method that everyone takes advantage of, but it’s worth considering if you want to improve your holistic health.