10 Reasons to Visit a Naturopathic Doctor 

1. ND’s as Detectives: If you want a quick fix for your symptoms then seeing an MD is the best choice. However if you want to find out the possible causes of your symptoms then seeing an ND is the best choice. Doing both is certainly what most people do as they learn to realize that conventional medicine treats mainly the symptoms. An example is “hives”. Oral cortisone is often used to treat the terrible itching that is associated with hives and this can certainly get folks over the worst of it, but usually the hives won’t go away completely, flaring up for no apparent reason. ND’s (Naturopathic Doctor) can analyze your diet, lifestyle and environment looking for clues regarding the cause and aggravating factors and then the hives start to disappear completely. In some cases it could be the laundry detergent that is being used.

2. ND’s spend more Time. The reason for this is you are paying them to. Your average visit to the MD is only covered by MSP for an average of 7-10 minutes addressing only one health complaint at a time. If you want to get more complete care the treating physician needs more time and in 45-60 minutes an ND can put most of the pieces of the puzzle together. They want to hear your story from the moment you were conceived to the present and they want to hear all your complaints.

3. ND’s create a Health Insurance Plan, not a sickness treatment strategy. By gathering information from blood work, physical exam and organ testing ND’s are interested not only in treating your chief complaint but recommending a maintenance program for maintaining health. An MD will check your liver enzymes if he/she considers your symptoms relate to liver dysfunction. ND’s check your liver enzymes looking for abnormalities before you have symptoms as symptoms may be silent. When patients follow a Health Insurance Plan, they are sick much less often and age more gracefully.

4. ND’s provide a Second Opinion. Many times conventional medicine is required however ND’s can support patients as they follow the MD plan to speed recovery. For example ND’s offer pre-operative and post operative support and in addition to antibiotics other immune remedies can be taken so that as soon as the antibiotics are stopped the infection doesn’t come roaring back.

5. ND’s Teach and Coach. The word doctor comes from latin “docere” to teach. If ND’s can empower their patients to incorporate change into their lifestyle then they have helped that individual in slowing the process of aging. Using websites, articles and handout materials information on all aspects of naturopathic medicine is freely shared with patients.

6. ND’s provide Health Service not just health care. By providing  consistent prompt service that aids people to age more gracefully we try and make staying healthy as easy and pleasant as possible.

7. ND’s are Cutting Edge. Often they are incorporating health concepts that will take conventional medicine months or years to catch up. For instance I have been recommending daily consumption of Omega 3 essential fatty acids for everyone over the last 21 years of my practice and it is only in the last few years that you will hear an MD recommend it freely to their patients.

8. ND’s teach Optimal Health Care. Normal means average, average in our society is not healthy. For example I find that a serum ferritin can give me more accurate evaluation of iron status even if the complete blood cell count (CBC) is normal. However many MD’s won’t order it because the CBC is normal. “Optimal” serum ferritin is 50-150, but “normal” ranges from 12-150. If the ferritin is too high or too low it needs to be treated.

9. ND’s Refer. ND’s are one of the few professions that understand all of the other health professionals and their benefit. This means they are trained to know when acupuncture or chiropractic or massage therapy or craniosacral therapy  or when seeing an MD might be the best treatment of choice for that condition. They will network in their community to find the best professionals for these referrals.

10. ND’s Teach the healing power of the body, Vis Medicatrix Naturae. This most powerful tool needs to be held in awe. ND’s teach you to be more aware of your greatest resource, yourself! What is your body telling you? Do not ignore or mask symptoms but understand their cause. Sure your anxiety might be related to a blood sugar irregularity but it might also relate to lack of self esteem! Learning to treat all aspects of health, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual is the true way of healing.