What is Naturopathic Medicine?

Integrative Medicine (IM) is healing-oriented medicine that takes into account the whole person, including all aspects of lifestyle. We put emphasis into considering one’s environment, nutrition, lifestyle as well as their symptoms. Then we use all modalities at our disposal to create a complete and comprehensive treatment plan. IM emphasizes the therapeutic relationship between practitioner and patient, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all possible interventions that can benefit a patient.

Naturopathic Medicine is a distinctively natural and holistic approach to health and healing that recognizes the integrity of the whole person. Through the use of numerous therapeutics, both conventional and complementary, Naturopathic Medical Doctors (NMDs) treat disease and restore health by searching for the cause of disease, not simply addressing the symptoms. More specifically, NMDs are primary care physicians, licensed to integrate conventional and alternative medicine in ways that facilitate the innate healing capacity of the body. Conventional modalities include pharmaceuticals, minor surgery, and primary care diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Alternative modalities include acupuncture, nutrition, supplementation and detoxification.

The goal of Naturopathic Medicine is to bring the body back into balance by first addressing the cause of disease and through various approaches, stimulate the body’s innate ability to heal itself. Licensed and board certified NMDs attend four-year medical schools that teach the biomedical sciences (anatomy, biochemistry, pathology, etc.) as well as integrative therapies such as acupuncture, homeopathy, nutrition, and environmental, herbal and physical medicine. For more information, please visit the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians website at www.naturopathic.org