What is Naturopathic Medicine?

The answer to this question may be more obvious than not, depending on where you are reading this from.

When I’m in Seattle, most people know what a naturopathic physician is, and in fact, most commercial insurances will cover a visit to one. When I’m in Maryland, I often get a raised eyebrow when I explain what it is.

The scope of naturopathic medicine changes depending on the state. In Washington, I am considered a primary care physician, and can order labs, diagnose, prescribe pharmaceuticals, and even perform minor surgery in office. However in Maryland, my scope is different and I can’t call myself a physician or prescribe pharmaceuticals. So, in a sense, what a naturopathic doctor can offer may vary based on the licensure and scope in their state. Their practice is shaped by the legal landscape that they abide by.

But more broadly, what is naturopathic medicine at its core? What is at the heart of it?

Naturopathic medicine is a comprehensive healthcare system that focuses on treating the root cause of illness rather than just masking symptoms. The underlying philosophy is “Vis medicatrix naturae”—Latin for "the healing force of nature." The Vis, is an inherent, vital life force within all living things that brings the system into balance. 

Naturopathic medicine offers a large toolbelt of modalities—a variety of arrows in the quiver. But what’s more interesting is the archer: it's how these arrows are used and the precision of their outcomes. More natural substances, such as botanical medicine, are preferred over pharmaceuticals whenever possible. The idea is that you don’t want to use a more powerful intervention, one with potential side effects, if you don’t need to. It's about using the most effective minimal dose with the least amount of side effects. This approach protects resources and streamlines treatment outcomes.

Other tools in the naturopathic toolbox—like homeopathy and hydrotherapy—enhance the body’s innate healing response. If higher force interventions are needed, then pharmaceuticals are employed. The severity of the treatment matches the level of the severity of the pathology. 

 Naturopathic Medicine is about optimizing the body’s natural healing force so you can experience optimal wellness and health in your daily life. When applied over time, naturopathic care is powerful for prevention of illness through its focus on day-to-day wellness and health optimization, considering all aspects of a person’s well-being including diet, lifestyle, and mental and emotional well being.  

Due to the inherent philosophy of the Vis medicatrix naturae, Naturopathic Medicine has a different paradigm that conventional medicine. For example,  when you get sick, your body mounts an immune response to fight off the infection. That mucus in your nose when you have a cold? It's a gooey matrix of immune cells designed to trap, fight off, and expel foreign invaders. The fever you experience with the flu? It’s your body’s thermostat cranking up to kill off the virus or bacteria.

However these symptoms aren’t comfortable, are they? So, what do we do? We reach for Mucinex to clear the stuffiness or Tylenol to lower the fever. These symptoms are often seen as inconveniences that prevent us from feeling our best and getting on with our lives.  So, we try to overcome them as quickly as possible.  However, if we recognize the body’s inherent intelligence, our perspective shifts. Would we want to stop a low grade fever if we believed it to be the body’s intelligent response to fighting off the infection? Suddenly these symptoms are no longer pesky nuisances to be suppressed; but rather become perceived as signs of the body working intelligently to heal itself.

Now, let's broaden this perspective to medicine in general. Take a condition like eczema, for example. On the outside, we see red, itchy skin. Conventional medicine often prescribes a steroid cream to suppress the inflammation. But long-term steroid use has side effects, and you're using an external agent to stop a symptom that’s often manifesting due to a deeper internal disturbance. Inflammation is the body’s immune response to a deeper disturbance. For lasting success, eczema often needs to be healed from the inside out.

I know it might sound crazy at first, but you have to view eczema as the body’s way of signaling that something is wrong. The role of the naturopathic physician is to uncover what’s disrupting the body’s healing force and understand the nature of the pathology. With eczema, addressing digestive disturbances can reduce the body’s inflammatory response. Then, we can provide homeopathy and hydrotherapy to enhance the body’s healing process. A topical herbal cream, like calendula, may soothe and heal the skin along the way. But do you see how this approach differs from simply suppressing inflammation? In naturopathic medicine, we explore what is causing the inflammation and treat it with natural methods that further promote the body’s own healing response.

Naturopathic medicine combines modern scientific knowledge with traditional healing wisdom. As a naturopathic doctor, I look at the whole person, not just isolated symptoms. My goal is to support your body’s ability to heal itself by identifying and removing barriers to optimal health.

If you’re looking for a healthcare approach that listens to your story, looks for the underlying causes of illness, and seeks to use natural remedies as part of a comprehensive treatment plan, naturopathic medicine may be right for you. Whether you’re dealing with chronic health conditions or simply want to optimize your well-being, naturopathic care can offer a fresh and vitalizing perspective on health and healing.

Thanks for joining me this week and reading! See you next week dear readers.