Where to Find a Naturopath Near You That is Licensed & Legit
Why Find a Naturopath?
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Naturopathic medicine is based on seven principles:
1. First, do no harm. A naturopath will seek to do no harm with treatment by using safe (non-toxic) and effective natural therapies.
2. Nature has healing powers. The body is believed to have significant power to heal itself and the naturopath will facilitate and enhance this process with the help of natural therapies.
3. Identify and treat the cause. Instead of just treating symptoms, a naturopath will seek the underlying causes of the disease.
4. Treat the whole person. An individual is viewed as a whole (physical, mental-emotional, social, spiritual, and other factors).
5. The physician is a teacher. A naturopath educates, empowers, and motivates the individual to assume responsibility for their health by adopting a healthy diet, lifestyle, and attitude.
6. Prevention is the best cure. A naturopath will educate and encourage life habits that prevent diseases.
7. Establish health and wellness. The primary goals of the naturopath is to establish and maintain optimum health and promote wellness. Even when the disease is severe, a high level of wellness can often be achieved.
Naturopathic Therapies
Therapies include:
- clinical nutrition (whole foods, nutritional supplements)
- botanical medicine (herbs)
- homeopathy (“like cures like”)
- Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture (enhances the flow of vital energy - chi)
- hydrotherapy (use of water in a variety of ways)
- physical medicine (such as therapeutic exercise and massage)
- counseling and lifestyle modification.
Studies
One study done in the Netherlands, involving 3,782 patients, showed that those who saw a natural medicine practitioner had better results from a number of conditions (including pain, shortness of breath, poor vision, depression, and sexual problems) than those who saw a conventional physician.
Where to Find a Naturopath?
The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), founded in 1985, is the national professional organization of licensed naturopathic physicians.
Licensed naturopathic physicians (Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine - N.D.) are graduates of four-year, residential graduate programs. They are educated in basic sciences as a medical doctor (M.D.) as well as holistic and natural (non-toxic) approaches to therapy. Undergraduate premedical coursework (including classes in chemistry, biology, and physics) is required for admission to a college of naturopathy.
Some naturopathic physicians emphasize a particular therapeutic modality and some will focus in particular medical fields like pediatrics.
To find a naturopathic doctor near you, visit the AANP website or call 866-538-2267 (toll-free). This will ensure that the naturopath you choose did not receive a mail-order diploma from a non-accredited correspondence school.
Sources Used
Michael Murray, N.D. and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine (1998)
American Association of Naturopathic Physicians: https://www.naturopathic.org/
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of Kyle Hunter.
Disclaimer
Please read this disclaimer regarding the information contained within this article.