What is Naturopathy (exactly)?

By Erica Matluck, Tia Director of Wellbeing, ND, NP

Amidst the rise of alternative medicine, a sea of non-conventional modalities — naturopathy, homeopathy and functional medicine to name a few — often blur together. As a patient, it can be tough to know how to differentiate between these practices, and which modality is the right fit for you.

As a integrative provider with experience working in both conventional primary care contexts as well as running my own integrative practice, the first step is understanding the philosophy and core principles behind any approach or practitioner. When pursuing my own career in healthcare, it was ultimately the naturopathic philosophy that drove me to pursue a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine and it influences how I practice every day.

The Naturopathic Philosophy

Naturopathic medicine is guided by six core principles:

#1: The body has the innate ability to heal itself

First and foremost, the role of the naturopath is to identify and remove obstacles to healing. When medications and supplements are used, the goal is to facilitate the body’s natural ability to heal. This principle is a big differentiator between Naturopathic medicine and conventional, western medicine.

#2: Identify and treat the root cause of illness

Similar to doctors who practice functional medicine, naturopaths never stop asking WHY! The goal is to understand the underlying causes of illness, rather than treat symptoms.

#3: Begin with the least invasive, yet effective treatment

If diet and lifestyle modifications can help the patient achieve their goals, I start there and save the more invasive tools for later. For example, if I’m working with a patient with IBS, a very common digestive disorder, I usually start with non-invasive tools like dietary modifications and stress management. If we don’t see great results with those interventions, I consider addressing the microbiome with functional stool testing or probiotic supplementation. Naturopaths typically exhaust a long list of effective, non-invasive tools before considering medications. With that said, efficacy is critical so if a patient has strep throat, antibiotics would be my first go-to because it’s the least invasive, effective treatment.

#4: The doctor is a teacher

Similar to nursing, naturopathy highly values patient education. My job as the practitioner is to teach, guide and support — but I can’t do the work for you, or wave a magic wand to fix a problem. Instead, I empower patients to take responsibility for their own health and educate them on the why, not just what.

#5: Treat the whole person

A holistic approach must consider the physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, spiritual and social factors that contribute to health. There are a lot of holistic types of providers that do this — not just naturopaths. The key here in TIME! It’s very hard to consider all of these variables in a short visit, and naturopaths tend to spend a lot more time with people than most conventional doctors. In my opinion, a truly holistic encounter requires an hour, which is how we setup our naturopathic visits at the Tia Clinic.

#6: Practice prevention

Last but not least, naturopathic medicine emphasizes prevention — which means you don’t need to wait to try naturopathy until there is a problem. I work with patients to proactively assess risk factors and hereditary susceptibility to disease and use this information to help prevent illness.

So, what does a Naturopath do exactly?

I start by asking a lot of questions :) I like to know all kinds of things about my patients from their digestion to their career satisfaction. Depending on state licensing and scope of practice, naturopaths in different states practice differently. However, Naturopathic Doctors (meaning naturopaths who have completed a doctorate and passed a board exam) are trained as primary healthcare providers to use conventional diagnostics and treatments, as well as complementary and alternative modalities. When visiting a naturopath, you may experience the same kind of physical exam and blood testing as you’re used to with your medical doctor, though a naturopath is more likely to recommend diet and lifestyle changes before considering pharmaceutical interventions.

Like Functional Doctors, many Naturopathic Doctors incorporate functional lab testing to guide treatment recommendations. Functional lab testing differs from diagnostic testing in that it provides information about how the body functions. For example, when working with that IBS patient, I’m likely to order a functional stool test to assess the healthy bacteria in the gut (the microbiome) and will base and probiotic recommendations on that.

Who should see a naturopath?

While I’d recommend naturopath to anyone who aligns with the philosophy, it’s an especially valuable modality for:

• Anyone with chronic, recurrent symptoms that have not resolved with conventional treatments should see a naturopath. Think: recurrent vaginal yeast infections, frequent UTIs, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), insomnia, thyroid issues, allergies, eczema, or acne.
• Anyone with hormone related complaints that prefers not to use synthetic hormones could benefit from naturopathy. Think: PMS, painful periods, PCOS, irregular cycles, fertility support, perimenopause, or low libido.
• Anyone with a condition that could benefit from diet and lifestyle changes should see a naturopath. Think: autoimmune conditions, depression, anxiety, weight loss, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure.
• And of course, anyone who feels unwell and has seen multiple conventional providers and still hasn’t identified what’s wrong should see a naturopath. Think: chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, extreme burnout, and mysterious illnesses.

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