6 Principles of Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathic doctors align their practice with these principles to stay with the roots of our medicine. They help us honor the human body with the ability to heal itself through the most natural and least invasive techniques first. As a naturopathic doctor, I follow these principles with each of my patients to help them improve their digestion and start on the path to better hormones. Let’s talk about them!
First Do No Harm: The most important principle in all of medicine. Even conventional or allopathic doctors (MDs) and alternative medicine practitioners will live by this principle to cause the least amount of harm to their patients. Most doctors don’t ever want to cause harm to their patients and will always do what they think is best within their ability to cause the least amount of harm to a patient.
Treat the Whole Person: All the systems in the human body work together. By understanding that these systems are a connected network, naturopathic doctors look at the whole picture to treat the person sitting in front of us. As a naturopathic doctor, I want to understand the whole picture, this is why when you come to see me for your digestive issues, we aren’t going to just be talking about your digestion, we need to look at the rest of the body to get the whole picture.
Identify the Root Cause: By just treating the symptoms, you are not getting to the root cause of the problem or understanding the full picture. We need to understand where and why these symptoms are showing up to treat the patient. For example, if you’re dealing with bloating, that symptom can be stemming from a variety of root causes like an overgrowth of bacteria, eating too fast, or a lack of stomach acid
Healing Power of Nature: The human body has a built-in healing system. By using this to our advantage with other natural sources, when possible, naturopathic doctors strive to harness the healing power of nature to enhance our body’s healing.
Doctor as Teacher: How many times have you walked away with more questions than you began with after seeing a doctor? Naturopathic doctors try to keep the conversation open to answer all the questions you may have. We try to make sure you understand what we are doing and why. When I work with my patients, I want us to be on the same page. Your healing process will be much more productive if you understand where we’re going.
Prevention: Not only do naturopathic doctors help treat diseases that are already occurring, but use the other principles to help patients live healthier lifestyles to prevent new diseases from occurring.
