What is the Therapeutic Order of Naturopathic Medicine?
Naturopathic doctors follow a set of guidelines called "The Therapeutic Order” keep reading to find out how that differs from how a conventional doctor practices.
When a patient comes into a naturopathic doctor’s office with a set of goals for their visit, the therapeutic order can help to guide the direction of the treatment plan for this individual patient. The goal in the visit is to empower and guide patients so they can feel healthy. Naturopathic doctors like to start with the basics and then work up the pyramid to treatments that may be more invasive.
Establish the Foundation for Optimal Health: At this level naturopathic doctors look at most of the basics. Some of the basics are put in a category called the "Determinants of Health," including areas like hydration, sleep, diet, movement, and stress. These are activities included in everyday life. Without these vital aspects of health, how will one's body function properly? (Remember Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?) At the bottom of this pyramid, naturopathic doctors (NDs) work with the body's basic needs.
Stimulate the Self-Healing Mechanisms: The body has an innate healing process and at this level, naturopathic doctors can aid the process. By using homeopathy and hydrotherapy, the body can jump start the vis, (vis: latin for force or power; aka the innate healing process) to help heal the body.
Support and Restore Weakened Systems: There may be times where the body needs more than a jumpstart to the “vis.” A physiologic process or an organ may not be functioning properly. I often see this in patients who may be dealing with hormonal imbalances that resemble symptoms like period pain or PMS. There can be an imbalance in the liver that needs to be addressed. NDs are equipped with tools that can help with natural healing at this level. This includes nutrients from supplementation, botanical medicine, counseling and more.
Address Physical Alignment: Sometimes the body needs some adjusting in order to heal properly. This includes physical manipulation (like you would get at a chiropractor), cranio-sacral therapy, physical therapy, and more.
Natural Symptom Control: Because sometimes those annoying symptoms just keep coming back and they can be bothersome. We get that, so we're here to help, in the most natural way possible. But don’t think naturopathic doctors won’t try to get to the root of those symptoms, because that is just as important. I often recommend herbs like chamomile, peppermint, or fennel when helping a patient overcome their bloating to help them feel more comfortable in the process.
Synthetic Symptom Relief: While I can't speak for everyone, most naturopathic doctors agree there is a time and place where synthetic drugs play a role in a someone’s health care. Sometimes the natural stuff just doesn’t cut it and we need to look out for the safety of our patients.
High Force Intervention: This level is here looking out for patient health and safety. This will suppress symptoms and the pathology. Getting to the root cause may be difficult here and many naturopathic doctors may avoid this step. But sometimes is necessary. This includes chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, etc.
talk soon,
Dr. Alyssa
Sources:
https://aanmc.org/featured-articles/therapeutic-order/
Pizzorno, J., Murray, M. (2013). Textbook of Natural Medicine. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Hechtman, Leah. (2019). Clinical Naturopathic Medicine. Elsevier Health Sciences. Kindle Edition.
