Who are Naturopathic Doctors?

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• Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) are general practitioners who are medical specialists in natural therapies. Naturopathic Doctors treat acute and chronic conditions while employing natural therapies including nutrition, herbal medicine and nutritional supplements. NDs focus on prevention and lifestyle improvements as important parts of their therapeutic recommendations.

 

• Naturopathic Doctors graduate from 4-year residential graduate level medical colleges and learn basic and clinical sciences similar to conventional medical doctors. These Naturopathic Medical Colleges are accredited by regional and programmatic accrediting agencies that are recognized by the US Department of Education. Courses include: basic and clinical medical sciences; physical, laboratory and radiological diagnosis; modern uses for natural and conventional therapies and a minimum of 1200 hours of supervised clinical training. Graduates must pass the NPLEX1 and NPLEX2,  national competency-based board exams, required to obtain licensure. Naturopathic physicians are trained as primary care providers who diagnose, treat, and manage patients with acute and chronic conditions, while addressing disease and dysfunction at the level of body, mind, and spirit. They concentrate on whole-patient wellness through health promotion and disease prevention, attempting to find the underlying cause of the patient’s condition. Naturopathic physicians care for patients of all ages and genders. They provide individualized, evidence-informed therapies that balance the least harmful and most effective approaches to help facilitate the body’s inherent ability to restore and maintain optimal health.

 

• Naturopathic practice includes the following diagnostic and therapeutic modalities: clinical and laboratory diagnostic testing, nutritional medicine, botanical medicine, naturopathic physical medicine (including naturopathic manipulative therapy), public health measures, hygiene, counseling, minor surgery, homeopathy, acupuncture (Traditional Chinese Medicine), prescription medication, intravenous and injection therapy, and naturopathic obstetrics (natural childbirth). 

 

• Naturopathic Doctors are well-respected members of the health care community. NDs have been members of federal health care policy advisory boards. Naturopathic Medical Colleges have research projects that are funded by the National Institutes of Health and collaborate on research with the medical colleges of major universities.

 

• Naturopathic Doctors have demonstrated an excellent record of safety. Data from medical liability insurance carriers and from licensing boards show that naturopathic doctors are trained to deliver natural outpatient health care safely and ethically.

 

• Naturopathic Doctors are licensed/registered in: Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, District of Columbia, Maryland, Minnesota, Kansas, North Dakota, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands.  

 

• Naturopathic Doctors are seen as vital contributors of science-based expertise in the field of natural medicine. Naturopathic doctors and medical colleges collaborate with major universities, hospitals and conventional medical schools to advance research in natural medicine and the training of conventional health care providers in natural medicine. A partial list of collaborating institutions includes:

• Arizona State Diabetes Collaborative

• Arizona State University

• Columbia University

• Emory University

• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center 

• Kaiser-Permanente

• Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ

• Oregon Health Sciences University 

• Phoenix Veterans Affairs Hospital 

• Providence Oregon

• University of Arizona

• University of Connecticut

• University of Florida

• University of Michigan

• University of Minnesota

• University of North Carolina 

• University of Washington

• University of Washington Medical College 

• Yale University

• Yale-Griffin Hospital

 

The following principles are the foundation of naturopathic medical practice:

• The Healing Power of Nature (Vis Medicatrix Naturae):  Naturopathic physicians act to identify and remove obstacles to healing and recovery, and to facilitate and augment the inherent self-healing process.

• Identify and Treat the Causes (Tolle Causam): The naturopathic physician seeks to identify and remove the underlying causes of illness rather than to merely ameliorate or suppress symptoms. 

• First Do No Harm (Primum Non Nocere): Naturopathic physicians follow three guidelines to avoid harming the patient:

  • Utilize methods and medicinal substances which minimize the risk of harmful side effects, using the least force necessary to diagnose and treat; 

  • Avoid, when possible, the harmful suppression of symptoms; and acknowledge, respect, and work with individuals’ self-healing process. 

• Doctor as Teacher (Docere): Naturopathic physicians educate their patients and encourage self-responsibility for health. 

• Treat the Whole Person (de toto homine) : Naturopathic physicians treat each patient as an individual by taking into account physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, and other factors. 

• Prevention (Praeventionis): Naturopathic physicians emphasize the prevention of disease by assessing genetic, lifestyle, and environmental risk factors, and susceptibility to disease by making appropriate interventions in partnership with their patients to prevent illness and maintain optimal health.

• Wellness (Sanitatem): Wellness follows the establishment and maintenance of optimum health and balance. Wellness is a state of being healthy, characterized by positive emotion, thought and action. Wellness is inherent in everyone, regardless of disease(s). If wellness is recognized and experienced by an individual, it will more quickly heal a given disease than direct treatment of the disease alone.