why should You consider naturopathy?
Today I want to give a quick shout out to the power of naturopathy. If you’re even slightly curious about naturopathy or alternative and holistic healing methods in general, listen up…
In short, the naturopathic approach is one that treats the body as a whole. The goal is always to find the root cause of an issue, rather than treating symptoms with quick fixes or “bandaid” approaches.
15 Reasons Why
Here are 15 reasons why you may want to consider seeing a naturopathic doctor (ND), but this is just the start, there are so many more!
You’re constantly tired or have low energy
You consistently feel generally unwell
You have brain fog or trouble concentrating
Your joints hurt
You have frequent headaches
Your skin is out of whack - rashes, acne, etc.
Something’s up with your gut - bloating, poor digestion, irregularity, etc.
Your period is MIA or otherwise abnormal, including painful periods and PMS
You’re constantly stressed, anxious, and/or irritable
Your normal doc can’t explain why you’re feeling the way you are
You have a chronic illness or condition that western medicine has not been able to treat effectively
The medicines or methods you’ve been trying aren’t working
You want to try a more natural approach to healing your body - less prescriptions and more prevention
You want to test for food sensitivities, check your vitamin/nutrient levels, or simply get deeper answers and explanations about the state of your health
You want to take your health into your own hands
What to Expect from A visit to the nd
What does an Office visit Entail?
Maybe you’ve considered seeing an ND before, but you’re afraid to try something different from the norm. Or, perhaps you just don’t really know what an ND even does, so seeing one has not been on your radar. Either way, knowing what to expect from a typical visit can help break down these barriers.
When you go to an ND, expect them to take the time to sit with you and hear you out. During the initial visit, you’ll probably get into great detail about your health history, concerns and beyond. Then, for all visits, you may expect any of the following:
An intake of your current symptoms and what brought you to the appointment
Inquiries about your stress levels and things that may be causing stress in your life
A general intake of your current diet - what do you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
Request to see/check your tongue, which can provide a preliminary indication of deeper issues in the body
A physical exam
A thorough explanation of possible causes of your symptoms and how it may be affecting your body systemically
The treatment plan
After going through these preliminary questions and inquiries, the ND will come up with a game-plan specific to your individual concerns and needs. This usually will include getting lab-work done in order to check anything from basic vitamin and mineral levels to more complex and specific concerns like heavy metal levels, autoimmune markers, and more.
Once your results are in, the ND will go through the findings with you and explain what they mean in regards to your health. From there, they will tailor a treatment plan specific to your individual needs, which may include any of the following approaches:
Herbal supplements or remedies
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practices/remedies
Ayurvedic practices/remedies
Homeopathy
Acupuncture
Nutrition advice
Other natural approaches
But does it work?
In short, yes it works! Depending on the individual and their specific health issues, it may take longer to see results. For example, it may be a month or more before a natural supplement protocol really begins to show its effects. But, as mentioned before, naturopathy is about getting to the root of the problem, not about providing quick surface-level fixes.
Furthermore, if you are fearful about abandoning traditional western medicine practices altogether, the good news is that you don’t have to! Your ND can offer tools that will coincide with and may increase the effectiveness of the conventional methods and medicines you are already using.
Eventually, you may find that you no longer need the prescription medicines you had been using, or maybe you still will and that’s okay too! Everyone is different, but exploring alternative methods can only mean potentially seeing alternative (usually better) results.
So how do I find one?
All it takes is a quick Google search for naturopathic doctors in your area to get the ball rolling. When doing your search, you may want to consider the following:
Does the ND have good reviews?
Are they licensed? Does their educational background check out?
Do their services seem to align with what you’re looking for?
Do they accept health insurance? You may want to call the office and ask.
All of these questions can help lead you to a great ND who will work with you to start getting your health back to an optimal place.
Finally, A Personal Account
For me, personally, adding an ND to my healthcare team has been so refreshing. I always leave the ND feeling more empowered about my health, unlike experiences I’ve had with general practitioners (GP) in the past. It felt as though someone finally understood what I was going through and really wanted to work with me to get to the bottom of it, rather than prescribing a pill and calling it a day.
When I originally sought out an ND, it was because I was finding myself exhausted all of the time, overly-emotional, suffering from intense brain fog (which made it difficult to do my job every day), experiencing food sensitivities, and more.
At first, when I went to my GP with these concerns, she suggested birth control pills and antidepressants. I tried the antidepressant route, and I found myself sleeping for hours after work each day, lacking desire to do anything at all, and having all feelings subdued entirely. I knew quickly that this approach wasn’t going to cut it for me.
When I finally scheduled an appointment with the ND, my only wish was that I’d done it sooner, because what I discovered after one visit was simply amazing. The results from my lab-work clearly showed that:
My vitamin D levels were crazy low
I was also low in B12 and iron
My hormones were out of balance and my cortisol was completely depleted after being over-heightened for so long
A simple blood test revealed all these results and more, which explained that my symptoms were simply due to vitamin and hormone imbalances - not depression or otherwise.
After following the recommended supplement protocol, I started feeling back to my normal self again and it really didn’t take long. Not only did my moods and energy improve, but I didn’t have to experience negative side effects in order to attain those improvements. I felt like I had my health back under control again.
Now, whenever a health issue comes up and I first go to my GP, I regret it and realize I really should start with the ND. I find that the options and answers are so limited with a GP, whereas with an ND there are so many treatment options and possibilities. Plus, it is so satisfying to get to the bottom of things rather than treating symptoms without knowing what’s really causing them.
Anyway, I hope this post has been helpful for you! Whether your symptoms are big or small, common or not common at all, a naturopath may be able to help you. Not only that, they will work with you to do what it takes to get you to feeling well again, with minimal side effects and the least invasive approach possible.
Feel free to leave your questions or concerns in the comments below! Wishing you all good luck and good health!