Naturopathic Medicine, or Naturopathy, is a holistic and non invasive approach to health.
Is Naturopathy Regulated in Alberta and Canada?
Naturopathic medicine is regulated in Alberta under the Health Professions Act, providing patient assurance of quality of training and care. Naturopathy is regulated in several other provinces in Canada, and has been regulated in British Columbia since 1936.
What training do Naturopathic Doctors Undergo?
Naturopathic Doctors are highly trained, with four years of college education in naturopathy, that follows at least three years of post secondary education. Naturopathic training is extensive, and incorporates Western medical science, traditional therapies and clinical experience.
Guiding Principles of Naturopathy
Naturopathic Medicine is not just about natural medicines like herbs and vitamins. At the heart of naturopathic medicine are its central tenets which guide and uphold the profession. These guiding principals ensure the practitioner is helping patients actually rebuild their health:
Primum Non Nocere (First, do No Harm) – The doctors first job is to cause no harm or injury to the patient. This guides the order and choices of treatment so that the minimum force required to bring about positive change is used. This also means not suppressing symptoms which may cause disease to deepen and progress in a more insidious fashion.
Vix Medicatrix Naturae (The Healing Power of Nature) – often misinterpreted as some mystical, magical hocus pocus, this tenet points to the fact that the patient, themselves, is the great healer (not the doctor), for it is only the body that can heal the body. Thanks to millions of years of evolution and natural selection, the body (of all beings) is endowed with the special gift of self-regeneration and self-preservation. The doctor’s job then becomes assisting the person to heal themselves and removing obstacles to cure.
Docere (Doctor as Teacher) – to ensure people heal themselves requires education so that the patient will understand how to support and be responsible for their own health. There are simple, natural laws that humans must adhere to in order to be optimally well and happy. The doctor cultivates this therapeutic relationship with the patient over the course of a lifetime.
Tolle Causam (Treat the Cause) – Illness can only be overcome when the causes and conditions that support the illness are removed. It also means the roots of illness must be uncovered – this is a process, not an event, that requires patient participation. The cause of disease may seem to seem unrelated to the symptoms of disease and will take time to correctly identify and treat. This is the main reason we spend time getting to know more about our patients.
Prevention – cultivating high level wellness means being better equipped to heal and repel serious diseases. It can also be as simple as providing prophylaxis (prevention) against colds and flus. Preventing disease is more reliable and a better investment than most health insurance plans.