Best Naturopathy Programs

What is Naturopathy?

Naturopathic medicine is a system of medicine that is based on the power of nature and the body’s innate ability to heal itself. It is a holistic approach that combines traditional healing wisdom and modern science. Naturopathic doctors are trained to find the root cause of disease by examining all aspects of a human’s life - the body, mind and spirit. Because the body, mind and spirit are all connected, the treatment protocols often involve a combination of nutrition, lifestyle change, herbal medicine, mental healthcare, homeopathy and more. A key difference between naturopathic medicine and Western medicine is that naturopathic medicine focuses heavily on prevention and education, empowering you to take an active role in your healing and well-being.

The Benefits of Naturopathy

Because naturopathy stimulates your body’s self-healing mechanism, it can benefit people with disorders or illnesses. The principles of naturopathic medicine are intended to promote and maintain your long-term well-being. A few of the benefits of naturopathic treatment are:

• Holistic Approach - Naturopathy takes into account the whole person, which leads to complete and balanced health.
• Focuses on Disease Prevention - Naturopathy promotes healthy lifestyle habits and educates you to help you identify risks early in order to prevent chronic illness.
• Offers Multiple Alternative Therapies - Natural supplements, herbal supplements, botanicals, homeopathic remedies, acupuncture and lifestyle recommendations can appeal to individuals seeking natural, non-invasive and natural options for their healing.
• Highly Personalized Treatment - Naturopathic doctors spend longer amounts of time with you during your appointments to ensure they understand and hear you out. Their due diligence helps them create customized treatment plans that consider your unique needs.
• Fewer Side Effects - Because naturopaths use many natural remedies to treat and prevent disease, many people experience fewer side effects when compared to 
  pharmaceutical interventions.
• Increases Self-Awareness - Naturopathic treatment helps you connect with your inner world and your body. As you get to know your body and listen to what it is telling you, you will be better able to understand your symptoms and trust that your body can heal itself.

What Types of Conditions Can Be Treated With Naturopathy?

Because naturopathy uses various therapies to treat health concerns, it is hard to narrow down specific illnesses that naturopathy works well to heal. Naturopaths treat both immediate and chronic conditions ranging from strep throat and ear infections to digestive issues, autoimmune conditions, and heart failure. Because of the holistic approach, many people seek naturopathy for treatment of chronic conditions.

What Kind of Training Is Needed to Become a Naturopathic Doctor?

1. Education - Naturopaths need to attend a naturopathic medical school. The programs range from 4-6 years and cover a wide range of medical and natural health topics. In addition to 4 years of medical school, most naturopathic programs require several years of clinical work in nutrition, acupuncture, herbalism, medicine and more.
2. Licensing - Naturopaths are required to obtain a license to practice. They must pass standardized exams, show competency in their work, and complete continuing education requirements.
3. Ethical Guidelines - Naturopathic doctors are required to follow and maintain the same ethical guidelines that conventional doctors are required to follow as well. Confidentiality and quality patient care are important guidelines that must be followed.

How Can Naturopathy Be Used in Combination with Conventional Medicine?

Whether you embrace a naturopathic route for your healing or not, naturopathy can be a wonderful complement to the modern scientific marvels of conventional medicine.  They can be integrated to create personalized treatments that meet your needs. This integrated approach is called “integrative medicine.” This approach recognizes the strengths of each system and aims to provide collaborative care where you can benefit from medical doctors and naturopaths.

Naturopathic Addiction and Mental Health Treatment

Naturopathy can be combined into a customized treatment plan at an addiction and mental health rehab center. Suppose you seek natural healing methods for your addiction or mental health disorder. In that case, naturopathy can be one treatment method that works to ease your symptoms and improve your overall well-being. Naturopathic treatment can help those struggling with addiction or mental health by:

• Supporting Detox - Naturopathic treatment may include natural detox strategies to eliminate toxins and support your liver as you detox.
• Nutritional Support - Lab work, as well as nutritional counseling can help address nutritional deficiencies.
• Mind-Body Techniques - Stress reduction techniques and mindfulness practices can help with the emotional aspects of addiction and can benefit those with mental health disorders.
• Supplemental Support - Certain vitamins and minerals are lacking in those in recovery from addiction, as well as those who have been chronically anxious or depressed. Supplementing with high quality vitamins will support the body’s healing.
• Preventative Education - All naturopathic care involves educating the patient about what is going on in their body, mind and spirit, so that they can be informed, aware and have agency in their decisions as they heal.  

Risks of Using Naturopathic Treatment in Your Healing

• Individual Treatment - What works for one person may or may not work for you, so some parts of naturopathic treatment may require some trial and error.
• Financial Cost - Oftentimes, naturopathic practitioners do not accept insurance, making naturopathic treatment more costly than other kinds of treatment. Check with the rehab center you choose to find out if their naturopathic treatments are covered by insurance.

It’s important to recognize that naturopathic treatment should be just one part of a larger plan in your mental health or addiction recovery. When seeking naturopathic treatment as a part of your treatment plan, look for rehab centers that have experienced and licensed naturopathic providers and specialize in helping their clients heal from their addiction or mental health disorder.