Well Within

 

What is  Naturopathic Medicine?

Naturopathic medicine is a unique and complete branch of medicine that combines traditional wisdom with modern science to achieve the most natural path to health for each unique individual.  The goal of naturopathic medicine is to create a healthy environment both inside and outside of the body. Naturopathic medicine is deeply rooted by six guiding principles:

• First do no harm
• The healing power of nature
• Treat the whole person
• Treat the cause
• Doctor as teacher
• Prevention

 

Several modalities are used to achieve wellness including lifestyle modifications, nutrition, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, biotherapeutic drainage, botanical medicine, physical medicine, IV therapeutics.  Naturopathic Medicine is practiced by naturopathic doctors who are graduates of anationally accredited institution.

 

What is a Naturopathic Physician?

A licensed naturopathic physician (ND) has attended a four-year graduate level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all of the same basic sciences as an MD. However, the naturopathic physician also studies holistic and nontoxic approaches to therapy with a strong emphasis on disease prevention and optimizing wellness. In addition to a standard medical curriculum, the naturopathic physician is required to complete four years of training in clinical nutrition, acupuncture, homeopathic medicine, botanical medicine, psychology, and counseling (to encourage people to make lifestyle changes in support of their personal health). A naturopathic physician takes rigorous professional board exams so that he or she may be licensed by a state or jurisdiction as a primary care general practice physician. For more information about naturopathic medical schools please visit: http://www.aanmc.org/

 

What is Naturopathic Oncology?

Naturopathic Oncology is the application of naturopathic medicine as it pertains to people living with cancer; it is an emerging discipline on the forefront of cancer medicine. The goal of naturopathic oncology is enhanced survival and quality of life through the integration of naturopathic oncology into conventional cancer care.

 

How Can Naturopathic Medicine Help Me?

Most healthcare focuses on how to decrease or eliminate the symptoms of a condition, not why the condition began in the first place.  This is called managing a disease.  It is not keeping you healthy and eliminating disease; at best it is keeping you free from the symptoms.  Even some ‘holistic’ professionals are not aware of the significance of eliminating the cause of disease, and they may prescribe herbs or supplements for you to take indefinitely.  This may be better than taking a drug, but it is still simply managing your condition and not affording you a cure.  The goal should be good health maintained with no drugs or supplements.

I take this different approach to your health seriously.  I know that by learning all I can about you and your life, I can help you to discover what is causing you to feel unwell.  You are just as important as I am in this learning process.  I find it satisfying that just as many times as I find a cause of someone’s disease, a patient will discover their truth as well.

 

What Can I Expect?

It is my goal (and hopefully yours as well) is to lead you to a higher level of health and awareness. For you to attain freedom from being unwell is the expectation.

How this occurs is rather simple.  Together, we discuss you.  Our first goal is to have all the facts about your life.  This is the establishment of a ‘healing relationship’.  From there, we can both see the big picture of your health as well as the details.

The next goal is to determine what could be causing or contributing to the problem(s) you are experiencing.  Once we determine these factors, we then discuss how to eliminate the causes most effectively for you.

All you need to bring to our visits is a desire to be well and the willingness to explore your options.

 

How Long Will it Take for Me to Feel Better?

Most people can be brought to a state of good health when supported with Naturopathic medicine and given adequate time.  The time it takes for you to become well can only be estimated, as it is different for everyone. Also, depending on your condition, it may not be possible for you to experience ideal health but to be brought to better health and a greater state of well being.

If your condition is relatively new and your health is generally good, then you may recover rather quickly.  If your condition has been present for a number of years, you have multiple health problems, or your health is generally poor, more time will be necessary for you to feel the full effects of treatment.  A decent measure of the time it may take is generally stated as the number of years you’ve felt unwell is how many months it will take to feel the first effects of a good treatment.

Many times it is possible for you to feel effects right away or within the first few weeks.  If we need to do some searching for your particular correct treatment, this may take longer. I request that you maintain communication with me and talk with me anytime you have questions or need support.  Patience may be necessary for the full effects to be seen.

 

What Conditions are Treatable with Naturopathic Medicine?

This is a trick question.  The short answer is I treat everything.  The longer and more accurate answer is that I don’t treat conditions or diseases; I treat people.  That may sound facetious, but if you understand disease, you know that you cannot treat the disease and expect it to disappear.

You have the problem, so you must be treated.  Tylenol covers up the pain of a headache, it does not make the headache stop.  The underlying problem is not the headache.  Unless the underlying cause of the headache is resolved, the headache will return.

Treatments are different for everyone, regardless of the disease.  You may or may not receive a similar treatment than someone with your same problem.

 

What Treatments do You Offer?

The main treatments I use are nutrition, lifestyle alterations, botanical medicine, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, IV therapy and supplements.  I am able to prescribe many pharmaceutical agents but in most cases this is not necessary. Depending on the treatment plan, you may be prescribed one or all of these choices.

If you would like more information on the treatments offered you are welcome to call with any questions.

 

How Can I Afford Naturopathic Care?

Optimal health is possible and it costs far less than you may imagine.

On the surface, it appears that natural healthcare is more expensive than traditional care.  Once you look deeper, Naturopathic care is actually more affordable and usually more effective than other treatment options.

Your first visit costs more than your subsequent visits, as this visit is longer and involves me looking through your intake forms, reviewing previous lab work and records, as well as both of us taking the time to get to know each other and establish a healing relationship.  In comparison to other physician’s prices, the cost of a 1 hour initial visit with me is similar to what you would pay another doctor for 15 to 30 minutes.  This is not because the quality of your care is inferior, but because I intend it to be affordable.  The rewards I receive are more than what you pay me financially.

Maintaining your health is also more cost effective with Naturopathic care.  My intention is to provide strategic supplementation and special services as needed for a limited amount of time while we work on creating wellness.  After this time, you would ideally be free of any medications and supplements.   Depending on your condition, this may or may not be possible.

Maintaining your wellness through diet and lifestyle costs far less and is much more satisfying than maintaining prescriptions, endless lab work and doctor visits.