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Alternative medicine 101: naturopathy and naturopaths in Phoenix
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Naturopathy stresses good nutrition
Naturopathy, also known as natural medicine or naturopathic medicine, is an alternative medical system that focuses on natural, holistic approaches to health. Naturopathy encompasses many different therapeutic modalities, including but not limited to nutritional therapy, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, herbal medicine, homeopathy, therapeutic manipulation, detoxification regimens, and ozone therapy.
Key principles of naturopathy
The practice of naturopathy is based on six key principles:
• Promote the healing power of nature
• First do no harm. Naturopathic practitioners select therapies with an eye to keeping potential side effects to a minimum
• Treat the whole person. Practitioners consider an individual’s physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, and social elements when choosing therapies.
• Treat the cause. Unlike conventional medicine, which focuses on suppressing symptoms, naturopathic practitioners seek to identify and treat the causes of a patient’s disease or ailment.
• Prevention is the best cure. Part of the naturopathic practitioner’s role is to teach patients lifestyle habits that can help prevent illness.
• The physician is a teacher. Practitioners consider it important to educate their patients in how to take responsibility for their own health.
Naturopathic practitioners: what it takes
In the United States, there are two types of naturopaths: naturopathic physicians (ND) and traditional naturopaths. Individuals seeking a naturopathic physician designation must complete a bachelor’s degree and standard premedical courses before entering a four-year program at one of the four accredited naturopathic medical schools in the United States, one of which is in Tempe, Arizona. (The other three are in Bridgeport, CT; Seattle, WA; and Portland, OR.) There are also two in Canada. Naturopathic physicians can diagnose and treat disease, perform some invasive surgical procedures, and prescribe medications. Some states, including Arizona, require naturopathic physicians to be licensed.
Traditional naturopaths focus on noninvasive treatment, educating patients about a healthy lifestyle, and strengthening and cleansing the body. They are not qualified physicians. Their training can come from any number of institutions, including correspondence classes, and they are not subject to licensing.
Naturopathy in the Phoenix area
The Phoenix metropolitan area is fortunate to be the home of one of the four accredited naturopathy institutions in the United States: the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. Both naturopathic physicians and traditional naturopaths can be found in the Phoenix area, including those at the Arizona Natural Medicine, LLC in Chandler; and the Naturopathic Family Care in Phoenix. For a list of naturopaths in the Phoenix and Arizona at large, visit the Arizona Naturopathic Medical Association.
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