Functional Medicine and Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic medicine is a kind of primary care that focuses on preventing disease and promoting self-healing and restoration of normal function using natural agents as well as medications when necessary.  It is  the foundation from which Functional Medicine was birthed and the training a Naturopathic doctor receives goes well beyond what is taught in a Functional Medicine program.

A naturopathic physician combines millennia of wisdom, the belief that nature is by far the most efficient healer, modern medicine, clinical research, and the understanding that when the root of illness is found and properly addressed the body can be restored to health and normal function.

Naturopathic diagnosis done by a naturopathic doctor (ND) is based on peer-reviewed journals from a variety of disciplines, including naturopathic medicine.  In our practice, we often use labs not offered to you by your regular MD to look deeper at your nutrient levels, digestive health, microbiome, whole system hormones, toxins, and individual genetics.

Clinical nutrition, herbal medicine, vitamin IV therapy, hydrotherapy and homeopathy are some of the treatment techniques utilized in naturopathic medicine. It combines traditional, scientific, and empirical approaches with natural laws.

Naturopathic medicine’s theory and treatments, which are rooted in Hippocrates’s work and ancient and indigenous remedies from across the globe, originally emerged as a unique profession in Germany during the mid-1800s. Dr. Benedict Lust, MD, introduced naturopathy to America in 1896, founding the Yungborn Health Institute in New Jersey as the first naturopathic college.  Naturopathic medicine has been practiced in the United States for more than a century.  In fact, in the 1800s and early 1900s, Naturopathy was the mainstay of medicine in this country.  This changed with the industrial revolution and the introduction of drugs and drug companies to our culture.

The following are the foundational concepts of naturopathic medicine:

• Nature’s Healing Power: Naturopathic medicine understands that humans have an orderly and intelligent self-healing mechanism. Naturopathic doctors work to discover and eliminate barriers to the healing process, as well as to support and increase the body’s natural healing abilities.
• Determine and Treat the Root Causes: Rather than just eliminating or suppressing symptoms, a naturopathic physician attempts to discover and remove the underlying causes of sickness.
• First Do No Harm: Naturopathic doctors follow three rules to prevent causing harm to their patients:
  • Use procedures and pharmaceutical substances that reduce the danger of adverse side effects while diagnosing and treating patients with the least amount of force possible.
  • If at all possible, avoid suppressing symptoms.
  • Recognize, appreciate, and cooperate with people’s self-healing processes.
• Doctor as Educator: Naturopathic doctors teach their patients and urge them to take charge of their own health. They also acknowledge and make use of the doctor-patient relationship’s therapeutic potential, as well as, individual physical, genetic, emotional, mental, social, environmental, and other aspects are considered by naturopathic doctors while treating each patient. Naturopathic doctors urge people to seek their own spiritual and emotional growth since overall health includes spiritual and mental wellness.
• Prevention: NDs target disease prevention by identifying risk factors, genetics, and disease susceptibility, as well as identifying nutrient deficiencies and replenishing them to avoid illness. Other ways NDs provide preventative care is by offering support through stressful periods of life to prevent endocrine collapse and burnout, and by optimizing digestion and nutrient absorption.