Naturopathic Medicine

naturopathic practice includes diagnostic and therapeutic modalities

clinical and laboratory diagnostic testing nutritional medicine botanical medicine naturopathic physical medicine homeopathy acupuncture prescription medication intravenous and injection therapy naturopathic obstetrics

north american board of naturopathic examiners (nabne)

determine the qualifications of applicants to take the nplex, to administer the nplex to examinees and to prepare and send exam results and transcripts to licensing/regulatory agencies

american association of naturopathic medical colleges (aanmc)

est february 2001 to propel and foster the naturopathic medical profession by actively supporting the academic efforts of accredited and recognized schools of naturopathic medicine offers 7 accredited naturopathic medical programs and 8 campus locations in north america

Dr. Benedict Lust

1872-1945 the father of american naturopathy born in baden, germany he like many of the founders of naturopathy had been introduced to natural forms of healing due to personal health concerns dr. lust had originally immigrated to the united states in 1892 to seek his fortune, yet when he contracted a severe case of tuberculosis that was not getting any better with conventional treatments, he returned to his homeland to undergo the water cure treatments with father sebastian kneipp. within a very short period of time his health improved

milestones

1909 state of california is the first state to acquire legislation for naturopathic medicine 1920 over 20 naturopathic schools in the united states 1953 23 states have received government recognition or licensure 1956 national college of naturopathic medicine is founded (numn) the oldest programmatically accredited naturopathic school in northern america

Dr. John Bastyr

1912-1995 the father of modern naturopathy the seeds of his life work blending the scientific with the natural world were planted early by his parents: his father was trained as a pharmacist and worked as a drug company representative, while his mother was interested in healthy living, nutrition, gardening, medicinal herbs and hydrotherapy bastyr worked at one of the many drug stores his father owned. while working at the soda fountain, he started to study the basics of botanical and homeopathic pharmacy

education

a licensed naturopathic physician attends a four yea graduate level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all the same basic sciences as an MD but 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 also studies clinical nutrition, homeopathic medicine, botanical medicine, psychology and counseling 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

Dr. Constantine Herring

father of american homoepathy, established the allentown academy in pennsylvania this academy which began formal instruction on november 1, 1836 was the first homeopathic school instruction and education were taught in german only 1843 the homeopathic movement grew considerably and homeopathic physicians were some of the best educated practitioners of the day english and german literature, including several journals had become increasingly more available and dispensaries and clinics were opening

american association of naturopathic physicians (aanp)

founded in 1985 national professional society representing licensed naturopathic physicians aanp aims to increase awareness of and expand access to naturopathic physicians, help its members build successful medical practices, and expand the body of naturopathic medicine research aanp's physician members are graduates of naturopathic medical schools accredited by the council on naturopathic medical educations cnme is recognized by the us dept of education as the national accrediting agency for programs leading to the doctor of naturopathic medicine of doctor of naturopathy degree

Father Sebastian Kneipp

heavily influenced the field of hydrotherapy using an eclectic and integrated approach, kneipp combined hydrotherapeutic baths with heliotheraphy, exercise, vegetarian, and fruit diets, and the indigenous european herbs so well known to him father kneipp provided the link between the european nature cure and american naturopathy once dr. lust was cured he was asked by kneipp to spread hyrotherapy to america he returned to the united states in 1896 with this colleague dr. robert foster and established two sanitariums and kneipp water cure institutes, one in butler, new jersey in 1902 and another in tangerine, florida in 1914

dr. bastyr was a pioneer and promoter of the field of natural medicine, even during times when naturopathy was drawing fire from the allopathic community

his commitment to science based natural medicine, stemming from his roots in pharmacy, continued throughout his career as he spent a great amount of energy researching medical literature and applying the latest findings to naturopathic principles . he also spent time verifying his results with laboratory studies in addition to running a full time practice, dr. bastyr played an instrumental role in the development of national college of naturopathic medicine (ncnm). between 1956 and 1979 he served as a professor, board member, executive director and president of the college dr. bastyr also lobbied the washington state legislature for the recognition of natural medicine. he served two terms on the naturopathic advisory committee for the washington state department of health and was an honorary member until his death in 1995

homeopathy in the us

homeopathic medicine was introduced into the united states in 1825 by hans birch gram he who was born in boston, ma of danish extraction and after gram's mothers death he went to copenhagen and later began the study of medicine following the receipt of the degree, gram fully tested the method of hahnemann and upon his return to the united states. he settled in new york where he helped to publish the characteristics of homoeopathia most of the early homeopaths were converts from the allopathic profession and received their medical education from some of the best schools of the day- yale, rutgers, columbia by the early 1840s grams influence had helped to spread hoeopathy to urban centers in new york, new jersey, connecticut, massachusetts and rhode island

the council on naturopathic medical education (cnme)

mission is quality assurance serving the public by accrediting naturopathic medical education programs that voluntarily seek recognition that they meet or exceed cnme's standards

naturopathy

natura-birth pathos-suffering natural healing distinct primary care profession, emphasizing prevention, treatment, and optimal health through the use of therapeutic methods and substances that encourage individuals inherent self-healing process the practice of naturopathic medicine includes modern and traditional, scientific, and empirical methods

nds vs mds

naturopathic doctors have similar training in medical and clinical sciences and in addition they have extensive training in a full spectrum of natural medicines and therapies with emphasis on diet and nutrition they utilize the most natural and least invasive and least toxic therapies first preventative medicine is of the most importance in their treatment philosophy nds spend more time with their patients to find the underlying causes of illness and to determine an integrative treatment plan nds treat all medical conditions and can provide both individual and family care among the most common ailments they can treat are allergies, chronic pain, digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, obesity, respiratory conditions, heart disease, fertility problems, menopause, adrenal fatigue, cancer, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome nds can perform minor surgeries such as removing cysts or suturing superficial wounds however, they do not practice major surgery nds are trained to utilize prescription drugs, although the emphasis of naturopathic medicine is the use of natural healing agents

legal status

naturopathic doctors in the united states are licensed or registered as health care providers in 19 states and 2 us territories

the healing power of nature "vis medicatrix naturae"

naturopathic medicine recognizes an inherent self healing process in people that is ordered and intelligent. naturopathic physicians act to identify and remove obstacles to healing and recovery and to facilitate and augment this inherent self-healing process

doctor as teacher "docer"

naturopathic physicians educate their patients and encourage self-responsibility for health. they also recognize and employ the therapeutic potential of the doctor patient relationship

prevention

naturopathic physicians emphasize the prevention of disease by assessing risk factors, heredity and susceptibility to disease and by making appropriate interventions in partnership with their patients to prevent illness

first do no harm "primum non nocere"

naturopathic physicians follow 3 guidelines to avoid harming the patient: utilize methods and medicinal substances which minimize the risk of harmful side effects, using the least force necessary to diagnose and treat avoid when possible the harmful suppression of symptoms acknowledge, respect and work with individuals self-healing process

treat the whole person

naturopathic physicians treat each patient by taking into account individual physical, metal, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, and other factors. since total health also includes spiritual health, naturopathic physicians encourage individuals to purse their personal spiritual development

history of naturopathic medicine

naturopathy was coined in 1892 to describe a rapidly growing system of natural therapeutics, originally organized in response to the increasing disillusionment of physicians and patients with the toxic and ineffective methods of the so-called heroic age of medicine the philosophy and the therapies, which have their origins in hippocrates and the traditional and indigenous medicines of the world, first became a distinct profession in germany in the mid 1800s

whats the difference?

nds are general practitioners of the natural medicine. they are trained to treat ailments using clinical nutrition, acupuncture, botanical medicine, physical medicine, lifestyle counseling, and homeopathy a licensed, naturopathic physician has gone to a 4 year post-graduate naturopathic medical school, so receives a minimum of 8 years of college education, not including residencies or specialty training like midwifery, advanced homeopathy or oncology homeopathic doctors on the other had are trained to practice in one discipline- homeopathy a homeopath does not necessarily have any medical education of a medical degree, but they have studies homeopathy as a treatment modality, usually extensively. this means that they only use the little white pills and usually no herbs or supplements or pharmaceuticals, unless they have other education so while a homeopath would prescribe a homeopathic therapy, a naturopathic doctor would use any of the approaches listed above, including homeopathy, in their treatments

treatments

nds can give injections such as vitamin shots and homeopathic injections they also can treat skin problems such as removal of skin lesions, warts, moles, etc. and many other skin problems including rashes, acne, rosacea and dermatitis, poison ivy, spider bites, cuts and abrasions naturopaths treat soft tissue injuries such as sprains, spinal, joint and disc injuries they perform gynecological exams and tests for womens health naturopathic doctors can order all blood lab and diagnostic tests and they use many specialty labs for tests such as digestion, parasites, lyme, hormones and many more nds are well versed in the sued of bio-identical hormone therapy to resolve hormonal difficulties they may specialize in specific fields such as pediatrics and women's health or they may be in general practice

in 1901 dr. lust opened the american school of naturopathy in new york

the first naturopathic college in america he also opened what could be considered the first health food store or kneipp store dr. lust believed in the inherent ability of the body to heal itself, that it was able to restore its own balance and function and that it was able to adapt the environmental changes

identify and treat the causes "tolle causam"

the naturopathic physician seeks to identify and remove the underlying causes of illness rather than to merely eliminate or suppress symptoms