Naturopathy?

[Penny8611]

Hello all,

Forgive any ignorance this post might reveal. ;-) I'm not even in nursing school yet (start Oct. '08) but this forum has been a wealth of info for me.

My husband has medical problems that persist with the care he's received from our PC. We love our PC and trust him a great deal, but the fact remains that my husband has issues that are just not getting resolved, or really even identified. He is medicated to the GILLS. I am really, really unhappy with the amount of meds he's on. It's just nuts.

I come from a long background of MD's, DDS's and RN's...I think I was raised from birth to believe that Western Medicine is the only way to go. ;-) Nevertheless, I personally have had some good results with things like acupuncture. Of course the rest of my family looked at me like I had sprouted two heads when this info came out!

I've found a couple of naturopathic doctors in my area. Despite dabbling in "alternative" medicine for myself, I really don't know anything about this discipline. It will be money out of our pockets, as our insurance won't cover it. I'm desperate to find some help for my honey, and if nothing else, I think it would him pointed in the direction of a better diet and more exercise. I know this isn't a forum for getting medical advice, but I'm just throwing this out for any comments you might have. Any thoughts from you would be most welcome.

Thanks!

Penny

[lvnhopeful]

This is not advice, just compassionate empathy. I have turned to naturopathy with good results, and most of the students and the teachers at the school I am going to were taken aback when I mentioned it. I keep my mouth shut and research different areas very carefully now.

After I get my license, I am considering taking courses in naturopathy. There are a lot of good ideas out there. After looking at statistics on health and hospitals in the US compared to other countries, I believe it is worth it to keep the mind open and receptive to alternate practices.

Good luck to you and your honey:up:

[zenman]

Just make sure they are from a legit school. The quality varies widely, even in other countries where they are more accepted, such as Germany for example.

[touchhealth]

I worked as the staff director at an aternative health clinic, and helped to coordinate clients for a group of ND's, acupuncturists, massage therapists...etc.

In California, visiting a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) is becoming increasingly commonplace. In fact, one of our staff ND's had hospital priveledges and worked regularly with MD's. You usually pay out of pocket for each visit, our clinic would issue "super-bills" w/ insurance codes that could be submitted to an insurance company for reimbursment...some of them would cover some ND bills but not many.

ALWAYS check credentials. There are only four or five Naturopathic Medical Shools that are actually accredited, and each state has different laws on scope of practice. You can look them up at www.aanmc.org. Practitioners who study traditional naturopathy are also called "Naturopaths", but their studies are not nearly as regulated as those who are "Naturopathic Doctors" with a degree from Naturopathic Medical School. I think BOTH practitioners have a lot to offer, but it is important to know their background and training.

In alternative health, a lot of emphasis is placed one learning to build up your health through preventative means rather than managing symptoms, and learning to recognize early symptoms of illness before they develop into chronic or serious conditions. There is a focus on counseling the client on ways THEY can support their body in the healing process in their day to day life. The naturopathic philosophy of healing is largely based on the idea that the body wants to be in a balanced state of health and that this can be achieved through lifestyle changes and natural remedies.

I come from the opposite side of the spectrum from you: born into a family that was always suspicious of western medicine and utilized lots of alternative health practices (chiropractic, acupuncture, herbs, massage, yoga....you know, a carricature of Californians) However, I feel there is great possibility for both modalities to complement one another. I have experienced great success with both, and am very passionate about the future of integrative medicine.

One big piece of advice: if you decide to pursue treatment from an ND, make sure you are fully transparent with both your ND and MD about what treatments you are using. There is such a problem right now with people using complementary healing therapies (or even just experimenting with them at home) and not telling there docs...especially dangerous when mixing herbal remedies and prescriptions.

Good luck on finding a practitioner!