Should I try and become a Nurse in a Naturopathic Clinic or a Naturopathic Doctor?

Specialties Holistic Nursing Q/A

I am a 21 year old female and have been taking my prerequisites for Nursing. I felt very passionate about my choice, I do really enjoy caring for people and helping people. However, as I got further into my studies, talked to various RNs, and had researched the career for awhile, I realized how horrible our health care system really is in the U.S. I think that we rely too heavily on drugs and intoxicants, therefore I don't want to have to inject people with a bunch of drugs, like nurses have to do sometimes.

My mother in law who is an RN told me that at her hospital 14 patients died in one month due to medical errors(being given the wrong drugs).Then she told me that they actually had someone who's job it was to "erase" the medical error so that it doesn't make the hospital look bad and they never told the patients family. I was horrified. I don't want any part of that.

I believe that an organic diet, exercise, herbal TEAS, meditation, acupuncture, acupressure, Craniospinal therapy, etc. are the best ways of treating and preventing illness. So I have decided that I either want to be a Nurse(and later Nurse Practitioner) who works in a Naturopathic Clinic, or become a doctor who uses natural and alternative . My question is, to become a Naturopathic doctor do you HAVE to go to a special Naturopathic medical school or could you go to medical school and then just start your own Naturopathic practice?

Also, which option sounds best? I know that I would have to have a Bachelor's degree before I could go to med school anyway, so should I just continue on with Nursing and try to get into a Naturopathic Clinic?

Thanks

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Can I get an Amen???

AMEN!

Holy moly... there is an awful lot of ignorance in this thread.

Those of you SO stuck on "evidence" and "science" based information do realize that medicine comes from plants right? Like, you took chemistry right?????? :roflmao:

What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?!

I have seen no arguments stating that "natural substances" cannot be used to treat patients. What I have seen is the argument that any treatment, whether it uses natural substances, whether it uses synthetic substances, whether it is an old treatment or a new treatment, it needs to be able to actually prove that it works. The best way to prove a treatment's efficacy is to subject it to study using the scientific method. That is the only way to truly distinguish between a quack treatment and an effective one. Customer tributes don't cut it, and shouldn't cut it for anyone in nursing.

Any treatment which actually works should be able to stand up to scientific scrutiny. Proponents of any particular treatment should welcome this scrutiny to prove their claims!

Specializes in Tele, OB, public health.

Yes yes yes! You would think some of these people would be the first to demand proof, especially if they wish to be taken seriously

Specializes in ICU.
Interestingly, Dr. Richard Spence, one of the pioneers of Bloodless said, "There are no high level studies showing blood saves lives. From the early 1900s to the present, there is not one high level study that showed a blood transfusion saved a life. The high level studies showed the opposite. From any any blood to the more blood given, there was a greater morbidity and mortality." He said that back then, over 20 years ago. Why would doctors refuse to look at the best evidence, what was called back then as the Gold Standard. I'm just curious as you seem to have the answers.
Of course there is a higher morbidity and mortality for patients who need blood transfusions - they are doing more poorly than patients who don't need transfusions.

There are no high level studies on blood saving lives because it is unethical to doom one group of patients to death for the sake of proving a treatment effective. It's like trying to prove cardiac catheterization saves lives in patients having acute MIs by having half the MI patients go to the cath lab and half just sit in the bed with no treatment and die. Modern research doesn't work that way. As far as I am aware, only the Nazis and the Tuskegee people did those sorts of research studies. Did we learn a lot from the Nazis? Absolutely. Was what they did acceptable? Absolutely not.

If we do not have hemoglobin, we cannot bring oxygen to our tissues. Without oxygen, our cells go into anaerobic respiration and produce a crap ton of lactic acid, our pH drops to levels incompatible with life, and we die. It's just that simple.

Specializes in Midwifery, Case Management, Addictions.

Actually, elkpark, the American Board for Specialty Nursing Certification accredited the certification programs of the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Center in 2014. The ABNSC is also the accrediting body for the ANCC. For documentation of this fact, please refer to: Approved Certification Programs | ABNS – American Board of Nursing Specialties

What is the best pathway for 21 year old female .

I am going back to original question.

Well, I do not know your ACT and SAT scores , and there is no information about your personal desire to study all life.

There so many pathways and the main question is:" Are you willing to be " depended provider "?

All depends in what state and what certification you want. In NY the best and the longest way is to go to DO/MD school and then you can provide ANY (Western, allopathic, holistic, herbal, bio energy and other) care.

Other way in NY is to be Nurse Practitioner and it is still "depended provider" ( Modernization act 2015)

As Board Certified provider, you will take care of your patients by "evidence based practice" ( for example in Heel Germany Homeopathy company they have protocols and researched based pathways for treatment).

Be prepared , that in NY all "integrative" treatments are not covered by any insurance.

Good Luck.

Actually, elkpark, the American Board for Specialty Nursing Certification accredited the certification programs of the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Center in 2014. The ABNSC is also the accrediting body for the ANCC. For documentation of this fact, please refer to: Approved Certification Programs | ABNS – American Board of Nursing Specialties

Well, thanks for responding to a comment I made 19 months ago. What is your point, exactly? The ABSNC is a group made up of all the various nursing specialty credentialing organizations, both the ANCC and AHNCC belong to the group, and the purpose of the umbrella group is that the organization "accredits" all the member organizations' certifications. I guess I'm not seeing what particular significance or meaning that has in relation to my earlier comment.

I think it is great that you want to seek out a career in naturopathic medicine. Those who dismiss the medicinal properties of more natural remedies just haven't taken the time to investigate the realm, and certainly haven't performed enough of their own scientific experiments with more naturalistic modes of healing.

Both western and eastern medicine can be effective, and are needed. I would not take an herb to fix a heart valve blockage, western medicine here I come, but I will use diet and herbal remedies to heal a rash, or burn, or to reverse less severe symptoms of diabetes, something of that nature. It hard to argue that nature has no healing power when many drugs on the market are derived from plants.

For example, Aloe Vera works great at healing burns, and taking away the pain. Aspirin is a hugely consumed drug that is derived from a plant.

I remember when we discovered that my daughter had pinworms. I decided to try some home remedies, and lots of cleaning. She would take a spoonful of garlic a few times a day, and we also made a paste to cover the anal area at night. I thought, just to be safe, I would take her to the doctors as well. We made an appointment, and went a few days later, but by that time, she had no symptoms, and I was unable to find any pinworms in the anal area. The doctor wanted to prescribe medicine to be sure they were gone. I asked if she was aware of any home remedies that work. She said this was unheard of, and that she could only tell me about prescription medicine, as that was how she was educated. Well, I decided to take the prescription, just in case. However, two years later, no worms, no symptoms, and we never filled the Rx. Something worked, and it wasn't prescription medicine.

More and more hospitals are starting to realize the benefits of reiki, and craniosacral work, massage, and acupuncture. If people would just open their minds more and see that it is not about being totally against one side or the other, we would progress much more quickly in our society. It's somewhat similar to the nature vs nurture argument. Some people believe it is one or the other that makes up a personality, but then there are those who are more aware of the reality, not getting caught up in all of the argumentation, and they know that it is both nature and nurture that make up a personality, and some other things in between.

#openyourmind

Specializes in Tele, OB, public health.
I think it is great that you want to seek out a career in naturopathic medicine. Those who dismiss the medicinal properties of more natural remedies just haven't taken the time to investigate the realm, and certainly haven't performed enough of their own scientific experiments with more naturalistic modes of healing.

For an experiment to be valid, there is no such thing as "performing your own"

please describe, step by step how you would do this and also your qualifications that would make such experiments valid

Both western and eastern medicine can be effective, and are needed. I would not take an herb to fix a heart valve blockage, western medicine here I come, but I will use diet and herbal remedies to heal a rash, or burn, or to reverse less severe symptoms of diabetes, something of that nature. It hard to argue that nature has no healing power when many drugs on the market are derived from plants

and those have been thoroughly tested through appropriate channels and clinical trials

For example, Aloe Vera works great at healing burns, and taking away the pain. Aspirin is a hugely consumed drug that is derived from a plant.

I remember when we discovered that my daughter had pinworms. I decided to try some home remedies, and lots of cleaning. She would take a spoonful of garlic a few times a day, and we also made a paste to cover the anal area at night. I thought, just to be safe, I would take her to the doctors as well. We made an appointment, and went a few days later, but by that time, she had no symptoms, and I was unable to find any pinworms in the anal area.

The doctor wanted to prescribe medicine to be sure they were gone. I asked if she was aware of any home remedies that work. She said this was unheard of, and that she could only tell me about prescription medicine, as that was how she was educated.

Because that is the responisble, ethical thing, not to mention legal that a licensed professional does

Well, I decided to take the prescription, just in case. However, two years later, no worms, no symptoms, and we never filled the Rx. Something worked, and it wasn't prescription medicine.

More and more hospitals are starting to realize the benefits of reiki, and craniosacral work, massage, and acupuncture. If people would just open their minds more and see that it is not about being totally against one side or the other, we would progress much more quickly in our society.

And if others would realize it is not about being "open- minded" but about being a safe responsible nurse practicing within your legal scope of practice we would progress much quicker

It's somewhat similar to the nature vs nurture argument. Some people believe it is one or the other that makes up a personality, but then there are those who are more aware of the reality, not getting caught up in all of the argumentation, and they know that it is both nature and nurture that make up a personality, and some other things in between.

#openyourmind

This whole flying by the seat of one's pants follow your gut business is neither safe nor legal

@dinahh77, I agree that taking a fly by the seat of your pants to decisions about your health is really not the best way to go. One should always do research into what the choices are.

I am not sure if what I said came across as an insult to you, or those who do not believe in the medicinal benefits of therapies other than what is standard in the western culture, but my intention is not to offend. I am simply expressing my own experience with more natural approaches to healing or "fixing" health issues, and my frustration with the lack of research in this area.

Many drugs have been discovered by someone doing their own experiments.The reason we have many western forms of medicine available to us now is because someone had an open mind in regards to the possible benefits of various substances, materials, etc., and decided to explore that. So, yes, it is important to have an open mind, but at the same time, we do want to be safe.

My main point with experimenting was not to go try out some unknown and unheard of idea to address a health issue, but to keep an open mind when it comes to trying things that many others have tested and found to be helpful.

There has been some research conducted on many herbs and plant based remedies, some you can find here-- https://nccih.nih.gov/health/herbsataglance.htm

However, you also have to be careful of who is funding the research, and how the research was conducted. Sometimes people will take advantage of those searching for natural remedies, and sell them something that is no different than drinking a glass of water. At the same time, drug companies would like you to believe that only their product works, so they pay for research to "prove" it. Sometimes, the testing that takes place isn't that great, especially for long term consequences.

Different things will work for different people, somethings work for a little while, and some make no difference at all. There are issues with both sides of the fence. All "drugs" have the potential to harm. People have been harmed by both the non-FDA regulated drugs, and the drugs that are "FDA approved". It is not fair to say that only western medicine works, and it is not fair to say that only one of the other various forms of medicine works. That is the point, it all needs to come together.

I see the influence from the pharmaceutical lobby.:roflmao: Pharma lobby derive much of their power through government, particularly through the FDA which decides which drugs are legal and which ones are not. Unfortunately, many of opponents don't understand much how things work in Washington, or the power of the FDA. Too much government control has allowed the pharmaceutical company to develop a healthcare monopoly, by establishing laws that punish all those who do not submit to their approved products.

--There are Top 5 Master's in Holistic Nursing Programs.:yes:

midlevelu.com/blog/top-5-masters-holistic-nursing-programs

There are several clinical researches running now know:

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=herb&Search=Search

Yes. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes, and the unknowing consumers are the ones who pay the biggest price.

Lobbyist influence the approval of the foods we eat, pharmaceutical drugs we use, the products we buy, and so much more. Consumers really have to do research and educate themselves on what they consume and use, and even where they live.

While the FDA and other government agencies have provided some protection, and do offer some benefits, it is not wise to only depend on the FDA(insert government agency) or corporations to tell us what is healthy for us.

There is too much greed and corruption involved in our economy, and societal structure in general, to take anything at face value.

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