It is the goal of a Naturopathic Doctor to bring the patient past their chronic conditions to a point where preventative maintenance is their only requirement. The individual will ideally be in a state of optimal health; with mental, emotional and physical balance. Naturopathic Doctors can actually treat most conditions as their philosophy is to treat the whole person, not the disease. Exclusions would be some acute conditions such as appendicitis that require immediate surgery.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How Does Naturopathic Medicine relate to Western medicine?
• How are Naturopaths Trained/ Educated
• Can I see an Naturopathic Doctor even if I’m not sick?
• What can I expect when I see a Naturopathic Doctor (& How much does it Cost)?

Principles of Naturopathic Medicine

• First Do No Harm
• Identify and Treat the Cause
• The Doctor as Teacher
• To Co-operate with the Healing Power of Nature
• To Treat the Whole Person through Individualized Treatment
• To Practice Preventative Medicine

How Does Naturopathic Medicine relate to Western medicine?

A Naturopathic Doctor is trained in the diagnostic medical sciences and speaks the same ‘language’ as your Medical Doctor. They can work with your Medical Doctor to ensure you have well-rounded healthcare. Naturopathic Medicine works to cover any gaps in healthcare you might be experiencing with the conventional medical system. Your Naturopathic Doctor can review any lab work you have had and at times suggest other lab tests that are deemed necessary. Being treated by a Naturopathic Doctor does not mean you have to stop seeing your MD or suddenly stop taking your prescription medications. Ideally the two forms of healthcare work together to ensure the most protection for the patient. As your condition improves it is the goal of a Naturopathic Doctor to help you to gradually decrease the dosage of the prescription drugs where possible, given that these strong drugs affect other pathways in the body and are usually accompanied by side-effects.

How are Naturopaths Trained/ Educated

Naturopathic Doctors must attend a Four-year program at an accredited college such as the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) after a minimum of three years of University education with medical science prerequisites.
Naturopathic Students must pass

• 2 sets of North American standardized licensing exams called NPLEX.
• 1 provincially regulated oral exam
• 1 provincially regulated written exam

To become a Naturopathic Doctor a minimum of seven years of post-graduate education is required.
The four-year program includes

• 2 years of medical sciences.
• 3 years of natural therapies, or modalities, such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, homeopathy, counseling, massage therapy, physical therapy and hydrotherapy.
• 1 year of supervised clinical training.

Naturopathic Doctors are regarded as the general practitioners of alternative medicine and have a wide knowledge base. Your Naturopathic Doctor will be able to recognize and advise you should you require the services of other health professionals and make you aware of additional therapies that would be of benefit to you.

Can I see an ND even if I’m not sick?

You can most definitely see a Naturopathic Doctor even if you don’t have a major illness. The focus will then be on dealing with the minor health concerns you have at present in order to prevent them from becoming a cause of concern later on. The Naturopathic Doctor will also optimize your diet and lifestyle to ensure future health and well-being. Naturopathic Doctors specialize in preventative medicine.

What can I expect when I see a Naturopathic Doctor?

1) Consultation (45 minutes): $65.00

After filling out a detailed health questionnaire you will have a consultation with the Naturopathic Doctor in order for them to get a good idea of the status of your health. Your past medical history will also be reviewed. The Naturopathic Doctor then outlines for you the treatment options available to you given the totality of your symptoms. The goal of treatment will be to bring about a lasting improvement in your overall health rather than a temporary relief of your chief complaint.

2) Adults: Initial Visit (60 minutes): $120.00,

Children (under12): Initial Visit (45 minutes): $75.00

This visit is longer and includes a half-hour physical exam. If necessary you will be further questioned and a detailed treatment plan, based on the previous consultation, will be presented to you and discussed. This includes an estimated timeline, given of course that as treatment progresses changes may be made. This visit will also include treatment.

3) Follow-up Visits (30 minutes): $65.00

(45 minutes): $75.00

(60 minutes): $90.00

(15 minutes): $35.00 (This shorter follow-up visit is mainly used with children)

The number of follow-up treatments will be based on the treatment modality. For hands-on therapies such as acupuncture or Bowen therapy, which can be used to treat conditions of chronic muscular pain, a minimum of 5 weekly treatments are usually required. Whereas for Homeopathy, Nutritional counseling or Herbal therapies, which require the treatment to be carried out by the patient, consultations can be monthly or even every three months.

Principles of Naturopathic Medicine

To understand the treatment a Naturopathic Doctor implements, it is important to know the principles that form the foundation, education and practice of Naturopathic Medicine.

First Do No Harm

Naturopathic Doctors use gentle and non-invasive techniques ensuring maximum results without aggravations or side-effects. In many cases, Naturopathic Medicine provides safe alternatives to prescription drugs. It is advisable to be on minimal prescribed drugs long-term as their side-effects can have a major impact on the body. Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide safe and effective therapies to their patients. They consider the whole person and aim their treatment at improving the overall health of the individual as well as the conditions that they suffer from.

Identify and Treat the Cause

A key difference from conventional medicine is that Naturopathic Doctors work to find the root cause of any condition and treat it to bring about a recovery. Masking the symptoms of the condition may work temporarily but the underlying susceptibility never goes away. Treating the root is more likely to bring long-term relief. The disease condition can be thought of as a weed- you can cut off its flowers or remove some of its leaves, but it will keep popping up every year until you remove it by the roots. When we treat using this philosophy, there is a progression towards health and overall results long-term are undoubtedly worth the effort.

The Doctor as Teacher

The role of a Naturopathic Doctor is to educate the patient in order to empower them. Ultimately when you take responsibility for your own health you are better able to make the beneficial choices that will lead to a lifetime of good health. You yourself are the most valuable resource on this path to optimal health.
A Naturopathic Doctor acts as a coach, encouraging you to be an advocate for yourself and your health. You are a participant in the achievement of your own health rather than a passive recipient. As you do positive things for your body it will become easier to continue. The desire becomes stronger to strengthen and feed your body using the proper nutrients rather than decreasing your vitality by eating unhealthy foods and having unhealthy lifestyle habits. As time goes on you will notice that your health and vitality have improved.

To Co-operate with the Healing Power of Nature

This involves using the natural therapies that nature provides us in the form of a multitude of medicinal trees, herbs, seeds and roots. The healing force that these medicines provide allows us to gently and therapeutically come back into balance without producing unwanted side-effects. This powerful force of healing is found in every living thing including ourselves. It is this force that we have to tap into to allow the body to go about what it naturally wants to do: to heal itself. Once you start to work with the innate intelligence of the body rather than suppressing it, the road to recovery is much easier. Profound results are achieved once the vitality of the organism is strengthened and impeding factors, such as an unhealthy diet and lifestyle choices, are removed.

ToTreat the Whole Person through Individualized Treatment

A Naturopathic Doctor treats the whole person rather than a disease condition. Therefore, not only is the physical condition addressed, but also the mental and emotional states as all factors are interconnected. There should be improvement at the mental, emotional and physical levels as treatment progresses. As you treat one aspect, other aspects are also affected.

To Practice Preventative Medicine

A major focus of Naturopathic Doctors is the role of prevention in health. By developing good lifestyle habits future disease can be prevented. The stronger the foundation you build today, the easier any arising disease can be treated. A Naturopathic Doctor focuses on bringing the patient to a state of optimal health and then encourages maintenance of this state through a healthy diet and lifestyle. This is an emphasis on being proactive rather than waiting for chronic disease to arise. Today, many of the health issues occurring in the mid-life years are sadly preventable. A naturopath’s role is to spot minor signs or habits that would pose a problem and address them today. This is true healthcare- taking care of your health. Rather than the conventional healthcare system where you are treated once a disease arises. This should really be called ‘disease-care’. There is a lot of merit in the saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. This is also true monetarily. The money you spend now will save you spending more on expensive drugs and hospitalization in the future.