There's one thing they do, a LOT, that you will love. Let me tell a little tale to set this up...
When I was a teenager, my Chronic Irritation had already set
in. Adrenal Fatigue was probably an
issue, but back then, all anyone knew was that I had me some attitude &
hated mornings. Early each day before school, my beautiful mom would sweetly ask a
million questions. How'd you sleep? Want some juice? Have any tests today? Do you need a ride home from rehearsal after
school? Oh. My.
Golfballs. The QUESTIONS! You will never meet a kinder woman, but for
Christmas sake I wanted the questions to stop!
Naturopaths ask
questions. TONS of questions. If you're struggling with symptoms that
seriously affect your life & no one has been able to help you, those
questions are magical. Everyone wants to
feel valued, and when someone asks you about yourself, that's what happens. Imagine feeling that way in a doctor's
office! These days, I love questions.
What do you eat? How
do you sleep? How are your moods (oh boy - do you really wanna know)? Where does it hurt? Where else?
They even ask about your life & health history from years before. Were you breast fed? NDs want to understand all about you before concluding
anything. My own physician, Dr. Birr, says
she likes to ask, "What do you love to do?" Nice.
Aside from the questions, an ND will do the same kind of tests
as an MD, depending on your needs: blood pressure, heart-rate, & blood
tests for example. They are trained to
assess your ears, eyes, & lungs in the same fashion as an MD. Yet it goes deeper because all the questions give them a framework within which they are thinking
about YOU while each test is performed.
They might check other things that make you go
"huh?" in the coolest way.
NDs may check out your tongue, your nails; they might look
at your pupils in the light and the
dark. They could inspect your skin like
a dermatologist even though you never mentioned the odd scaly bumps on
the backs of your arms. There are so
many ways to gather information about the human body and naturopaths USE
them!
As for treatment, it varies.
You may be given vitamins, herbs, plant-based tinctures, or even
pharmaceuticals if really needed. You may be assigned different tasks like
warming socks and castor oil packs to support your body's healing process. You may address personal habits - for instance
we've learned that intensive exercise in the morning is not for me; I'm to ease
into my day more gradually. And I'll
tell you what, it's awesome to have an educated professional tell you what
kind of fish oil or probiotic to take, versus guessing from a million bottles
lined up on a shelf or website.
I have a confession.
I am a full-on test junkie. Over
time, my ND has run some labs that are so new to me after decades of only
seeing MDs. Cortisol tests. Neurotransmitters. Food sensitivity. (Oh peanut butter. Remember the days?) It's oddly fun to get your results! And it's super-satisfying to get to the root-cause
of an issue.
What about naturopaths
that practice in states that do not license them?
I asked Dr. Sarah Axtell of Lakeside Natural Medicine in
Milwaukee, WI. She is licensed in
Oregon, but Wisconsin is not a licensed state yet.
She does much of what her contemporaries can do; she can assess your condition,
order labs, and identify an appropriate treatment plan. In Wisconsin, she is considered more of an
alternative doctor versus a primary care physician. According to Dr. Axtell, "Technically,
I cannot "diagnose" or "treat." I am more advising or counseling
people on how to live a healthier lifestyle. I still use all the tools I learned in school:
herbs, homeopathy, drainage, hydrotherapy." And
while she cannot do certain things like drawing blood, or b-12 injections, she
says: "Most importantly, like any ND, whether in a licensed state or unlicensed state, I am still practicing true to the 6 principles of naturopathic medicine." They are:
- The Healing Power of Nature - respect the body's ability to heal itself
- Identify & Treat the Cause
- First Do No Harm - use the most natural, least invasive and least toxic therapies
- Treat the Whole Person - physical and spiritual
- Doctor as Teacher - educate!
- Prevention - focus on health, wellness, and disease prevention
There you have it. Any
questions? (Get it?)
Coming up... what an appointment is like.
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