The Naturopathic Doctor

Have you ever heard of this type of doctor, maybe you have a vague idea or perhaps you have or are seeing one currently? As a naturopathic doctor, one of the most common questions I come across is “What is a naturopathic doctor?” I usually have the opportunity to only give a brief explanation and it has nothing to do with “we use natural stuff instead of pharmaceuticals”.

A naturopathic doctor follows a fundamentally different philosophy than medical doctors. Naturopathic doctors look at the cause of illness and how the body needs to be supported to overcome it rather than using therapies aimed at suppressing the symptoms of illness such as pharmaceuticals, surgery and radiation. Suppressing symptoms results when the body is prevented from going through its natural healing process (more on this in the next month’s article, “What is disease?”)

A comparison of the two health philosophies between medical and naturopathic doctors can be summed up in these two statements:

Medical doctors believe that we are a mass of physical matter that somewhere along the way is going to break down, get dented like a bumper, only we call it disease, and you have to go in and have somebody bang out the bumper through some physical means – today, primarily drugs, radiation and surgery. This belief follows a disease-based system, a system focus on treating symptoms of disease.

Naturopathic doctors believe that the human being is a self-developing, self-repairing, self-healing, self-maintaining mechanism that was born with the ability to be whole and healthy and functioning, and has all the resources to survive in its environment. The belief is that the body is the greatest healing tool and therapies are centered on restoring health in order to overcome illnesses.

It is your choice how to live your life, and it starts with your values and at the most basic level, your health. The naturopathic doctor offers a choice; I offer supportive therapies to restore health so your body is able to overcome the underlying cause of illness!

Dr. Derek Cook