What exactly does a naturopathic doctor do? What is it like to work with one? This article will paint a picture of what it is like to work together.

Understanding Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of primary health care that emphasizes prevention and self-healing. It focuses on foundational healthcare practices first such as fine-tuning dietary, lifestyle, and botanical supports before seeking greater interventions such as medications and surgeries, where appropriate. Naturopathic medicine seeks to enhance the body's inherent ability to restore and maintain optimal health. A naturopathic doctor uses many different therapeutic tools such as nutrition, botanical/herbal medicine, physical medicine, and lifestyle counseling to treat their patients.

Working with a naturopathic doctor can also help you learn to better advocate for yourself inside of the conventional visits that you have with your primary care providers. As you learn about what may best serve your health, your naturopathic doctor can also help you learn to navigate conventional care system with more skill and efficacy.

The Role of a Naturopathic Doctor

A naturopathic doctor is trained to diagnose and treat the breadth of various health conditions just like conventional doctors. However, while their training includes reviewing medications and pharmaceutical prescriptions, it also includes in-depth studies of nutritional therapies. And, overall their approach is different. They focus on identifying the underlying causes of disease rather than merely treating symptoms. This holistic approach allows them to address multiple aspects of a patient's life that may be contributing to their illness.

An ND's role involves conducting detailed patient histories, performing physical examinations, ordering laboratory tests as necessary, and creating personalized treatment plans. They also educate patients about their health condition and how they can manage it through lifestyle changes.

The Shift to the Virtual Space

Many naturopathic doctors offer virtual consultations. This shift has made it possible for patients to access these services conveniently.

How Does a Virtual Naturopathic Doctor Work?

Here's a typical process:

1. Initial Consultation: This is the first step where you discuss your health history, concerns, and goals with your naturopathic doctor. You may also wish to share relevant past medical history records in advance of your initial consultation so that your doctor can include this in their assessment of your care. Your Initial Consultation can be done through video conferencing or over the phone. A typical Initial Consultation with a naturopathic doctor is between 75-90 minutes while an initial visit with a conventional primary care doctor is usually less than 30 minutes.

2. Clarifying Your Patterns & Diagnosing: Based on your symptoms and health history, your naturopathic doctor may order additional lab tests to clarify their understanding of your condition. These tests can be done at local labs or they may be routed through your primary care providers. In some cases, test kits can be drop shipped to your mailing address for at-home testing. Results are reviewed and interpreted by your naturopathic doctor.

3. Treatment Planning: Your naturopathic doctor develops a treatment plan tailored to your specific goals, habits, and preferences. Your treatment plan is meant to address not only your symptoms but also their root cause. This plan could include therapeutic shifts to your diet/nourishment habits, changes in supplements, nutrients, and botanical therapies, personalized movement/exercise recommendations, and specific stress management techniques.

4. Follow-up Care: You are encouraged to schedule follow-up appointments at the timing and frequency that best supports your continued improvements. Follow-up appointments help you and your naturopathic doctor monitor your progress and adjust the treatment plan as necessary. Some patients benefit from checking in every 6 weeks at first; others only need one or two visits a year to stay connected to their overall health plan.

Benefits of Consulting with a Virtual Naturopathic Doctor

Consulting with a virtual naturopathic doctor comes with several benefits:

• Convenience: You can consult from anywhere without having to travel or take time off work.

• Flexibility: Appointments can be scheduled at times that suit you.

• Personalized care: Just like in-person consultations, virtual consultations offer personalized care tailored to your unique needs.

• Self-Advocacy: Rather than side effects we are familiar with from conventional medicine, working with a naturopathic doctor is full of 'side benefits'. Many patients learn more about their bodies and how to better support their health in ways that have cumulative, lifelong effects.

Naturopathic Medicine is Foundational Care, not Alternative Care

Rather than considering naturopathic medicine as 'alternative' it may be more accurate to think of the work that you do with your naturopathic doctor as 'foundational': for some reason certain aspects of healthcare have been gradually exiled from the conventional care paradigm, and yet they are so important to our overall wellbeing. For more about the additional benefits of enlisting naturopathic medicine, check here.

Look for Licensure

Whether you're dealing with chronic illness or simply want to improve your overall health, consulting with a virtual naturopathic doctor could be an excellent option for you.

As a profession, naturopathic doctors are working to gain further political inclusion, recognition of our discipline in the healthcare marketplace, and insurance coverage in the state of Minnesota. In the meantime, it can be confusing to find the right practitioner for you. So, remember to always to choose a naturopathic doctor who has undergone rigorous graduate and post-graduate level training (four-year medical school programs and board exams). This helps ensure that you will receive safe, high-quality, and knowledgeable care.