Pros And Cons Of Naturopathy
Introduction Naturopathy, by definition is “a system of medicine based on the healing power of nature.” Naturopathic doctors (ND) believe in the natural healing power of body. They strive to understand the mind, body and spirit as a whole. Their healing techniques include; diet changes, the use of herbs, mineral and vitamin supplements, therapeutic exercise, massage, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and minor surgery. The practices of using natural healing remedies have been around forever, but the concept of naturopathy was developed over 2400 years ago by Greek physician Hippocrates. On the other hand, the opposite of naturopathy is conventional medicine. Conventional medicine is defined as “a system in which medical doctors and other
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healthcare professionals (such as nurses, pharmacists, and therapists) treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery.” Conventional medicine is the practice that most people use today. There are a few doctors’ offices and clinics practicing both naturopathic and conventional medicine. The question is: Is it possible that the practice of naturopathy will replace conventional medicine in the future? This paper will attempt to answer that question by exploring the popularity, purposes, and government support of both naturopathic and conventional medicine.
Popularity/Accessibility The uses of natural healing remedies, as stated in the introduction, have been used since man started healing their bodies. Now in the 21st century, the knowledge of natural remedies has vastly grown thanks to technological advances our society has to offer. Although naturopathy has a vast history in being used to heal the body, conventional medicine is the prevailing practice of our society in North America. Naturopathy can be practiced by anyone. Naturopathic doctors, who are licenced as medical providers, are currently able to attain licenses in only 13 states in the Unites States of America. In Canada, naturopathic doctors have different regulations throughout the different provinces in the country. The restrictions determine the freedom the doctor has to perform tasks like requesting medical tests from the lab, prescribing drugs, and having access to IV substances. In Canada, there are a total of 1860 registered Naturopathic Doctors. According to a National Health Interview Survey conducted in 2007, “an estimated 729,000 [American] adults and 237,000 [American] children had used a naturopathic treatment in the previous year.”
Conventional Medicine on the other hand, is practices in all states and provinces.
In Canada, the Medical Council of Canada examines and administers licensed to Medical Doctors. In 1912, when “A uniform system and high standards for physician assessment and practice for all of Canada” was put in place, it was decided, “this system was to be administered by the newly formed Medical Council of Canada.” In 2011, there were 72,529 licensed physicians in Canada.
In general, obtaining conventional medical health care is more accessible. Naturopathic doctors do not yet have all of the qualifications to prescribe drugs, and request tests as Medical Doctors do. There are also significantly more Medical Doctors in Canada than Naturopathic doctors. That is a reason why it is unlikely naturopathy will completely replace conventional …show more content…
medicine.
Purposes Both conventional and naturopathic medicine have one thing in common; their purpose to heal people. The difference between the two is how they heal people. Looking at naturopathic medicine, their methods revolve around their beliefs that the body can heal itself with the aid of natural sources. “Naturopathic doctors are guided by six principles;” “first do no harm”, “the healing power of nature”, “identify and treat the cause”, “treat the whole person”, “doctor as teacher”, and “disease prevention and health promotion”. They use practices such as nutritional medicine and fasting, homeopathy, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, massage, minor surgery, counseling, and stress reduction. The methods of naturopathy suggest that it is better suited in long term healing, disease prevention, and overall health optimization.
Conventional doctors look at the symptoms of a patient, and prescribe drugs, radiation, or surgery to get rid of the symptoms. Patients may even be put on drugs long term to suppress the symptoms from coming back. Conventional medicine is based more around only treating a symptom once it shows up. Doctors will only treat something that could be a problem, once it is a problem. The way Naturopathic doctors approach treating a patient is also different from conventional medical doctors. Naturopathic doctors will treat the root of a problem rather than the symptoms of the patient like conventional doctors. Naturopathic Doctors will also concentrate a lot on the prevention of health issues in their patients, where conventional doctors will only treat a threat once it is a problem. For example, if a naturopathic doctor diagnosis a patient with sleeping problems, they would not just give the patient sleep medication like a conventional doctor may; they would look into the patient’s history, conduct some tests and see that they are low in vitamin D, and vitamin B1; therefore they are low in magnesium because vitamins D and B1 aid in the absorption and preservation of magnesium in the body. Their magnesium deficiency could be why they are stressed and have a sleeping disorder. The doctor may now suggest their patient takes a good magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin B1 supplement, eat foods that are rich in magnesium like kelp and raw almonds, and prevent from participating in magnesium wasteful activities, like eating gluten, cooking your food (that could be eaten raw), and eating refined and genetically modified foods. They would also recommend stress relieving activities like meditating, yoga, and exercise.
Although both Naturopathic and conventional doctors treat their patients differently and have different beliefs, they will work with each other. There are some cases where naturopathic doctors will “refer [their] patients to surgeons, cardiologists, and ERs when it is clear their conditions are beyond [their] scope of training.” Naturopathic Doctors will also use conventional diagnoses methods. Some include X-rays, lab tests, and physical exams, but they will vary rarely use drugs, radiation, and major surgery.
In conclusion, the differences between conventional and naturopathic medicine serve for their different purposes. Naturopathy focuses more on preventing disease and treating patients with the least possible side effects. Conventional medicine focuses on getting rid of the symptoms when they show up, with little care of the side effects. While naturopathy may seem like the more practical health care method, we would still need conventional methods for specialized and emergency care. Therefore, naturopathy may be able to replace conventional methods, since it focuses more on preventing, but we would still need conventional methods for the emergency situations.
Government Support In Canada and the United states, conventional medicine is the standard health care provided and covered by the government and insurance companies.
In Ontario, we have OHIP that covers our basic health care needs, except prescription drugs, home care or long-term care, prescription glasses or dental care (youth under 20 years of age). Naturopathy is also not included in these health care needs. This means that people who which to seek naturopathic care must pay for it out of their pockets. This makes it an inconvenience, and illogical option for those who cannot afford it. Alternatively, standard conventional care is free to Canadians and covered by insurance companies. It is the method most people go to first because it is the most common and well known. In conclusion, because of government support and accessibility, conventional medicine would be the choice over naturopathic medicine. That is a reason why naturopathic medicine would not be able to replace conventional
medicine.
Conclusion To conclude this paper, it is obvious from the material presented in this paper that naturopathic medicine will not be able to replace conventional medicine, especially in the near future. The accessibility of a naturopathic doctor, and financial inconvenience makes is less practical conventional medicine. Although naturopathic medicine may be more effective long term, the government support and second nature of conventional medicine means that the chance of people picking a naturopathic doctor over a medical doctor is slim. The research question has been answered with valid sources and effective citations. Naturopathy will not replace conventional medicine in the future.
healthcare professionals (such as nurses, pharmacists, and therapists) treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery.” Conventional medicine is the practice that most people use today. There are a few doctors’ offices and clinics practicing both naturopathic and conventional medicine. The question is: Is it possible that the practice of naturopathy will replace conventional medicine in the future? This paper will attempt to answer that question by exploring the popularity, purposes, and government support of both naturopathic and conventional medicine.
Popularity/Accessibility The uses of natural healing remedies, as stated in the introduction, have been used since man started healing their bodies. Now in the 21st century, the knowledge of natural remedies has vastly grown thanks to technological advances our society has to offer. Although naturopathy has a vast history in being used to heal the body, conventional medicine is the prevailing practice of our society in North America. Naturopathy can be practiced by anyone. Naturopathic doctors, who are licenced as medical providers, are currently able to attain licenses in only 13 states in the Unites States of America. In Canada, naturopathic doctors have different regulations throughout the different provinces in the country. The restrictions determine the freedom the doctor has to perform tasks like requesting medical tests from the lab, prescribing drugs, and having access to IV substances. In Canada, there are a total of 1860 registered Naturopathic Doctors. According to a National Health Interview Survey conducted in 2007, “an estimated 729,000 [American] adults and 237,000 [American] children had used a naturopathic treatment in the previous year.”
Conventional Medicine on the other hand, is practices in all states and provinces.
In Canada, the Medical Council of Canada examines and administers licensed to Medical Doctors. In 1912, when “A uniform system and high standards for physician assessment and practice for all of Canada” was put in place, it was decided, “this system was to be administered by the newly formed Medical Council of Canada.” In 2011, there were 72,529 licensed physicians in Canada.
In general, obtaining conventional medical health care is more accessible. Naturopathic doctors do not yet have all of the qualifications to prescribe drugs, and request tests as Medical Doctors do. There are also significantly more Medical Doctors in Canada than Naturopathic doctors. That is a reason why it is unlikely naturopathy will completely replace conventional …show more content…
medicine.
Purposes Both conventional and naturopathic medicine have one thing in common; their purpose to heal people. The difference between the two is how they heal people. Looking at naturopathic medicine, their methods revolve around their beliefs that the body can heal itself with the aid of natural sources. “Naturopathic doctors are guided by six principles;” “first do no harm”, “the healing power of nature”, “identify and treat the cause”, “treat the whole person”, “doctor as teacher”, and “disease prevention and health promotion”. They use practices such as nutritional medicine and fasting, homeopathy, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, massage, minor surgery, counseling, and stress reduction. The methods of naturopathy suggest that it is better suited in long term healing, disease prevention, and overall health optimization.
Conventional doctors look at the symptoms of a patient, and prescribe drugs, radiation, or surgery to get rid of the symptoms. Patients may even be put on drugs long term to suppress the symptoms from coming back. Conventional medicine is based more around only treating a symptom once it shows up. Doctors will only treat something that could be a problem, once it is a problem. The way Naturopathic doctors approach treating a patient is also different from conventional medical doctors. Naturopathic doctors will treat the root of a problem rather than the symptoms of the patient like conventional doctors. Naturopathic Doctors will also concentrate a lot on the prevention of health issues in their patients, where conventional doctors will only treat a threat once it is a problem. For example, if a naturopathic doctor diagnosis a patient with sleeping problems, they would not just give the patient sleep medication like a conventional doctor may; they would look into the patient’s history, conduct some tests and see that they are low in vitamin D, and vitamin B1; therefore they are low in magnesium because vitamins D and B1 aid in the absorption and preservation of magnesium in the body. Their magnesium deficiency could be why they are stressed and have a sleeping disorder. The doctor may now suggest their patient takes a good magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin B1 supplement, eat foods that are rich in magnesium like kelp and raw almonds, and prevent from participating in magnesium wasteful activities, like eating gluten, cooking your food (that could be eaten raw), and eating refined and genetically modified foods. They would also recommend stress relieving activities like meditating, yoga, and exercise.
Although both Naturopathic and conventional doctors treat their patients differently and have different beliefs, they will work with each other. There are some cases where naturopathic doctors will “refer [their] patients to surgeons, cardiologists, and ERs when it is clear their conditions are beyond [their] scope of training.” Naturopathic Doctors will also use conventional diagnoses methods. Some include X-rays, lab tests, and physical exams, but they will vary rarely use drugs, radiation, and major surgery.
In conclusion, the differences between conventional and naturopathic medicine serve for their different purposes. Naturopathy focuses more on preventing disease and treating patients with the least possible side effects. Conventional medicine focuses on getting rid of the symptoms when they show up, with little care of the side effects. While naturopathy may seem like the more practical health care method, we would still need conventional methods for specialized and emergency care. Therefore, naturopathy may be able to replace conventional methods, since it focuses more on preventing, but we would still need conventional methods for the emergency situations.
Government Support In Canada and the United states, conventional medicine is the standard health care provided and covered by the government and insurance companies.
In Ontario, we have OHIP that covers our basic health care needs, except prescription drugs, home care or long-term care, prescription glasses or dental care (youth under 20 years of age). Naturopathy is also not included in these health care needs. This means that people who which to seek naturopathic care must pay for it out of their pockets. This makes it an inconvenience, and illogical option for those who cannot afford it. Alternatively, standard conventional care is free to Canadians and covered by insurance companies. It is the method most people go to first because it is the most common and well known. In conclusion, because of government support and accessibility, conventional medicine would be the choice over naturopathic medicine. That is a reason why naturopathic medicine would not be able to replace conventional
medicine.
Conclusion To conclude this paper, it is obvious from the material presented in this paper that naturopathic medicine will not be able to replace conventional medicine, especially in the near future. The accessibility of a naturopathic doctor, and financial inconvenience makes is less practical conventional medicine. Although naturopathic medicine may be more effective long term, the government support and second nature of conventional medicine means that the chance of people picking a naturopathic doctor over a medical doctor is slim. The research question has been answered with valid sources and effective citations. Naturopathy will not replace conventional medicine in the future.