Naturopathic Medicine
Combining the gifts of nature and science to restore your health.
Individualized Care
Whole-Person Wellness
Rooted in Science
What Is Naturopathic Medicine?
You’ve probably heard of a naturopathic doctor before, but what exactly do they do? How are they different from traditional medical doctors?
Naturopathic medicine is a specialized healthcare field that combines the rigors of modern science with the time-tested wisdom of nature.
Naturopathic doctors focus on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease by stimulating and supporting the body's natural healing mechanisms.
In the state of Washington, naturopathic physicians are licensed as primary health care providers.
They attend 4-5 years of accredited medical school, including a two-year internship. And they’re educated in all the same basic sciences as a traditional medical doctor (M.D.). Like M.D.s, naturopathic doctors must pass rigorous professional board exams before being licensed to practice in their state.
The Naturopathic Philosophy
One key difference in naturopathic medicine is the philosophy of care. Naturopathic physicians diagnose and treat patients with acute and chronic illness. But their focus is on whole-patient wellness through prevention and health optimization. Naturopathic medicine looks at the big picture of how everything in your body is related.
Naturopathic doctors address the causes of disease holistically, taking into account your body, mind, and spirit. They provide individualized treatments that balance the most effective with the least harmful methods.
The ultimate goal is always to help restore your body’s innate ability to heal.
Naturopathic physicians view their role as facilitating the healing process by identifying and removing barriers to health.
At Holistic Healing Arts, this is our mission.
By identifying and removing barriers to health – like chronic infections, nutrient deficiencies, and environmental toxins – we allow the body to do its natural job of healing and repair.
What’s the Difference Between a Naturopathic Doctor and a Naturopath?
Sometimes you’ll hear “naturopathic doctor” and “naturopath” used interchangeably. But they’re actually two very different professions. HHA physicians are all naturopathic doctors and are licensed medical providers in the state of Washington.
Licensed ND/NMD
Primary care physician trained to diagnose and treat acute and chronic illness.
More than 4,100 hours of formal instruction through medical schools accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME).
1,200 hours of supervised, hands-on clinical training.
Can work in group or private practice, hospitals, clinics, integrative oncology clinics, medical schools, and some governmental organizations.
Naturopath
Can serve as health coach or consultant but cannot diagnose or treat illness.
Classes are mostly offered online. No standard curriculum and not accredited by CNME.
No standardized, on-site clinical training.
Not eligible to be licensed in the U.S.
Naturopathic Physicians’ Scope of Practice
In Washington state, licensed naturopathic physicians:
CAN prescribe many pharmaceutical drugs, like antibiotics and testosterone
CAN administer IV (intravenous) therapy and injections.
CAN perform minor surgical procedures in-office. But will refer patients to other physicians for more extensive procedures.
CANNOT prescribe all scheduled pharmaceutical drugs that a medical doctor (M.D.) can prescribe (like painkillers).
The Six Principles of Naturopathic Medicine
There are six guiding principles of naturopathic medicine that unite all NDs across the world. These principles are:
First, do no harm.
All doctors seek to care for and improve the human condition. Naturopathic doctors approach care by using the most natural, least toxic, and least invasive therapies possible to achieve results. If a patient’s condition is outside of their level of skill, naturopathic doctors will refer to another physician.
The healing power of nature.
The natural world offers us many tools to assist in the healing process. Naturopathic doctors recognize the value of natural substances. They also value a healthy natural environment as a necessary foundation to good health. Finally, naturopathic doctors recognize the human body’s innate wisdom to repair and heal itself.
Identify and treat the causes.
Naturopathic doctors focus on the causes of illness. While there are times when suppressing symptoms is useful, most patients will benefit from identifying the underlying causes and removing the obstacles to healing.
Doctor as teacher.
Naturopathic doctors prioritize patient education. NDs want their patients to understand what it takes to get well and stay well. Through a trust-based relationship, patients learn the steps they can take to achieve and maintain a higher level of health.
Treat the whole person.
Naturopathic doctors understand the interconnectedness of your body, mind, and spirit. They also understand that you are affected by your environment and lifestyle. Through a whole-person approach to health, NDs focus on restoring balance and health to their patients’ lives.
Focus on prevention.
Naturopathic doctors believe that it’s better to prevent illness before it ever starts. By approaching health comprehensively, NDs locate areas of imbalance within your body and whenever possible, address these imbalances before they become full-blown disease.
What Treatments Do Naturopathic Doctors Use?
Naturopathic doctors have a “toolkit” of treatments they use to help improve their patients’ health, including:
Diet and clinical nutrition
Herbal medicine
Physical manipulation
Homeopathy
Vitamin, mineral, and amino acid supplementation
IV therapy
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT)
Pharmaceuticals
Minor surgery
How Is Holistic Healing Arts Different Than Other Naturopathic Medical Practices?
At Holistic Healing Arts, we go beyond what most naturopathic physicians do. Since we specialize in complex chronic illness, we use many cutting-edge therapies we’ve found extremely useful in treating these illnesses – like Lyme disease, autoimmune disease, and environmental illness. These include:
Low-dose allergen immunotherapy (LDA/LDI)
Peptide therapy
We have extensive experience treating both chronic illness and more common issues like allergies, pain, and hormone imbalance. And we’ve helped hundreds of people in Seattle and across the country achieve renewed health and vitality.
We’d love to help you, too.
