Let’s start with the basics. A Doctor of Natural Medicine is a practitioner of traditional natural medicine—a system of primary health care focused on the treatment and prevention of illness using the healing powers of nature.

Natural Medicine doctors treat holistically by looking at each patient as a whole person, rather than only focusing on one specific symptom, disease or diagnosis. This means considering all the factors that comprise a person’s overall health, including a combination of genetics, environmental exposures, lifestyle habits, diet, exercise history and social/emotional factors. The ultimate goal of natural health care is restoring balance in the body to support its natural healing process.

At its core, traditional naturopathic medicine is distinguished by six underlying principles:

1. First, Do No Harm: Use the most natural, least invasive and least toxic therapies.
2. The Healing Power of Nature: Trust in the body’s inherent wisdom to heal itself.
3. Identify and Treat the Causes: Look beyond the symptoms to the underlying cause.
4. Doctor as Teacher: Educate patients about the steps to achieving and maintaining health.
5. Treat the Whole Person: View the body as an integrated whole in all its physical and spiritual dimensions.
6. Prevention: Focus on overall health, wellness and disease prevention.