What is Naturopathic Medicine?
Naturopathic medicine focuses on individualized care, wellness and prevention of disease. Naturopathic doctors integrate standard diagnostics such as lab evaluation, along with traditional forms of diagnosis to get to the root cause of illness. Naturopathic medicine is an important part of integrative care and can be used alongside conventional medicine, as well as on its own.
Naturopathic medicine supports the body's own ability to heal through various treatments and prevention such as acupuncture, botanical medicine, physical medicine, clinical nutrition, homeopathy and lifestyle counseling.
What Conditions do Naturopathic physicians treat?
Naturopathic Physicians manage a wide variety of conditions including:
- Digestive complaints such as GERD, IBS, IBD, constipation, food intolerances
- Depression and anxiety
- Metabolic disorders such as Type 2 Diabetes
- Pain management
- Stress management
- Cardiovascular diseases such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure
- Allergies, asthma, colds and flus
- Chronic disease such as fibromyalgia
- Hormone dysregulation such as acne, menstrual concerns and infertility
Is naturopathic medicine covered under msp or extended health?
A portion of naturopathic care may be covered under MSP if you have Premium Assistance from BC Medical Services plan. Naturopathic medical care is covered by most extended medical plans, contact your provider for more details.
What training do naturopathic doctors have?
Naturopathic doctors are highly educated. Students require a university undergraduate program including extensive science courses in order to be accepted to a Naturopathic Medical Program which is a four-year full-time program. The naturopathic medical program includes basic medical sciences, naturopathic principles and therapeutics and 1200 hours of supervised clinical experience. Graduates of the program must pass two sets of provincial licensing board exams and maintain ongoing continuing education.