Naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of primary health care; an art, science, philosophy and practice of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of illness. Naturopathic medicine uses protocols intended to optimize the health and wellness of patients by using the least invasive therapies necessary to restore health. Naturopathic physicians combine years of knowledge of standard medical practice, diagnostics tools, and pharmacology with an expert understanding of natural therapeutics. Practitioners specialize in using various forms of modern, traditional, scientific and empirical methods of natural medicine to address the root cause of illness and stimulate the built-in mechanism of the body that is designed to self-repair.
Optimizing the health and wellness of patients is the most important thing for naturopathic doctors, therefore it is sometimes necessary to work in conjunction with the care you receive from a MD and not replace it. Currently 22 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States territories of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands have licensing or regulation laws for naturopathic doctors. In these states, naturopathic doctors are required to graduate from an accredited four-year residential naturopathic medical school and pass an extensive postdoctoral board examination (NPLEX) in order to receive a license. Presently, Georgia is not one of those states that license naturopathic doctors; because Georgia is not a regulated state for naturopaths, some herbalist refer to themselves as naturopathic doctors, therefore it may be important for consumers to inquire about educational/clinical training when selecting the right practitioner for your healthcare needs. Dr. Houston holds a Naturopathic Physician license for the District of Columbia but will continue to practice in Georgia indefinitely.
The Healing Power of Nature: Naturopathic medicine recognizes a built-in self-healing mechanism in the body that is ordered and intelligent. Naturopathic physicians act to identify and remove obstacles to healing and recovery, and to facilitate and augment this built-in self-repair process.
Identify and Treat the Causes: The naturopathic physician seeks to identify and remove the underlying causes of illness rather than to merely eliminate or suppress symptoms.
First Do No Harm: Naturopathic physicians follow three guidelines to avoid harming the patient:
Doctor as Teacher: Naturopathic physicians educate their patients and encourage self-responsibility for health. They also recognize and employ the therapeutic potential of the doctor-patient relationship.
Treat the Whole Person: Naturopathic physicians treat each patient by taking into account individual physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, and other factors. Since total health also includes spiritual health, naturopathic physicians encourage individuals to pursue their personal spiritual development.
Prevention: Naturopathic physicians emphasize the prevention of disease by assessing risk factors, heredity and susceptibility to disease, and by making appropriate interventions in partnership with their patients to prevent illness.
Naturopathic medicine can be used as a stand-alone treatment in wellness care or it can also be used in conjunction with conventional care to increase the efficacy of those prescriptions. The therapies used here at Journey of Wellness have been proven to be both safe and effective in improving a broad range of health conditions without the added inconveniences of disturbing side effects and diminished quality of life. When determining what the best methods are to enhance a patient’s health and vitality we first consider the patient at hand, therefore creating a specialized plan for each patient is necessary.
