852 Fort Street
Suite 304
Victoria, B.C.
V8W 1H8
Tel.(250) 590-7809
Fax (250) 590-7810

About Naturopathic Medicine
What is Naturopathic Medicine?

What education and training do Naturopathic doctors have?

How are Naturopathic doctors regulated?

Why would someone go to a naturopathic doctor?

What is the difference between naturopathy and homeopathy?

Why would I see a naturopathic doctor when I can get good advice about natural products from my health food store?

Do you work with other health care professionals?

What conditions do you treat?

What is Naturopathic Medicine?


Naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of healthcare that addresses the root cause of illness and promotes health and healing using natural therapies. The focus of naturopathic medicine is on optimizing health and well-being through individualized patient care and public education.

Naturopathic medicine involves therapies which are gentle, non-invasive, and designed to support the body’s own healing mechanisms. These therapies include: clinical nutrition, homeopathy, acupuncture, botanical (herbal) medicine, physical medicine, and lifestyle counseling.
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What education and training do Naturopathic doctors have?


Naturopathic physicians have a minimum of 7 years of post-secondary education including:

• At least 3 years of university including prerequisites in biology, psychology, English, general chemistry, organic chemistry and biochemistry. Most naturopathic physicians have an undergraduate degree.

• Four years of naturopathic medical education from one of six recognized schools in North America. These schools are carefully regulated to ensure a high quality, standardized education. The education required to become a licensed naturopathic doctor is rigorous and includes four intense years of theoretical learning and clinical training. Upon completion of this education, naturopathic physicians are qualified to work as primary care physicians.
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How are Naturopathic doctors regulated?


To be licensed to practice naturopathic medicine in BC you must:
• Have completed at least 3 years of liberal arts or sciences at a university.

• Have graduated from a recognized naturopathic medicine education program. There are currently four schools in the United States and two in Canada.

• Have successfully completed rigorous professional board exams, both written and oral.

• Have your application accepted by the College of Naturopathic Physicians of British Columbia (CNPBC).
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Why would someone go to a naturopathic doctor?


Naturopathic doctors are unique in health care because their training combines conventional medical sciences and diagnostic tools with a broad scope of therapies. The ability to integrate different philosophies and practices gives us many tools to work with. This allows greater flexibility and creativity when approaching complex subjects like health and disease.

Common reasons people visit a naturopathic doctor:
• they experience a major health crisis and want to explore their treatment options

• they are fed up with being sick or in pain

• they are overwhelmed by the growing mountain of health products they think they should be taking and want a professional to help them prioritize

• they want a comprehensive disease prevention program

• they choose to have a naturopathic doctor as their family doctor
We encourage people to see an ND before their health is in crisis. Minor health problems are symptoms of imbalance - a warning sign from your body that it is not functioning as well as it could be. The earlier you address a health concern, the easier it is to treat.
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What is the difference between naturopathy and homeopathy?


Homeopathy is a specific system of medicine that uses diluted potencies of natural substances to stimulate the body to heal itself. Naturopathy is a medical practice that integrates a wide variety of therapies, including homeopathy, to treat the cause of an individual’s symptoms.
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Why would I see a naturopathic doctor when I can get good advice about natural products from my health food store?


Naturopathic doctors are primary care physicians. This means they base recommendations on a diagnosis or probable cause of a problem, rather than symptoms. For example, fatigue can be caused by hundreds of different factors – from sleep disturbance to anemia to cancer. A naturopathic doctor considers medical history, physical exams and appropriate laboratory testing in their assessment to determine what treatment will be the most appropriate, safe and effective. Treatments are individualized and take into account your whole history. A further benefit of consulting a naturopathic doctor is that your response to therapies are monitored and adjusted as needed.
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Do you work with other health care professionals?


Quality health care involves teamwork and communication. We refer patients to other professionals when necessary and we are happy to work with your other health care providers at your request. Because naturopathic medicine has so many tools, your treatment can be individualized to complement other therapies you may be receiving. An example of complementary medicine is pre and post surgical support to help reduce your chance of complications and help you heal faster.

It is important to recognize that all systems of medicine have their strengths and weaknesses. During a life-threatening event, like a major trauma or meningitis, there is no question that conventional medicine has powerful tools and resources that will save your life. Specialists like oncologists, endocrinologists or gynecologists, have a focused body of knowledge that allows them to be experts in a specific area of medicine. Similarly, Chiropractors and Physiotherapists, are all trained to be experts in their chosen philosophy and therapy. Naturopathic doctors are trained to be primary care doctors that can integrate a number of different philosophies and therapies. By understanding both conventional and alternative treatments, we can help our patients combine the best of both worlds.
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What conditions do you treat?


We treat people rather than conditions. There is no set treatment protocol or magic supplement that will cure all IBS, osteoarthritis or cancer because everyone is an individual with different factors that need to be addressed. The therapies we choose are targeted at removing a person’s unique obstructions to healing and adding things that promote optimal health. This treatment approach can be applied to anyone who would like to improve his or her health.
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