Demystifying Holistic Medicine

People are interested in Naturopathic Medicine, but they do not always know the right questions to ask, or maybe, they do not know what they are buying into.  Alternatively, they may not know what it required as far as money, lifestyle changes, and the efficacy of the program.  The whole process can be quite mysterious, as it is outside what we normally experience in medical care.  Let’s discuss some common questions, and see what the true answers are.

Do Holistic Clinics take insurance?  No, we don’t.  We do not because the federal government does not recognize holistic health care as a viable model.  The structure of our health care system is based on a Collection of symptoms + Disease label = drug prescription.  Insurance companies are in the business of helping you pay for disease care using prescriptions and medical providers who practice allopathic medicine.

The National Cancer Institute defines allopathy as:  A system in which medical doctors and other healthcare professionals (such as nurses, pharmacists, and therapists) treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery.  Also called biomedicine, conventional medicine, mainstream medicine, orthodox medicine, and Western medicine.

Holistic practitioners are not in the business of treating a symptom.  We have a different set of tools that can look at the cause of the symptom.   A Naturopath will help the body recover from the cause of the symptom, and the symptom will disappear.

• Many people think that they cannot afford the costs of visiting a naturopath because insurance does not cover it.  They are hesitant to spend ‘their own money’ when they can spend the ‘insurance’ money with orthodox medicine.  This is a valid concern.  However, you need to ask yourself if suppressing a symptom (which is what prescription medicines do) is the right way to maintain or regain your health.  Suppressing a symptom does not change the condition of the body.  The symptom may go away and you may feel better, but the disease process has not been addressed.  This approach is somewhat akin to driving your car, seeing a ‘service engine’ light come on, and then going into the garage and asking the mechanic to turn off that light.  The mechanic can turn off the fuse for that warning light, but the underlying problem has not been addressed.  This is what happens with allopathic medicine.  The warning symptom is turned off, but the cause of the malady is not addressed.

College of International Holistic Studies Blog

• One of the questions I often hear, is how can I be sure this will work? There are no guarantees in life.  However, the grand design of the body has not changed since the dawn of time.  The body is a survival organism.  We were designed to eat good food, work good work, sleep good sleep, and repeat…   The body is designed to repair itself and to regenerate its parts in a circadian rhythm.  When we mess with those rhythms, we do damage to the repair cycle.  However, if you give the body good nutrition in the form of good whole foods, clean, plant based supplements and vitamins, and then the body will begin and complete the repair process.  The repair process is not an overnight occurrence.  It can take 30-90 days to see a significant change.  However, we have many people who start feeling better within a day or two.  The finished work of healing takes many more days/weeks.
• Another question we hear is that people are concerned about the changes a naturopath will recommend. These changes are dietary, lifestyle and environmental.  These changes must start with education.  People do what they do because they do not know any better, or they do not know that what they are doing is hurting them.  Education is key.  If I can explain the wisdom of the desired changes, then you, as a consumer will see the benefit and will be motivate to change.  In our practice, we actively engage our clientele so that they can understand and cooperate with the changes that we want to make.    This education also dispels some false information.  Many times, in a consultation, people will be amazed at what they thought was truth is just something that is propagated on Social Media, with no fact behind it.
• The other most asked question is, “When will I start to feel better?” There is no magic answer.  The ‘official’ answer is “It depends on how long it takes your body to start to recover, “which in my opinion is not a good answer at all.  It is a TRUE answer, but it does not answer the emotion behind the question.  The emotion behind the question is one of hope.  People want to know when they will feel better.  While there is no absolute answer, there are several determining factors:
  1. Is the patient compliant? Is there the commitment to follow the unique protocol in all of its particulars and on the specified time-line?
  2. Are the products at a high level of therapeutic value? This means is there enough of each ingredient at a high enough vibrational frequency to effect a change in the body?  Not all supplements are created equal.  Many are full of fillers and contaminants.  This is especially true of low-cost supplements.
  3. Does the practitioner have sufficient knowledge and a track record of success and clinical results? This means that there are satisfied clients who will testify that they have been working with the practitioner and the practitioner has helped them overcome their health challenges.  There should be clinical proof in the form of changed blood work.
  4. How long has the body been in a diseased/dysfunctional/depressed state? If the health concerns are long standing, it will take a bit longer to see improvement.  If the concerns are fairly recent, then you should see the body recover more quickly.

I hope that I have demystified the visit to a holistic practitioner.  If you have any questions that I have not addressed, please let me know.

Until next time,

Dr. Polly