Top 5 Reasons to Work With a Naturopathic Doctor

Written by Dr. Ryan Kneessi, ND

1. Personalized care

Your body is unique, so your plan should be too. Naturopathic visits take time to understand your history, symptoms, diet, stress and sleep before recommending changes.

2. Looking for root causes

Instead of only managing symptoms, a naturopathic doctor looks for contributors such as inflammation, blood sugar imbalance, nutrient gaps or gut issues. See leaky gut.

3. Supporting gut health

The gut influences digestion, immunity, mood and energy. Plans often include fiber, fermented foods and, when appropriate, probiotics. See the gut microbiome.

4. Education for lifelong health

You learn how your body works and how food, movement, sleep and stress affect you, so you can keep making good decisions.

5. Natural approaches to hormone balance

Nutrition, blood sugar balance, sleep and stress care support healthy hormone signaling, and targeted therapies may be added when appropriate.

What a naturopathic doctor does not replace

Naturopathic care complements, rather than replaces, your primary care and specialists. In Maryland, naturopathic doctors are licensed, and I coordinate with your other providers.

Functional labs

Functional lab testing is optional and is considered only when it would change the plan. They are never required.

Healthy aging lens

Building steady habits early in nutrition, movement, sleep and stress care is a practical part of healthy aging.

What the research shows

Only a few randomized trials have tested naturopathic care as a whole package, and most were done with Canadian postal workers by the same research group.

In a 2013 trial by Seely and colleagues in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, 246 postal workers aged 25 to 65 with higher heart disease risk were randomly assigned to usual care from their family doctor, or usual care plus seven visits with licensed naturopathic doctors over a year. Those visits included nutrition and lifestyle counseling and, when appropriate, supplements. Of the 207 who finished, the naturopathic group had a lower estimated 10-year cardiovascular risk (7.7 percent versus 10.8 percent) and less metabolic syndrome (32 percent versus 48 percent) at one year. The risk was estimated from a formula rather than counted as actual heart events, participants knew which group they were in, and it is not clear which part of the care made the difference.

In an earlier 2007 trial by Szczurko and colleagues in PLoS One, 75 postal employees with low back pain lasting more than six weeks received either 12 weeks of naturopathic care (dietary counseling, deep breathing relaxation and acupuncture) or a standard physiotherapy education booklet. The naturopathic group reported lower back pain scores on the Oswestry questionnaire, by about 7 points, along with better quality-of-life scores. The trial was small, the comparison was advice from a booklet rather than hands-on physiotherapy, and participants were not blinded.

These trials suggest that structured nutrition and lifestyle counseling can be useful alongside usual medical care, but they do not predict results for any one person.

When to see a naturopathic doctor

It may be time to see a naturopathic doctor if your symptoms are ongoing, worsening or affecting daily life, or if you take medications or have a chronic condition and are considering supplements. The same is true if you want a personalized, root-cause plan, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

See a medical provider promptly for chest pain, trouble breathing, severe abdominal pain, high fever, or signs of an allergic reaction.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Seely D, Szczurko O, Cooley K, et al. Naturopathic medicine for the prevention of cardiovascular disease: a randomized clinical trial. CMAJ 2013. PMID: 23630244. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23630244/
• Szczurko O, Cooley K, Busse JW, et al. Naturopathic care for chronic low back pain: a randomized trial. PLoS One 2007. PMID: 17878954. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17878954/
• NCCIH: Naturopathy
• MedlinePlus: Nutrition

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It does not replace an individual evaluation. Talk with your healthcare provider before starting supplements or changing medications, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or managing a health condition.