7 Conditions Naturopathic Medicine Can Help
Few conditions exist independently, and most illnesses cause vague symptoms such as inflammation, fatigue, and chronic pain. In functional medicine, your Naturopath takes a holistic approach to your health issues, uncovering the root cause of your condition and providing customized wellness programs. Naturopaths address the same illnesses as conventional doctors, from depression to diabetes. Here are 7 conditions naturopathic medicine can get to the root of.
1. Metabolic Conditions
Because functional medicine treats the entire body, naturopaths are best choice for chronic metabolic conditions, including:
Diabetes
Mitochondrial disorders
High cholesterol
Genetics, organ dysfunction, and environmental triggers can cause these chronic conditions. Your naturopathic physician will identify the causes of the illness and create a wellness program and action plan that may include natural medications, customized dietary goals, and lifestyle changes. Masking these conditions with pharmaceuticals may manage symptoms, however the only way to heal from them is to address the underlying imbalances causing the problem.
2. Chronic Pain
Per a 2019 National Health Interview Survey, more than 50 million adults suffer chronic pain daily. Hip, back, foot, and knee pain are the most commonly reported among these patients.
Chronic pain is the result of underlying imbalances causing conditions such as arthritis or fibromyalgia. Conventional doctors may offer medications to treat the pain, but naturopathic physicians seek the underlying causes. A holistic approach allows practitioners to identify and address your chronic pain's effects on your overall health, including insomnia, anxiety, and depression.
Most pain stems from chronic inflammation. Conventional medications like NSAIDs have a role in treating the symptoms of pain, however they are not a sustainable solution because of all their detrimental side effects to your overall health. Instead your Naturopath would like to help you cut the inflammation off at the source by helping you identify where its coming from and then heal these imbalances in your body.
3. Nutritional Imbalances
Naturopathic medicine’s whole-body approach can uncover conditions caused by nutritional imbalances. These conditions include digestive disorders, food allergies, prediabetes and insulin resistance, heart disease, and weight gain.
Your naturopathic doctor’s wellness plans for these conditions include lab and other medical tests; nutritional education; a personalized diet and exercise plan; and natural medications depending on the cause of your condition.
4. Depression
Depression is an illness that affects an estimated 280 million people across the globe. The causes of depression can include many factors: stress, environmental factors, genetics, chronic illness, and chemical imbalances in the brain.
Traditional mental health professionals treat the symptoms of depression, primarily with medicine and psychotherapy. The holistic approach uncovers the root cause of depression and addresses it with appropriate combinations of medicines, therapies, and lifestyle adjustments. It's about healing the root of the problem, not putting a band-aid over the symptoms with an antidepressant. Naturopaths also specialize in helping you get off conventional medications.
5. Autoimmune Disorders
Autoimmune disorders like crohns or colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, hashimotos, lupus and Parkinson's require a multi-layered approach for effective whole-body healing and wellness. A functional or naturopathic assessment looks at contributing factors like the environment, diet and nutrition, detoxification, genetics, and mental health to identify the root causes of your autoimmune disorder and potential triggers for flare-ups.
After a thorough assessment, holistic providers use a combination of dietary and lifestyle changes and natural medications to address the autoimmune disorder and its secondary effects on your body and mind. We must address the multifaceted nature of autoimmune disease to help the body recover and heal from the illness. It's about getting to the root and empowering you with education to understand how you can make a difference with your daily habits and behaviors.
6. Hormonal Imbalances
Hormones are your body’s messengers, sending signals through your tissues and bloodstream to the whole body.
Your endocrine system creates and sends over fifty hormones, each important in keeping your body healthy and balanced. Some of these hormones include:
Testosterone
Estrogen
Cortisol
Insulin
Progesterone
DHEA
Hormonal imbalances lead to complications like infertility, acne, autoimmunity, osteoporosis, diabetes, weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, mental fog, anxiety, and depression.
Naturopathic medicine treats this condition by uncovering the underlying causes of hormonal imbalances and addressing them to reduce your symptoms. Common naturopathic approaches include hormonal testing, bioidentical hormones, natural medications, lifestyle changes, and dietary adjustments. Hormone plans must be individualized; it really depends on what your body needs and it's important to reduce any risks associated with hormone replacement therapy.
7. Cardiovascular Diseases
Did you know that heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States? If you didn’t, you’re not alone. Only 56% of women are aware that heart disease is responsible for one out of every five adult female deaths.
Conventional medicine treats cardiovascular disease after the damage has occurred. While a holistic approach helps mitigate the damages caused by cardiovascular disease, it also seeks the underlying causes and risk factors to prevent it from happening in the first place. It is possible to help the heart recover and regain better function too.
Holistic practitioners understand the value of prevention, so naturopathic doctors address heart conditions only after conducting complete assessments. This includes family history, lab tests, lifestyle and nutrition screenings, and identifying other important risk factors.
Why Should I Choose Naturopathic Medicine?
The difference between conventional and naturopathic medicine is how they approach health conditions. Conventional medicine applies a one-size-fits-all approach that relies on a specific protocol treatment plan for a particular diagnosis. If you have heart disease, you receive the same medications as other patients and a generic brochure with lifestyle changes all heart disease patients should make. It is not individualized to you or your unique situation.
Naturopaths are more effective because they evaluate each person individually and apply wellness plans based on your condition's root causes. This holistic approach places a high value on preventing or reversing a disease or illness. Naturopathic medicine is more than just plans that help your medical condition. Naturopaths can help you minimize the effects these conditions have on your body and mental well-being.
Naturopathic medicine provides the key to regaining your health and getting your life back on track. At Resilience Health & Wellness, we specialize in individualized whole-body health and wellness plans to keep you healthy, body and mind. Contact us today to get connected.