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Naturopathic Medical Doctors (NMD) are
licensed in the State of Arizona (Title 32 Chapter 14) to
practice medicine just as allopathic/conventional Medical Doctors (MD) and
Doctors of Osteopathy (DO) are licensed. Like MDs and DOs, NMDs must graduate
from an
accredited postgraduate medical school
with training in bio-medical
sciences as well as clinical training, and must pass a
national board exam.
Naturopathic Medical Doctors are distinguished from their MD and DO counterparts by their treatment philosophy and modalities, which draw on the best features of traditional and modern schools of medicine.
The treatment modalities used by NMDs include natural modalities such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, clinical nutrition, physical manipulation, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, and counseling, as well as modern modalities such as biofeedback, environmental medicine, minor surgery, and judicious application of pharmaceutical interventions.
Like MDs and DOs, and in contrast to Licensed Acupuncturists and Chiropractors, Naturopathic Medical Doctors are licensed in the State of Arizona to act as Primary Care Physicians - the first doctor a patient sees, who is responsible for diagnosing and providing medical care or making appropriate referrals.
The guiding philosophy of naturopathic medicine rests on six principles:
- Primum non nocere (first do no harm)
- Always choose the least toxic, least invasive treatment available that will achieve healing. This does not mean avoid all risk - it means choose the best trade-off between safety and benefit. For example, if a patient needs CPR to save his or her life, it is permitted to break a rib or two if necessary.
- Vis medicatrix naturae (the healing power of nature)
- If the physician can help remove obstacles to cure and provide the proper support, then the innate God-given natural healing power that each individual possesses can do the rest.
- Tolle causam (discover and treat the cause, not just the effect)
- Symptoms are viewed as expressions of the body's natural attempt to heal, rather than as malfunctions to be suppressed. Symptoms are a guide to identifying the underlying cause, which when corrected will allow the vis medicatrix naturae to produce real healing.
- Tolle totum (treat the whole person)
- The body is a complex system with many interactions between endocrine, metabolic, digestive, structural, mental, emotional, and spiritual components. Imbalances among these interacting subsystems lead to disease. The naturopathic physician seeks to understand the unique dynamics of each individual patient and help the vis medicatrix naturae to restore balance.
- Docere (teach the patient)
- Healing occurs best when the physician works in partnership with their patients, empowering them to share responsibility for their own health through education and motivation.
- Praeventionis (prevention is the best cure)
- As Benjamin Franklin observed, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Naturopathic physicians are preventive medicine specialists.
This philosophy has proven successful in treating many chronic and acute conditions; however other serious conditions such as myocardial infarction and physical trauma are better treated in a hospital setting using specialized conventional medical technologies not available in the primary care setting.