Dear Patients,
I am not what I seem, it is not what you think. People of Orangeville and surrounding area, if you are to think that I’d be ignorant enough to claim that Naturopathic Medicine can completely replace western medicine, you’d be largely mistaken. And yet, some people think that’s what I do. Ughhhh. It hurts my heart.
So I am going to be a bit redundant here, from a blog perspective, and lay it all out. Let’s be honest. Medical doctors are phenomenal human beings. They save lives! Ahem – SAVE LIVES! They also provide us with pharmaceutical medications of value (GASP- did she say, value??!?!?!). Naturopathic doctors are also really fantastic people to have on your health team (shameless plug). We can pick up what’s missing from your treatment plan, what’s causing side effects, and possibly even help find a diagnosis when you’ve stumped your family doc (here on out referred to as your GP = General practitioner). And because our schedule structure differs from that of your GP (meaning we spend a significant larger amount of time with each patient), we can actually help explain the disease process that’s going on in your body. In addition to this, since obtaining my prescribing license, I have found that by educating my patients better about their medication, I am empowering them, and giving them back control over their situation.
Now, are pharmaceutical medications the ONLY answer?? In some cases, yes. And in fact, I am often referring patients back to their GP for prescriptions. A colleague of mine said that when she tells her patients to take their prescription drug, it’s not because it’s serious, it’s because she’s serious. And she’s spot on. I take nothing for granted here in my practice. My patients are not just a number. I don’t say nor take things lightly. I care about my patients and their wellbeing. Pharmaceutical meds and all!
And please don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of cases where Naturopathic Medicine can be successful where western medicine fails. There’s no doubt about that. And there are even more cases where integrating the two schools of medicine results in the best possible outcome. This is what we want. This is how it should be.
So if you’re struggling with your diagnosis, with your meds, with symptoms – reach out to a Naturopath. It doesn’t mean we are going to take you off all of your meds and prescribe a radical diet with 40 supplements (if it does, then you’re seeing the wrong one). It does mean you will get a better handle on your situation, and can expect overall improvement.
Thanks for staying with me while I ranted. I appreciate it.
My day in clinic is done, now comes the dreaded task of trying to decide what to make for dinner…
Dr. D