Naturopathic Medicine

As a CAM, naturopathic medicine provides the best results when it is combined with modern medicine (Myers & Vigar, 2019). At the moment, there are few valid large-scale research studies that show that naturopathic medicine can provide the same or better relief than modern medicine. In the few studies directly comparing naturopathic medicine to modern medicine, the health outcomes of patients who used only naturopathic medicine were significantly worse (Block, 2021).

While there is some evidence that naturopathic medicine can provide relief for chronic conditions, the exact reason for this additional relief is unknown and may be the result of a placebo, the effect in which believing that something is working affects an individual’s symptoms (Myers & Vigar, 2019). The appearance of the placebo effect is likely caused by the fact that naturopathic doctors can spend more time with their patients, focus on creating individualized care plans that accommodate circumstances often not considered by general practitioners, and encourage patients to have a more active role in their health treatment plan.

This placebo effect has a positive impact on an individual’s health and should be considered an acceptable reason for a patient’s improvement, so long as evidence-based medical interventions are not negatively impacted by it.

In cases where the placebo effect cannot explain the results, the current theory is that naturopathic medications may act as a support for modern medications, increasing their effectiveness. This supportive effect needs further research to confirm which herbs or supplements may best support specific medications and/or treatments.

Here are some health conditions that may benefit from the addition of naturopathic medicine:

• Chronic pain (Hassan et al., 2019)
• Anxiety (Breed & Bereznay, 2017)
• Post-surgery care (Lederer et al., 2018)
• Type 2 diabetes (Myers & Vigar, 2019)
• Cardiovascular disease
• Menopause-related symptoms
• Cancer-related side effects (Greenlee et al., 2017)

Many of the reasons identified for the benefits of naturopathic medicine can be found and applied without visiting a naturopathic doctor. These include mental health therapy, lifestyle changes that are commonly suggested as part of modern medicine, and dietary changes.

Individuals who seek out naturopathic doctors are more likely to implement these changes over the short term, though there is little to no evidence of the beneficial impact over the long term (Myers & Vigar, 2019).

The main advantage of integrating naturopathic medicine into your treatment plan is that the naturopath will be able to spend more time with you. This allows for your treatment plan to be adjusted based on your specific needs and circumstances without interfering with your care. For example, while physical activity is often recommended for a variety of health conditions, a naturopath will help you identify what kind of exercise you can safely do and more easily access.