The Ins and Outs Of Naturopathic Healthcare (Debunking The Myths)

Nov 11, 2018

Dr. Ben Connolly, ND

Dr. Ben Connolly, ND

NATUROPATHIC DOCTOR

Myths are defined as beliefs which are sometimes widely held but are not based on fact and are not true. One such myth which is still commonly done on a daily basis is “knocking on wood” which is the belief that if you are discussing something negative which occurred in the past if you after discussing or saying the event you knock on wood it will not occur in the future. Now as you think about that you realize how silly that is, yet every day you see extremely smart people doing this. This is a perfect example of what a myth is, and I’m here to debunk a few myths associated with Naturopathic Medicine.

Myth # 1: You don’t like drugs

This is a commonly held myth which is entirely wrong. Drugs save lives and can drastically increase longevity and quality of life. Things which Naturopathic Doctors are working to do as well. With health care, we are always focused on quality of life. Sometimes medications are forgotten about and can start to affect the quality of life. It is the rare times such as this when we recommend you speak to your prescribing doctor to discuss if the medication is still required. One example of this is which we commonly see is blood pressure medications. As we work with patients with high blood pressure (hypertension) we focus on nutrition and weight loss. As the patient loses weight and starts to exercise it is only a matter of time before they start to have low blood pressure symptoms such as feeling very dizzy when moving from a sitting to standing position. This is due to the fact that medication doses are based on body weight. Thus, as the patient reduces their weight the medication becomes too strong and has negative side effects.

 

Myth # 2: You Don’t Believe in Vaccines

WRONG, WRONG WRONG! This myth is one of the most disseminated myths out there related to Naturopathic Medicine and is entirely wrong. Without vaccines we would still be suffering from Polio, we would have loved ones who died of Small Pox and babies who would have died from Pertussis (Whooping Cough). Vaccines save lives and have drastically increased our quality of life. When patients are receiving vaccines we support the body and it’s immune system, as well as protect the brain and ensure that the patient is in optimal health when undergoing or receiving vaccinations. Did you hear about our flu vaccine clinic in conjunction with The Medicine Shoppe the other day? You can still get your flu shot from your family doctor or local pharmacist. 

 

Myth # 3: So you’re a Homeopath and do homeopathy

This one hurts a little bit. Naturopathic Doctors have 8 years of post-secondary education. At a minimum they have a 4-year undergraduate degree plus 4 years of med school. Most Naturopathic Doctors of hundreds of continuing education hours and certifications which they have taken after graduating. This is very opposite of a Homeopath who has only to take 1 course on homeopathy and can then call themselves as such. Though Naturopathic Doctors are trained in homeopathy it is an individual decision on whether they choose to use homeopathy medicine in their practice. At Cornerstone Naturopathic we do not use homeopathy and choose to use only evidenced based modalities.

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Cornerstone Naturopathic Team

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