Naturopathic Physicians are very different than traditional Naturopaths.  In states that do not grant licenses for Naturopathic Physicians it can be confusing for a general consumer to distinguish the differences in training and certification, especially since they may use similar initials of ND or NMD.  You should ask your practitioner where they graduated from and how they attained their license.  Naturopathic Physicians must graduate from a four year accredited Naturopathic Doctorate program, pass NPBOMEX board exams, and hold current licenses by taking proper continuing education credits.  Traditional Naturopaths achieve their certification in approximately six weeks by taking training courses online.  They have no clinical training seeing patients, have no requirement of science courses, and have no licensing board overseeing them.  While both Naturopathic Physicians and Traditional Naturopaths can be excellent practitioners, it is important for you to know the difference in order to figure out which one will best suit you and your health concerns.  

 Insurance coverage for Naturopathic Physicians varies from state to state.  Since Naturopathic Physicians are not currently licensed in the state of Texas it is less likely your insurance will cover your visit.  The best way to find out if insurance covers your visit is by calling your insurance company and asking if they cover Naturopathic Physicians in the state of Texas.  If they do cover visits, Health Through Nature will be glad to provide you with a service summary to send to your insurance company.  More insurance companies are starting to cover Naturopathic Healthcare recognizing preventative health is much cheaper in the long run.

 The scope of a Naturopathic Physician’s practice varies from state to state.  In most states that license Naturopathic Physicians, a Naturopathic Physician can act as natural medicine specialists performing physical exams, diagnosing, and prescribing some pharmaceuticals when necessary.  In states that do not license Naturopathic Physicians, such as Texas, Naturopathic Physicians can still act as natural medicine specialists, however, patients should also maintain a relationship with a primary care physician to perform routine physical exams, perform diagnostic procedures, diagnose major illness, and prescribe pharmaceuticals.  Naturopathic Physicians can work closely with your primary care physician and refer you to other specialists as necessary.   

 The Principles of Naturopathic Medicine are:

1. Primum Non Nocere-First of all do no harm
2. Vis Medicatrix Nature-To act in cooperation with the healing power of nature
3. Tolle Causam-To address the fundamental cause of disease
4. Tolle Toltum-To heal the whole person through individualized treatment
5. Docere-To teach the principles of healthy living and preventative medicine

 A Naturopathic Physician is a doctor who has attained a doctorate degree from a fully accredited 4-year doctoral program.  Throughout schooling, Naturopathic Physicians study medicine just as they would in a conventional medical school.  Naturopathic Physicians study anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, pharmacology, medical genetics, physical diagnosis, lab diagnosis along with other conventional medical subjects, however, in addition to these conventional subjects, they also study alternative medicine treatment modalities such as dietary nutrition, clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, physical medicine, Chinese Medicine, Homeopathy, Hydrotherapy, and other various alternative modalities.   A Naturopathic Physician’s approach is to tailor treatment for each individual and suggest the least amount of medicine necessary to restore and maintain health.  In fact, half, or two years, of a Naturopathic Physician’s training is dedicated to reviewing cases and seeing patients desiring both prevention and treatment of disease.  Naturopathic Physicians follow the principles of Naturopathic Medicine when considering treatment options.