"So, you're a witch doctor, right?" Dr. Holly Lucille gets this comment often when she tells people what she does for a living.
Lucille is a naturopathic doctor with a successful practice in Beverly Hills. Naturopathy, or "natural medicine," is a unique system of health care, blending ancient healing therapies with the most current conventional medical knowledge. You might recognize some of its therapies, including homeopathy and physical medicine like massage and acupuncture. Naturopathic doctors also advise on nutrition and supplements. "The basic principle behind natural medicine is that we, as humans, have the innate ability to heal ourselves," Lucille said. "Naturopathic doctors work to stimulate that force."
Like conventional doctors, naturopathic doctors attend four years of medical school at an accredited institution and must pass state board licensing exams; they receive the ND degree. Naturopathy is different from conventional medicine in that it focuses on health promotion rather than disease management.
It is also distinguished by its six treatment principles: the healing power of nature; do no harm; identify and treat the underlying cause; doctor as teacher; treat the whole person, not just the symptoms; and prevention is the cure.
Naturopathy uses the least invasive method to treat the patient. Pharmaceutical drugs are the last resort, since they typically only treat symptoms and often result in dependency.
Many adults in the United States are on several pharmaceutical drugs to maintain their health. Lucille calls it a vicious cycle, describing how one drug prescription can cause side effects that require another prescription drug.
"My goal is to get patients not to need me," she says.
Any condition, from depression to back pain, may benefit from natural therapies like dietary changes, homeopathy, or physical medicine. Each therapy has its own principles, evidence and risks.
Nutrition is the foundation of naturopathy. Naturopathic doctors strongly believe in a relationship between diet and health. Many of the chronic health problems that affect older Americans today are the result of poor dietary and lifestyle choices. Scientific research shows a link between diet and illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and cancer.
Other health problems can also be improved by a change in diet. For example, insomnia may be caused by something as simple as too much caffeine in the afternoon and a persistent runny nose by a food sensitivity. With dietary and lifestyle changes, naturopaths can often change or reverse the course of an illness and restore health.
During an initial exam, a naturopathic doctor spends most of the time analyzing the patient's diet. Most naturopaths recommend a diet along the lines of the U.S. dietary guidelines: full of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and monounsaturated fats with little refined sugar and saturated fat.
A naturopath, however, might also have specific recommendations for the patient's particular illness. For example, many naturopaths recommend cutting back on dairy as a way to reduce the symptoms of hay fever.
After analyzing a patient's diet, a naturopath can recognize foods that are common food sensitivities. A food sensitivity is different from a food allergy. A food allergy is an immune response to a food that is eaten.
People with a food allergy are usually aware of it and avoid the food because of the immediate and strong reaction that it triggers. A food sensitivity is a physiological reaction to a food that is eaten. Though a sensitivity is not an immune response, it can still produce bothersome symptoms of headache, diarrhea, sinus congestion, sore throat, and joint pain. But food sensitivities can be difficult to determine because reactions can be delayed or subtle.
Naturopaths also use dietary supplements when treating patients. These may be in the form of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, oils, or herbs. Ginkgo biloba, ginseng, ginger, echinacea, garlic, saw palmetto and many other supplements have made headlines in recent years.
"Many people take supplements to help get rid of symptoms, but people don't understand that quality matters," says Cristian Mihoc, a Boston-based naturopathic doctor.
"Or they don't know the dosage. Then, they don't get the results they are looking for or they get a negative response. It's important to do your homework or talk to a professional when using supplements."
Have you noticed any new cold and flu fighters in your drugstore's medicine aisle? Remedies such as Zicam, Cold-Eeze, and Oscillococcinum are all homeopathic and available over the counter at many U.S. drugstores and supermarkets. Homeopathic remedies are a welcome alternative to traditional medicines because they don't typically cause the common side effects like "medicine head" or drowsiness. In addition to colds and flu, homeopathic remedies are used to treat health conditions like allergies, stress, arthritis pain, menopausal symptoms, muscle pain, teething, and more.
Today, homeopathic remedies are typically alcohol mixed with extremely diluted micro-doses of a substance that produces the symptoms you're trying to get rid of. Sounds ridiculous? Many traditional healthcare professionals and researchers agree. Critics say that the theory of homeopathy is inconsistent with known laws of chemistry and physics. However, placebo-controlled clinical trials have produced both negative and positive results.
The United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) considers homeopathic remedies safe because they have little or no pharmacologically active ingredients and the concentrations are so diluted. Makers of homeopathic remedies must follow strict packaging laws and can only sell remedies for minor health problems over the counter. While most major drugstores and supermarkets carry some homeopathic remedies, a health foods store might have a broader selection.
Naturopaths consider illness and disease as a loss of balance among the several systems of function in the body. If dietary changes and/or homeopathy do not have the intended effect, naturopaths may attempt to modify the activity of one or more systems of function through the use of physical medicine.
There are several types of physical medicine including massage, ultrasound, acupuncture, reflexology, deep heating the muscles, exercise. It is important to note that not all naturopaths are trained in all types of physical medicine therapies.
"Massage has really helped my knees," says Aaron Funk, a 24-year-old from Boston. "My doctor actually recommended it. Some of the brochures in the office talk about 'energy flow' and some other weird stuff, but to me, it just feels good."
Physical medicine is becoming more mainstream, even with conventional doctors. Research is showing that massage and acupuncture especially can have a positive effect on many illnesses. Scientists do not know exactly what changes occur in the body during physical medicine, but there appear to be few risks if it is used appropriately and provided by a trained professional.
Naturopathy can be combined successfully with conventional medicine. In fact, if a naturopath tells you otherwise, look elsewhere for care. If you decide to see a naturopath, spend some time researching licensed N.D.s in your area.
Find out what scientific studies have been done on the safety and effectiveness of the treatment which interests you. An ideal place to start is the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians website or the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine website listed below.
"There is this myth that natural medicine can't co-exist with conventional medicine," says Dr. Lucille. "I think that there's a place for everyone in healthcare."
