The Transition of Naturopathic Medicine Into Mainstream Medicine

As the world of naturopathic medicine continues to grow, so does its usage among ailing Americans. According to a study done by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, as of December of 2008, about 38 percent of American reporting using some type of alternative medicine in the past twelve months. Why are people turning to naturopathic medicine as a means to get healthy and feel better? Here are a few possible explanations.

1. There are many people have not had previous success treating their ailments with a Western medicine doctor, also known as an allopathic doctor.

The many people who suffer from ailments like insomnia, allergies, chronic pain, and migraines sometimes find that allopathic doctors only mask the pain the experience with these problems. Prescription medications may only dull the pain, and a sufferer will find that although the pain may subside for a while, it will inevitably return. Naturopathic doctors want to help their patients by seeking the overall root of the problem, and look to promote overall health and well-being with the use of several remedies, including nutritional and herbal supplements, dietary and lifestyle changes, homeopathic remedies, and more. Naturopathic medicine believes in utilizing the entire body, as a whole, to treat an illness.

2. There is a growing concern for human health in regards to artificial substances that allopathic medicine uses in attempts to cure a patient.

With the extra chemicals and hormones that are being added to food, in conjunction with artificial substances found in prescription drugs, there are health studies that suggest this combination of substances in the human body can lead to negative health effects. Naturopathic doctors and naturopathic medicine use the entire body as the main source of healing instead of synthetic components. Many people who have already attempted to utilize allopathic medicine as a way to feel healthier want to utilize all of their options and seek naturopathic medicine as a way to improve health.

Where should a person go to seek naturopathic medicine treatment?

There are only seven schools that are accredited and recognized by the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges, Council on Naturopathic Medical Education and North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners. Of the seven colleges of naturopathic medicine, the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, located in Tempe, AZ, is renowned for its clinical training and advancement of naturopathic medicine. Recently, the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine purchased a 42,000 square foot building adjacent to the naturopathic college. This building will house a new naturopathic medicine clinic, which used to be located in Scottsdale. The campus and clinic will be unified within the next 16 months as they work to put the two next to each other. There will be a laboratory and a pharmacy within the clinic, and the students will continue to work with the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University to study a plant that could stop smallpox if the virus was used as a bioterrorist threat. Students will no longer have to travel between facilities as they study to obtain a Naturopathic Doctor degree. The Southwest College of Naturopathic continues to help students earn their degrees in naturopathic medicine by adding about 60-70 licensed naturopathic doctors to Arizona each year.