What is a Naturopathic Doctor

There are two types of Naturopathic Doctors – there are Doctors that  use natural remedies as part of their treatment plan and there are Naturopaths that specialise in the use of medical pathology such as blood tests to assist in the creation of a treatment plan.  A Naturopath that uses this form of diagnosis is called a Naturopathic Doctor.  This form of diagnosis is known as functional pathology. Looking at standard blood results can help a Naturopathic practitioner to assess how the body is functioning and what areas of the body need support.  Once areas of weakness are identified natural remedies can be used  with good effect to induce healing.  The other benefit of practicing with the guidance of standard blood tests is that follow up tests can be used to identify any improvements. This is a very simple tool to measure if the prescribed naturopathic treatment has been effective.

I recently had a nice reminder of how accurate the diagnostics of iridology can be with the right equipment. A new patient presented to me in my practice with her professionally taken iris photos.  After taking a thorough case history we used her iris pictures and current blood test results to identify what areas of support her body was needing.  The over lay of the two diagnostics were identical and our treatment plan concise.  The only limitation with iridology is that it will take many years for the iris weave to adapt to her healing – blood changes will show up in around 12 weeks.  It is very motivating for a patient to see the benefits of their  lifestyle changes and Naturopathic remedies in the first few months of treatment.