Becoming A Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

When a person is diagnosed with cancer, they and their loved ones seek the best possible care. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation are common conventional cancer treatments these days. Are there other viable options that can help? As experts in treating health conditions naturally and holistically including cancer, naturopathic doctors can also help.

To better understand what is required to become a naturopathic doctor, I would like to first explain the necessary educational requirements. Following an undergraduate degree, the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree is an intensive four year program and prepares the candidate for board licensing examinations and the practice of naturopathic medicine. The first two years of study focus on an intensive study of the human being, integrating basic medical sciences such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, histology, immunology, as well as the clinical sciences, such as clinical and physical diagnosis, laboratory diagnosis, and microbiology. The third and fourth years focus on naturopathic therapies and clinical training, which involve problem solving and case analysis, as well as seeing patients in various clinics, and spending time with licensed naturopathic doctors, medical doctors, and other health care professionals in private practice and hospital settings.
At Family Naturopathic Clinic, I work with people who want to take an active role in their health. Patients may have a family history of cancer and want to prevent cancer, or are actively going through treatments and wish to reduce side effects and modulate their body’s immune system. Others have completed conventional treatments and want to ensure they don’t get a recurrence. My experience working with patients with cancer has been a positive one. Patients can see improvements on many levels – ranging from increased energy and less stress, to a more positive outlook and a better quality of life.

My clinical experience, and those of my naturopathic colleagues, has demonstrated that patients that undergo both conventional and naturopathic treatments do better overall. I spend a significant amount of time with my patients in order to understand them better, which I believe ameliorates these positive outcomes.

My next two blogs will review the principles of naturopathic medicine and the core naturopathic therapies that I use in clinical practice.