FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: 

  NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE   ACUPUNCTURE   CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE

   NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE

What is naturopathic medicine?

♦Naturopathic medicine is a distinct discipline of primary care medicine based on a set of principles and a philosophy that includes the whole person, upon scientific evidence, and upon clinical practice and theory.    

Who are naturopathic doctors/physician (NDs)?
♦NDs are general practice, primary care doctors who specialize in natural medicine.

 Are Naturopathic Doctors new?
♦No.  the first U.S. naturopathic society was formed in 1896.  Naturopathic medicine has been continuously licensed in Connecticut since 1908.

What is their training? 
♦Naturopathic doctors complete a Doctorate of naturopathic medicine (ND) earned from a four-year, graduate level, federally and regionally accredited naturopathic medical school.

♦the curriculum of these schools is similar to conventional medical schools in terms of basic sciences and clinical courses.  Clinical studies concentrate on conventional diagnostic studies, scientifically-based natural therapeutics and supervised clinical training. 

♦Naturopathic medical schools are accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME), through the U.S. Department of Education as well as through regional education accrediting agencies. 

What are NDs trained to do? 

♦Naturopathic training includes, but is not limited to: physical examinations, laboratory testing, clinical and physical diagnosis, pharmacology, clinical nutrition, homeopathy, herbal medicine, and nutritional supplementation.

What sets them apart from other doctors?

♦In addition to the above, NDs have knowledge in drug/nutrient interactions and drug/herb interactions which most other physicians do not possess.  Naturopaths are concerned with finding the underlying cause of a condition rather than just suppressing the symptoms.

Are NDs out to replace MDs?

♦No, NDs complement the care of other health care practitioners, including MDs, DOs, and DCs.

Is there a demand for naturopathic medicine?

♦More than 80 million Americans turn to complementary and/or alternative medicine every year.  ¹

♦A Harvard Medical School survey found that 68 percent of adults have used at least one form of CAM therapy.  ²

Is naturopathic medicine cost-effective? 

♦Yes, because it focuses on prevention, patient involvement, noninvasive methods and appropriate use of techhnology.

♦A landmark study released in September 2004 at a congressional hearing found potential cost savings resulting from daily use of calcium and folic acid could save $15 billion in health care costs.  ³

Is it safe? 

♦Yes, the licensed naturopathic profession has an extraordinary safety record.  An examination of malpractice insurance rating scales for claims shows naturopathic physicians have the lowest incidence of malpractice claims of all licensed primary health care professions.  ⁴

Are Naturopathic Doctors licensed in Arkansas?

♦Not currently. 

Do other states license Naturopathic physicians?

♦Yes.  There are currently 13 states, two U.S. territories and Washington D.C. that license naturopathic doctors.

♦As state licensing boards are established, accurate record keeping is enabled, allowing for reliable statistics on the safety and efficacy of naturopathic medicine. 

Why is licensure important? 

♦Licensure will allow NDs to practice as trained, namely to diagnose and treat disease using naturopathic principles.

♦Additionally, licensing naturopathic doctors provides for regulation of the profession and increased public safety in accessing the safety and efficacy of the  services of naturopathic doctors.

♦Licensure sets minimum standards for the educational and training qualifications for being a qualified naturopathic doctor so that the public can make informed choices regarding their natural healthcare. 

Are there reliable web sites? 

♦Yes. Start with the official website of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians:  www.naturopathic.org 

♦School websites are:

www.ncnm.edu

www.bastyr.edu

www.scnm.edu

www.ub.edu

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1.  Institute for Health and Healing at California Pacific Medical Center, March 2002

2.  Annals of Internal Medicine, august 2001

3.  Dietary Supplement Education Alliance, Health Impact Study,  www.supplementinfo.org/healthimpacts/healthimpacts.htm

4.  Washington Health Casualty rate N.D.s as .7, at the bottom of the risk scale below dermatologists and family practitioners who do not perform surgery.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

 ACUPUNCTURE

What is acupuncture and how does it work?

♦Acupuncture is an ancient form of medical treatment that involves insertion of tiny sterile needles into specific points to promote health.  If we view disease as an imbalance in the proper functioning of the body, acupuncture works to restore that balance.  Stimulation of the appropriate points works to ‘re-program’ the brain so that it functions properly to maintain wellness.

Does acupuncture really work?

♦Of course!  Otherwise, the Chinese wouldn’t have used it for thousands of years.  As you might expect, it works better for some things than others.  Not all patients will need or benefit from acupuncture.  For those that do, acupuncture can produce amazing results that no other therapy can even approach. 

Does acupuncture hurt?  I am terrified of needles.

♦For most people, their fear of needles comes from childhood.  My earliest memories as a child were of going to the doctor and getting shots (immunizations) that always HURT.  It’s no wonder that so many people hate needles.  Acupuncture needles are very different.  They are so skinny that they will fit inside most hypodermic needles that your other doctors might use.  Yes, acupuncture can sometimes (not always) hurt for a few seconds when the needles are first inserted.  In order for acupuncture to work correctly, we must first stimulate the point a little to send a signal to the brain.  Otherwise it may not work.  I should point out that 100% of the patients who experience acupuncture have told me that they would do it again and that it did not hurt as much as they feared.  (This includes several children under age 10).

What about other ways of stimulating those points like acupressure?

♦There are lots of ways to stimulate acupuncture points without using needles.  These include acupressure, magnets, heat (moxibustion), lasers, therapeutic oils, colored lights, gua sha (special scraping techniques), and cupping (creating a vacuum with the use of special glass cups applied to the skin).  Electricity can also be applied to electrodes placed on the skin.  Acupuncturists may use any or all of these technique depending upon their training and preference as appropriate.

I don’t believe that any of that stuff works.

♦Fortunately, you don’t have to believe for acupuncture to be effective.  Acupuncture is also used on many animals and it works for them as well.

What sort of problems does acupuncture work on?

♦Pain is one of the main reasons that people seek acupuncture treatment.  This can be anything from headaches, sprains, abdominal/stomach pain, frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome, shingles, arthritis, low back pain, any musculoskeletal pain, and ‘mystery pain’ or pain of unknown origin. 

Acupuncture can also be used to ease cravings induced by chemical dependency such as cigarettes, alcohol, or illegal drugs.  Cravings are typically reduced by as much as half and treatment usually lasts for 2-4 weeks or until the patient no longer feels the need.

Acupuncture is useful in treating dozens of common conditions such as fatigue, menopausal symptoms, PMS/cramps, and bleeding disorders, insomnia, anxiety or depression, digestive disorders, diarrhea or constipation, strokes, neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, enuresis and incontinence, edema and kidney problems, heart disease, lung problems, and more.  In fact, it is easier to list the things that acupuncture doesn’t help treat very well.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: 

CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE

What’s so special about Chinese herbs?

♦The Chinese have been masters of herbal medicine for several thousand years.  The modern era of Chinese herbal medicine dates back to around 220AD when herbal medicine was already a highly developed science.  Since then there have been countless improvements on what was already a sophisticated medical system.

The Chinese almost always use herbs in formulas that may contain from four to dozens of herbal substances.  Single herbs are almost never used by themselves.  There are hundreds of commonly used herbs and thousands of less commonly used herbs available to practitioners.  In addition to plants, the Chinese use many other substances including minerals, fossils, and insect and animal parts and by products.  This last category is sometimes controversial for patients and practitioners alike.  Most practitioners try to minimize or eliminate any products that harm living animals.

Chinese medicine uses herb dosages according to the desired healing effect, not some arbitrarily limited dosage as is common to Western herbalism.  It is not uncommon for a one-day supply of crude herbs to weigh several ounces within a given formula.

I am taking prescription medication.  My doctor doesn’t want me to take any herbs that may interact with these drugs.

♦All Chinese medicine practitioners are educated about potential drug/herb interactions.  Of chief concern are people who are on blood thinners like Plavix or coumadin.  There are numerous herbs that have the potential to over-thin the blood but the risk is very small. There are several other herbs that have the potential to interact with Western drugs such as diuretics, some heart medications, anti-depressants etc.  That is why it is important to inform your practitioner about every drug you are taking.

Chinese medicine is very different in the way it approaches medical treatment.  The large majority of Chinese herbs and formulas are extremely safe when used properly.  Most potentially hazardous materials are very rarely used in this country.

Why should I take these herbs when I can just take my prescription drugs?

♦We expect you to keep taking your prescription drugs.  But quite a few drugs have serious side effects and many are very expensive.  Plus, quite a few drugs don’t work very well.

If you are taking a drug prescription, we will never take you off of that drug. 

♦That is something that must be done under a doctor’s supervision, if at all.

There are quite a few health problems that Chinese herbs can treat considerably better than Western drugs, either through its action, decreased side effects, or lower cost.  And there are some conditions that we treat that Western medicine cannot treat at all.