state of california dept. of consumer affairs naturopathic medicine committee brochure

8/8/2019 State of California Dept. of Consumer Affairs Naturopathic Medicine Committee Brochure

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I RO1Ai Ni1 F Di C IN FCOMMITTEE

Medicine

A Consumers Guide toI

Naturopathic


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Naturopathic doctors are trained in awide varietyof complementaryand alternative

therapies, including:* Herbaland HomeopathicMedicine* ClinicalNutritiona nd D ie t* Vitamins,AminoAcids,Minerals,Enzymes,

and Nutraceuticals* Physica l Medic inesuch a s M a ssa ge , Body- specif ic heal th conditionto those seeking to

work, Exercise Therapy, and Hydrotherapy improvegenera l hea lthand wellness. NDs treatCounselingand BehavioralTherapies infantsto senior cit izens,m en a nd w om e n,

Health and Lifesty le C ounseling and those in all stages of health and disease.Naturopathicmedicineca n b e ne fit p e op lewho

In addition.NDs m ay prescribe hormones. prefera natural approach to their health careThey m ayalso order other prescrip t iondrugs in as wellas those seeking integrated solutions

collaborationwith a medicaldoctor. to their health needs.

Why Visit a Natiuopatbie Doetor? What to Expect from a VisitIf you are lookingfor any or all of the following: to a Nattiropathic Doctor

a primary hea lthcare Discussing your needs with a naturopathic

provider doctorwill help to focus your care.* t r ea tmentfor acute or A typicalfirst visit with an ND lasts

chronic conditions 60-90 minutes and includes takinga relevant health history, conductinga prevention-orientedholis

tic a p p ro ac hto your health an appropriateexamination,andmaking recommendat ionsfor

someone to work in ant rea tment .It may includegatheringintegrated way withyour

informationsuch as laboratorytestcurrent medica l doc to r results, medical records,a diet diary,Naturopathic m edicalcare ca n and other information.Follow-upbenefitall Californians,from visits vary in length and frequencythose lookingfor help witha depending on the indiv idua lnature of


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th e h ea lth is su e sbeing addressed, therapiesbeing u tiliz ed, andother t rea tmentgoals.

NDs have differentstyles and areas ofemphas is in their practices. Some m ay actas general practitioners-some m ay focus onparticularareas of health such as detoxificationor immune support and others m ay focuso n particulartherapies such as homeopathy

or nutrition.Selectinga naturopathic doctorW h o is right for you depends on th e type ofcondition for which you are seeking help andthe types of therapies that interest you.

When workingwith a naturopathicdoctor, planto be activelyinvolvedin your t reatment. Your

ND m ay work withyou to cha ng e your diet orexerc ise habit s,teach y ou w ays toreducestress, as wel las use supplements ,vitamins,herbs, and other medicines and t rea tmentsto help you m e e t your goals. Ask questionsabout your t rea tmentand informyour ND abou tsigns of improvemen tor stubborn symptoms.Your ND m ayconsider further diagnostic tests,changes in yourt rea tment plan, or referrals toother health care professionals.

Insurance Coverage forNaturopatbic Care

More a nd m ore insurance companies arecoveringna tu ropa th ic med ica lcare.Ask your carrierabout coverageor reimbursement.

If you have insurance that doesno t covernaturopathicmedicalcare, use of a

Hea lth Sav ingsAccountHSA or flexiblespending account m ay cover this care.Check with y ou r e m p lo ye rto determine if one of these optionsis availableto you.

How Do IFmd aLicensed NaturopathicDoctor?You ca n access a list of l icensed naturopathicdoctors by selecting "Verifya License" on th eNaturopathicMedicine CommitteesW eb site

a t: www.naturopathic.ca.gov

Naturopathic MedicalTraining and EducationNaturopathicdoctors a t tend four-year,graduate- leve l , accredited naturopathic

m edica l schools .NDs are trained as primarycare practitioners.Trainingcovers a widerange of therapies as wellas science and

clinicalcourses. An impor tantaspect of naturopathic

medicaltraining is learningabout other healthcare professionsand

appropriatereferralpatterns.


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state of california dept. of consumer affairs naturopathic medicine committee brochure

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