Not everyone wants to deal with their common ailments in the same way. A one-size-fits-all approach to medicine is not something that generally works for mankind, it seems. One popular alternative to seeing a regular GP is naturopathy, and people go quite far to find the right naturopath to help them solve whatever ails them.
What is it about seeing a naturopath that is so appealing to people? Below are some of the biggest and most important reasons that people elect to see a naturopath either in conjunction with or instead of a GP.
1. They Have a General Chronic Malaise
One of the top reasons people go to see a naturopath is that they have a general unwell feeling that’s hard to describe and seemingly not connected to any 1 acute or chronic illness specifically. The naturopath is a medical practitioner that takes a holistic approach to medicine, looking at the health of the whole body and not just looking to react to any one one symptom or apparent disease.
When you feel consistently unwell, even when it’s not to a serious degree, it’s something that can have an inhibitive effect on your work and social life. You might just have enough energy to get through a work day but then forgo any other kind of activity. A naturopath will try to get to the bottom of that, and that’s appealing to many people.
2. Naturopaths Often Give More Treatment Options
Another attractive feature of a naturopathic approach is the fact that practitioners, on hearing your symptoms and answers to their questions, will offer a general diagnosis followed by multiple strategies for dealing with it. They don’t automatically turn to any one drug or surgical option, but lay out a full range of choices, explaining the clear differences between each approach.
Many of the treatment approaches involve changes in diet, or adding nutritional supplements, herbal medicines and attending acupuncture and other treatments. The point is to discover the deeper underlying cause of your problem and treat it at the source, rather than simply cover up surface symptoms.
3. Naturopathy is About a Holistic and Preventative Approach
Conventional medicine is a responsive practice, and it serves a critical role in saving lives when people find themselves with serious illnesses, or when they get into accidents. A growing number of people, however, are also interested in the idea that medicine should also have a preventative side to it. Naturopathy offers that aspect.
By focusing on the general health of patients, including their lifestyle choices, diet, how active they are and more, the naturopath’s approach is genuinely more holistic and considerate of the bigger picture. For many people, this is more in line with what they want from medicine, a combination of holistic and preventative medicine in everyday life, combined with the more conventional reactive medicine for emergencies.
4. They’ve Exhausted Conventional Routes
Some of the biggest advocates of naturopathy are the people who have spent years handling their ailments through conventional medical channels, only to find themselves trapped in a perpetual loop of medication, short and brusque appointments with a doctor, and constantly living with a disorder that they’re just covering up with pills or ointments.
Sometimes, when you’ve tried everything else, it’s time to consider those paths that you may initially have thought couldn’t help you. This is where naturopathy surprises many first-time patients.
5. Patients Feel More Involved in Their Treatment
With conventional medicine, there is a tendency for patients to feel powerless and “out of the loop” as they simply follow instructions from the doctors or nurses. In naturopathy, the goal is to invite the patient to participate more actively in their own treatment. That’s quite empowering, and is a big change for many patients.