There seems to be a focus on natural remedies these days with many people preferring to step away from traditional medicine and interventions if possible. This has meant that naturopathic doctors and their services are in demand. But what do these doctors do? What can you expect from a naturopathic consultation? The experts at KIYA Longevity give us an idea.
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What Happens at a Naturopathic Consultation?
Those who are new to naturopathy, have no idea of what to expect from it. They are usually referred by someone they know and are willing to at least try it. Many don’t expect too much while some even see it as a new-fangled type of treatment that probably won’t work anyway.
As most people have been visiting traditional doctors for their entire lives, their first visit to a naturopathic doctor will seem quite different. In fact, compared with the typical ten-to-fifteen-minute consultations you can expect with a traditional doctor, your first visit to a naturopath will take a lot longer. Some can last for up to two hours!
The reason for this long consultation is that naturopathic doctors focus on getting to the root of patient illnesses rather than simply treating the symptoms. Naturopathic doctors are of the opinion that illnesses are caused by an imbalance in the body and believe that this imbalance needs to be addressed in order to restore normal functioning of the brain and body.
During your first session with the naturopathic doctor, you will likely talk at length about your health and lifestyle. The doctor will want to know everything about any illnesses you have now or have had in the past and whether you are currently taking any medication. They will speak to you about family history of illness and disease too in a bid to determine if you have any risk factors for chronic disease.
Your dietary habits will also be discussed. The doctor will want to know more about the types of foods that you eat regularly as well as your alcohol consumption. You will also be asked about any vitamin or mineral supplements that you take.
Your doctor might order some blood tests that will provide an analysis of your white and blood cell levels. These tests provide vital information about general health as well as the fat levels in your blood and how healthy your immune system is.
Physical examinations may also be conducted where the doctor will take measurements for a variety of functions such as blood pressure, pulse, iridology, breath rate, nail analysis, and tongue analysis. It is possible for trained doctors to glean a lot of information about your general health from these examinations.
After the Consultation
Once the consultation has been completed, your naturopathic doctor will generate a report of your overall general health. It is likely that it will include recommendations regarding changes to diet and lifestyle. You may be invited to return for a subsequent follow-up appointment to discuss the report in depth and to arrange any recommended treatments or therapies.
Continued treatment and progress analysis will take place at successive appointments, where any changes to the treatment plan can be made if necessary. Follow-up appointments are generally much shorter at between fifteen and twenty minutes.
Summary
You can expect your first naturopathic consultation to take between one to two hours as this is when your doctor will find out as much as possible about your diet, lifestyle, and family history of illness. They will then establish the root cause of your illness and recommend a variety of therapies to address the underlying cause.