Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathic medicine combines a variety of natural medicines and treatments with Western medical diagnostics and care. Naturopathic medicine is based on the principle that the body has the ability to heal itself by using the supplementation of herbs, nutritional therapy, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, and lifestyle management. Naturopathic doctors (NDs) promote wellness using safe, effective, and the least invasive therapies available. NDs are primary care doctors who attend accredited four-year naturopathic medical schools and trained in the same sciences as MDs with a focus on natural approaches to treating diseases. When deemed appropriate, NDs may prescribe medication when required based on their scope practice. NDs can work with other health care providers and advocates for a collaborative approach to patient health.
Chinese Medicine
Chinese medicine refers to a range of ancient medical practices developed in China over 2000 years ago. It includes herbal medicine, acupuncture, bodywork, and dietary therapy based on the theory of harmonious energy flow or qi in our bodies. If the qi is blocked, symptoms and disease manifest. In order to determine which organ systems in the body are affected, a Chinese medicine practitioner will look at the appearance of your tongue and feel the quality of your hand pulses for proper treatment.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a treatment based on Chinese medicine that uses fine needles inserted into specific points along the body or energy pathways called meridians that flow to all the organs. When the meridians are blocked, the body’s energy or qi will become imbalanced and cause disease. Insertion of the acupuncture needles will restore balance to the qi. Depending on a health condition, a series of acupuncture sessions may be necessary. Briefly, needling of acupuncture points will release certain chemicals from the brain, spinal cord, and muscles. The chemicals known as endorphins will cause a signal to trigger other chemicals to be released from the body to optimize health. Some common conditions besides pain treated with acupuncture include the following: chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting, menstruation issues, headaches, fibromyalgia, and asthma.
Natural Pharmacy
We utilize herbs and supplements that are of the highest quality available. Products stocked in our pharmacy have been carefully selected for their purity, safety, and effectiveness. Many of the supplements are physician grade and have been produced from manufacturers who practice good manufacturing practices, as well as perform additional testing to confirm the contents and concentration of the product stated on the label. Additionally, we thoroughly research each product in our pharmacy to ensure it contains the least amount of binders and fillers possible. Our bulk herbs are organic or wild-harvested without the contamination of pesticides.
Although we do not require that our patients purchase the recommended supplements from our office, we do prefer they purchase the brands of the product recommended to ensure efficacy and quality.