Alternative, Complementary, Naturopathic & Traditional Medicine

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Dr. Floyd W. S-R. Hoyt, ND, CNC

NATUROPATHIC DOCTOR EDUCATION
Naturopathic medical colleges are four-year postgraduate schools with admission requirements comparable to those of conventional medical schools. The degree of Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine requires four years of residential graduate study in the medical sciences including:

Anatomy
Physiology
Biochemistry
Pathology
Microbiology
Immunology
Pharmacology
Laboratory diagnosis
Clinical and Physical diagnosis
Cardiology
Neurology
Radiology
Minor surgery
Obstetrics
Gynecology
Pediatrics
Dermatology
Clinical Sciences

Throughout the four year residential curriculum, there is intensive training in naturopathic therapeutics, including therapeutic nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathic medicine, natural childbirth, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, naturopathic manipulative therapy, TCM, and other therapies. Because the coursework in applied biochemistry, nutrition and natural therapeutics is added to a standard (conventional) medical school curriculum, naturopathic doctors complete a more comprehensive curriculum with significantly more hours of classroom and applied education than the graduates of the world's leading conventional medical schools.

Throughout the world, only the following colleges offer a fully accredited degree program in Naturopathic Medicine

National College of Naturopathic Medicine
049 SW Porter Street
Portland, Oregon 97201
503-499-4343

Bastyr University
14500 Juanita Drive Northeast
Bothell, Washington 98011
206-823-1300
Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine
2140 East Broadway
Tempe, Arizona 85282
480-858-9100

Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine
1255 Sheppard Avenue East
Toronto, Ontario M2K 1E2
Canada
416-498-1255

The University of Bridgeport, College of Naturopathic Medicine
221 University Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06601
203-576-4109

PHILOSOPHY OF NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE
Naturopathic Medicine is a distinctive approach to health and healing that recognizes the integrity of the whole person. Naturopathic Medicine focuses on the vitalistic tradition of medicine, emphasizing the treatment of disease through the stimulation, enhancement, and support of the inherent healing capacity of the person. Methods of treatments are chosen to work with the patient's vital force, respecting the intelligence of the natural healing process. The practice of Naturopathic Medicine emerges from six underlying principles of healing. These principles are based on the objective observation of the nature of health and disease, and are continually re-examined in light of scientific analysis. It is these principles that distinguish the profession from other medical approaches:

The healing power of nature. vis medicatrix naturae

The body has the inherent ability to establish, maintain, and restore health. The healing process is ordered and intelligent; nature heals through the response of the life force. The physician's role is to facilitate and augment this process, to act to identify and remove obstacles to health and recovery, and to support the creation of a healthy internal and external environment.

Identify and treat the cause. tolle causam

Illness does not occur without cause. Underlying causes of disease must be discovered and removed or treated before a person can recover completely from illness. Symptoms are expressions of the body's attempt to heal, but are not the cause of disease. Symptoms, therefore, should not be suppressed by treatment. Causes may occur on many levels including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. The physician must evaluate fundamental underlying causes on all levels, directing treatment at root causes rather than at symptomatic expression.

First do no harm. primum no nocere

Illness is a purposeful process of the organism. The process of healing includes the generation of symptoms which are, in fact, an expression of the life force attempting to heal itself. Therapeutic actions should be complimentary to and synergistic with this healing process. The physician's actions can support or antagonize the actions of the vis medicatrix naturae. Therefore, methods designed to suppress symptoms without removing underlying causes are considered harmful and are avoided or minimized.

Treat the whole person. The multifactorial nature of health and disease.

Health and disease are conditions of the whole organism, a whole involving a complex interaction of physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, and other factors. The physician must treat the whole person by taking all of these factors into account. The harmonious functioning of all aspects of the individual is essential to recovery from and prevention of disease, and requires a personalized and comprehensive approach to diagnosis and treatment.

The physician as teacher. docere

Beyond an accurate diagnosis and appropriate prescription, the physician must work to create a healthy, sensitive interpersonal relationship with the patient. A cooperative doctor-patient relationship has inherent therapeutic value. The physician's major role is to educate and encourage the patient to take responsibility for health. The physician is a catalyst for healthful change, empowering and motivating the patient to assume responsibility. It is the patient, not the doctor, who ultimately creates/accomplishes healing. The physician must strive to inspire hope as well as understanding. The physician must also make a commitment to his/her personal and spiritual development in order to be a good teacher.

Prevention. Prevention is the best "cure"

The ultimate goal of any health care system should be prevention. This is accomplished through education and promotion of life-habits that create good health. The physician assesses risk factors and hereditary susceptibility to disease and makes appropriate interventions to avoid further harm and risk to the patient. The emphasis is on building health rather than on fighting disease.

PRACTICE OF NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE
Naturopathic philosophy serves as the basis for naturopathic practice. The current scope of naturopathic practice includes, but is not limited to:

Clinical Nutrition
That food is the best medicine is a cornerstone of naturopathic practice. Many medical conditions can be treated more effectively with foods and nutritional supplements than they can by other means, with fewer complications and side effects. Naturopathic physicians use dietetics, natural hygiene, fasting, and nutritional supplementation in practice.

Botanical Medicine
Plant substances are unique in the medical armamentarium because they among the most powerful medicines. In contrast to pharmaceutical drugs, each chemically-derived drug is designed to address or mask only a single problem, and they usually have a host of adverse, toxic side-effects. Botanical medicines, however, are natural, each containing numerous active constituents acting synergystically, which are able to address a variety of problems simultaneously. Their organic (food) nature makes botanical medicines compatible with the body's own chemistry. Hence, they are highly effective without the risk of chemical side effects.

Homeopathic Medicine
Homeopathic medicine is based on the principle of "like cures like." It works on a subtle yet powerful electromagnetic level, gently acting to strengthen the body's own inherent healing and immune response.

Physical Medicine
Naturopathic Medicine has its own methods of therapeutic manipulation of muscles, bones, and spine. N.D.'s also use ultrasound, diathermy, exercise, massage, water, heat and cold, air, sound, light, and gentle electrical pulses.

Oriental Medicine - TCM
Oriental medicine is a complimentary healing philosophy to naturopathic medicine. Chinese Herbs and Meridian Theory offer important understanding of the unity of the body and mind, and adds to the Western understanding of physiology. Acupuncture (and acupressure) provides a method of treatment which can unify and harmonize the imbalances present in disease conditions, which, if untreated, can result in progressive illness.

Naturopathic Obstetrics
Naturopathic physicians provide natural childbirth care both in hospitals and in an out-of-hospital settings. They offer prenatal and postnatal care using modern diagnostic techniques. The naturopathic approach strengthens healthy body functions so that complications associated with pregnancy may be prevented.

Psychological Medicine
Mental attitudes and emotional states may influence, or even cause, physical illness. Counseling, nutritional balancing, stress management, hypnotherapy, biofeedback, and other therapies are used to help patients heal on the psychological level to promote optimum physical health and wellness.

Minor Surgery
As general/family, primary care practitioners, N.D.'s do in office-minor and cosmetic surgery, including repair of superficial wounds, removal of foreign bodies, cysts, and other superficial masses, and a host of modern dermatological techniques such as lasers to restore and enhance physical appearance.

Integrative - Alternative and Functional Medicine
Naturopathic Medicine embraces and integrates modern medical therapeutics to the extent that each modality supports the underlying principles of promoting, restoring and maintaining optimum health and wellness for life. Naturopathic Physicians are fully trained and authorized to employ and apply the complete USP (United States Pharmacopeia) Formulary (www.usp.org). True to their philosophy and standards of practice, Naturopathic Physicians prescribe both natural, controlled substances, as well as pharmaceutical prescriptions from the USP Formulary, with great discretion.

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dr_hoyt_nd@yahoo.com

Hours: By Appointment: Monday Through Friday - 9:00AM to 7:00PM

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215 W. Grand Central Avenue
Tampa, FL 33606

Phone: 813-253-3777

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