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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.
Special Offer
E-mail Questions or Request Appointments:
dr_hoyt_nd@yahoo.com
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