Natural Medicine and PCOS

Many of you may be wondering, "What is this 'ND' thing? Is that a typo? Does she mean 'MD'?". It is not a typo! Although the MD is the most familiar designation for a physician, there are actually a number of different physician professions.

Despite starting out a century ago with a distinct practice philosophy that focused on the health of the bony and connective tissue structures of the body, a Doctor of Osteopathy is now essentially identical in education and practice to a medical doctor. The Doctor of Chiropractic is another familiar designation. The Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine has in common with all of these a pre-med bachelor degree, followed by a four year, post-graduate naturopathic medical education.

What Makes Naturopathic Medicine Different?

Naturopathic doctors are primary care physicians who provide safe, effective, personalized healthcare through interventions with natural therapies that support each person's inherent healing capacities. We are devoted to holism. The body-mind-spirit connection is basic to naturopathic practice philosophy. Integration of a respect for the integrity of the whole person, their inherited and environmental circumstances, their emotional and spiritual realities, their economic and social situation, is woven into every aspect of the care naturopathic physicians provide.

We use natural therapies almost exclusively. Although NDs in certain states are licensed to prescribe antibiotics, hormones and other pharmaceutical preparations, the tools of nature are our true expertise.

Naturopathic medial philosophy begins with the ancient law of "First, do no harm". Although sometimes "harm" is necessary and lifesaving, as in surgery and chemotherapy in certain circumstances, the naturopathic physician's role is to address disruption and damage to the human system with tools like nutrition, herbs and homeopathy.

We use physical therapies like exercise, massage and body work, ultrasound and hydrotherapy. Spiritual and emotional distress is met with counseling or training in self-care methods like meditation or relaxation techniques. A naturopathic doctor will be sensitive to your personal religious beliefs and spiritual practices. NDs may also use bony manipulation like a chiropractor, or the acupuncture of traditional oriental medicine.

Are NDs "Real Doctors"?

The renewed interest in natural therapies that began with the cultural revolution of the 1960's ignited the smoldering coals of naturopathy. As more people looked for access to natural medicine, naturopathic practitioners were able to reunite and the profession has had a vibrant rebirth.

In just over two decades we have re-established a legitimate medical profession, with accredited colleges, a national licensing exam and licensure as primary care physicians in a dozen states plus Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Insurance companies are writing policies that cover naturopathic services and managed care organizations are integrating NDs into their plans.

There are still big gaps, however. Legal status is a complex patchwork. Most NDs who function as primary care physicians are clustered in the licensed states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington).

Florida has NDs licensed decades ago, who then "lost" their ability to award new licenses in a sunset process. There is currently a vigorous effort afoot in Florida to reactivate their licensing process, so new generation of NDs can join the venerable old guard there. Kansas NDs gained a registration status essentially identical to licensure, in the 2002 legislative session.

Legislatures in half a dozen other states are considering the licensing of naturopathic physicians as well. Despite this exciting news there is no doubt the majority of the country is under-served. Literally millions of people can not access the still too few NDs coming out of the accredited naturopathic medical schools at a rate of a couple hundred per year.

Why Haven't I Heard of Naturopathic Medicine Before?

Naturopathic medicine has existed as a distinct profession since the late 1800s. The first naturopathic doctors were medical doctors who became disenchanted with the harsh and largely ineffective techniques they were trained to use.

They set about articulating a different, more respectful and gentle philosophy based on empowering people with knowledge for self care, guidelines for common sense living, and prevention rather than heroic intervention.

In the early part of the 20th century there where hundreds of naturopathic medical schools and thousands of practitioners. These were culturally and politically tumultuous times, and the individuals involved in defining the various medical philosophies- osteopathy and chiropractic were also on the stage at this time - were a contentious and noisy lot, often going head to head in public lectures and in print media, arguing the superiority of their chosen field.

World Wars I and II clinched the debate. The advances in surgical technique and the invention of sulfa drugs then antibiotics, spurred by the massive destructiveness of the battlefields, changed people's expectations and desires in relation to medicine. We became enamored with the idea of the "magic bullet" and the "quick fix".

Allopathic (conventional) medicine embraced the heroic interventionist idea and helped to define the parameters of what has become the reductionist scientific method. The idea that science could hold wiggling Life still under a microscope and ferret out all its secrets took hold of our imaginations.

We became convinced that human beings could improve upon the original design of nature, could tweak and adjust and duplicate an improved version of a healthy body. (Attention to the mind would take decades to gain legitimacy in the thinking of conventional practitioners, and Spirit can't really be considered to have made it there yet!).

Naturopathic medical schools suffered a precipitous decline. Political alliances manifested in such a way as to provide generous subsidies to allopathic medical education and naturopathic programs quickly fell into financial straits almost impossible to recover from. Naturopathic medicine disappeared from the nation's radar screen by the mid-1950s.

Most NDs were unable to maintain their practices in the face of a disappearing infrastructure, as well as outright persecution by the now-dominant allopathic profession. State licensure laws were sunsetted across the country when the demoralized profession was not able to mount successful political campaigns to preserve them. A few valiant individuals held on, however.

In Connecticut, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii, the licensed naturopathic profession survived, and the remaining doctors from those regions pioneered the resurgence of the profession starting in the 1970s.

Look for a "Licensable" Naturopathic Physician

Licensable NDs are indeed real doctors. Unfortunately, because there are not yet licensing laws in every state, uninformed individuals are being taken advantage of by unscrupulous diploma mills.

People are attracted to the idea of naturopathy and are enticed to believe they can practice safely and effectively by purchasing a degree via a distance learning course. It is hard to understand how anyone can imagine legitimately taking on the role of "doctor" and offering advice to other people, without attending a legitimate, accredited medical school. If you live in a state that does not license NDs, be an alert and critical consumer.

There are licensable NDs in many states. These practitioners will be able to show you a diploma from a school accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (the only agency in the US that accredits four year, post graduate naturopathic medical programs). Most will be members of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. To look for a ND in your area, click the Find button next to "Looking for a Naturopathic Physician?". If there are AANP members in your area, their information will be displayed.

What Should I Do Next?

What can you do if you are interested in naturopathic medicine for your own health care needs? First, know what you are looking for, and don't settle for less than the best. You want an interactive, mutually respectful, integrated health care team. Life and the current health care system is complicated.

An optimal circumstance is to have access to and cooperation among individuals from whatever set of health care specialties that best suits your unique circumstances. Our newsletter, and our PCOS diet ebook, will provide you a rich source of information on the most current work in natural therapies as these apply to your health care needs. Use these to broaden your own understanding of the options available to you. Inform your other care providers with these materials. Dr. Dunne is available for second and third opinion consultations.

No one knows better than a woman with PCOS how complex her needs are and how they change over time. Therapies that were once effective become less so. New research and the accumulated experiences of the community of women with PCOS add to our toolbox of options. This website and our various publications will be an evolving resource, collecting and refining this knowledge and the experiences of women with PCOS.

We believe PCOS is the tip of a profoundly important iceberg floating in the waters of modern life. Women with PCOS are like the delicate "canaries in the coal mine", whose fortunes foretell a disastrous future for everyone who dares ignore the signal of their suffering. We believe the community is larger than it yet knows itself to be, and we are very excited to be participating in the enlightenment and expansion of the field of effective care for women with PCOS.

Top

Other Natural Therapies for PCOS

Acupuncture

Castor Oil Packs

Diet

Exercise

Nutritional Supplements

Stress Management

Return to

Natural Therapies for PCOS Index Page