The nurse comes in to take vitals and ask some questions. Then, he or she says the doctor will be in shortly.
Short. That ends up describing the time the doctor spends with you. Many have had a similar experience when going to see their doctor. But, what if that didn’t have to be the case? What if there were doctors who took more time to really dig into a patient’s problem?
This week on "Take Care," Dr. Pina LoGiudice, a naturopathic doctor, joins the program to talk about who exactly those in her field are, what it is they do for their patients, and how they are different from traditional medical doctors.
LoGiudice completed five years of training in naturopathic medicine and acupuncture and is a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. She has taught at New York University and Mt. Sinai School of medicine, and she has had a private practice with her husband for 12 years.
Naturopathic doctors start out like any other medical doctor. They go through a four-year medical program and learn the same basic sciences. But, then they go through their training period, and that is a bit different. They focus on holistic care for their patients.
“We learn exquisitely about diet, nutrition, herbal medicine, vitamin therapy, we become experts when it comes to drug-herb interactions,” LoGiudice said. “So, there are a lot of wonderful modalities with regards to mind, body, spirit and looking at the body as an integrative whole, rather than being separated into parts.”
A visit with a naturopathic doctor can, at minimum, last roughly 30 minutes. They will take time to learn the nuances of their patient and try to individualize the visit, instead of trying to treat the immediate issue with a “blanket drug,” according to LoGiudice.
“It’s not necessarily, ‘OK this is just a stomachache.’ It’s like, ‘OK. What’s leading to that? Do you have insomnia? Do you have some issues with your teeth? Or do you have swallowing problems?’” LoGiudice said.
Doctors like LoGiudice and her husband believe the body always wants to get back to a state of balance, also known as homeostasis. When it is dealing with a disease or illness, it is imbalanced.
Naturopathic doctors believe natural medicine allows the body to heal itself once it is given the natural measures.
These physicians can be foundin private practice, like LoGiudice, or sometimes they work in larger groups. Some naturopathic doctors can be found in major cancer treatment centers, such as the Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
People interested in seeking out one of these doctors can find one near them on the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians website or by going to their state naturopathic physician association’s website.
