Knowing Enough to be Practicing Naturopathic Medicine

Any student studying to be a health care practitioner spends moments every day wondering if they will ever know enough about their chosen field of medicine. Naturopathic medicine has a large body of knowledge to learn in order to pass licensing exams. It’s enough to make anyone feel insecure, perpetually inadequate and terrified of making a mistake by not knowing enough.

While it is true there is a daunting body of knowledge that every student of naturopathic medicine must learn, there is a point when even this knowledge is not enough. This is when the student realizes that they must learn how to apply the knowledge in practice using the six principles of naturopathic medicine. This principle-based way of practicing is very different from other types of health care.

From the time we are young children, most of the education we receive is linear and little of it is holistic. It is only when we use our imagination freely that we open our creativity and can relate to a whole painting, song or poem, yet very little of our learning time encourages creative thinking and feeling, whether we are young children or adults seeking degrees in medical fields.

The practice of allopathic medicine is very linear with each specialty in its own silo. Functional medicine is trying to move out of this model and integrate the specialties with variable success as they do this at the end of the educational process. Naturopathic medicine, based on six philosophical principles, is inherently a more holistic approach. Even though each naturopathic doctor may choose to emphasize only some of the many modalities within and currently emerging in naturopathic medicine in their practice, the teaching based on the six principles allows the holistic aspect to be ever present.

Experiencing how to integrate the six philosophical principles as you learn and subsequently practice naturopathic medicine is integral to your development and maturing into the evolved naturopathic doctor inherent within you. The Naturopathic Legacy Project captures and shares the wisdom of elder NDs to help you achieve the skill of knowing how to assimilate the body of knowledge you have acquired and develop a rich and fulfilling naturopathic medical practice. Engage this opportunity to learn and be mentored by your elders by contacting NLP here.