When you think of a typical doctor’s visit, what do you imagine? I bet it’s long waits, impersonal men and women sporting long white coats, and confusing medical jargon.
Yet the majority of patients, especially in the deep South, consider a conventional Western medicinal doctor’s visit their only option. Now, envision what a naturopathic doctor’s visit would be like. Only a year ago I would have said I see a hippie in a head-wrap and long skirt telling me the solution to my symptoms was “freeing my spirit;” however, I now realize it’s ignorant social stigmas like this that are preventing naturopathic medicine from being considered a viable option for the common man.
Before I continue any further, I should specify exactly what I am referring to as naturopathic medicine and Western medicine. Naturopathy literally means, “natural cure.” Western medicine is referred to as “allopathy” which means, “the treatment of a disease by conventional means.”
From my understanding, it all comes back to the ethnocentric ideals of many Americans. Ethnocentric views thrive on the idea that what we normally do is the correct way, and anything deviating in the slightest from our own practices obviously can’t be right.
This, in turn, applies to our societal views on modern medicine. Most Americans have seen a traditional Western medicine doctor all their lives and probably will continue to do so until they breathe their last breath. Any alternative is only sought in dire circumstances, and even then some patients are initially skeptical of the results. The fact that Western medicine, is deemed “allopathy,” which refers to its normality, only further confirms our society’s idea that natural medicine is anything but natural.
However, if a patient would actually take the time to learn the the differences between naturopathy and allopathy, I’d dare to say there would be a dramatic increase in naturopathic patients.
Although it’s clear that naturopaths generally prescribe natural supplements and treatments compared to allopathy’s prescription drugs, there’s a fundamental difference in thought between the two practices. Dr. Brett Smith explained it simply when he stated, “The biggest difference between naturopathy and allopathy is that the allopathy physicians tend to view good health as a physical state in which there is no obvious disease present. In contrast, naturopathic doctors recognize true health as an optimal state of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. The key differences between naturopathic and an allopathic physician are apparent if we look at how each doctor view both health and disease.”
Though all naturopathic treatments are side-effect free, many patients still fear or don’t believe that a naturopath’s treatments will promote their own health.
Really? What’s there to be cautious of? If anything, I’d be cautious of man-made, synthetic drugs with numerous known and unknown side-effects rather than completely natural, God-made, complication-free treatments that work just as well if not better than typical prescription drugs.
I’m not saying that there aren’t some wonderful drugs that treat many different illnesses and save people’s lives; however, if the natural options were available to you, why not at least give them a chance? 
The only drawbacks of trying naturopathic methods of treatment are the lack of naturopathic doctors and sometimes spotty insurance coverage of naturopathic services. For a few more dollars and a little inconvenience of finding a naturopath in your area, why not be adventurous and try it out?
The worst that could happen are the side-effects.
Oh, wait, there are none.
Rebecca Kellum is a freshman majoring in elementary education. She can be contacted at [email protected].