Dr. C. C. Yerby, Owner and Founder of Optimal Health Resources

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Plum Spring Clinic Now Offers Naturopathic Medicine

Southern Neighbor Magazine, November, 2005

There's a new style of medicine that is beginning to take the country by storm. It is grounded in the traditional natural remedies and customs of the past, yet supported in truth and science by current clinical research. It is called "naturopathic medicine," and it has come to Plum Spring Clinic in Southern Village.

One does not have to look too far to read that for years now, consumer healthcare preferences throughout the country have been leaning towards the return of "natural therapies". With one foot firmly embedded in the roots of the past, and the other balanced in the medical science of today and tomorrow, naturopathic medicine is fast becoming recognized as an important component of the beneficial blend of both Eastern and Western healthcare systems know as integrative medicine.

Naturopathic doctors respond to current research reports, actively implementing the health-promoting results of clinical studies, yet always keeping a watchful eye on the accurate science contained within each report. Trained in four-year naturopathic medical schools, requiring a 2-year pre-med curriculum, plus a 4-year undergraduate degree, board-tested naturopathic doctors must meet intense academic requirements to prepare them to work with other established medical professionals, within an "integrative medicine" setting.

NDs undergo the same thorough medical science education requirements as that of medical doctors (MDs). Not usually studied by MDs, however, NDs complete many hours of additional course study in medical nutrition, botanical (plant) medicine, homeopathy, physical medicine, counseling, oriental medicine (including acupuncture), hydrotherapy, detoxification, and more. Naturopathic doctors are trained in treating and preventing chronic and degenerative disease such as hypertension, chronic pain and fatigue, viral infections, high cholesterol, arthritis, heart disease, and cancer using non-drug, non-surgical methods.

Accredited naturopathic doctors are trained as family care general practitioners. They are required to do 1,200 hours of clinical internship working directly with patients in a clinical setting, do 40 hours of community service, and present public lectures before they are considered diploma-ready. Only NDs trained in accredited four-year medical schools are license-eligible by states with naturopathic licensing boards. There are only four U.S. naturopathic medical schools that meet these qualifications.

Emphasis is on "prevention" with the belief that given the opportunity, the encouragement, and supportive conditions, the body will rebalance and heal itself. Naturopathic medicine seeks to restore the body to its overall optimal health and to prevent further illness through eliminating the underlying cause of the symptoms. Usually this is not the "quick fix" we have become accustomed to with current conventional medicine, but instead it is a gradual reshaping of life-style, and the adjusting of imbalances in the body, which over time, have created conditions in the body that often lead to illness.

NDs view disease symptoms as opportunities and indicators, clues to conditions that cry out for a holistic approach to treatment. This "whole person" patient approach assures a personalized plan, specific to the individual person, uniting both mind and body in its process of healing.

The treatment philosophy of naturopathic doctors is the use of a diverse, non-intrusive, and essentially harmless methods, emphasizing the components of Nature including those of sunlight, pure water, and nutritional food or quality supplementation. They acknowledge the importance of emergency medicine to address the acute or life-threatening conditions and welcome the integrative collaboration and teamwork with conventional practitioners, each medical system complementing the other, in the goal to move a person into a state of long-term optimal health.

Empowering the patient to be responsible for his or her own health and well-being, naturopathic physicians are also teachers, encouraging a close partnership between doctor and patient to facilitate a safe and successful health program.

There seems to be a breeze blowing across the hearts and minds of people full of the yearning to reconnect to the power and magic we once shared with the plants, the earth, and each other, to experience again the peace we get from "stopping to smell the roses." Many feel that naturopathic medicine is the answer to this calling and the perfect adjunct to today's medical system. This integration of conventional medicine with the natural sciences provides the best of both worlds to those who believe in the healing opportunities it could provide.

So, who will lead this pilgrimage back to a more naturally healthy life, the journey whose first step is the most important one? Who will reintroduce us to our "roots"? It will be those new docs on the horizon who are "integrative" in their care, those who seek energy from the warmth of the sun, who crave the purity of air and water, those who speak freely of the healing power of Nature. It is a journey open to all who choose it, a path accessible to everyone, just by taking that first step.