Naturopathic Medicine (Essay Sample)

Naturopathic Medicine
Student’s Name
University Affiliation
Naturopathic Medicine
My belief in the power of natural medicine over the forced suppression of symptoms exhibited in mainstream medicine is the driving force behind my desire to study naturopathic medicine. I firmly believe that the effect of vital energy in healing a person far outweighs any medicine that may have adverse effects on the body of the person it is intended to heal.
In a recent survey in Canada, the country was ranked 10th out of 16 countries being reviewed for their health performance. The low ranking was a sharp decline from 5th position place held in the 1990s (Lescheid, 2012). As such, it was a proven fact that Canada had a high rate of spending going to the health care sector. The country is one of the top five countries worldwide when it comes to money spent on healthcare per capita; a clear indication that the country needs to adopt a new more efficient and sustainable healthcare system (Lescheid, 2012). According to Lescheid (2012), the country needs to minimize the impact on the state's system of healthcare by ensuring it remains accessible to all people.
One of the ways that Canada could make this possible is through naturopathic medicine in preventing and treating disease. Experts argue that 70-80% of all chronic diseases are preventable by dietary and lifestyle changes. Naturopathic doctors are trained to deliver this message of prevention to Canadian people and furthermore implement the necessary strategies to treat and develop a sustainable healthcare system. In addition, naturopathic doctors are trained to deal with the treatment of chronic conditions which are very time consuming and induce high costs to the mainstream medical system (Lescheid, 2012).
Naturopathy has evolved over the years to become a respected profession in the world. Midwives now have licenses to deliver babies both in hospitals and also at home. Also, pharmacists are being trained in the use of herbal and homeopathic medicine. Canada has registered 490 general medical practitioners who prescribe to the principles of natural medicine. Moreover, many more doctors practice ‘integrative' medicine, a combination of the best of 'alternative' or 'complementary' medical treatments with the best of mainstream medicine.
Two decades ago, it would have been an uphill task trying to locate a general practitioner who would discuss the use of herbs, homeopathy, detoxification, vitamins and minerals in medicine (Vanderhaeghe, 2000). Naturopathy was described as ‘alternative' form of disease elimination. The term alternative was used to mean that naturopathy was only considered after exhausting what mainstream medicine had to offer (Vanderhaeghe, 2000).
Out of fear of going out of a job and threats by their provincial medical boards, very few medical practitioners would consider offering ‘alternative' medicine to their patients. A person seeking an alternative approach to drug therapies had to educate themselves (Vanderhaeghe 2000). However, in recent times, the faith in conventional medicine has gone down. More diseases which seem to be incurable by ‘normal' medicine have emerged. Many people are taking the ‘alternative' way to combat illnesses now and reducing the impact that medicines aimed at suppressing symptoms in their bodies have on them.
Financial implications that come with chronic illnesses may have had a hand in my choice of career path. I feel that Naturopathic medicine is a healthy way to aid people get medical care. My friend, a dermatologist, influenced my career choice. Seeing how natural forms of medicine healed people’s skin without the influence of toxic chemicals made me want to take this path. It ...