Naturopathy — also called naturopathic medicine and natural health care —is a medical system that has evolved from a combination of traditional practices and health care approaches popular in Europe during the 19th century.
Guided by a philosophy that emphasizes the healing power of nature, naturopathic practitioners use a wide variety of traditional and modern therapeutic approaches ranging from diet therapy to homeopathic and herbal medicine. Practitioners view their role as supporting the body’s inherent ability to maintain and restore health and prefer to use treatment approaches that they consider to be the most natural and least invasive. Traditional Naturopaths only use those substances derived from nature and work in an integrative manner with other non-natural health care providers. They do not prescribe medications or recommend surgery, which differs from Naturopathic Physicans who are licensed in many states and recommend pharmaceuticals and minor surgical interventions.
Naturopaths work to help people restore their health through the practice of naturopathic principals. The World Health Organization has estimated that if the major risk factors for chronic disease were eliminated, at least 80% of all heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 Diabetes, and more than 40% of cancer cases would be prevented.
Naturopaths’ great emphasis is prevention of disease; therefore they work to find the causes of disease instead of managing symptoms. They do not diagnose disease either. The practice of a naturopathic doctor is to support an allopathic (medical) physician, not replace them.
| Prescribes Medication | Performs Surgery | Training in Nutrition | Prevention Training | Believes the Body Can Heal | |
| Traditional Naturopath | No | No | 60-90 hours | Yes | Yes |
| Naturopathic Physician | Yes | Yes | 45-60 hours | Yes | Yes |
| Medical Physician | Yes | Yes | 21 hours | No | No |
| Osteopathic Doctor | Yes | Yes | 17 hours | No | No |
| Chiropractic Doctor | No | No | 24-50 hours | Yes | Yes |
Holistic Family Practice in Virginia Beach, VA is a Traditional Naturopathic Lifestyle Center aimed at preventing, reversing, and stopping chronic diseases from occurring in our society. Our vision is to reduce chronic disease through natural health care practices with a focus on preventive health care. We integrate with many other health care practices, working to education, motivate, and inspire our patients to live naturally. If you are ready to transform your health, prevent disease, reverse disease, or stop the progression of disease come in for an initial first visit. Our concierge natural health care program is tailored to help support you in your health journey. We look forward to helping you and your family for many years!
