Naturopathic Medicine

What is Naturopathic Medicine?

Naturopathic Medicine is a distinct system of primary health care – an art, science, philosophy and practice of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of illness. The practice of naturopathic medicine, founded upon a holistic philosophy, combines safe and effective traditional therapies with the most current advances in modern medicine. It strongly promotes individualized healthcare with the focus of treating the “whole person” through mind, body and spirit for optimum health.

What to Expect When You See Dr. Dengler

Your first consultation with Dr. Dengler will be approximately one and half hours. During this time, a very thorough medical history is taken, including questions about your current symptoms, childhood health and past medical history, family history, diet, lifestyle, exercise, social health, emotional health, stress and environmental exposures. The patient is also encouraged to bring along any lab test results they may have as well as any supplements or medications that they may be taking to the visit for review. During the visit, Dr. Dengler will discuss various natural health options with the patient and together the best health plan will be created making the patient an active part of the healthcare team. At the end of your visit, Dr. Dengler will create a health plan that often includes further testing as well as dietary, supplemental and lifestyle changes that she feels will be helpful for your specific health concerns. Testing may include blood work that can be drawn at a local lab or specialty tests including food sensitivity testing, salivary hormone testing, heavy metal testing, micronutrient testing, neurotransmitter testing and stool analysis to evaluate gastrointestinal health.

Your next visit, scheduled 3-4 weeks after the initial consultation, will be approximately 45-60 minutes long. During this visit, Dr. Dengler will discuss the results of your laboratory testing and evaluate your response to any dietary, supplemental and lifestyle changes that were made at the initial visit. During this visit a detailed plan will be discussed and all of your questions will be answered. You will be encouraged to contact the office if you have any questions that come up after your visit.

Your next office visit will depend on the complexity of the healing plan that was developed for you. Typically the third visit will be 6-12 weeks from the second visit. The first year of care often requires more frequent visits to make adjustments to your plan and find what works best for you.

Dr. Dengler’s approach to health and wellness is from a functional medicine perspective, meaning that she takes quality time to get to know her patients by listening and working with them to develop an individualized health approach. She is committed to supporting the body’s inherent ability to heal by identifying and removing obstacles to health and researching genetic, infectious, nutritional and environmental factors that influence her patients’ health. Dr. Dengler is passionate about naturopathic medicine and remains truthful to the six principles guiding naturopathic medicine.

What Kinds of Conditions is Naturopathy Beneficial For?

Naturopathy is beneficial for many conditions ranging from acute conditions such as an ear infection or a cold to more chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.  Naturopaths work to educate their patients on natural options from prevention of illness to healing acute and chronic disease.

Principles of Naturopathic Medicine

• The Healing Power of Nature (Vis medicatrix naturae) – The body has the inherent ability to establish, maintain and restore health. The healing process is ordered and intelligent and allows nature to heal through the response of the life force.
• First Do No Harm (Primum non nocere) – Naturopathic practitioners utilize modalities that minimize the risk of harmful effects, apply the least possible force or intervention to restore health, and respect the innate ability of each individual to make health decisions in tune with their own self-healing process.
• Identify and Treat the Cause (Tolle causum) – Illness does not occur without cause. The underlying causes of disease must be recognized and removed before a person can recover completely from illness. Symptoms are the body’s reaction to a disease state and should, therefore, not be suppressed by treatment because it would inhibit the body’s natural healing process.
• Treat the Whole Person (Tolle totum) – Health and disease result from a complex of physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, spiritual and other factors. Naturopathic medicine recognizes the harmonious functioning of all aspects of an individual as being essential to health. The multi-factorial nature of health and disease requires a personalized and comprehensive approach to optimal health.
• Doctor as Teacher (Docere) – Beyond an accurate diagnosis and appropriate prescription, the doctor must work to create a healthy, sensitive interpersonal relationship with the patient. A cooperative doctor-patient relationship has inherent therapeutic value. Doctor as teacher incorporates education about disease and health to each and every patient while encouraging self responsibility for their health. Naturopaths serve as a catalyst for healthful change, empowering and motivating patients to assume responsibility. Naturopaths strive to inspire hope as well as understanding.
• Prevention (Prevenir) – The ultimate goal of naturopathic medicine is prevention. This is accomplished through education and promotion of lifestyle habits that create good health. The practitioner assesses risk factors and hereditary susceptibility to disease and makes appropriate interventions to avoid further harm and risk to the patient. The emphasis is on building health, rather than on fighting disease. Because it is difficult to be healthy in an unhealthy world, it is the responsibility of both the patient and the practitioner to create a healthier environment in which to live.