Overview
Naturopathic care explores a range of potential influences on your health including diet, lifestyle, family genetics, psycho-emotional, spiritual, socioeconomic, and environmental issues. It considers the relationship between physiological systems in evaluating and identifying the root cause of issues, then implementing treatments. Naturopathic care is patient-centered and collaborative – providers actively seek to engage patients and their care team in implementing strategies to optimize their health.
The diagnostic process may involve testing. Depending upon your needs, the test might provide insights into food sensitivity, comprehensive stool and microbiome composition, advanced cardio-metabolic status and diagnostics, hormones, nutritional status, stress and stress-response, heart rate variability or epigenetics.
Evidence-informed, natural therapeutic interventions that leverage the body’s own healing abilities are the first treatment options considered in naturopathic care. Your naturopathic doctor may talk with you about:
- Dietary and lifestyle changes
- Stress-reduction techniques
- Herbs and other dietary supplements
- Manipulative therapies
- Exercise therapy
- Practitioner-guided detoxification
- Psychotherapy and counseling
Principles
A naturopathic doctor is guided by six principles in providing care. These principles, as detailed by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME), are:
- First, do no harm. Utilize the most natural, least invasive and least toxic therapies.
- Identify and treat the causes. Look beyond symptoms to the underlying cause.
- The healing power of nature. Trust in the body’s inherent ability to heal itself.
- Doctor as teacher. Educate patients in the steps to achieve and maintain health.
- Treat the whole person. View the body as an integrated whole in all its physical, psychological and spiritual dimensions.
- Prevention. Focus on overall health, wellness and disease prevention.
Conditions Commonly Addressed by Naturopathic Doctors
Research has shown positive outcomes from naturopathic medicine applied to such conditions as cardiovascular disorders, musculoskeletal pain, type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, depression, and anxiety.
Naturopathic doctors participate on multi-disciplinary care teams at the Samueli Institute and collaborate with conventional care experts across UCI Health to provide comprehensive, high-quality care. According to CNME, naturopathic doctors can treat a wide range of conditions including, but not limited to:
- allergies
- anxiety
- autism and ADHD
- autoimmune conditions (e.g., thyroid disease, lupus)
- cancer
- chronic fatigue syndrome
- chronic infections
- chronic pain
- chronic skin conditions
- depression
- diabetes
- diarrhea
- digestive issues
- fertility problems
- fibromyalgia
- flu
- headaches
- heart disease
- hepatitis
- high blood pressure
- hormonal imbalances
- infections (such as ear or urinary tract)
- menopause
- musculoskeletal conditions and injuries
- neurodegenerative conditions
- obesity
- respiratory conditions
- skin rashes
- strep throat
- stress-related conditions
Naturopathic care may offer options if you have multiple symptoms or conditions that do not fall neatly into a specific disease category, or symptoms that have eluded diagnosis for some time.
If your goal is to improve your health, and perhaps prevent disease, a naturopathic doctor will partner with you to explore your personal risks of disease and teach you principles of healthy living.
Our Experts
All naturopathic doctors at the Samueli Institute are licensed by the California State Board of Naturopathic Medicine. To obtain this license, your naturopathic doctor:
- Graduated from a four-year program accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a reliable authority on the quality of academic training for naturopathic doctors.
- Completed 1,200 hours of hands-on competency-based clinical training, overseen by a licensed professional, similar to medical doctors and osteopathic doctors.
- Passed the Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examination (NPLEX), which adheres to standards that are comparable to those of the National Board of Medical Examiners, the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners and other healthcare professions.
Some naturopathic doctors may also complete post-doctoral residency training. The Samueli Institute, in collaboration with Bastyr University, offers an accredited naturopathic residency program – the only known naturopathic residency program at a nationally recognized university and medical center.
Our Team
Price
Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute accepts a variety of insurance plans or private pay. Your visit may be subject to copay and deductible.
Please contact us at 949.824.7000 for more information.
Research
Myers, S. P., & Vigar, V. (2019). The State of the Evidence for Whole-System, Multi-Modality Naturopathic Medicine: A Systematic Scoping Review. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 25(2), 141–168. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2018.0340
Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges. “How to Become a Naturopathic Doctor.” https://aanmc.org/naturopathic-news/become-licensed-naturopathic-doctor/ May 24, 2020. Last accessed 5.22.2023.
California Board of Naturopathic Medicine. “A Consumer’s Guide to Naturopathic Medicine.” State of California Department of Consumer Affairs. Revised: 7/19 | PDE_19-242. https://www.naturopathic.ca.gov/formspubs/brochure_guide.pdf
The Council on Naturopathic Medical Education. “Naturopathic Medicine: An Overview.” https://cnme.org/naturopathic-medicine-an-overivew/ Last accessed 5.22.2023.
