People often search for health professionals who have treated a number of cases of the same exact health concern they are needing help with. But what many people don’t realize with naturopathic doctors is that how we help every individual is based on naturopathic principles first, plus specifics to the disease or health concern being addressed.

Let’s take rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for instance. RA fits within a class of illnesses called autoimmune disorders. All licensed naturopathic doctors know that where there is an autoimmune disorder, there is an underlying digestive imbalance. If your doctor does not ever address this piece, or does not know how to do it properly, you are missing a big tool needed for resolution.

Autoimmune disorders means the immune system is out of balance. In healing digestive difficulties, one will already start to moderate the immune system better, because about 75-80% of your immune system is in your gut. If one routinely did not get enough sleep and had a chronically high stress lifestyle prior to onset of illness, these are things that throw the immune system out of balance. If one’s hormones are out of balance, this can affect the immune system. If one has a toxic overload or a genetic predisposition that slows their ability to remove toxins from their own body, this can create immune problems. If one had a high stress situation that immediately preceded the onset of illness, this could have been ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’ and perhaps mind-body therapy targeting release of trauma can be helpful. And if it was all of these things combined, you can see why Naturopathic doctors may address multiple things at a time when you work with them.

In other words, it’s not just about the musculoskeletal joints regarding RA, it’s about the body-wide process that is creating the attack on the joints. It’s not always about the one thing you think it is, it’s about the overall body condition that is causing the ailment you experience.

Sometimes it is merely genetics that determines what ailment you will get if your body goes out of balance. But bringing the human frame back into balance (and health), is epigenetics.

Licensed Naturopathic doctors are well-equipped from their training to handle many illnesses, not only because we covered them extensively, but due to the very nature of how we are trained to think.