This year marks the 12th year in practice for me, so I thought I’d celebrate by doing a few very necessary upgrades to how I practice. The first upgrade is that bookings can now be made online! This means more time consulting, which is very exciting!
In the time I’ve been practicing, it feels like Naturopathic medicine is becoming less fringe, but of course it’s hard to tell when you’re IN the echo-chamber right? So I decided to dig into the stats to find out exactly what the uptake of Naturopathic medicine actually is in Australia.
Is Naturopathy still considered fringe?
These days, in most circles, Naturopathy is really not considered all that fringe. It has a long history of practice in Australia and is still widely used. Each year, it’s estimated that 6-8% of Australians make the choice to use the services of a Naturopath to help manage their health, often alongside conventional treatments. This means in any year, there are an estimated four million consultations with Naturopaths and Herbalists. On top of this, a whopping two thirds of Australians use some form of complementary medicine.
This means that integrative approaches, which merge ‘natural’ and ‘conventional’, are already happening (in a BIG way). We have to accept that integrative approaches are an educated and reasonable choice for many Australians, myself included.
The evidence is building.
Since 1987, naturopathic researchers have published over 2,200 peer-reviewed articles, 81% of these published since 2008! Many of these articles were published in highly ranked journals and naturopathic researchers conducted clinical research in over 80 different illness populations which overall showed a positive outcome in 81% of studies.*
Properly trained Naturopaths are perfectly suited to lessen the burden of chronic health presentations to conventional doctors through dietary and lifestyle prescriptions, spending more time with patients, as well as to assess herb/nutrient/drug interactions, thereby enhancing public safely.
Interestingly, approximately two-thirds of patients using complementary medicine, such as herbal or nutritional products, do not tell their medical doctor about their use of complementary medicines. Why is there such reluctance? Perhaps the fear of judgement or negative comments? Perhaps not feeling it’s all that important for the GP to know? Perhaps a lack of time with the GP to explain what you’re taking and why properly??
I’ve had many clients report they have received negative comments from their GP after mentioning they’ve consulted with a Naturopath, and perhaps rightly so if that person is not adequately qualified! In some circumstances however, there is a false assumption that Naturopathic medicine (offered under the advice of a qualified practitioner) is not evidence-based or it’s dangerous.
On the flip side, I’ve also had many clients with very supportive GPs and specialists who are happy their patient has been proactive in seeking safe, evidence-based, integrative support.
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” – Henry Ford.
I believe the best outcomes often come from a patient-centred multidisciplinary approach. It helps to be open to ALL options that improve quality of life and health outcomes. In the landscape of integrative medicine, there is no great dividing range, and nor should there be. To quote Ken Blanchard, “None of us is as smart as all of us!”.
Bottom Line
Of course, the scope of Naturopathic practice goes beyond being simply ‘complementary’ to standard conventional care. It’s of high value to communities and society if it’s done well!
And remember, to book an appointment, you can now do so HERE. 🙂
Until next time,
Stacey.
*References available on request.