Naturopathic Doctor’s Bag

Naturopathic physicians have many tools in our doctor’s bag to support your health. Here are the main tools you can expect to use with your Emerald City Clinic physician:

Lifestyle Modifications and the Foundations of Health

A house must be built on solid foundations if it is to last. The same principle applies to man, otherwise he too will sink back into the soft ground and become swallowed up by the world of illusion. – Sai Baba of Shirdi

Seeing a naturopathic doctor for the first time may shock you. Much of what an ND will prescribe must be done after you leave the visit, at home, every day. You can think of your ND as a coach who will help you build healthier foundations of health. Strengthening the foundation strengthens the whole house! 

The public health community has come to embrace these foundations as essential to global human health – they call them “determinants of health.” There are many determinants of health, but at Emerald City Clinic, we focus on:

·       Safety

·       Access to healthy food, fresh air, clean water

·       Hydration

·       Nutrition

·       Physical movement

·       Sleep

·       Community connection and social support

There is no judgment about the behaviors you are currently engaged in. It is the physician’s job to accept you unconditionally as you are, while helping you make changes toward more optimal health.

Botanical Medicine 

Botanical medicine refers to the use of medicinal herbs in the form of food, teas, tinctures, glycerites, capsules, and more. Plants have been tested throughout time in all areas of the world and have been shown to treat a number of diseases through their chemical parts, or “constituents.” The constituents in the plants interact with your biochemistry to treat your condition or alleviate symptoms. 

Your doctor may prescribe a single medicinal herb, or create a special formula designed just for your particular health concerns.

Nutrition

Nutrition includes diet and supplements. 

At Emerald City Clinic, we focus on balanced nutrition. We base our recommendations on nutritional science, which tends to support the concept of a balanced diet. In addition, we recommend therapeutic diets when indicates, such as hypoallergenic, elimination/challenge, keto-adaptive, anti-Candida, and more.

We also utilize supplements, which are capsules or tablets that can enhance your nutrition. Unfortunately, even if you eat a well-balanced diet, sometimes you simply cannot get enough vitamins and minerals from your food. This could be for one of three reasons:

1. The food does not have enough nutrition in it. We know our soils have been depleted of nutrients over the decades, so it is possible you just aren’t getting enough through your food. This is where multivitamins/minerals come in handy. 

2. You cannot digest the nutrients. “Digest” just means to break down the food into small enough parts for your body to take in the nutrients. Because gastrointestinal problems are one of the most common complaints in our clinic, all Emerald City Clinic doctors have many tools to help you digest your food better.

3. You cannot absorb the nutrients. You may be able to break down your food into small parts, but something like inflammation, autoimmune disease, infection, etc., may be preventing your body from putting those nutrients where they belong.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a truly holistic medicine. Your doctor takes into account your physical complaints, as well as your mental and emotional states, then prescribes a homeopathic remedy. The appropriate remedy brings all these aspects of you back into balance.

Homeopathy can produce profound life and health changes. In some cases, you may need additional support with botanical medicine, hydrotherapy, counseling, nutrition, and even pharmaceutical drugs. Homeopathy is not a cure-all. It is a subtle way to help you exist more fully in the world. 

Homeopathy is widely accepted across the world, particularly in Europe and India. In some places, it is a normal part of doctor visits. 

At Emerald City Clinic, we apply homeopathy both for acute and chronic problems. We teach you how to use homeopathy acutely at home. We offer homeopathic first aid kits for both children and adults, with instructions on how to choose the right remedy for your problem.

Bioidentical Hormones

In Washington state, NDs have prescriptive rights. That means, we can (and do) prescribe pharmaceutical drugs when appropriate. That also means we can de-prescribe medications if indicated or desired. We are excellent at managing pharmaceuticals when necessary in our primary care setting.

At Emerald City Clinic, we offer alternatives to pharmaceutical hormone replacement therapy. Dr. Molly Niedermeyer has particular interest and extensive knowledge in the prescription and management of bioidentical hormones. 

“Bioidentical” means the hormone you take matches the shape of the hormone your body makes. They are usually derived from plants. This is different from pharmaceutical hormones, which have a different chemical shape. There is evidence that bioidentical hormones provide greater symptom relief and may reduce the risks of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, compared to conventional hormone therapy. This seems to be especially true regarding bioidentical progesterone, compared with synthetic progestin.

Counseling

One of the core principles of naturopathic medicine and of Emerald City Clinic is “Docere,” which means “to teach.” In order to teach, naturopathic doctors have to be good communicators and good listeners. Every naturopathic doctor is trained in counseling skills, in order to ensure we both provide a space in which to build a strong therapeutic alliance with our patients.