Naturopathic Medical Doctors at the Center

At LTP Natural Medical Center, every patient is seen by a licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctor. Naturopathic Medical Doctors practicing at LTP Natural Medical Center are graduates of four-year CNME approved medical schools and have qualified for and passed both portions of the National Medical Boards and Licensing Examinations and are up to date on state-mandated Continuing Medical Education requirements. All Naturopathic Medical Doctors practicing at LTP Natural Medical Center hold a current California medical license and current DEA prescription number, and are active members of the California Naturopathic Doctors Association.

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. Naturopathic medicine is distinguished by the principles which underlie and determine its practice. These principles are based upon the objective observation of the nature of health and disease, and are continually reexamined in the light of scientific advances. Methods used are consistent with these principles and are chosen upon the basis of patient individuality. Naturopathic physicians are primary health care practitioners, whose diverse techniques include modern and traditional, scientific and empirical methods.

Principles of Naturopathic Medicine

The principles of Naturopathic Medicine are the foundation for the practice of medicine at LTP Natural Medical Center.

First Do No Harm — Primum No Nocere

Illness is a purposeful process of the organism. The process of healing includes the generation of symptoms which are, in fact, an expression of the life force attempting to heal itself. Therapeutic actions should be complementary to and synergistic with this healing process. The physician's actions can support or antagonize the actions of the vis mediatrix naturae -- the healing power of Nature. Therefore, methods designed to suppress symptoms without removing the underlying causes are considered harmful and to be avoided or minimized.

The Healing Power of Nature — Vis Mediatrix Naturae

The body has an inherent ability to establish, maintain, and restore health. The healing process is ordered and intelligent; nature heals through the response of the life force. The physician's role is to facilitate this process, to identify and remove obstacles to health and recovery, and to establish or restore a healthy internal and external environment.

Identify and Treat the Cause — Tolle Causam

Illness does not occur without cause. Underlying causes of disease must be discovered and removed or treated before a person can recover completely from illness. Symptoms express the body's attempt to heal, but are not the cause of disease. Symptoms, therefore, should not be suppressed by treatment. Causes may occur on many levels including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. The physician must evaluate fundamental underlying causes on all levels, directing treatment at root causes rather than at symptomatic expression.

Heal the Whole Person — Tolle Totum

Health and disease are conditions of the whole organism, a whole involving the complex interaction of any factors. The naturopathic physician must treat the whole person by taking these factors into account. The harmonious functioning of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects are essential to recovery from and prevention of disease. This requires a comprehensive approach to diagnosis and treatment.

The Physician as Teacher — Docere

A cooperative doctor-patient relationship has inherent therapeutic value. The physician's major role is to educate and encourage the patient to take responsibility for their own health. The physician is a catalyst for healthful change, empowering and motivating the patient to assume responsibility. It is the patient, not the doctor, who ultimately creates/accomplishes healing. Teaching with hope, knowledge, and understanding, the physician acts to enable patients to heal.

Prevention — Prevention is the Best Cure

The ultimate goal of any health care system should be prevention of disease. This is accomplished through education and promotion of life-habits that create good health. The physician learns to assess risk factors and to sharpen their deductive reasoning, and to understand the patient's circumstances. Appropriate interventions are then sought to avoid further harm or risk to the patient. Building health works better and more surely than fighting disease.