Naturopathy: Why Your Story is Your Medicine
“Health is not about what you look like, it’s about, ‘What is the state of you caring for yourself and your body that allows you to live a life most meaningfully, with as much purpose as you possibly can?’”
I get to chat weekly with Dr. Ben Schuff, the director of naturopathy and nutrition at BI N where I work. He’s the kind of person I can spend hours talking with and not even notice that time has passed. I was thrilled to finally bring Dr. Schuff to The Healing Catalyst podcast to teach us about naturopathy and everything it has to offer.
What is naturopathic medicine?
Naturopathic medicine emphasizes prevention, takings your whole being into account– including your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
The 6 principles of naturopathy:
Do no harm. Pursue the least invasive and toxic healing methods.
Nature knows how to heal. Your body and nature have inherent healing wisdom.
Find and treat the causes. Go beyond treating the physical symptom.
Doctors are teachers. Patients are taught about their health and how to maintain it.
Treat the whole person. Examine lifestyle and environment as much as physical symptoms.
Prevent suffering. Foster wellness and health proactively to avoid symptoms.
The difference between a naturopathic doctor and an allopathic medical doctor.
While naturopathic doctors (ND) are trained in the biomedical model you already know, they also receive training in nutrition, psychotherapy, and lifestyle intervention. Naturopaths may specialize their education in traditional healing methods like herbalism, acupuncture, and physical manipulation. Naturopathic doctors attend accredited, graduate-level schools for four years and take board exams to be licensed as primary care physicians.
To find a naturopathic doctor you can trust, use the “Find a Doctor” tool provided by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
Why your life story is critical for healing.
Naturopathic doctors need to get to know you as a person in order to treat you holistically. Dr. Schuff emphasizes that his job is to listen to and understand a patient’s story, especially in relation to the presenting symptom.
For example, when someone approaches Dr. Schuff for help losing weight, he asks them how they got to this moment. He might ask questions like “how did you interact with food as a child?” or “what’s your relationship to your body been?” He empowers people to uncover their history and relationship to their symptoms so that they can become their own healers.
Dr. Schuff says, “most people don’t need more information to change.” I believe this too– that when we examine our routines, history, and feelings we often already know what changes we can make.
How you can develop awareness for healing.
Dr. Schuff recommends that you start by getting curious about what feels good and what doesn’t. You can look at things like your sleep patterns, how you feel after meals, your mood and energy throughout the day and how nourished you feel to get a sense of your well-being.
When you get curious about where you are now, you can develop awareness about what you may need to change. If you normally sleep well but start sleeping poorly, that might be a sign of something else– whether it’s a build-up of stress, bedtime routines falling away, or something more serious.
Ultimately, health is about how you are caring for yourself. And that’s all parts of you, all levels, and all layers of your emotional, physical, spiritual, mental, and energetic body.
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Be well,
Avanti Kumar-Singh, MD
