Are Naturopathic visits covered by OHIP?

Currently, naturopathic visits are not covered by provincial healthcare plans such as OHIP. However, most third-party insurance providers do have benefits that include naturopathic medicine. Check with your HR department to see if you have coverage.

How much training does a Naturopathic Doctor have?

Naturopathic Doctors must first attain a Bachelor of Science before being considered for admittance to an accredited Naturopathic College for a 4-year, post-graduate medical degree. The Naturopathic program includes one full year of supervised clinical internship before successful graduation.

I am on different medications, is Naturopathic Medicine safe for me?

Naturopathic Doctors are the health care practitioners most extensively trained in understanding the interactions of prescription drugs and natural treatments like herbs and nutritional supplements. Your safety while undertaking any medical or naturopathic intervention is paramount to your Naturopathic Doctor at all times. If you have a copy of the most recent blood-work ordered by your family doctor, it is greatly helpful in assessing your needs.

What’s the difference between a Naturopath and a Homeopath?

This is perhaps the most common question I hear from my friends and patients alike. The short answer is that Naturopathic Doctors are regulated primary care practitioners who are trained in alternative modalities and therapies, including Homeopathy; while a Homeopathic Doctor or Practitioner is trained purely in Homeopathic Medicine.

A Naturopath is trained in the use of appropriate laboratory and diagnostic procedures to form a clinically based understanding of disease and formulate a treatment plan that may include acupuncture, physical medicine, nutrition and lifestyle counseling, or botanical medicine as well as a Homeopathic remedy if necessary. Naturopathic doctors complete a 4 year medical program, following the completion of an undergraduate degree in Science. A Homeopath is specifically and intensively trained in the use of Homeopathy, generally completing a 3 to 4 year professional program at an accredited school.

This, of course, leads to the next question: what is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy itself is a system of medicine developed over 250 years ago by a German Physician named Samual Hahnemann. Homeopathy seeks to cure disease by administering remedies that would emulate the patient’s symptoms in a healthy individual – this is referred to as the Law of Similars. Homeopathic remedies are made from minute amounts of substances which are further diluted to help increase their energetic potency, while negating their molecular composition.