Well, my mother thinks I need to go see a naturopathic dr. before I decide to go on accutane. I have had mild to moderate acne for 14 years. My latest regimen has been doxycycline 100mg a day and differin in the evenings. I wash with dove sensitive skin soap. What exactly will the dr. do and how exactly can he help me. Anybody else have any experience with a naturopathic dr.?? Please share!!
hey there - i actually just went to a naturopathic dr. the other day (for the first time), and it was really wonderful, pretty much all that i hoped going to a doctor would be but has never been. my appointment lasted an hour and forty minutes (i don't think i'd ever spent more than 10 minutes with a "traditional" doctor before, even when i was in severe pain or really ill), and we basically went through all of the health issues that i have had in my life and chronicled the history of each one. basically it's like giving someone your entire health history, both physical and emotional (including diet, exercise, sleep, water intake, etc). it's very detailed. then she did some basic tests (blood pressure, temperature, pulse, the usual). we have an appointment next week, and in the meantime i have to fill out a diet diary of everything i eat, drink, take (medications), when i do it, how i'm feeling/my energy level, and where i am. my naturopathic doctor will spend this time going over the details of my case so that when i go back next week she will have devised a course of action to address all of my health concerns.
so basically the way that it works (generally) is you give the naturopathic doctor all of the information about your health that you can think of, then they tailor a whole-body program for you, that could involve supplements, accupuncture, different types of therapies, homeopathy, etc. they can also send you for different tests, like blood tests or other medical procedures to make sure that you don't have a hormonal imbalance or problem with any of your internal mechanisms (like, for instance, a thyroid problem).
i think you'll really like naturopathy - it's like getting an expert detective to look at all the details of your personal case and figure out how to make you better. in my opinion, it's much better than going to a traditional doctor who will just talk to you for five minutes then give you something to alleviate your symptoms rather than trying to figure out why you have those symptoms in the first place. hope i explained it well....anyway, good luck!
