What is a Naturopathic Doctor?

What is a naturopathic doctor? Understand their approach to healthcare, their training, and the conditions they treat.
Naturopathic medicine combines the best of conventional medical diagnostic testing with alternative medicine treatments.

Naturopathic Doctors are trained in four-year, full-time medical schools with equivalent training to that of a medical doctor, but they specialize in a broad range of alternative health approaches including nutrition, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, counseling, and herbal medicine.

FOCUSING ON THE CAUSE, NOT JUST THE SYMPTOMS

A naturopathic doctor determines the root causes of your health problems and partners with you to develop an individualized program to address them using the safest, most effective treatments available.

TREATING THE WHOLE PERSON

Naturopathic doctors look at you as a whole person, not as an illness. Naturopathic doctors understand that the body has strong natural defenses and the ability to heal itself, even from many serious conditions. Chronic illnesses can occur when your protective mechanisms are not working properly. Poor diet, stress, lack of exercise, and a number of environmental toxins disrupt the body’s natural balance.

NDs use a wide range of non-toxic therapies such as dietary change, nutritional supplementation, detoxification, homeopathy and herbs to strengthen the body. Following a naturopathic doctor’s guidelines is a dependable path to better health, and often fully restores a patient’s well-being.

Naturopathic doctors are committed to:

  • Addressing the fundamental causes of health problems, not just the symptoms.
  • Supporting the body’s natural healing ability.
  • Using the safest, most effective medicines available.
  • Partnering with you and showing you how to improve your health.
  • Looking at all aspects of a person — physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
  • Preventing diseases.
  • Prescribing pharmaceutical drugs only when absolutely necessary.

about the author

Dr. Simon Barker, N.D. treats people of all ages for all conditions with an emphasis on the care of patients with cancer and hormonal imbalances such as hypothyroidism, menopause, osteoporosis and diabetes. He uses a wide variety of alternative health care approaches including therapeutic diets, exercise, nutritional supplementation, herbal medicine, homeopathy and mistletoe. He was named “Doctor of the Year” by the California Naturopathic Doctors Association in both 2015 and 2023.
Naturopathic medicine allows people to maximize health, minimize reliance on prescription drugs, and take active steps toward longer, healthier lives.

Are you interested in becoming a patient?

Connect with our office in Pasadena or Redlands to schedule your free 15 minute consultation.