What Is Naturopathy?

Safety Of Treatments

One of the most prevalent issues brought up about the safety of naturopathic treatments is that they are used in the place of proven medical treatments and care. Some naturopathic practitioners may advise individuals to stop taking their medications, forego other medical treatments, or avoid vaccinations. One safety argument about naturopathy is that practitioners of naturopathy know the difference between serious illness and something less sinister, and know when to initiate traditional medical therapy such as antibiotics. However, the safety flaw here is that traditional therapy like antibiotics is not solely purposed for the elimination of the infection-causing bacteria, but functions further to prevent post-infection complications like rheumatic fever. When traditional medicine encounters a flaw or presents a danger, legislation and regulations ensure this information is available to the public and thoroughly investigated. This is not required for naturopathic treatments. Safety can become a complex element of naturopathy because a patient may receive conflicting information from their medical doctor and a naturopath. Where the risks of a prescription medication are publicly and clearly identified all over its label, the risks of a naturopathic treatment are not presented in such a way, nor are the risks studied to the same extent.

Learn more about where naturopathy falls short now.