Personalized Naturopathic Medicine in D.C.

Top Naturopathic Medicine Practitioner

the Natural Method of Healing and Living

Contrary to what many people believe, naturopathic medicine is not just the prescription of natural remedies to help a patient with their problematic symptoms. In fact, as more and more doctors become educated on “naturopathic therapies,” these methods are becoming increasingly prescribed to their patients. 

What makes naturopathic medicine stand out amongst other medical practices is its objective on healing the whole patient. Doctors that practice naturopathic medicine not only follow specific guidelines that dictate how they think about medicine but specifically how they use their clinical decisions to treat patients’ whole makeup. 

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A Naturopathic Doctor in D.C. You Can Trust

With 2 locations in Washington D.C., Dr. Threlkel offers naturopathic medicine, combining the wisdom of nature with the rigors of modern science. Naturopathic Medicine emphasizes prevention and self-care for optimal health; and when a patient already has a health condition employs both modern and traditional therapeutics including laboratory testing, herbs and nutritional supplements, homeopathic remedies, Bio-identical and natural hormone therapies and detoxification, with a preference for effective, natural approaches..

What is Naturopathic Medicine?

What makes naturopathic medicine, so distinct amongst other health care professions is that it combines the diligence of modern-day medicine with the wisdom of nature. This type of medicine not only treats, manages, and diagnoses individuals with persistent conditions, but it addresses the disease at the level of mind, body, and spirit. It accomplishes this objective by following six principles that serve to guide naturopathic doctors in the treatment of each patient.

Do No Harm
(Primum Non-Nocere)

Naturopathic medicine uses informed techniques and therapies that provide the patient with the least harmful and most functional approaches to treat the body and restore the patient’s ability to maintain optimal health.

Healing Power of Nature
(Vis Medicatrix Naturae)

Naturopathic medicine acknowledges that the body can heal itself based on its own building blocks. Each cell in the body is a living unit, which is continually working to regenerate and repair itself. Our bodies have an amazing capacity to heal.

Identify and Treat the Causes
(Tolle Causam)

Naturopathic doctors use therapeutic intervention techniques to not only get rid of the barriers that are preventing the patient from healing but to get closer to identifying the root cause of an illness and healing it whenever possible. 

Doctor as a Teacher
(Docere)

The naturopathic physician not only wants to diagnose a patient’s underlying cause of disease but also educate them about their illness and prevention ideas they should adapt to their daily lives. They empower their patients with a wealth of knowledge and  transform their perception of health care. 

Treating the Whole Patient
(Tolle Totum)

Naturopathic medicine focuses on the wellness of the whole patient. Specifically, this means that treating the whole individual involves giving specific personalized therapies that are particular to that person’s nutrition, genetics, lifestyle, exercise and ability to implement the suggestions. 

Prevention
(Praevenic)

The body does a remarkable job of healing itself. However, by incorporating some therapeutic assistance that focuses on a patient’s overall health, wellness, and disease prevention, these practices can provide the patient with long-lasting changes that focus on preventing instead of fixing.

Holistic Medicine: The Therapeutic Order

To fully understand how naturopathic medicine helps heal a patient while respecting nature, you need first to understand the therapeutic order.

Therapeutic Order: What is it?

The therapeutic order is a set of guidelines that naturopathic physicians use when deciding their patients’ treatment plans. The order is divided into seven stages, with each stage providing the doctor with a different way to solve the patient’s problem and reduce their symptoms while using the least amount of invasive intervention possible.

Seven Stages of the Therapeutic Order

Overcome Health Obstacles with Naturopathic Medicine

The first stage focuses on removing anything that causes the patient any health disturbance. This can often involve addressing some common culprits (poor diet, digestive problems, excessive stress, toxic exposures, trauma, inadequate sleep, etc.) and devising a plan to get rid of them.

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Naturopathic Medicine in D.C area

Activate the Body's Self-Healing Mechanisms with Holistic Therapies

The next step involves the physician using different naturopathic therapies to help enhance the body’s ability to heal itself, such as acupuncture, medication, homeopathy, and hydrotherapy.

Restore and Regenerate Weakened or Damaged Systems through Naturopathic Care

Sometimes, individual bodies need additional assistance to help stimulate their healing powers. In the third stage, naturopathic doctors use different healing practices to help the body restore optimal function. These practices include botanical medicines, professional-grade supplements, counseling, and other specific therapies.
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Holistic Medicine

Enhance Structural Integrity through Naturopathic Approaches

The fourth stage involves the doctor using specific naturopathic physical therapies such as massage therapy or electrotherapy to improve the body’s structural conditions.

Address Specific Symptoms and Pathology with Natural Therapies

Even though the primary purpose of naturopathic medicine is to restore a patient’s health and not treat their particular pathologies, in certain instances, naturopathic doctors must do just that to restore the body’s balance. In the fifth stage, these physicians will use effective and dependable natural substances to relieve the patient’s problematic symptoms without causing adverse effects or putting undue strain on the impaired body.
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Employ Pharmaceutical Solutions to Halt Progressive Pathology

If it is required, the sixth stage allows the naturopathic doctor to use pharmaceutical substances to help manage and prevent specific harmful symptoms of the disease.

Utilize Minimally Invasive Therapies to Manage Pathology

Finally in the last stage, if more needs to be done to help a patient’s health and comfort, naturopathic doctors can use palliative therapies also known as suppressive therapies to reduce symptoms until the patient’s health is stabilized enough to return to addressing the underlying health issues and preventing further deterioration.
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Heal your body and mind naturally with Naturopathic Medicine

If you or a family member are looking for a physician that practices a patient-centered model of care and uses gentle and safe techniques to help cure the body, do not wait any longer, check out the website of Karen Threlkel, ND for more information.

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