What does a naturopath do?

A naturopathic doctor (ND) assesses your health concerns, can give a naturopathic diagnosis, and builds a plan with you. In Ontario, a plan may include diet, supplements, lifestyle changes and lab testing. NDs are regulated by the College of Naturopaths of Ontario. They work alongside your family doctor and refer you when something needs a medical doctor.

An ND looks at everything together, not one result at a time.

Most people don't arrive with a diagnosis. They arrive with a sentence. "I'm tired all the time." "My gut never settles." "My bloodwork is normal, but I don't feel right."

An ND's job starts there. The first visit puts your history next to your sleep, food, stress, digestion, hormones, medications and recent bloodwork. Then the ND explains what they think is going on, in plain words. The first visit, step by step, shows exactly how that runs here.

It's a regulated health profession in Ontario.

Naturopathic Doctors in Ontario are regulated by the College of Naturopaths of Ontario (CONO). The rules come from the Naturopathy Act, 2007 and the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991.

That has a few plain consequences for you

• The titles are protected. Only a registered member may call themselves a Naturopath, a Naturopathic Doctor or an ND.
• The Doctor title comes with "ND". An ND may use the title Doctor before their name only when "ND" or "Naturopathic Doctor" follows it.
• You can check. The College keeps a public register. You can look up any ND by name.
• There are standards. The College sets the standards NDs practise by, and it handles complaints from the public.

What the law says an ND does.

CONO's scope of practice standard restates the Act. The practice of naturopathy is the assessment of diseases, disorders and dysfunctions. It is also their naturopathic diagnosis and treatment, "using naturopathic techniques."

The Act also authorizes a short list of controlled acts. Each one depends on the conditions on the ND's certificate. In plain words, the list includes:

• Communicating a naturopathic diagnosis. That means naming a disease, disorder or dysfunction as the cause of your symptoms.
• Taking blood samples for prescribed naturopathic examinations.
• Prescribing certain drugs , but only drugs listed in the regulation, and only after the College's prescribing course and exam.

Ontario NDs can also requisition certain lab tests. Here, those tests are paid privately, at lab cost. You hear the price before anything is ordered. The lab testing page lists how that works.

What a visit actually looks like.

A naturopathic assessment usually rests on a long history and an exam where it's needed. It also covers your medications and your lab results. The Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors describes it the same way.

Here, that means a few concrete things

• The free 10-minute call. In clinic, by phone or by video. It's a conversation about fit, not a consultation.
• The initial consultation. In person in Bradford. Your history in your words, with time to tell it.
• Your first plan. What the ND thinks is going on, what to change first, and any tests worth doing.
• Follow-ups. 30 or 60 minutes, to review what has changed and adjust the plan.

What a plan can include.

A plan is a set of steps you agree on together. It may include:

• Diet. What and when you eat, and anything you've already cut out.
• Supplements. Only where they make sense, and around what you already take.
• Lifestyle changes. Sleep, routine, stress load and recovery.
• Lab testing. Only where a test would add something your recent results don't.

You decide what to try first. The plan is adjusted at each follow-up.

The kinds of things people bring.

• Fatigue, including tiredness when bloodwork looks normal
• Digestive changes
• Hormonal changes

Each one has its own page, written in the words people use. Start at Which one is you?

What an ND won't do.

An ND won't promise you a result. Nobody can say in advance how your body will respond. The ND tells you what they look at and why.

An ND also has clear limits. Ontario's rules say when an ND must hand you on:

• If your life may be at risk , the ND must call emergency services.
• If your condition is beyond the naturopathic scope , the ND must refer you to a medical doctor or nurse practitioner.
• If a lab result comes back at a critical value , the ND must refer you right away.
• If you're not responding to the plan and other options won't change that, the ND must refer you.

Not for emergencies. In an emergency, call 911.

Where your family doctor fits.

The ND works alongside your family doctor, not instead of them. With your permission, the ND shares what they find. If something needs a medical doctor or nurse practitioner, the ND tells you plainly and refers you.

Keep seeing your family doctor for what they already look after. Bring their recent results to your ND visit. They're part of the picture.

How to start.

Start with ten minutes. Say what's going on, in your own words. Hear how the ND works and what a first visit covers. Ask about fees and insurance.

If it sounds like a fit, you book an initial consultation. If it doesn't, there's nothing to pay. Read what happens at the first visit if you'd like the full sequence first.

Questions people ask