Naturopathic Doctors vs. Regular Doctors

Regular doctors and naturopathic doctors are both licensed to practice medicine, but they each have different approaches when preventing and treating illness. Regular doctors, or medical doctors, treat illnesses using a combination of pharmaceutical medications, surgery, diet and exercise. Naturopathic doctors use natural remedies and try to stray from pharmaceutical medications.

Most people are aware of what constitutes a "regular doctor,” but many may not fully understand what a naturopathic doctor is or what he does. Both doctors have a license to practice medicine. Both are able to diagnosis diseases, request lab tests, request x-ray and imaging studies, and refer patients to specialists.

A medical doctor (M.D.) and a naturopathic doctor (N.D.) must receive a graduate studies medical degree and pass medical licensing exams to practice medicine. However, a naturopathic doctor takes this one step further and studies holistic healing along with medical science.

Naturopathy holds the belief that the body has its own self-healing powers, according to The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. In this way, naturopathic doctors treat the "whole" person by examining not only a patient's physical condition, but her mental and emotional state as well.

Regular medical doctors often only focus on medical science to prevent and treat diseases, while naturopathic physicians emphasize the use of diet, nutrition, exercise and lifestyle changes along side of medical science. Naturopathic doctors focus their attention on using natural procedures and medicines that are non-invasive, which has limited side effects than traditional medical procedures and medications may have.