Time is one of the most valuable commodities in today’s busy world.
Time is also a rare commodity in conventional health care. The average time a primary-care doctor gets to spend with a patient in the U.S. is estimated to be about eight minutes per visit.
Unfortunately, this is not enough time to fully understand more complex health issues – to comfort and reassure patients and to then help them get better. Fortunately, there are alternatives offering more time and understanding for people who want a different type of health care. Naturopathic medicine provides just such an alternative.
The practice of good, effective medicine requires time for a doctor to get to know the patient. For patients with chronic illness or complex health issues, more time is an absolute necessity if real healing is to happen. Effective, long-lasting healing begins when the patient is viewed as a whole person – mind, body and spirit.
There are several reasons more time with patients makes for better medicine:
One reason is the clues to why a person is sick are always embedded in their history and their story. A person’s health and medical history – as well as their trauma and emotional history – provide insights as to how they got sick. When doctors take time to listen, they can begin to understand the factors that created a state of disease in a person and then understand what must change to get them back to a state of health.
Illness is the body’s response to some type of stressor. Understanding the stressors helps to determine what the body needs to stop the response. This allows the cause of the illness to be treated and the body supported to regain balance and health.
There is also a therapeutic aspect to patients simply being allowed to tell their stories and be heard by their doctors. Being heard equates to being seen, which is a basic need we all have. When patients are given time to express themselves fully, they can relax into the healing process. They also begin to bond with their doctors and trust them. This type of healing teamwork is very successful at transforming a sick person into a healthy person.
One of the basic principles of naturopathic medicine is the doctor is a teacher, and naturopathic doctors need time to teach, as well as care for, their patients. Naturopaths aim to teach their patients not only how to achieve a better state of health, but also how to maintain it for a lifetime. The old adage, “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, but teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime,” applies here. Consistent support of lifestyle changes are what keep them in place. Once they become habits, the blueprint for health is changed and can last a lifetime.
If you are interested in going deeper with your health goals and creating long-lasting good health, consider trying naturopathic medicine. It will be worth your precious time.
drnancy@durangonaturalmedicine.com. At her practice, Durango Natural Medicine, licensed naturopathic doctor Nancy Utter works with people of all ages and health issues to help them create optimal health and well-being.
