When you’re a parent, the health of your family, especially its youngest members, is your highest priority. You only want what’s best for them! The best way to ensure that your children are in optimal health is to work with a holistic pediatrician.
But what is a holistic pediatrician, and what makes holistic wellness different? And what are the benefits of having a naturopathic pediatrician? I’ll explain what makes us different in this post.
What Is a Holistic Pediatrician?
A naturopathic or holistic pediatrician is a naturopath that also works with children. All naturopaths first go through a 4-year naturopathic medical school program, but working with children calls for additional, specialized training in holistic pediatrics.
Your naturopath isn’t an alternative to a regular pediatrician, but a complementary service provider that fills in the gaps where traditional medicine is lacking. Naturopaths believe in treating the whole person, with a focus on preventative healthcare.
Health-Focused Rather Than Disease-Focused
Traditional pediatric care treats illnesses when they rear their ugly head and maintains a basic level of health through checkups. Holistic health, on the other hand, is all about ensuring your child is as healthy as they can be through lifestyle, nutrition, natural remedies, and good mental health.
If your priority is to ensure that your child isn’t just not sick, but in optimal health, a naturopathic pediatrician will work with you on precisely that. We don’t wait for illness to come – we prevent it!
Treat Root Causes, Not Symptoms
Another aspect that makes holistic healthcare different is our major focus on the root causes of issues.
In many cases where the fundamental cause of a problem is difficult to identify or stems from a combination of factors, mainstream medicine will immediately prescribe medication to treat symptoms and may drag its feet on identifying causes. Often, doctors will also neglect to address the lifestyle aspects that can cause or contribute to disease.
As naturopathic pediatricians, we treat these situations like a puzzle, identifying every contributing factor by ordering robust tests. Then, we focus on treating the problem through natural means. In cases where that won’t suffice, rest assured that I will direct you toward appropriate traditional healthcare.
Natural Treatments Over Synthetics
When you come to us with a problem, we’ll be able to suggest alternative natural treatments.
Many medications, both over-the-counter and prescription, are only meant to treat symptoms, and they come with a range of side effects that can take a toll on young, growing bodies.
As holistic pediatricians, we prefer natural treatments for their gentleness and the reduced risk of ill effects. Additionally, what we think of as medicine is much broader – food, meditation, and exercise all count as a form of treatment in our book!
That said, sometimes prescription medication is necessary and important – there is no doubt about that. We’ll let you know when a situation cannot be sufficiently addressed through natural medicine.
Complementary to Mainstream Medicine
Being a naturopathic pediatrician doesn’t mean working against or instead of mainstream medicine. It’s about approaching your child’s health from a different perspective, to guarantee that they’re the healthiest they can be.
As your naturopathic doctor, I’m well aware of what can and cannot be treated through naturopathy. I will always direct you toward traditional medicine when necessary.
Treatment from Before Birth
Many naturopaths are also fertility specialists! In my practice, I often help women who struggle to conceive, especially due to hormonal disorders. So before your child is even born, I can support you through the process of conception so you can have a healthy pregnancy that leads to a healthy you and a healthy child.
Dedicated Appointments
You’re probably familiar with busy doctor’s offices where appointments are often late and rushed. With a naturopathic doctor, we’ll spend the full hour with all of our attention on your child. During the appointment, we give you our full attention and focus on every aspect of your child’s life that impacts their wellbeing.
Treatment for the Whole Family
A naturopathic doctor will happily treat your entire family. Since naturopathy is so heavily focused on lifestyle and nutrition, having one doctor for both the children and adults in the family can make your life easier in a few ways. We’ll know your entire situation, and make recommendations for your family that take everyone’s needs into account.
Choosing a Naturopathic Pediatrician
Take your time to choose a holistic pediatrician who will work with you not from a place of authority, but as a partner in your child’s care. It’s important that their approach and specialties align with your family’s unique needs, beliefs, and dietary choices.
For example, in addition to general holistic pediatrics, I also specialize in working with children who are on the autism spectrum or who have cognitive or developmental delays.
As a parent myself, I also understand it’s important to have an ND who will genuinely care about your family’s well being. Compassion is an essential part of holistic care, as we get to know all of the intricacies of our patients’ lives. I try to bring that compassion and empathy into every interaction. Schedule a consultation to experience firsthand what holistic healthcare is all about.