Dr. Reuben Dinsmore’s office at the Yaletown Naturopathic Clinic has all the things you'd expect to find at a doctor’s office; there are stacks of books, chairs for patients and some tools of the trade. However, the diploma and certificates that adorn his walls reveal a difference. Instead of MD after his name there’s ND.
These initials stand for Naturopathic Doctor. Naturopathic medicine, or "nature cure", integrates natural healing methods such as botanical medicine, homeopathy, nutritional therapy, manipulative therapy, acupuncture and lifestyle counseling to get to the root cause of a patient's symptoms in order to find the best treatment(s).
This natural approach to health care is a Greek concept that's thousands of years old. In British Columbia, naturopathic medicine is a government-approved medical profession dedicated to the treatment and prevention of illness using natural therapies. “There are more and more people realizing that there are alternatives out there rather than relying on prescription drugs and some unnecessary surgeries,” says Dr. Dinsmore.
