Naturopathic Principles
- Respect the Wisdom of the Body
- Find the Source of the Problem
- Do no Harm
- Physician as Teacher
- Preventive medicine and wellness promotion
What is a licensed, naturopathic physician ?
Naturopaths are licensed in Arizona as physicians after they complete pre-med courses, graduate from a four year naturopathic college and then pass national licensure board exams. They are trained to look at the whole person and determine what the root of the problem is. Therapies are ones that work with the body’s natural healing mechanisms to move the body towards health. A naturopath will try to avoid treatments which merely suppress the symptoms instead of stimulating healing.
Will my insurance pay for a naturopath?
Many insurance companies do pay. If the insurance policy says they will pay for your choice of a “physician” than in Arizona they are required to pay for a licensed naturopath since they are physicians.. If you have HMO coverage that dictates which physicians you see, than that is another story. Dr. Valeria is not signed up with any of those plans.
Your insurance is a contract between you and usually your employer. Encourage your employer to offer plans that include naturopaths, if they don’t already. If you are self employed, consider looking at an insurance plans with a high deductible and create a savings plan to pay for regular expenses.
Our office does accept credit cards. If you file promptly with the insurance company, frequently you can have your reimbursement by the time the credit card bill comes.
Can you treat cancer?
Naturopaths have some excellent adjunct therapies for treating cancer to reduce side effects and increase the effectiveness of the conventional treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy. Many of these treatments have the support of scientific studies and the patient’s increased survival and quality of life.
Can you treat menopausal symptoms, fibroids, painful menses and other female problems?
Homeopathy, nutrition and herbs can powerfully change and improve your quality of life. Many times you can avoid drugs and their side effects or surgery and the hospital and recovery time. In addition you are improving your general health and well being for a better future.
For Answers to the following questions, mouse over the underlined word in the question.
What is the difference between naturopathy and homeopathy?
What is the difference between
naturopathy and homeopathy?
Naturopathy is an inclusive form of
medicine based on the principle of seeing the whole person and getting to the root of the
problem. Naturopaths are licensed in Arizona and can use the initials NMD or ND. They use
homeopathy, herbs, acupuncture, physical manipulation, nutrition, counseling, IV therapies
and various other treatments. Some naturopaths specialize in one or a couple of areas of
treatment.
Homeopathy is a method of treating using the principle of like cures like. A naturopath might use it as a therapy, but also can be used by medical doctors licensed in Arizona as M.D.(H) to practice it. It is very complementary to other naturopathic treatments because the principles are very similar. Homeopathy looks at and treats the whole person and has a clearly defined goal of greater health. Health is an increase in freedom, creativity and being able to express yourself better.
In Arizona a medical doctor licensed as an M.D.(H) can practice homeopathy along with many
other alternative modalities. Some doctors licensed as M.D.(H) only practice the other
modalities, not homeopathy.
How does Dr. Valeria work with Herbal Medicine?
HERBAL MEDICINE
Dr. Valeria enjoys working with herbal medicines. The plants bring a wonderful energy to the healing process. She will develop and recommend custom herbal tincture mixes for individual patients to meet their health needs. She uses tinctures because they are the best absorbed form of herbal medicine for most herbs and buys only from sources she trusts. (For maximal absorption, capsules are second in preference and tablets the last choice)
A great herbal tincture is in many ways like a fine wine. It has to come from beautiful, healthy plants, that are correctly identified by an expert in the field and they have to be handled and processed properly to give the maximum amount of the proper constituents. Experienced wine drinkers can tell the difference in taste between an expensive and inexpensive wine, but chemical analysis would probably not indicate much of any difference.. In the same way an herbal tincture that is well prepared by a person that is knowledgeable from whole plants prepares a medicine that is not able to be chemically analyzed as different, but is far superior to anything standardized on an ingredient that may not even be active. Therefore, Dr. Valeria dispenses products from companies that she knows supervise every aspect of their product and are consistently excellent. This allows her to know exactly what the patient is receiving and at what dose of active ingredients.
Certainly, any herbal prescription can be filled at the customer’s choice of any other herbal dispensary.
Is Acupuncture an option with Dr. Valeria?
ACUPUNCTURE.
What can you do for pain control?
Acupuncture is a great way to control pain and stimulate healing without drugs. Dr. Valeria will do acupuncture when she believes it is the appropriate treatment for your condition. It generally takes an hour for the first treatment to take the case and determine the problem. Subsequent treatments will be a half hour and will be scheduled as appropriate for the condition.
Acupuncture is a very old Chinese science which involves the insertion of very fine needles that most people do not feel. The needles can move the energy of the body so that the body can heal. The Chinese describe pain as a congestion and so using acupuncture needles can disperse the energy and the congestion to relieve pain very effectively.
Dr. Valeria's husband, Ric Wyckoff, LAc is a Licensed Acupuncturist and shares her office. He is very talented in doing acupuncture. To learn more about him visit his website: www.DragonGateAcupuncture.com
What kind of physical manipulation does Dr. Valeria do?
MANIPULATION
What types of manipulation do you do?
Dr. Valeria prefers to use the minimum force required to stimulate the body to heal itself. She has been trained in and can do the forceful styles, but prefers the more gentle methods such as Johnsons’s Strain-Counter Strain or “Inherent therapeutic potency”. Dr. Valeria is also a Reiki master and incorporates it into doing physical manipulation with her hands where it is appropriate.
What kinds of Lifestyle changes might be necessary for improved health?
What kind of lifestyle changes would you expect me to make?
Dr. Valeria would work with you to evaluate your lifestyle. Probably you know what you need to change, but are having trouble making it happen. Maybe you have no idea that what you are doing is a problem. Dr. Valeria believes in making slow, steady permanent changes with lots of positive reinforcement.. Some of the areas that might be considered would be:
What do you say to yourself regularly?
How do you take care of your body?
What fuel and nutrients do you give your body?
Do you work, play, exercise and relax everyday?
Do you have quiet time every day?
For more information on Naturopathic Medicine in the United States, the American Association of Naturopathic Physcian's website offers good information. To link page.
