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1. Why will my first visit take so long?

   Naturopaths tend to take longer with their patients than many other health care professionals, and that's mostly because of all the questions you'll need to answer. You'll be asked about your health history, your lifestyle and habits and your environment. Naturopaths work from the perspective that health and disease are related to issues far beyond germs and infection. Mental, physical, spiritual and environmental factors all play a role. Naturopaths take all of these factors into consideration when developing treatment.

2. Since visiting a naturopath, my symptoms have improved dramatically. Can I go off the medication another health care professional prescribed?

   Not without first consulting your health care professional. You could put yourself in danger if you stop taking medication, especially for such chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems.

3. My sister is seeing a naturopath and she's receiving very different treatment than I am, but we both have the same health problems. Why is this?

   There could be several reasons. It's likely that your naturopath and your sister's have taken different approaches in their practice. Naturopathy is eclectic, and not all practitioners use all of the techniques. Another possibility is that you and your sister have different lifestyle issues. One of you may be under more stress or smokes or eats less healthy food. Such factors are more important to the naturopath than just the symptoms. If you are concerned, discuss the issue with your naturopath.

4. What is an ND? Is every naturopath an ND?

   An ND is a doctor of naturopathy or a naturopathic physician. Only a handful of naturopaths are NDs. To obtain an ND (which allows the practitioner to be licensed in states that license NDs), a person must attend a four-year, postgraduate medical program, following three to four years of undergraduate education. These providers are trained to be primary care doctors who use naturopathy as their first course of intervention, though they can often prescribe prescription medicines as well.

5. Will there be a clash between my regular health care professional and my naturopath?

   It depends on their individual attitudes. If you are seeing a medical doctor now, he or she may be skeptical. But increasingly, conventional health care professionals are recognizing the value of some aspects of alternative approaches to medicine. Likewise, your naturopath may express skepticism about conventional medicine. But they can work in concert. Many naturopathic physicians are able to work with conventionally trained physicians as a team.

6. What is the difference between naturopathy and homeopathy?

   Homeopathy is a system of health care that uses highly diluted portions of natural substances to restore health. It is one tool that naturopaths may use. Think of a naturopath as a generalist and a homeopath as a specialist only in homeopathy.