A good doctor is also a good teacher

People don’t often think of the doctor’s office as a place of learning. The logistics and economics of medicine are set up for brief interactions. These brief interactions leave less time for learning and teaching. People come in, explain their problems, get a prescription, lab test, or referral, and head out the door. There isn't much room in this for teaching or learning.

This model can and does work well, but it can fall short, especially in cases of chronic disease. Patterns of diet and exercise, stress, sleep, and moods play a huge role in our health. It’s becoming hard to ignore how much our daily choices influence our health outcomes. It’s important to learn how and why to make healthy choices, and that's where a doctor can help.

In the age of information, there are many conflicting ideas about how to be healthy, and it's confusing. A good doctor can help you sift through these ideas, helping you decide what's right for you.

These patterns take time to learn, and time to change. Naturopathic doctors are particularly well-equipped to support patients in lifestyle changes. The typical longer appointments leave more time for teaching, learning, questions, and answers.

Docere, Latin for to teach, is among the founding principles of our medicine. We go to school for years to learn about how the body works, and then take a vow to teach our patients about their bodies.

Bodies are complex. Even though we all have one, it’s difficult to know exactly how everything works. In fact, it’s thus far been impossible. While medicine and science as a whole know a lot about how the body works, there is still a lot we don’t know. Just this year, we learned of a new structure in the brain that we never knew existed.

If everything is so complicated, why is learning about your body so important? Learning about the body, your body, can help you make informed choices about your health. You can use the best information available to make decisions about your treatment.

It often takes time and effort to heal using natural therapies. Learning the how and the why behind your treatments can help keep you going through the long haul, leading to lasting vibrant health.

If you're interested in learning more about your body and what treatments are best for you, schedule an appointment today!