The Top 15 Things I learned in 20 Years of Naturopathic Practice

 
1. Be a doctor first. Be a naturopathic doctor second. Don’t bother trying to explain what a naturopath is out of the gate in a hospital or an ambulance or an emergency room, just be knowledgeable; know medicine and be able to demonstrate your knowledge. Let your knowledge and skills speak for you, for your patient’s sake. Explain the power, mechanism of actions and rationale of natural medicine after you have shown your competency, skills, and intelligence. (It will probably help you to know how to read a ECG enough to recognize a STEMI, the dosage and actions of drugs, and conventional differential diagnosis – but do what you want, I am not your boss) 

2. If you think you made a mistake, own it and fix it. Now. No seriously, stop reading and go fix it. 

3. If you are afraid you are going to make mistakes, you will. It is inevitable-- see the previous point. 

4.  If you are afraid you do not know enough, you don’t.  Learn More. 

5. When it involves energy medicine try and explain quantum mechanics, bioelectric magnetic fields and the most advanced neurological sciences with a focus on psychoneuroimmunology -- but only if you ACTUALLY understand the science… otherwise skip it and go to the next option described below. 

6.  When explaining anything in a hospital they cannot understand give up and call it Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Theory. If that fails, study more quantum field theory. I think it could be all about the E8 crystal (Google that). 

7.  When you use very specialized types and shapes of gemstones on and around the human form to show the possibilities inherent in the human being you will mess with people’s minds. This awareness is a primary step to profound paradigm shifts. I use gemstones, I put them on wands of wood and glass and I am sorry that it makes me look like a wizard in a Harry Potter novel, but I rock the woman-wizard thing anyway so we are just going to move on. 

8.  Use personal power for transformational states of healing. But be gentle, this stuff gets REAL. 

9.  Counsel people through the freaking out phase when they are trying to decide if it IS real or magic or a mistake and whether or not they can embrace all the consequences of accepting their potential and their responsibility for their lives, their choices, and the consequences. 

10. For-Gods-Sake there is a ton of research on how the manipulation of temperature has profound physiological effects and potential for healing. The application of water is an excellent medium for said temperature manipulation.  This is called hydrotherapy. Hydrotherapy is both an ancient method of healing and at the cutting edge of longevity and medical science. Anyone who says different is misguided, misinformed, and sadly lacking in basic research skills.  Come talk to me. I will correct your deficiencies in this area. Seriously, I will put the rest of my life down for a moment and help enlighten you. Or you could go look it up yourself so I can focus on other things. Thanks. Water and temperature is everywhere.  Learn it, Master it, Use it… it is there for you. 

11.  Rearrange their muscles, their fascia, their bones, their qi flow, their lymph flow, their blood flow, their reality, their head space, your head space, their emotional space, their spiritual space, their conceptual framework, their cellular framework, their metabolism, their diet, their lifestyles, their medications, their exercise, their relationships and no I am not nor have I ever been a psychologist but seriously, “ how DO you feel about that?”...Now take this tincture of scutellaria and gentian and call me in a week. 

12. The perfect diet is always based on the individual. Go for results, not theory. 

13.  Remove  parasites, whatever form they take. They are sneaky bastards.

14. Ask yourself, do they REALLY need to take 20 supplements a day? I mean, maybe, but really? Are you sure? Or do you just need them to improve their digestion, elimination, emotional and mental well-being...or something…I’m just asking. 
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15. The Power remains in two places: Nature and Soul. 

Bonus Point: They are probably lying about their diet, their exercise, the amount of alcohol they are drinking, or what they are Really Really Really feeling underneath the pattern of their lives.  But be careful, they very likely don’t know how much they are lying to you.  They are probably lying to themselves and you have to be very careful with the truth, it is one of the most powerful forces in the universe.  Luckily for us all, love is more powerful. Love the people. They need it.