Question:
i can not make any sense out of the pain i keep having in my hip, rear,low back. Yes my myofasical system is screwwy but i do have a history ofendometriosis. and i am so tired of the pain.What effect does a surgical meopause have on FMD?Please respond if you have information. i am scared as the Dr. gets closer tothe hysterectomy.

Answer: This is a good opening for me to explain what I mean when I say"naturopathic" physician. There are many, many untrained people claimingto be naturopaths. These folks get diplomas from diploma mills or mailorder schools- they are not adequately trained to treat people. I mightadd the same thing is true for nutritionists. In Washington state youcan only call yourself a certified nutritionist if you have a minimum ofa masters degree for an accredited institution. I wish all states had asimiliar law.

This is a quote from the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians(AANP):

Not all naturopathic doctors are created equal! Naturopathic medicine isnot yet licensed in all 50 states, and in unlicensed states buyer bewareis a good rule to go by, both for those seeking a health care providerand for those thinking about a career in natural medicine. If you are atall uncertain as to the qualifications of someone using the N.D. titlein an unlicensed state, remember that membership in the A.A.N.P.provides some quality assurance that persons identifying themselves asN.D.s meet the educational criteria for licensure, or have metera-appropriate educational standards.

A LICENSED naturopathic physician (N.D.) attends a four-year graduatelevel naturopathic medical school and is educated in all of the samebasic sciences as an M.D. but also studies holistic and nontoxicapproaches to therapy with a strong emphasis on disease prevention andoptimizing wellness. In addition to a standard medical curriculum, thenaturopathic physician is required to complete four years of training inclinical nutrition, acupuncture, homeopathic medicine, botanicalmedicine, psychology, and counseling (to encourage people to makelifestyle changes in support of their personal health). A naturopathicphysician takes rigorous professional board exams so that he or she maybe licensed by a state or jurisdiction as a primary care generalpractice physician.I took a few classes with the naturopathic students (all of mybiochemistry and counseling classes) and I can attest to the rigorinessof their classes. The first two years are identical to those in anallopathic medical school right down to gross anatomy. (which is reallygross). I hated anatomy lab!

If you decided to see a naturopathic phsycian, make sure you know theircredentials.

There are only two accredited institutions that train naturopathicphysicians.

This is a site of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians:http://www.naturopathic.org/

This is the web site for Bastyr University where I went to school:http://www.bastyr.edu/

If you are interested in Bastyr's nutrition program go here:http://www.bastyr.edu/academic/nutrition/