Naturo..what?

Ask anyone in Singapore if they have heard of Naturopathy or have seen a Naturopath, the reaction to this question will be quite amusing. The general public is not aware of the existence of this "branch of medicine" or shall I say healing methods. In my days as a student, many times, I almost wanted to give up on the fact that I had to go in depth into my field of studies almost every time if the talk about work comes about. And if that is not enough, I occasionally had to ignore the sarcasm I get in social gatherings. And yes I do get the response "naturo..what?" "is that some branch of medicine? or a disease?" some might even think that I am a 'sinseh' practitioner  Most often I have to explain the profession before recommending anything else to help with their conditions... its makes it easier for them to understand where I was coming from at the end of the day as most Doctors dont really talk about Natural Medicine (according to what they have known so far about their Doctors in general)

If  according to wikipedia :

Naturopathy or naturopathic medicine is a form of alternative medicine employing a wide array of "natural" treatments, including homeopathy, herbalism, and acupuncture, as well as diet and lifestyle counseling. Naturopaths favor a holistic approach with non-invasive treatment and generally avoid the use of surgery and drugs.   - (note that I omitted out the condescending remarks after that)

Obviously this branch of healing modality is almost as old as the oldest profession in the world  (heh...) dating itself back to the times of Hippocrates, Galen, Avicenna etc. This modality also utilizes TCM philosophy and several others traditional medicinal knowledge making the study of Naturopathy more complex.  Technically speaking, by now you would have realized that we are not sleeping in the same bed with the medical doctors due to our outlook in treating a patient. Nevertheless, Naturopathy in general has so called 'evolved' into adopting Functional Medicine - in which the patient's health is viewed holistically rather than going for the disease- making it suitable in addressing chronic diseases. It also means that Naturopathy can now find a bridge to conventional medicine by virtue of scientific evidence via nutritional works, physiological functions and biochemistry.Functional Medicine is the science and validation of the nutrition, diet and supplement therapy.

Training in Naturopathic Medicine has several layers, from diploma all the way to a PhD. And of which I am currently at the level of Bachelors Degree (as of now, this date). It is still a new modality in general, as far as Singapore is concerned.I took about almost 5 years to finish up my Bachelors Degree.

Practitioners of the field can be divided into three categories: traditional naturopaths; naturopathic physicians; and other health care providers that provide naturopathic services. Naturopathic physicians employ the principles of naturopathy within the context of conventional medical practices.

Naturopaths in some European countries has been accepted as a primary care physician whilst Australia and USA only some states permit the practice. In Singapore, Naturopathic doctors are allowed to practice but not required register under SMA. Even for myself I'm registered under an Australian association. Hopefully, in the near future, the law will allow Naturopaths/Naturopathic Doctors to practice on a wider scope. who knows.