Naturopath vs functional medicine: what is the difference?
The short answer: naturopathic medicine is a profession with its own doctoral training, while functional medicine is an approach that clinicians from many professions use. Both look for root causes and both put food, sleep, stress and lifestyle at the center. The real difference is the training of the person in front of you.
What is the short answer?
A naturopathic doctor (ND) trained for about four years in a doctoral program in naturopathic medicine. A functional medicine practitioner can be an MD, a DO, an ND, a nurse practitioner, a nutrition professional, a chiropractor and others, who added training in the functional medicine framework. So the two can overlap: some NDs also practice functional medicine.
How is the training different?
Naturopathic doctor programs in the United States and Canada are accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education and typically take four years. Functional medicine training comes after a person's main degree. The Institute for Functional Medicine offers certification to clinicians who already hold another health degree, such as MDs, DOs, NDs and nurse practitioners.
How is a visit different?
Often less than you would think. Both usually start with a long first visit about your history and your daily life. In Dr. Werness’s experience, functional medicine visits often lean more on lab testing, while naturopathic visits often spend more time on food, daily rhythm, stress and time outside. Every practitioner is different, so ask how they work.
Which questions help you choose?
- Where did you train, and how long was the program?
- How long is a first visit, and what does it cost?
- How do you work with my own doctor?
- How much of the plan is testing, and how much is daily habits?
- What will we look at again in three months?
Can you use both?
Yes. Many people see a medical doctor for diagnosis and prescriptions and a naturopathic doctor for daily habits and education. What matters is that everyone knows what the others are doing. Never stop or change a medicine without the doctor who prescribed it.
What does a root cause approach mean in practice?
It means asking "why" one more time. If you are tired, the question is not only what helps the tiredness today, but what in your sleep, food, stress and movement keeps producing it. Then you change those things, a few at a time, and watch what happens.
Where does Dr. Werness fit?
Dr. Maurice Werness is a naturopathic doctor trained at Bastyr University, with more than thirty years in natural medicine. His work centers on daily habits: food, sleep, stress, movement, time outside and the people around you. He is based near Durham and works with people across the Triangle, including Raleigh, and by video. Read about him.
Where to start
Take the free Garden Check-in. Seven plain questions, about three minutes. You get a map of where to begin, and you can book a free 20-minute call with Dr. Werness right there. Your answers stay in your browser until you choose to share them.