What does a naturopathic doctor do?
A naturopathic doctor looks at your health as a whole system. Instead of one symptom at a time, an ND asks how your food, sleep, stress, movement, environment and relationships affect each other, then works with you on the few changes most likely to help, alongside the doctors you already see.
What does a naturopathic doctor do, in one paragraph?
A naturopathic doctor (ND) helps you understand what is draining your health and what supports it. With most NDs, a first visit is long and detailed. With Dr. Werness, it starts with a free 20-minute call. It covers how you eat, sleep, work, move and cope, and what you have already tried. From there you agree a small number of changes in daily habits, nutrition and lifestyle, and you review them over time.
What happens at a first visit?
- A long conversation about your history, your week and what you want to change.
- Questions about food, sleep, stress, movement, time outside and the people around you.
- A short list of first steps you can actually keep, in order.
- A plan for when to check in again, and what to bring to your own doctor.
What does a naturopathic doctor not do?
A naturopathic doctor does not replace your own doctor or your medical team, and no one should promise you a result. Never stop or change a medicine on your own: that conversation belongs with the doctor who prescribed it. In an emergency, call 911.
What is the difference between a naturopath and a naturopathic doctor?
People use the words in different ways. "Naturopathic doctor" or "ND" usually means someone who completed a doctoral program in naturopathic medicine. In the United States and Canada, these programs are accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education, are mostly campus-based and typically take four years. "Naturopath" is a broader word and can describe people with very different training, so it is fair to ask anyone where they trained.
How is it different from functional medicine?
Both look for root causes. Functional medicine is a framework that clinicians from several backgrounds use, while naturopathic medicine is its own doctoral training. Read the full comparison.
Does it work alongside my doctor?
It should. Care is safer when everyone caring for you knows what the others are doing. Bring your questions and any changes you are considering to your own doctor, and tell them you are working with an ND.
Who is Dr. Maurice Werness?
Dr. Werness is a naturopathic doctor trained at Bastyr University in Seattle, with more than thirty years in natural medicine, and a founding board member of the Institute for Natural Medicine. He is based near Durham, North Carolina, and works with people across the Triangle and by video. Read his story.
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.