WAIT! ARE THEY NOT THE SAME!?
NOPE. NO. AND ONCE AGAIN – NOPE.
I often hear: “I got these herbs from my homeopath.” Or: “I got these homeopathics from my naturopath.”
Chances are – no, you didn’t. Homeopaths only seldom use herbs, and even then, only as a support for the main treatment, which is homeopathy. Naturopaths, on the other hand, use a whole array of treatments, but are seldomly fully trained in homeopathy, therefore not always able to use it correctly according to its principles.
So this needed to be written:
HOMEOPATH
- A minimum of 3 to 4 years of training in just homeopathy
- Understanding the foundational principles of homeopathy
- Correct application of the principles of homeopathy
- A minimum of 1 to 2 years of clinical practice under supervision
- A diploma in Anatomy&Physiology + Pathology&Disease
- Continuous professional development
- Understanding how to manage chronic and complex cases
- Application of different methodologies of homeopathy
- Working with up to 8000 homeopathic remedies at our disposal and knowing how to find the best possible one for each patient
- Ability to apply different remedies in a sequence correctly
- Differentiation between chronic and acute states and subsequent differences in their treatment
- The use of constitutional, miasmatic, intercurrent, drainage and organ support remedies – all strictly tailored to the current needs of each individual
- Fully trained homeopaths are only very rarely seen using combinations of many different remedies in many different potencies which are commonly sold as drops by different brands
- A homeopath is highly skilled to take very detailed case histories where those with limited training might only use forms to choose from a limited number of remedies
- Limited education in nutrition, unless they have studied to become nutritionists as well
Summary
Sounds perhaps a tad boring to the lay person, and definitely, completely and utterly weird, BUT the results are sometimes bordering on miraculous, and usually very satisfactory in their simplicity, gentleness and quickness. Often, all it takes is popping one teeny tiny pill. Results are permanent once the root cause is addressed correctly.
NATUROPATH
First of all, I have to begin by making a distinction between naturopaths and naturopaths, which is not an undertaking I set out to do when writing this article. That is for the naturopaths to settle amongst themselves. But it is important to know that in the states that require licensure over the naturopathic title, practitioners train for 8 years to become naturopathic doctors. This might include 1 to 2 years of focus on homeopathy alone, but still doesn’t make them fully fledged homeopaths. It should, however, provide those practitioners with enough awareness of where their limitations in the application of homeopathy lie, and provides a baseline education allowing further specialization if they chose to persue. Clearly, a year-long online training in states where this isn’t legislated cannot compare, and homeopathy doesn’t belong into the hands of such practitioners at all.
- 1 to 8 years (sometimes on-line) education in the foundations of various modern and traditional healing modalities (you can see this massive difference can already lead to differences in the quality of education)
- One module on homeopathy, often taught by a person who is not a homeopath themselves (within the 8 year study it’s obviously longer, but still far from a comprehensive homeopathic education)
- Often no distinction made between the treatment of acute and chronic conditions leading to an inability to manage chronic cases further down the line
- Little education on homeopathic philosophy
- Lack of clinical practice in homeopathic case taking and management
- Ignoring foundational principles of homeopathy
- Working with circa 200 singular homeopathic remedies at most
- Often, using excessively frequent repetitions of doses going against some of the basic principles of homeopathy (which are there for a reason)
- Remedies are often given long-term as in an allopathic model, which might lead to suppression as opposed to classical homeopathy where, in most circumstances, only one dose applies
- Commonly using remedy mixes of various brands; can be quite expensive (£20 per bottle compared to £5 for a single remedy prescribed by a homeopath)
- Utilizing autopathy (not so common amongst homeopaths; although a simple method with some merit)
- Using mainly nutrition, supplements and herbs, which homeopaths do only to a limited extent because it’s often not necessary when homeopathy is applied correctly
- Some naturopaths have decided to also train in homeopathy prior, after or alongside their naturopathy training. If you’re going to have homeopathy prescribed by a naturopath, make sure they’re also a fully trained homeopath!
Summary
Not homeopathy.
It.is.simply.not.homeopathy.
It’s a completely different and separate system from homeopathy.
It takes time. It takes preparation and consummation of supplements, sometimes very expensive ones. It is usually based on complete dietary overhauls. You might eat very differently for a very long time. You may need to buy expensive supplements for a very long time. Symptoms might come back when you stop.
“So, uhm, what are you saying? I thought I would have it all in one by going to a naturopath and save money.”
Nope – you wouldn’t have homeopathy. A different system completely. Unless your naturopath is also a trained homeopath, you might get homeopathic remedies, but it won’t be homeopathy.
Hope this clears that up and helps you to make the right choices for you and your needs!
Disclaimer: this article is intended to highlight the differences between the practice of homeopathy and naturopathy. It doesn’t aim to address the differences in the quality of service provided by individual practitioners of either (that would be a topic for a different article), nor is its aim to argue which modality is better. They are simply different as are the individuals and the needs they serve. I am a homeopath not educated in naturopathy. Surely, a naturopath who is also educated in homeopathy would be able to provide a more comprehensive and balanced comparison, but that’s not me, and it’s not an official study into natural medicine, just some observations based on mine, and my colleagues’ experiences.