Naturopathy under Media Fire
- Kasandra Bernier
- 9 oct. 2024
- 6 min de lecture
With the growing shortage in the health system, more and more people are turning to alternative medicines. Since 2015, anti-naturopath press articles and reports have multiplied exponentially, often based on very erroneous facts. I therefore decided to refute the latest article, published in March 2024 by '' ici Radio-Canada ' ', which was also published in a very similar way in '' le Devoir ''. I have noticed that, very often, errors come from a mixture of information.
''Naturopaths are not a substitute for family doctors, warn practitioners''
"This is the heart of the problem raised in the article: it puts side by side the claims of naturopaths in regions where their profession is recognized by applying this same data to Quebec, where naturopathy is not recognized. This approach is not functional, because it presents 2 different realities as being the same, attempting to shed a negative light on the practice of naturopathy.
First, it is important to know that in provinces where naturopathy is recognized, the number of hours of study is similar to medical studies, with as many hours of training in anatomy and physiology. When an article talks about training with very few anatomy/biology courses and only 1200 hours of training, we are talking about Quebec only. It is important to separate your information when reading a journalistic article. Canadian naturopathic associations often require their members to pass entrance exams that are the same as those required for general practitioners.
In Quebec, although the profession is not recognized from a government point of view, a system of regulation and verification of acquired skills exists. Several associations exist with different prerequisites, which do not all have the same value. Some require 1000h to 1200h of training while others require a minimum of 1900h of specific training. To give you a comparison, a nurse technician has completed approximately 1250 hours of specific training, the rest of her compulsory hours being unrelated to training and part of the common core of the education system (French, philosophy, etc.). A good association will be in close contact with the best private insurance companies, which have their own requirements, which ensures more adequate training for professionals.
''To become a naturopathic doctor in Canada, students must hold a bachelor's degree and then complete four years of training at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine.''
So why can’t naturopaths be the preferred healthcare provider in Quebec?
Since the profession is not recognized by the government, a naturopath does not have access to loans and scholarships, is not paid for possible internships and therefore cannot acquire the same academic or clinical experiences as nurses or doctors. The absence of rules results in a lack of consistency and opportunities that could protect the population. Currently, the provincial refusal to recognize alternative therapies opens the door to charlatans who can legally call themselves naturopaths, osteopaths, massage therapists, etc., without any valid training or knowledge, while qualified personnel are often stigmatized with pejorative terms.
"Trained family physicians see a wide variety of patients, many of them very sick, on hospital rotations. Without that kind of experience, a practitioner can miss a red flag that could indicate serious illness in a patient with certain symptoms, leading to a misdiagnosis," says Michelle Cohen.
This is the case for all types of practitioners. We cannot ignore the fact that there is a public health system that excludes alternative therapies. Since the private sector is not covered by the RAMQ, is it not normal that the volume of patients is also decreasing?
No health professional, other than a doctor, has the right to make a diagnosis in Quebec even if the professional has the necessary knowledge. The term diagnosis is very broad. Phrases such as "it looks like", "I suspect that" or "I think that maybe" are considered a diagnosis. We should not wonder why medical clinics are overloaded. Therefore, no alternative health professional has the right to recommend a patient for medical tests such as x-rays or imaging for musculoskeletal disorders, blood tests for eating disorders, specialized creams for eczema and so on.
''I fundamentally believe that primary care is a team sport. 100 per cent. We should be working collectively with nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and psychologists and complementing each other's practices, not competing with them. But there's no room for naturopathic doctors,'' she says. Dr. Sarah Bates.
I agree 100% with this part of the article, but not with the intention behind this statement. Ms. Sarah Bates used this phrase to express the idea that naturopaths should not be included in this category. On the contrary, I believe that we would have everything to gain from it.
Let’s say a person comes to a naturopathic doctor hoping to get nutritional advice and supplement recommendations because they’re suffering from persistent fatigue and low energy. After a thorough health assessment, the naturopathic doctor observes concerning symptoms that suggest a more serious underlying problem, such as signs of hormonal imbalances or autoimmune diseases. They might then inform the person that their needs are beyond their expertise and that a medical consultation is necessary. However, they are legally prohibited from providing detailed explanations of the suspicions or concerning symptoms, as this could be interpreted as a diagnosis. This situation presents a gap: either the person concludes that naturopaths are incompetent and stops seeking help, or they seek medical attention citing only the symptom of fatigue. Because GPs often have less time per patient and do not carry out as in-depth assessments as naturopaths, there is a risk that they will focus only on the symptom that brought the person to the consultation, missing other warning signs.
''We have to be very careful,'' warns Dr. Michelle Cohen, an assistant professor of medicine at Queen's University and a family physician in Brighton, Ont. ''When it comes to naturopathic doctors, I worry that many of them – and some of their organizations – are presenting them as if they're just a different form of family doctor. They're not.''
This passage made me laugh, because in fact, this is the case. A person consults his family doctor for symptoms X. The doctor assesses the situation, prescribes an appropriate treatment or refers the patient to another, more specialized health professional, if necessary. Similarly, another person visits a naturopath with symptoms Y, the latter assesses the situation, advises an appropriate action plan or refers the client to another specialized professional if necessary. Did you see the difference in these explanations?
The biggest difference between a family doctor and a naturopath is their approaches to health and care. Family doctors are trained in conventional medicine and primarily use pharmaceutical treatments and medical interventions to treat health conditions. In contrast, naturopaths take a holistic approach to health, emphasizing prevention and health promotion through lifestyle changes and natural therapies. Additionally, naturopaths are often more likely to spend more time with their patients to understand their medical history, lifestyle habits, and overall concerns, while family doctors may be more focused on treating immediate symptoms.
''She went to her naturopathic doctor, and a year and a half later she came back to me with more bleeding and weight loss. She looked terribly ill. The naturopath was treating the patient for Candida yeast, a fungal infection. She died about six months later of colon cancer.''
We all remember the medical error made by a naturopath that could have easily been avoided. The patient had visited the GP first and made the decision not to do the colonoscopy that the doctor deemed necessary. This error was widely publicized and sowed fear in those who were considering consulting a naturopath, and rightly so. However, even if the naturopath had discerned the real health problem, he or she is at risk of prosecution, whether by speaking out or remaining silent.
It is interesting to note that the same example of medical error in naturopathy has been constantly cited in newspaper articles for years. However, the College of Physicians receives many complaints for medical errors committed by general practitioners. Personally, I could mention more than ten, including one that resulted in death. However, these cases are not often publicized.
It is important to stop demonizing naturopathy and seek to understand it. We must recognize the benefits of the lifestyle changes proposed by naturopaths, who adopt a holistic and systemic approach to health. It is time to open our eyes and realize that a truly qualified naturopath only uses proven techniques and treatment plans, excluding any pseudoscience. It is possible to work in collaboration. In addition, it is necessary to regulate the field of naturopathy in order to ensure adequate training and, who knows, to grant them the right to prescribe pharmaceutical drugs that are only extracts of the active ingredients of plants, as is the case in Alberta or British Columbia.
Kasandra Bernier, Massage Therapist-Naturotherapist
Here is a non-exhaustive list of associations in Quebec with the highest standards in order to find the best naturopaths.