Many people are often surprised that naturopathic medicine can be used in the treatment of mental health conditions such as stress, insomnia, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, addictions, and PTSD. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and since I work primarily with folks who are struggling with these conditions, I thought I would share how I work collaboratively with patients to help them feel more balanced, healthy, and whole without or with fewer medications.
A core tenet of naturopathic philosophy is the belief that the body possesses its own innate intelligence. Symptoms are not simply problems to be eliminated and suppressed—they are messages from the body, pointing us toward the root cause of imbalance. While it’s common to see natural supplements used as alternatives to pharmaceuticals—like St. John’s Wort instead of Wellbutrin, melatonin instead of Benadryl, or GABA in place of benzodiazepines—this approach alone doesn’t fully reflect the essence of naturopathic medicine. As naturopathic doctors, we aim to go deeper, asking what underlying imbalance is contributing to symptoms such as depression, insomnia, or anxiety. It could be cortisol dysregulation creating a heightened stress response, intestinal permeability leading to neuroinflammation, or even life circumstances—unsatisfying relationships, career stress, or existential disconnection—that make emotional distress an appropriate and understandable response. We consider all of these layers when creating a treatment plan tailored to the whole person.
During our first visit together, we have a conversation so that I can understand what your needs are and if we need to include other healthcare providers on our team. For example, if you want to titrate down from a psychiatric medication you are currently taking, I will recommend a holistically minded psychiatrist or program, and perhaps put you in touch with a mental health therapist if you are not currently working with someone. I gather a lot of information about you, your past, and all of your health concerns. This is done by you filling out a brief intake form and by me taking an in-depth medical history during our first 90-minute-long appointment. I may order labs such as a thyroid panel, food sensitivity test, hormone panel, stool analysis, nutrient status, organic acids test, Vitamin D levels, and more to see if your “mental” health symptoms are physical in origin.
My initial treatment plan often focus on the essentials such as ensuring you are getting proper nutrients from a whole foods diet, that you are engaged in some form of activity (I won’t use the word exercise if you don’t want me to!), that you have methods and relationships to help you through stressful times, that you are getting deep restful sleep and that you are digesting and absorbing your food well and having proper detoxification and elimination pathways so that we can be sure your body has everything it needs to heal and function properly. If you are using alcohol, sugar, caffeine, medications, or other substances that are helping you feel better temporarily but aggravating your problem, and you are having difficulties eliminating them, we can work on that together while providing your body with what is needed.
I will also include treatments that are tailored to your needs, preferences, lifestyle, and lab results – these are often things like botanical medicines, high-quality nutritional supplements, a therapeutic diet, acupuncture, somatic practices such as Focusing, and lifestyle interventions. Treatments often focus on decreasing inflammation, rebalancing the microbiome, correcting nutritional deficiencies, helping your body adapt to stress, trauma, and maintaining balance within the autonomic nervous system- all of which can help you have more energy and concentration, bring less irritability and more ease to daily struggles, regulate your mood and bring more motivation and commitment to make changes in your life that are needed for health in body, mind and spirit for years to come.
