Select Page

The Art of Medicine

by Sep 29, 2017

Home » Naturopathic Medicine Student Blog » The Art of Medicine

Last week, I went to a talk by Louise “Lou” Edwards, ND, one of the elders in the naturopathic profession and a faculty member at NUHS. We talked a lot about compliance, and what to do when patients don’t follow our recommendations. 

As always, prevention is key. When coming up with treatment plans, it’s important to check in with the patient if they are willing and able to make the recommended changes and to strategize solutions to any obstacles that may come up. That way, the patient has the opportunity to vocalize if they don’t think they are able or willing to do it so that an alternative plan can be selected instead, or so that they feel equipped with tools to overcome obstacles.  

2017-09-29_compliance.jpg

Image Source: thebluediamondgallery.com

When patients return for a follow-up visit, Dr. Lou likes to start the visit by asking them what changes they’ve implemented and when, before moving on to “how are you feeling.” When a patient hasn’t made changes, she talks with them in a non-judgmental manner to figure out the reason. For example, for dietary changes, was it because of finances, not knowing how to cook, fear of never being able to eat the food again, or something else? 

Being non-judgmental was stressed. We should be the patient’s naturopathic doctor, cheerleader, coach, and supporter, not their judge. Telling them this over and over and teaching them that they are accountable to their own body will help them connect the dots between their choices and how they feel physically and mentally.

Having Dr. Lou’s perspective is valuable because it helps us learn the art of medicine. Knowing the medicine is important, but knowing how to talk with and work with patients is just as important!

Subscribe to Our Blog

Follow NUHS on Social Media

About the Author

Mary Simon

Mary Simon

I'm a naturopathic medical student at NUHS. I started the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Program in January 2014. I was born and raised in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, a beautiful town on Lake Michigan. My experiences interpreting (Spanish to English) in nearly all medical specialties solidified my decision to study naturopathic medicine, as I saw a deep need for treating the body as a whole, getting to the root causes of symptoms, and using minimally invasive low-cost therapies to restore health.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

A Timeless Approach to Health

A Timeless Approach to Health

As students of natural medicine, it is common to experience the constant stream of new — or newly resurrected from old — health trends…

read more

Defining the future of integrated health care.