Choosing How You Heal: Understanding the Many Options of Natural Medicine
In the vast and often confusing world of natural medicine, holistic practices, and supplements, it’s not unusual to feel like it’s impossible to cut through the noise. In my experience as an herbalist, naturopathic doctor, and acupuncturist—and researcher of all aspects of natural medicine and supplements—people often ask, “Oh, so you’re a homeopath then?” Given how much overlap and confusion there can be in these areas, this primer is meant to help you better understand, navigate, and choose the type of natural medicine that calls to you. While not exhaustive, it covers some of the most common inroads into the wide world of natural medicine. Let’s dive in!
Naturopathic Medicine: The Modern Integrative Doctor
Naturopathic medicine is a system of healing built around the vis medicatrix naturae, Latin for “the healing power of nature.” This principle holds that the body possesses its own self-organizing wisdom, and that the role of the doctor is not to impose health from the outside, but to create the right conditions for the body to restore itself.
One of the defining frameworks of the profession is the Therapeutic Order—often pictured as a pyramid, with a broad base representing the most fundamental strategies and a narrow peak for interventions used only when necessary. The base involves removing obstacles to health, such as poor nutrition, lack of exercise, chronic stress, or environmental exposures. From there, care moves toward stimulating the body’s own healing mechanisms with tools like herbal formulas, nutritional supplements, hydrotherapy, or homeopathic remedies.
As the process deepens, attention turns to strengthening specific organs or systems that have become weakened. Tools are chosen with precision—for example, a patient with asthma might receive lung-supportive herbs, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and breathing practices tailored to respiratory function. If lower-level approaches are not enough, naturopathic doctors are also trained to incorporate targeted or invasive methods, pharmaceuticals, minor surgeries, or specialist referrals—always starting with the least force necessary. This approach blends modern diagnostics with traditional practices to address root causes while relieving symptoms.
Functional Medicine
Functional medicine is a relatively new approach that blends modern science with root-cause healing. It overlaps with naturopathic medicine and was founded by both naturopathic and conventional physicians. Rather than focusing only on a diagnosis or a set of symptoms, practitioners seek the underlying web of factors that led to illness.
This often involves a deep dive into health history, genetics, environment, and lifestyle, plus comprehensive labs beyond typical conventional testing. The goal is to map how body systems are interacting—or failing to. Chronic digestive issues, for example, might involve gut microbiome imbalance, nutrient deficiencies, stress hormone dysregulation, or long-term inflammation. Treatment plans are highly personalized and may include targeted nutrition, lifestyle changes, stress management, supplements, and sometimes medications—always with the aim of restoring balance and optimizing function.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy, developed in the late 18th century by physician Samuel Hahnemann, is built on “like cures like”: a substance that causes certain symptoms in a healthy person may, in highly diluted form, help relieve those symptoms in someone unwell. Remedies are prepared via repeated dilution and vigorous shaking (succussion) and are believed by practitioners to act as energetic signals prompting self-correction.
Remedy choice is individualized; two people with the same diagnosis might receive entirely different prescriptions because emotional patterns, physical symptoms, and personality traits are considered. While homeopathy’s mechanisms remain controversial in conventional science due to extreme dilutions, many patients and practitioners report benefits—especially for chronic concerns, during pregnancy and childhood, or when stronger interventions aren’t tolerated.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic centers on how the body’s structure—particularly the spine—influences overall health. Originating in the late 19th century, it focuses on restoring proper joint alignment and movement, with the spine as a primary area of attention.
Chiropractors use hands-on adjustments and manual therapies to improve mobility, reduce pain, and support nervous system function. Many incorporate rehabilitative exercises, soft-tissue work, ergonomics, supplements, and lifestyle guidance. While well known for back and neck pain, chiropractic care is also used for headaches, sports injuries, and general musculoskeletal health, either as standalone care or alongside acupuncture, physical therapy, or naturopathic care.
World Medicines: Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Two enduring medical traditions—Ayurveda from India and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) from China—have shaped how millions understand health, disease, and the relationship to nature. Both view the body as a dynamic whole where physical, mental, and spiritual aspects are inseparable.
Ayurveda, “the science of life,” describes health as a balance among three biological energies (doshas): Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Practitioners assess digestion, sleep, emotions, and lifestyle alignment with daily and seasonal rhythms. Herbs, diet, meditation, yoga, and cleansing therapies like Panchakarma guide a person back toward their unique balance. Ayurveda explicitly codifies individualized care via the doshic constitution, adjusting treatments to increase or reduce a given dosha.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is grounded in Qi (vital energy), Yin and Yang (complementary forces), and the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water). Illness reflects disharmony within these systems. Diagnosis may include tongue and pulse assessment and a detailed history. Treatments include acupuncture, herbal formulas, cupping, moxibustion, and mind-body practices like Tai Chi or Qigong, all aimed at restoring the smooth flow of Qi and systemic balance. In the West, many practitioners identify as acupuncturists, though training covers multiple TCM modalities. “Dry needling,” increasingly popular among various clinicians, uses needles for muscular trigger points without TCM theory.
Both traditions emphasize prevention, individualized care, and alignment with the natural world. Ayurveda’s lens is constitutional and seasonal; TCM frames health in terms of dynamic relationships—how Yin and Yang interact, how Qi moves, and how the five elements express through organ systems.
How to Choose the Right Path for You
With so many holistic systems available, the better question is often which one fits your needs, values, and goals. Some people want a structured, lifelong framework—like Ayurveda’s seasonal and constitutional guidance or TCM’s pattern-based worldview. Others prefer the flexibility of naturopathic or functional medicine, where diverse tools can be combined based on priorities and evidence.
Practicalities matter: access to qualified practitioners, time for lifestyle changes, and comfort with certain therapies. You might resonate with the gentle, individualized remedies of homeopathy, the hands-on approach of chiropractic, or plant-based herbal wisdom. Many people integrate more than one tradition—for example, acupuncture for chronic pain alongside naturopathic nutrition and lifestyle guidance. A conversation with a trusted practitioner can clarify expectations and help match your preferences with the most suitable system.
The Takeaway: More Than One Way to Heal
Across these traditions, one thread remains constant: true healing has many approaches. Whether balancing doshas, restoring the flow of Qi, aligning the spine, or uncovering root causes with modern diagnostics, each path seeks to understand the whole person—body, mind, and spirit—within their environment and life story.
Exploring holistic health doesn’t mean turning away from conventional medicine; it means expanding your toolkit. You might use acupuncture for stress relief while taking prescribed medication, or follow an Ayurvedic diet alongside physical therapy. These approaches aren’t mutually exclusive; the most effective plans often weave them together. Ultimately, the richness of the world’s healing traditions invites you to participate in your own well-being: to learn, try, and choose. In a time when health can feel complex and impersonal, these systems remind us there are many ways to heal—and that the journey is as important as the destination.