Naturopathy

Our last Natural Health Column article was an interview with a bodyworker, Eric Silvers, CMT, who practices from a holistic perspective of the body. This month is another interview with a naturopathic physician in Montpelier who also approaches her patients from a holistic view.

According to an online medical dictionary, “holistic medicine is a term used to describe therapies that attempt to treat the patient as a whole person. That is, instead of treating an illness, as in orthodox allopathy, holistic medicine looks at an individual’s overall physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional wellbeing before recommending treatment.”

Here are a few questions for Dr. Stephanie Wawrzyniak:

Josh: How would you explain naturopathic medicine?

Dr. Wawrzyniak: Naturopathic medicine focuses on natural therapies to treat imbalances and dis-ease while restoring physiological function. Naturopaths recognize the healing power of nature and have had extensive training in nutrition, hydrotherapy, botanical medicine, and homeopathy. Naturopaths are able to function as primary care physicians in the state of Vermont, and while we can – and do – prescribe pharmaceuticals when needed, we understand the body’s ability and desire to return to health if given the proper building blocks.

Josh: How is it different from standard allopathic care?

Dr. Wawrzyniak: I feel what we do different as Naturopaths is we look at the patient as a whole. Allopathic medicine tends to look at – and have specialties for – each body system. Naturopaths look at all of the symptoms a patient has and tries to find out what may be the root cause that is creating the imbalance. It’s taking a step back and looking at the big picture.

Josh: Tell us about what led you to pursue naturopathic medicine.

Dr. Wawrzyniak: I was a pharmacist here in central Vermont for 20 years. At the time, I was extensively studying with Shamanic Healers and I began to feel that my philosophy of healing was no longer resonating with what I was seeing in the pharmacy. I didn’t believe that I was seeing people get healthier. I felt there had to be a better way to approach health. It was at this time that I found naturopathic medicine and I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.

Josh: What are typical reasons people seek your care?

Dr. Wawrzyniak: People come to me for a variety of reasons. I do general wellness visits for children and adults as well as well woman and PAPs. I see patients with chronic conditions such as hypothyroidism, diabetes, and hypertension. I see people for stress management, anxiety, depression, transgender medicine, and peri-menopausal/menopausal symptoms. I really love to work with people who are in transitional periods in their life, whatever that may be.

Josh: Is your treatment covered by insurance?

Dr. Wawrzyniak: Naturopathic Physicians are recognized by most insurances in the state of Vermont. It’s always best to check with your individual plan before scheduling an appointment.

As a practitioner of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, an innately holistic medical model of care, I find the perspective of naturopathic medicine to have a very valuable place in our community of providers here in central Vermont. If you’d like to learn more about naturopathy by contacting Dr. Wawrzyniak directly, she can be found at www.riverstreetwellnessvt.com, located at 301 River Street in Montpelier, 802-225-6634.