5 Reasons Why You Should Consider a Career in Naturopathy

Naturopathic medicine is a practice that employs natural medicines to encourage the body to heal itself.

Unlike regular medicine, naturopathy has a holistic view of health. It aims not to treat individual parts by alleviating their symptoms, but to find and treat the root of the ailment. By doing so, naturopathic medicine succeeds in treating the whole being; mind, body, and spirit.

There are two main practitioners of this form of alternative medicine, naturopathic physicians, and traditional naturopaths. The key difference between the two is that naturopathic physicians are trained in accredited institutions while their traditional counterparts are not.

The following are 5 reasons why you should consider a career in naturopathy.

1. It is a Fulfilling Career

It has been scientifically proven that the most fulfilling careers are those that are centered on actively giving and helping others. The knowledge that you're playing a significant role in alleviating someone's suffering offers one of the strongest motivations for choosing this career.

As a naturopathic physician, your role will be to offer effective alternative treatments, and in doing so, relieve patients of their pain.

However, you will not only be required to use your medical skills but also your people skills. Sometimes a patient will feel desperate about their condition, even though it is treatable. In such cases, it will be your responsibility to empathize with them and reassure them that they can be treated and restored to full health. In doing so, you relieve them of some psychological pain even before the treatment begins.

2. You'll be Joining a Thriving Industry

Naturopathy is one of the best-known forms of alternative medicine in Australia. In 2017, the number of naturopaths was estimated to be about 4,000, a number which is expected to grow to 4600 by 2022.

These naturopaths receive 4.9 million consultations annually. These numbers serve to illustrate that for the foreseeable future, Australians pursuing careers in naturopathy will be in excellent positions to build thriving practices.

3. You Never Stop Learning

Unlike some other career paths, a career in naturopathy is filled with numerous learning opportunities. In some naturopathy fields such as nutrition, chiropractic medicine, and massage therapy, you are required to dedicate a certain amount of time to continuing education in order to remain officially registered and licensed.

This continuing education can be acquired in a number of ways. Other than attending training and workshops, you could regularly take short naturopathy courses to ensure you remain a highly informed practitioner.

4. You get to Teach

Because of the holistic approach to health care, teaching makes up a major component of the work of a naturopathic physician. You not only treat people, but you also teach them about good health practices, actively guiding them as they recover. Because of this, individuals who prefer to actively participate in their healthcare will find you a very good fit.

5. Numerous Self-Employment Opportunities

Most people choose to become naturopathic physicians because of the satisfaction gained from the job. Few, however, consider taking this path in order to start their own naturopathy business. While starting your own naturopathy firm might sound very appealing, it is important to note that running a business comes with its fair share of challenges.

You should first outline your target market, projected expenses, expected income, and the overall goal of the business. You then need to figure out where to get your startup capital from, where to locate your business, how much to charge, and if you need any extra members of staff. Only after carefully considering all these things should you open your doors to the public.

The Bottom-line

Naturopathy focuses not only on treating but also on teaching people how best to live their lives in order to stay safe from diseases. The truth is that you don't have to get sick for you to start making good lifestyle choices.