Questions to Ask a Naturopathic Doctor
Questions to bring to a first appointment with a naturopathic doctor: their training and license, what they are permitted to do where you live, how they will work alongside your other clinicians, what tests and supplements will cost, and when they would refer you elsewhere.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What is your training, and where did you do it?
Why ask it
Answers vary widely. Some hold a four-year doctorate from an accredited naturopathic medical school, others completed a shorter or correspondence program. Ask for the school by name and write it down so you can check it afterwards.
Are you licensed here, and what does that license allow you to do?
Why ask it
Licensing exists in some states and provinces and not others, and scope of practice differs even where it exists. Where there is no licensing, the title itself is not restricted, so this question does more work than it appears to.
Can you order lab tests, prescribe, or both?
Why ask it
This determines whether they can manage anything on their own or whether you will still need another clinician for prescriptions and imaging. Ask which categories specifically, rather than accepting a general yes.
What conditions do you see most often?
Why ask it
Practices concentrate: digestive complaints, fatigue, hormonal problems, autoimmune conditions. If what you have is not on their usual list, ask how many cases like yours they have actually handled.
What would you not treat, and where would you send me?
Why ask it
A clear list of what they refer out, with the names of clinicians they refer to, tells you more than a broad claim about what they can help with. Note whether cancer, cardiac symptoms, and psychiatric care are on that list.
Will you communicate with my regular doctor?
Why ask it
Ask how: a letter, shared notes, or nothing at all. Care running in parallel with no contact between the two is where duplicated tests and unnoticed interactions happen.
How will we tell whether this is working?
Why ask it
Ask for the specific measure and the specific timeframe before you start. Without one agreed in advance, a course of care has no natural stopping point and tends not to have one.
Which of the tests you use are standard laboratory tests, and which are not?
Why ask it
Some tests used in naturopathic practice are not used in conventional medicine and are not covered by insurance. Asking for the split in plain terms tells you what you are paying for and what a result will and will not mean.
How much will the testing cost me out of pocket?
Why ask it
Get the number before samples are taken. Panels sent to specialty labs are usually billed separately from the visit and are often the largest single cost of the first month.
Do you sell supplements here, and do you earn money on them?
Why ask it
In-office dispensing is common and is not by itself a problem. Ask whether you can fill the same recommendation elsewhere, and ask for the ingredient and dose in writing so you can compare prices.
What exactly are you recommending, at what dose, and for how long?
Why ask it
Ask for it written down. That written list is what you show a pharmacist and your other clinicians, and it is what you will need if you have a reaction to something.
How do you check for interactions with what I already take?
Why ask it
Bring your full list, including anything bought over the counter. Herbs and supplements can interact with prescription medicines, and the check only happens if someone actually runs it.
Would you ever suggest I stop or reduce a prescribed medication?
Why ask it
The answer to look for is that any change to a prescription goes back to the prescriber. Note it if the answer is anything else, including a change described as gently tapering off.
How many visits does this usually take, over what period?
Why ask it
Ask for a range and for what happens at the end of it. This is how you tell a defined course of care from an open-ended subscription.
What does each visit cost, and does insurance cover any of it?
Why ask it
Coverage varies by plan and by whether naturopaths are licensed where you live. Ask what codes they bill under, since that is what decides whether a claim goes through.
Have you treated my condition before, and what usually happens?
Why ask it
Listen for a realistic range that includes the people who did not improve. A description in which everybody responds deserves more skepticism than a mixed one.
What is this recommendation based on?
Why ask it
You are asking where it comes from: a clinical trial, long traditional use, or their own experience with patients. All three are real answers, and knowing which applies changes how much weight you give it.
What should I do if I react badly to something you recommend?
Why ask it
Get the instruction before you need it: who to call, what happens after hours, and at what point to go to urgent care rather than wait. Ask whether they want to hear about mild reactions too.
Who covers for you when you are away?
Why ask it
Solo practice is common in this field and coverage arrangements are often informal. Worth knowing before you are mid-course and cannot reach anyone.
What should I bring to the first appointment?
Why ask it
Usually recent results, a full medication and supplement list, and a summary of what other clinicians have already ruled out. Bringing prior workup avoids repeating tests you have already paid for.
Before and after the appointment
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
What the title means
- The initials ND or NMD usually indicate a four-year naturopathic medical program, but the title naturopath is not restricted everywhere, so the two are not interchangeable.
- Licensing, and therefore scope of practice, is set state by state and province by province. In some places naturopaths can order labs and prescribe within limits; in others they cannot.
- A naturopathic doctor is not a physician, and the two trainings are not equivalent, whatever the setting looks like.
- Where licensing exists there is a board you can search by name to confirm a license and see any disciplinary history.
- Ask any of this directly at the first visit. A practitioner who is straightforward about the limits of their scope is giving you useful information about how they work.
What to take with you
- A written list of every prescription, over-the-counter medicine, vitamin, and herbal product you take, with doses.
- Copies of recent lab results and imaging reports rather than a description of them.
- A short written summary of the problem: when it started, what makes it better or worse, what has already been tried.
- The names and contact details of your other clinicians, so notes can be shared if you want them shared.
- A number you are willing to spend before you decide anything, since testing and supplements are usually paid for separately.
Keeping care coordinated
- Tell your regular doctor what you are taking, including anything herbal. Interaction checking only works with a complete list.
- Keep the supplement labels rather than decanting things, so that anyone treating you can read the ingredients.
- Do not change a prescribed medication on the basis of a naturopathic appointment. Any change belongs with the clinician who prescribed it.
- Note the date you started anything new, so a later reaction can be matched to it.
- If a symptom is new, severe, or getting worse quickly, that is a reason to contact your regular medical service rather than wait for a scheduled follow-up.