Have you ever been to a doctor’s appointment that left you confused? Did medical jargon, a rushed review of lab results, or an unexpected diagnosis leave you uncertain? Or maybe you were told to do a long list of things, but you still didn’t know how you were going to get better?
- “He said that I needed to lose weight. I’ve tried that before, but how do I start again?”
- “She said I needed more fiber in my diet. What exactly is fiber and how much of it do I need?”
- “He said I need my cholesterol pill, but it has so many side effects…is there an alternative?”
Doctors bring an incredible amount of knowledge that can be life changing for their patients. But let’s be honest, communication (or lack thereof) critically impacts your application of that knowledge. You, the patient, have the greatest role in making medical decisions and following through with them. Your health depends on understanding your body and choosing the best way forward that is right for you. This brings us to naturopathic principle #5: The Doctor as Teacher.
When we think of a teacher, most of us think of our time in school. But actually, “doctor” is based on the Latin word for teacher (1). In the 14th century, “doctor” was a new title given to those who were experts in their field and therefore qualified to teach.
Of course, using the word “doctor” as a title for an expert teacher still happens today. If you visit a university, most of the teachers are people with “Dr.” titles. But what about in medicine? Are doctors teaching their patients?
The efficiency-driven medical model we described in Blog Post 4 trades time with the patient in order to put more people on the schedule. This cuts short important teaching time. When you need 30 minutes to ask questions, you might be given 10 minutes total with the doctor before they move on. More people are seen, but more people are confused.
Appointments with a naturopathic doctor are different from the mainstream medical model. Teaching is prioritized because naturopathic doctors believe learning is part of the healing experience.
To illustrate what doctor as teacher looks like in a naturopathic practice, we’ve come up with the TEA model.
The naturopathic doctor gives:
Time:
It takes time to teach, and it takes time to develop a teaching relationship. Think back to your school days. I’ll bet your favorite classes were with teachers who took the time to get to know you, to value you as their student. Naturopathic doctors take their time to do the same. That’s why we believe a doctor should spend over an hour with the patient when first meeting them. This creates space to get to know you as a whole person and to help you understand your body and it’s needs. Your story is heard and your questions get answered.
Example:
Nothing is more frustrating than when we are told to make changes that our doctor is not personally willing to make. When the health expert lives in an unhealthy manner, it’s easy to lose confidence in their teaching. Naturopathic doctors cannot talk the talk without walking the walk.
If a naturopathic doctor believes in the healing power of nature, then they need to be connecting with that power themselves. If a treatment is recommended to a patient, it must be one that the doctor would use in the same situation. No bias, no double-standards, no hypocrisy.
And the best naturopathic doctors will admit they’re not perfect at following their own advice. Just like you, they are on a health journey that has its ups and downs. This means you don’t have to be perfect either. We are all free to be a “work in process.”
Action Steps:
In most medical shows on TV, doctors seem like geniuses who can look at an illness and discover the cure immediately. These shows portray doctors to be superheroes that the patient would be helpless without.
We disagree.
Like we said earlier, doctors hold a wealth of knowledge, but the primary engine for healing comes from the patient themselves. If a patient is left out of the conversation (how they feel, what they are willing to try, side-effects they experience) lasting change becomes impossible.
A naturopathic doctor empowers the patient to take the lead and establishes clear action steps for after the appointment. Since most of the healing process takes place in our daily lives (eating, sleeping, stress management, etc.) the patient needs to know how to move forward. After meeting with your doctor, you should be saying:
- “I now have a list of beginner weight-loss steps. This is more manageable.”
- “So that’s the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber. Now I know the best foods to eat on my budget.”
- “Finally, I can work on cholesterol with nutrition and exercise rather than another pill.”
When you have TEA, healing becomes achievable.
Have you visited an all-star doctor who lived up to their name as teacher? Let us know about it by commenting below!
References:
1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-history-of-doctor