One thing I have noticed when talking to potential patients lately is that our society tends to overvalue specialists. A common question I get is, "what do you specialize in?" and people's reaction to my desire to work in Primary Care is bewilderment. Yes, I have my interests: sports medicine, gastrointestinal health, etc., but I just enjoy helping people with a diverse set of presenting symptoms. I find it is exciting and gratifying.
In actuality, Primary Care is a specialty too. In fact, an expert generalist can save a person a lot of pain, time and unnecessary referrals. Of course there is a very important place for specialists, but we need to put a greater value back on general practitioners.
This is one thing I love about naturopathic doctors. We can use a number of tools in Primary Care that work well and are often safer than a conventional approach. We can utilize botanicals, nutrition and supplements, adjustments of the spine, acupuncture, and counseling all with one patient - if it is necessary. Possibly the greatest thing about naturopathic doctors is we do not utilize these modalities in isolation but we understand how each fits together to help the patient.
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