Licensed naturopathic medicine is a viable alternative to conventional treatment for many patients

• Instead, the retired schoolteacher decided to visit a naturopathic doctor in Flint to see whether she could add natural herbs and supplements to her traditional medications.
• More people are turning to alternative medicine as a complement, not a substitute, to conventional medicine.
• In Michigan, there are a dozen naturopathic doctors, said AnnAlisa Behling, vice president of the Michigan Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
• The Michigan group is in the process of raising funds to hire a lobbyist to work with legislators on laws that would allow naturopaths to be licensed here, Behling said.
• Licenses are critical because they ensure accountability and help consumers identify practitioners with credentials, said Behling, who offers periodic seminars at Dale's Natural Foods in Flint Township.
• It became more popular in the 1920s but fell out of favor in the '40s and '50s as Americans began relying more on conventional medicine.
• Among its founding principles are a belief in the body's ability to maintain and restore health, the idea that the whole person should be treated and that prevention of disease is vital.
• "Naturopathic physicians are primary care doctors," said Behling, who earned a doctorate in the field from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Ore.
• "We're the bridge - we're trained in both areas," said Monica Myklebust, director of the UM's Integrative Medicine Clinical Services.
• In treating high blood pressure, for instance, "conventional medicine already does what might be considered alternative" by starting out with diet and exercise - depending on how high the blood pressure is and the personal risk factors involved, Myklebust said.
• "I have Epstein-Barr syndrome and my internist said there was nothing that could be done," McMartin said.
• McMartin started taking vitamins, Immunene (an herbal product to boost her immune system) and glucosamine that she purchased from Behling.