Suzanne Morphet
Naturopathic doctors (NDs) use naturopathic and conventional diagnostic tools when treating patients. As primary care practitioners, they perform physical exams, Pap smears, and diagnostic lab tests and refer patients to specialists as required.
Naturopathic doctors (NDs) use naturopathic and conventional diagnostic tools when treating patients. As primary care practitioners, they perform physical exams, Pap smears, and diagnostic lab tests and refer patients to specialists as required.
However, NDs combine conventional treatments with alternative treatments such as diet, exercise, and lifestyle modification.
Conventional wisdom
In conventional medicine, the annual physical has given way to the periodic health exam. What your health care practitioner means by periodic depends on your age and gender; intervals between preventive medical tests decrease as age increases.
Ask your health care practitioner to follow the testing schedule recommended in the Preventive Care Checklist Form©—endorsed by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Physicians who used the checklist in a trial provided almost 50 percent more recommended preventive tests than those who did not use it.
If your health care practitioner doesn’t know about the checklist, print off a copy from the For Your Practice page of the College’s website (cfpc.ca) and take it along to your next exam.
Naturopathic testing
Naturopaths also perform a variety of tests on an as-needed basis. Here’s a sample:
| Test | Purpose | Type of test |
| Allergy testing / immunology | to identify food allergies (e.g. Celiac disease testing) and environmental allergies such as mold or pet dander | blood |
| Digestive testing / gastrointestinal | to analyze digestion, absorption, bacterial balance, yeast, and parasites that indicate disturbances of the gastrointestinal tract | depending on what is tested— stool, urine, breath, or blood |
| Hormone testing / endocrinology | to analyze hormone levels that adversely affect adrenal function, libido, menopause, thyroid function, insulin resistance, etc. | depending on what is tested—blood, urine, or saliva |
| Nutritional | to identify nutrient insufficiencies that may cause chronic fatigue, depression, learning disabilities, immune problems, etc. | depending on what is tested—blood, urine, or hair |
| Toxic/heavy metal | to identify and measure toxic levels of elements such as mercury, lead, and aluminum that cause heavy metal toxicity | depending on what is tested—blood, urine, or hair |
Tests for adult women of average risk
| Test | Disease | Age | Frequency |
| Mammography | breast cancer | 50 to 69 | every 1 to 2 years |
| Hemoccult multiphase test or sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy | colorectal cancer | 50 | every 1 to 2 years |
| Pap smear | cervical cancer | 18 (or after sexual initiation) until 69 | after 2 normal smears, screen every 3 years |
| Screening for sexually transmitted infections | gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, hepatitis B | high-risk individuals of all ages | with every new, unprotected sexual encounter |
| Fasting blood glucose | type 2 diabetes | 40 or sooner if at risk | every 3 years |
| Bone mineral density test | osteoporosis | 65 or sooner if at risk | every 2 to 3 years if normal every 1 to 2 years if abnormal |
What about HPV testing?
The human papilloma virus is the main cause of cervical cancer, but researchers are still trying to determine whether testing for the virus is better than the Pap test, which analyzes cellular changes in the cervix and is accurate 95 percent of the time.
Tests for adult men of average risk
| Test | Disease | Age | Frequency |
| Hemoccult multiphase test or sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy | colorectal cancer | 50 | every 1 to 2 years |
| Screening for sexually transmitted infections | gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, hepatitis B | high-risk individuals of all ages | with every new, unprotected sexual encounter |
| Fasting blood glucose | type 2 diabetes | 40 or sooner if at risk | every 3 years |
| Bone mineral density test | osteoporosis | 65 or sooner if at risk | every 2 to 3 years if normal every 1 to 2 years if abnormal |
What about prostate tests?
Prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing can identify prostate cancer at an earlier stage, but according to the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, the test may generate false positives, meaning cancer may be indicated where there is none. Monitoring symptoms of prostate cancer is better prevention, says the Canadian Cancer Society.
Suzanne Morphet
Suzanne Morphet is a freelance writer, medical editor, and photographer living in North Saanich, BC.
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