When it comes to holistic and alternative medicine, there are a number of choices. Some of these include Naturopathy, acupressure, acupuncture, chiropractic, Christian Science, crystal healing, eugenics, homeopathy, osteopathy, parapsychology, phrenology, radionics, Reiki and reflexology. While some have proven effective, most are considered to be fringe medicine by medical professionals

Naturopathic medicine provides a form of alternative treatment which employ a number of pseudoscientific practices labeled as non-invasive or natural treatments. Whereas, the practice is considered a self-help method as the ideology and techniques are based on folk medicine and vitalism. Most often, practitioners in this area shy away from, and often recommend against, following Western practitioners and practices.

The primary practices which these providers recommend avoiding include vaccinations, medical testing, drugs and surgery. As some studies related to vaccines have shown that children acquiring vaccinations are prone to autism, there is an ongoing debate as to whether or not parents should vaccinate children. Whereas, most public schools still require children to be vaccinated before parents can register the child for school. In some cases, parents will go as far as to pay the high cost of private school to avoid this requirement.

Even with the high threat that measles and other communicable diseases can often be deadly, especially if not caught early, many parents still avoid vaccines. While, if a child or adult were to have a busted appendix, avoiding surgery is most likely the worse decision one could make. Whereas, most of the applications used in natural medicine have not gone through safety tests or been proven effective by the scientific or medical community.

These are just some of the reasons that the practice has often been considered harmful and ineffective by the mainstream medical community. Whereas, the lack of safety testing has also resulted in ethical questions being raised about the practice. While, a number of medical professionals often consider those providing alternative and holistic options to be charlatans practicing what can only be known as quackery.

While there are some talented and trained practitioners in the area, there have been others which have been tried in a court of law for issues which developed as a result of the practice. In most cases, those being tried have been found guilty of committing a criminal offense. As a result, there are some countries which now prevent naturopaths and naturopathic practitioners from identifying as medical professionals. As a result, a number of alternative, holistic and naturopathic providers now self-identify as a primary health care providers instead of medical professionals.

Since inception sometime around 1902, the practice has been based on the belief that a body can heal through a connection to the chi, or life energy force which resides within each individual. In fact, diagnoses and treatments focus on the natural ability of the human body to heal over time. As a result, most naturopaths treat individuals with dietary changes, lifestyle modification and stress reduction over treatments provided in Western medicine.

Most often, a typical consultation with a practitioner will begin with a review of past medical history. After which, the individual will be interviewed about current lifestyle, emotional well-being, mental health and physical features such as complexion, height and weight. In most cases, the interview will conclude with a physical examination similar to that provided by Western practitioners. Most providers will then design and develop a custom wellness plan for individuals to follow on an ongoing basis.