This semester has the largest spectrum of health philosophies I have encountered yet as a CCNM student. On the one hand, we have courses that teach scientific best practices and algorithms like Emergency Medicine, Primary Care, Radiology and Phlebotomy, and on the other there is the "energetics" of Homeopathy and Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is enough to make anybody's head spin!
Although one way to deal with this disparity is to compartmentalize the information and put up walls between the modalities, I find that selecting and assimilating a patient centered approach from what works from each modality is ideal - best practices first of course. For example, the most important skill I have learned from homeopathic medicine is the art of interviewing. Hands down, there is no better or more thoroughly investigative interview process than in homeopathy. The techniques are so involved that many critics credit the process to the cases of success.
This is a situation that is most likely unique to naturopathic medical school and I believe it will ultimately give ND's a corresponding unique approach to health care.
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