The N.D. field is becoming mainstream. A 1997 national study found that 42 percent of people used some form of alternative medicine. And in January 2000, Washington state started requiring insurers to pay for alternative-care providers, including naturopathic physicians, acupuncturists and chiropractors. There are 469 practicing naturopaths in the state. But most people still don't know what a naturopath does.
Naturopaths spend more time with patients.
The initial visit takes about an hour while the physician interviews the patient on family history, lifestyle and diet. Krystal Silva practices body adjustments on fellow student Laura James during training in naturopathic medicine at Bastyr University in Kenmore. But many also prescribe antibiotics and conventional treatments, and they refer patients to medical specialists when needed. Most practitioners view naturopathic health care to be more spiritual than mainstream medicine. Bastyr's setting, a Catholic seminary built in 1959 on 50 acres of fields and woods, is most apropos.