Survey in Ontario Reports Naturopathic Medicine Reduces Prescription Medications and ER Visits
A new survey done in Ontario, Canada, shows Ontarians treated by naturpathic doctors report that naturopathic medicine has reduced their use of prescription drugs. Of the participants in the survey, 4 out of 10 individuals report fewer visits to their family doctor and 3 out of 10 report less visits to the hospital as a result of naturopathic care.
The survey was conducted in August, 2011 and showed that 72% of Ontarians view naturopathic medicine positively. An estimated 2 million Ontarians now see a naturopathic doctor.
“These results show more Ontario residents are not only increasingly using complementary therapies, but also indicating that naturopathic medicine is an effective alternative to help relieve the cost pressures on the publicly-funded provincial health system,” says Nick DeGroot, a naturopathic doctor and dean of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine.
Results from this survey showed that more people are choosing naturopathic medicine as a treatment option because they desire more natural approaches to improving their health. The survey respondents reported that they are seeking more natural approaches to health and wellness (67%) as opposed to being motivated by dissatisfaction with traditional health services.
“The naturopathic treatment for my psoriasis has allowed me to make outstanding progress, despite the fact that I’d been treated for the past three years with steroids and other traditional treatments with limited success,” says Andrew Tappin, a patient at the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic. “My psoriasis gradually and consistently diminished, and I’ve also experienced a new burst of energy, clarity of thought and tremendously improved sleep patterns. The naturopathic care I’ve received has given me my life back,” adds Tappin.
Innovative Research Group Inc. conducted this survey through random digit dialing telephone interviews among a sample of 606 English speaking Ontarians, 18 years of age or older. The survey interviews were conducted between August 17th and August 23rd, 2011. Up to eight call-backs were made in the case of non-response. Using 2006 Census data from Statistics Canada, the results were weighted according to region, age and gender to ensure a sample representative of the entire Ontario adult population.
