Dr Hal Brown, Naturopath Physician
Naturopathic Medicine, Vancouver, B.C., Canada


Dr Brown addressing the British Columbia Neuropathic Association
Dr Brown addressing the British
Columbia Naturopathic Association
Naturopathic Medicine is a distinct system of healing. It is a philosophy, science, art and practice which seeks to promote health through education and the rational use of natural agents and processes.

Although the name “naturopathic” is of relatively recent origin, the philosophical basis and many of the methods of naturopathic medicine are ancient. The modern naturopathic doctor is a true heir to the Hippocratic tradition in medicine, based on “Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food,” and “do no harm.”

In the late 1900’s a committee of practitioners met and determined that this new practice incorporate all natural methods of healing, including such elements as botanical medicines, homeopathy, nutritional therapy, medical electricity, psychology and manipulative therapies. The first school of Naturopathy was founded in 1902 in New York City.

The healing power of nature is the foundation of naturopathic philosophy and practice. Naturopathic therapies are applied as a means of assisting and augmenting this inherent healing power of nature.

The art of naturopathic medicine is the application of this philosophy and science to the individual. The naturopathic physician develops an ability to gain insight into the causes and effects of personal health problems and uses both knowledge and skill to assist patients in finding solutions. Only in the role of teacher – the literal meaning of “doctor” - can an N.D. practice truly preventative medicine.

In helping people to understand how their life choices affect their health, naturopathic doctors provide health education. The ultimate role of the N.D. is to provide each patient with the tools to achieve the highest possible level of health and the encouragement to use these tools. The naturopathic physician emphasizes the patient's responsibility towards his or her own health and well-being.

The N.D. is trained as a primary-care practitioner, able to provide a wide range of individual, family and community health services. The practice of naturopathic medicine presents a primary contact and holistic approach to individualized health care for people of all ages.

Dr. Hal Brown

Naturopath, Vancouver BC

Read Patient Testimonials


Understanding the Differences Between

Conventional, Alternative,
Complementary, Integrative and Natural Medicine

by
Anna MacIntosh, PhD, ND
Dean of Research, National College of Naturopathic Medicine, Portland, Oregon USA


Canadian Use of Alternative Medicine

The Majority of Canadians Use Complementary Medicine. A 2007 survey confirms 1990s data on CAM wasn't a "phase.  Read the recent Fraser Institute report on CAM and Canadians.


New York Times Article on Naturopathic Medicine

"When Trust in Doctors Erodes, Other Treatments Fill the Void"


A little humour to lighten your day.


Medicine is not only a science;

it is also an art.

It does not consist of

compounding pills and plasters;

it deals with the very processes of life and nature,

which must be understood

before they may guide others.

Philipus Aureolus Paracelsus

1493 - 1541


"The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease."  

Thomas Edison


"Inspire me with love for my art and for thy creatures.  In the sufferer let me see only the human being." 

Physician's Oath of Maimonides

"The general public is at greater risk of anti-biotic resistant organisms than some exotic thing like Ebola."

Dr. Hildy Meyers,

Epidemiologist,

Orange County Health Dept.


"Health is not the absence of illness, but a growing vitality; a feeling of wholeness and the capacity for continuous intellectual and spiritual growth"

(Mrs. Gandhi)


The Silence of the Organs

"The reduction of the human body to objective factors about the ability to measure "health"--independent from "life-events"--ultimately supports the search for holistic healers in a world, where just the "silence of the organs" is seen as a quality of life."

W. Frieling-Sonnenberg