Naturopathic doctor embraces 'whole person'

Dr. Margarita Hernandez Guzman likens a naturopathic doctor to being a private health investigator.
 
Hernandez Guzman says doctors in naturopathic medicine don't just stop at addressing symptoms, but also see them as clues pointing to the cause behind the real problem.
 
"We look at the whole picture. It's like a puzzle," Hernandez Guzman said. "Every person is a unique puzzle and we put the pieces together.
 
"Naturopathic medicine is a type of medicine that embraces the whole person, that looks at you as an individual and at your environment, your genetics, what you are eating and what you are thinking."
 
The Yuma doctor stressed that she believes mainstream medicine only scratches the surface.
 
"Naturopathic medicine is about going after the cause. General practitioners focus a lot on 'Does this hurt?' To them success is when it no longer hurts. To us it is success, but what made the body hurt in the first place?" she said. "If we don't correct the underlying cause then we know it's not over, our journey is not over."
 
Hernandez Guzman, who works for Sonoran Desert Oncology, will present a public talk about naturopathic medicine on Tuesday, April 7. Her talk is being sponsored by Sunstone Cancer Support Centers. The event will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and take place at the Heritage Branch Library on Third Street. Refreshments and literature will be provided.
 
Admission will be $7 per person and reservations are required. For more information call Yuma Sunstone Resource Center at 783-5595.
 
Providing information to patients reflects a philosophical foundation for naturopathic medicine, according to the doctor, because patients are seen as equal players in the healing process.
 
"We are very big on telling the patients what is going on, educating the patient," Hernandez Guzman said. "We see naturopathic medicine as a teacher. We want to empower the patient. We want to help them achieve their optimum health level."
 
She added that such education also leads to prevention, another hallmark of naturopathic medicine.
 
Naturopathic medicine gets its name from its focus on taking that natural approach to healing, placing a strong emphasis on finding alternatives to medications. Common approaches used in this form of medicine include herbal medicines, acupuncture, meditation, homeopathy, hydrotherapy and mind-body medicine.
 
"We believe that the body knows best. Our role is to help the body to heal, to stimulate the vital force in the body so it heals," Hernandez Guzman said. "Symptoms are the body's way of telling us that something is not quite right, something is out of balance."
 
The history of naturopathic medicine is difficult to map because the philosophy reaches back to a general and ancient tradition.
 
"It goes back to civilizations where there were no biochemical pharmaceuticals and we used our environment for health," the doctor said.
 
Hernandez Guzman said she is the first full-time naturopathic doctor to work in Yuma.
 
She grew up in Mexico City, studied for a time in France and earned bachelors degrees in biochemistry and French. She received her medical training in naturopathic medicine from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Ariz.
 
In addition to holding her own part-time general practice, Hernandez Guzman is currently conducting a residency in integrative oncology at Sonoran Desert Oncology.

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Darin Fenger can be reached at dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.