Demographic and Outcome Trends in a Naturopathic Teaching Clinic
Authors
Sanders, Kimberly
Mahfoud, Jose
Bawa, Gurneet
Fraser, Misharo
Jean-Paul, Rachelle
Messano, Theresa
Sepulveda, Vanessa Rugeles
Szeinbaum, Evelyn
Issue Date
2018-03-23
Type
Other
Language
en_US
Keywords
Naturopathic medicine , Patient demographics
Alternative Title
Abstract
Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) are trained to treat patients using an individualized approach combining dietary and lifestyle changes, botanical and nutritional medicines, homeopathic medicines, and counseling techniques. In order to effectively study naturopathic medicine, it is beneficial to use whole systems research rather than standardized protocols. In our study, we monitored 27 patients treated individually with wholistic naturopathic medicine for various chief concerns over the course of 12 weeks in the UB Naturopathic Clinic. These patients were given surveys at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks pertaining to their health-related quality of life (HRQoL), which is considered by the CDC to be an effective tool for predicting mortality and morbidity compared to many objective measures. We used the PROMIS Global Health Scale questionnaire, a validated tool for monitoring HRQoL, for these measures. We also collected demographic data at baseline, including gender, chief medical concerns, age, ethnicity, income level, and education. In our study population, 38.5% of patients were seeking care for depression/anxiety and 15.4% of patients were seeking care for fatigue. 46.2% of participants are aged 50-69 years old, and 71.8% are female. 28.2% have an income under $29,999 per year, and 51.3% are Caucasian. PROMIS Global Health Measures are divided into Physical Health and Mental Health T-scores, and a T-score of 50 is considered an average score for a control population sampled by PROMIS. GPH scores started at 44.652 and increased to 47.8 at 6 weeks and declined to 45.324 at 12 weeks (average SD +/- 7.94). GMH scores started at 45.5259 at baseline, increased to 46.5185 at 6 weeks, and increased to 47.356 at 12 weeks (average SD +/- 8.40). While not statistically significant, our research helps us to understand the type of patients who visit a naturopathic clinic and to perform future research to target treatments for this particular population. A trend towards improved GMH scores was noted over 12 weeks.