Table 3.
Primary health condition for which patients seek assistance and importance of other physiological systems in management of the patients case, as reported by naturopaths (n = 854)
| Physiological system or category of the primary health condition | All responses n (%) | Specific primary health condition | Responses within the system or category n (%) | Considered important in the management of the primary condition [All responses, n (%)] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Musculoskeletal | 158 (18.5) | Chronic musculoskeletal pain | 76 (48.4) | 151 (17.7) |
| Injury | 30 (19.1) | |||
| Osteoarthritis | 20 (12.7) | |||
| Fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome | 12 (7.6) | |||
| Sciatica | 4 (2.6) | |||
| Other | 15 (9.6) | |||
| Gastrointestinal | 104 (12.2) | Irritable bowel syndrome | 33 (31.7) | 348 (40.8) |
| Gastro-oesophageal reflux | 18 (17.3) | |||
| Food allergy/intolerance/sensitivity | 17 (16.4) | |||
| Dysbiosis or parasites | 8 (7.7) | |||
| Liver and biliary dysfunction and disease | 6 (5.8) | |||
| Symptomatic constipation | 3 (2.9) | |||
| Symptomatic diarrhoea | 2 (1.9) | |||
| Inflammatory bowel disorders | 1 (1.0) | |||
| Other | 16 (5.8) | |||
| Mental illness | 93 (11.0) | Anxiety | 26 (28.0) | 133 (15.5) |
| Depression | 20 (21.5) | |||
| Stress or fatigue | 17 (18.3) | |||
| Bipolar disorder | 7 (7.5) | |||
| ADHD | 6 (6.5) | |||
| Insomnia and other sleep disorders | 5 (5.4) | |||
| ASD | 2 (2.2) | |||
| Addiction | 2 (2.2) | |||
| Other | 8 (8.6) | |||
| General wellness and prevention | 57 (6.7) | 245 (28.7) | ||
| Female reproductive | 51 (6.0) | Menopausal symptoms | 20 (39.2) | 134 (15.7) |
| Dysmenorrhoea and other menstrual complaints | 12 (23.5) | |||
| Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) | 9 (17.7) | |||
| Endometriosis | 6 (11.7) | |||
| Fibroids and other benign tumours | 3 (5.9) | |||
| Other | 1 (2.0) | |||
| Skin/Integumentary | 44 (5.2) | Inflammatory skin conditions | 25 (56.8) | 79 (9.3) |
| Acne vulgaris | 11 (25.0) | |||
| Other | 8 (18.2) | |||
| Respiratory | 43 (5.0) | Congestive respiratory disorders | 23 (53.5) | 71 (8.3) |
| Respiratory tract infection | 8 (18.6) | |||
| Asthma | 6 (14.0) | |||
| Other | 6 (14.0) | |||
| Maternal health | 43 (5.0) | Fertility | 23 (54.8) | 29 (3.4) |
| Pregnancy | 11 (26.2) | |||
| Preconception care | 5 (11.9) | |||
| Lactation, breastfeeding and other postpartum care | 3 (7.1) | |||
| Neurological | 43 (5.0) | Headache/migraine | 24 (55.8) | 67 (7.9) |
| Neuralgia | 7 (16.3) | |||
| Parkinson’s disease | 3 (7.0 | |||
| Paralysis and partial paralysis | 3 (7.0) | |||
| Carpel tunnel syndrome | 1 (2.3) | |||
| Other | 5 (11.6) | |||
| Endocrine | 40 (4.7) | Thyroid abnormalities | 22 (55.0) | 203 (23.8) |
| Type 2 diabetes | 5 (12.5) | |||
| Adrenal insufficiency | 5 (12.5) | |||
| Insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome | 4 (10.0) | |||
| Other | 4 (10.0) | |||
| Cancer | 39 (4.6) | Active, malignant cancer | 17 (43.6) | 29 (3.4) |
| Post-cancer recovery, support and prevention | 11 (28.2) | |||
| Management of cancer treatment side effects | 5 (12.8) | |||
| Palliative care | 3 (7.7) | |||
| Benign cancer | 2 (5.1) | |||
| Other | 1 (2.6) | |||
| Cardiovascular | 36 (4.2) | Hypertension | 15 (41.7) | 108 (12.7) |
| Chronic venous insufficiency/poor circulation | 9 (25.0) | |||
| Atherosclerosis and/or dyslipidemia | 6 (16.7) | |||
| Stroke-related complaints | 4 (11.1) | |||
| Other | 2 (5.6) | |||
| Weight management | 34 (4.0) | 147 (17.2) | ||
| Autoimmune | 31 (3.6) | Systemic (e.g. SLE/lupus, Rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis) | 18 (58.1) | 74 (8.7) |
| Gastrointestinal (coeliac, crohn’s, ulcerative colitis) | 5 (16.1) | |||
| Nervous system (e.g. multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis) | 3 (9.7) | |||
| Thyroid (e.g. Grave’s, Hashimoto’s) | 2 (6.5) | |||
| Type 1 diabetes | 2 (6.5) | |||
| Other | 1 (3.2) | |||
| Urogenital | 21 (2.5) | Urinary tract infection | 8 (38.1) | 41 (4.8) |
| Benign prostate hypertrophy | 5 (23.8) | |||
| Kidney disease | 3 (14.3) | |||
| Infections (candida, sexually transmitted infections) | 3 (14.3) | |||
| Incontinence | 2 (9.5) | |||
| Ageing and cognition | 10 (1.2) | Alzheimer’s disease or dementia | 4 (40.0) | 69 (8.1) |
| Healthy ageing support | 3 (30.0) | |||
| Other cognitive impairment | 3 (30.0) | |||
| Infectious disease | 7 (0.8) | Lyme disease | 3 (42.9) | 27 (3.1) |
| Epstein-barr virus | 2 (28.6) | |||
| Other | 2 (28.6) |