In the four months since he opened his practice on Church Street, Richmond Simmons has found many Bermuda residents are seeking alternative forms of treatment for various ailments.

Mr. Simmons, a general practitioner of naturopathic medicine, has long been interested in nature so going into naturopathic medicine was an easy decision for him.

According to Mr. Simmons, naturopathic medicine is a unique and comprehensive approach to improving health and treating illnesses.

Focusing on prevention and using natural substances and treatments, naturopathic doctors support and stimulate the body?s ability to heal itself.

He pointed out that the primary goal of naturopathic treatment is to address the cause of illness, rather than simply treat or suppress the symptoms.

The patient is seen as a whole person and the Naturopath takes the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions into account when diagnosing and developing a treatment plan.

The primary therapies used by naturopathic doctors are clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, homoeopathic medicine, acupuncture and Oriental medicine, physical therapies and counselling.

It is an alternative to traditional medicines, yes, and Mr. Simmons accepts there will be some reservations from some quarters. As the son of a gynaecologist, Dr. Delmont Simmons, he and his father have some interesting debates.

?My father has had a tremendous influence on me being a doctor,? he admits.

?People might say ?oh, this is a new fad out there in the States, how qualified is he?, but I?m learning from my father.

?His lifestyle is more traditional, mine more naturopathic so there is a clash. But the two can get along.?

He added: ?I had the opportunity to be around nature a lot being my grandfather, Edward Simons, did a lot of farming and was Bermuda?s first chicken farm owner.

?His property in Southampton allowed me to roam and observe nature.

?I had a lot of interest in plants. In high school I realised I needed to improve myself so I took it upon myself to heal myself.

?My lifestyle became one of trying to do more of what was best for me.

?The idea (of naturopathic medicine) came to me from a colleague when I was an undergraduate (Wesleyan University in Connecticut).

?It struck to the point that we didn?t know where we were going with our degrees. He graduated and came back to work and advised me that there were some schools in holistic medicine in California and from then I just enquired about schooling.?

After Wesleyan, Mr. Simmons spent two years at Bermuda College where he took science classes while considering a school in holistic medicine.

He eventually attended the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto. He also did a correspondence course at Canyon College before doing his Board certification in Naturopathy.

?I was heading towards business or social work or economics... heading in all those directions at the Liberal Arts school,? Mr. Simmons recalled.

?I was getting a wide education at the time and deciding on exactly what I wanted.?

Now running his own practice, Mr. Simmons enjoys educating people about naturopathic medicine.

?It takes a lot of effort and understanding to formulate two worlds, the traditional world and the naturopathic holistic alternative world,? he stated.

?It takes a lot of mental skill to be on top of your work in the naturopathic field.

?I feel that is important for people to know. I?m finding people are tremendously eager to know and there is a wide spectrum of responses, either a wide range of interest, a wide range of enquiry or actually coming in and allowing us to help in health situations.?

Patients visit him for any number of health issues, from stress, arthritis, high blood pressure, skin disorders, allergies, colds, digestive disorders, women?s and men?s issues like menopausal problems, PMS, prostate, Fibrocystic breast disease and enhancing optimal health in pregnancy.

?The goal of the naturopathic doctor is to understand the patient and all the factors which impact on his or her health,? said Mr. Simmons who first takes an in-depth patient history before a personal treatment plan is proposed.

?Women?s issues are my key focus right now.

?I find foreign women have been exposed to more knowledge and they want alternatives. I would encourage the rest of Bermuda to follow.

?A lot of people do want alternative medicine, and their bodies do crave it anyway so I?m happy to see that people are listening to their bodies.?

Mr. Simmons stressed that with herbs there will be no side effects or withdrawal symptoms associated with traditional medicines.

?We?re not dealing with quick fixes,? he stressed.

?We?re not only acknowledging the crisis, but the crisis, the quick fix and the cause.

?We?re not going to set toxicities in the body. Unfortunately a lot of the (synthetic) drugs do, they have the propensity to be very toxic, not in every body but they will create extra work for the body.

?We fully evaluate the source of people?s problems which is the key.?

Mr. Simmons noted that Naturopaths are trained to recognise health conditions which are beyond their scope of practice and to appropriately refer individuals to other health practitioners where necessary.

?I haven?t yet, but I know what they can do so it would be helpful if they worked with me,? he stated.

?I have been visited by one or two (doctors) and have been referred by one or two and, yes, I will refer if I feel something is out of range for me.?

The services Mr. Simmons provides includes:Clinical nutrition: Examines the relationship between diet and health. Special diets may be recommended, and treatment may include nutritional supplements such as vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other nutraceuticals. the use of plants for healing dates back to the beginnings of civilisation and is the foundation of modern pharmacology. Plant substances from around the world are used for their healing effects and nutritional values. Based on the principal of ?like cures like?, homoeopathic medicine was developed in the 1700s. Minute amounts of natural substances are used to stimulate the body?s self-healing abilities. A variety of hands-on techniques for the spine, joints and soft tissues. Physical treatments may also include hydrotherapy (water therapy) and physiotherapy and physical exercises for healing, massage and chiropractic therapy. Based on balancing the flow of Chi (energy) through unseen pathways. Oriental medicine includes the use of acupuncture and Oriental herbs. Treatment beyond chief complaints. Physical, emotional, nutritional and environmental factors affect health. Naturopaths help patients to make effective lifestyle choices. When appropriate the doctor will apply clay for healing of the skin, for assisting in removal of unwanting substances, tonifying the skin and muscles, removal of wrinkles, cellulite and repair of injury, including sports or operative.

There are six doctrines followed by the Naturopath:

Do no harm

the healing power of nature

Find the cause

Treat the whole person

To educate and teach

Preventative medicine

Mr. Simmons can be reached at 296-6903.