Naturopathic doctors have an increasing role in sports and athletics. Hear from naturopathic doctors across North America, including a silver-medalist Olympian, biathlete, and NDs who have worked with the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL), the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Naturopathic doctors can be a key part in providing top-notch sports medicine and treatment.
After suffering a sports-related herniated disc injury, Canadian rower Rachelle Viinberg turned to her team’s naturopathic doctor for a treatment plan.
Not only did Viinberg recover from her injury, she and her team went on to win the 2012 Olympic Silver Medal in Rowing. Viinberg now uses her experience as an athlete, coupled with the tools she acquired in naturopathic medical school, as a naturopathic doctor.
Viinberg’s personal experience as an athlete with naturopathic medicine is becoming more and more common.
NDs are becoming increasingly prevalent throughout sports medicine. Both casual weekend warriors and professional athletes alike are turning to NDs for:
- Injury prevention
- Rapid recovery
- For nutritional support
- And to improve their performance
Athletes Seeking a Competitive Edge Tend to Ask: What are the Pros Doing?
Recently, the pros seem increasingly interested in naturopathic medicine for safer options to fine-tune their performance. It is no surprise, then, that Dr. Mark Strom was invited by the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals to join its medical staff.
Mark Strom, ND
Mark Strom, ND
Graduate, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine
After his work with the Cardinals, Dr. Strom moved onto the Arizona Diamondbacks MLB team.
Naturopathic doctors have so many modalities at their disposal to help with training, optimizing nutrition and diet, injury prevention, and recovery.
Working with athletes is a significant part of Dr. Aaron Wong’s day at Butterfly Naturopathic in North Vancouver, BC. Dr. Wong believes that naturopathic medicine is the ideal fit for athletes on a quest for elite athletic performance through optimal health.
Aaron Wong, ND, RTC, BASc
Aaron Wong, ND, RTC, BASc
Graduate, Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine
Masahiro Takakura, ND, DC, LAc has an unwavering passion for helping athletes. He is the founder and sponsor of Bastyr’s Sport Medicine Club (BSMC), and is also the first naturopathic doctor and chiropractor to travel and treat MLB players for a full season. He is currently the naturopathic and chiropractic consultant for the Seattle Mariners.
To learn more about sports medicine as a naturopathic niche, watch this webinar recording featuring Dr. Michael Bastien.
