Seeing a Naturopathic Doctor Versus Asking AI Health Questions
AI is upon us and people are exploring how to best incorporate it into their lives. With the extensive information that can be accessed quickly, many people are asking AI about their health questions. Why go to the trouble of seeing a healthcare provider when you can get immediate information from AI?
Let’s take a look at some key differences between naturopathic doctors and AI-generated health information, and how to best use AI to explore your health-related questions.
Naturopathic Doctors Ask Specific Questions – AI Just Answers Them
The most critical distinction is that when you go to the naturopathic doctor’s office, they are the one asking patients the health-related questions. The ND is the person thinking critically, guiding the direction of investigation, and connecting the dots of important information.
When patients without medical training ask AI about their health concerns, they may not have the background knowledge that’s necessary to discern what information is applicable and important to each unique situation.
Being overloaded with information can lead to going down inappropriate rabbit holes without even knowing it, or wasting time on topics that aren’t relevant to individualized symptoms or health goals.
Naturopathic Doctors Take a Holistic Approach
Naturopathic Doctors take a holistic approach and treat the whole person, not just the symptom in front of them. If someone is seeking help with hormone balance, their ND inquires about hormonal symptoms, and also asks questions about nutrition, gut health, stress, and sleep.
Based on the information they gather, they decide what lab testing is most important to provide additional key information to guide specific treatment. NDs are also constantly being mindful of herb/drug interactions and caution patients about side effects of certain treatments.
AI does not do that. Instead it answers the question you asked it, not the ten questions you did not know to ask.
Where AI Can Fall Short
No physical exam
Physical exams provide extremely important information about health status. For example, abdominal pain could indicate many different possible issues. Taking vitals (blood pressure, heart rate, temperature) and examining the abdomen and different organs provide objective findings that are absolutely central in diagnosing the abdominal pain.
There is also value in simply observing patients. If someone starts tearing up while discussing a certain topic, it’s clear that needs to be explored and supported further while treating the whole person. If someone is fidgeting the entire appointment, that provides important information about the state of their nervous system.
No Human Connection
A big part of the healing process for patients involves verbalizing physical, mental, and emotional symptoms to a supportive person who listens without judgement and provides compassion and empathy.
Feeling heard and validated is incredibly therapeutic. Accountability and encouragement are also very helpful in the process of making changes to nutrition and lifestyle to support health goals.
No Intuition
We all have an intuition or “gut feeling” that presents itself in certain situations. While lab data and analytical thinking are extremely important, trusting intuition is extremely valuable as well, especially in more complex situations without a clear data-driven answer. That comes from years of seeing real patients, not from a large language model
Lack of privacy
It is also worth mentioning that you should carefully review the privacy policy of whatever tool you are using. You are uploading your personal health data into a AI chatbot. You would want to know what it does with that information, how is it stored, do they use it to improve the model etc.
How to Best Use AI for Personal Health Questions
If you have questions about your health, AI is fantastic for providing background information and education related to your health concerns.
For example, if you have abdominal pain, it is very helpful to learn about the anatomy of the abdomen and to become informed about common conditions that lead to abdominal pain. If you have a specific diagnosis, it’s worthwhile to do background research on it and learn what pieces stand out to your particular symptoms.
It’s very empowering to learn about your body, and the educational information that AI provides is helpful and valuable. It’s important to verify the sources of information, or specifically request studies from peer-reviewed journals.
AI is also helpful for generating resources such as specific detailed meal plans, grocery store lists, and suggesting podcasts and books with additional helpful information.
Collaboration Is Best
A collaborative and team-oriented approach is best. The most significant improvements in health arise when patients get informed and educated about their bodies, their health, and their specific conditions, and discuss their thoughts and research with a medically trained and experienced healthcare provider who can think critically through AI-generated information and provide their own clinical insights.
AI can be a starting point — not a diagnosis. If you have real answers to find, let’s dig into the root cause together. Schedule your complimentary 10-minute consultation with one of our naturopathic doctors.
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Dr. Caitlan Gignac. ND
Naturopathic Doctor San Jose
408-356-1364
Dr. Caitlan Gignac. ND is a naturopathic doctor dedicated to helping her patients achieve optimal health through a natural and holistic approach. She focuses on addressing the root causes of symptoms, empowering patients with tools like nutritional education, lifestyle adjustments, herbal medicine, and natural supplementation, in addition to conventional methods to support lasting wellness. Her expertise spans women’s health, adrenal and thyroid health, mental health, digestion, fertility, and skin conditions. When she’s not caring for patients, Dr. Gignac enjoys connecting with nature through surfing, hiking, gardening, and exploring the Sierra Nevada mountains.
