The MD-ND Approach — Why Dual Training Matters

What it means clinically when a naturopathic doctor is also a former conventional physician — and what dual training brings to integrative care.

4 min readJune 24, 2026

I want to write this article because patients ask me about my background often, and I think the honest answer matters for what kind of care they can expect. I am one of a small number of practitioners in BC who has trained both as a conventional physician and as a naturopathic doctor. The combination is not common, and patients who find me often arrive specifically because of it.

This article is about what dual MD-ND training actually means clinically — what it does and doesn't bring to integrative care, why I made the unusual decision to do both, and what I think the position offers patients.

My path

I trained first as a conventional physician at Tehran University of Medical Sciences and practiced family medicine for over a decade — in hospitals, public health centres, and underserved communities. Family medicine is one of the most generalist forms of medical practice; you see everyone, you see everything, and you become deeply familiar with the strengths and the limits of conventional medicine in the lives of real patients.

The strengths of conventional medicine are profound. Acute care, infectious disease, surgical intervention, vaccination, diagnostic precision, life-saving technology — these are gifts I do not take for granted. I refer patients to specialists every week and am grateful for the work conventional medicine does.

The limits are also real. Family medicine in most modern systems gives you 10-15 minutes per patient. You cannot do whole-person assessment in 10 minutes. You can address acute problems, manage chronic conditions, coordinate referrals, and provide preventive care, but you cannot do the deeper work of understanding why a patient is the way they are and what would actually support whole-person health. The system is designed for what it is designed for, and what it is not designed for is much of what most chronically suffering patients actually need.

After more than a decade in family practice, I came to Canada and made the unusual decision to retrain. I completed my Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto. CCNM is Canada's leading naturopathic institution; the four-year program covers anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, pathology, clinical diagnosis — much of the same biomedical foundation as MD training — alongside the specifically naturopathic subjects of botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, lifestyle medicine, and integrative therapeutics.

I now serve on the faculty at CCNM Boucher Campus, where I train the next generation of naturopathic doctors. My clinical practice integrates the conventional medical foundation with the integrative scope.

What dual training actually changes

A few specific things:

Diagnostic confidence. I can read a patient's full conventional medical workup with the same fluency as their family physician. I can recognize when something is conventional medicine's territory and refer accordingly. I do not panic when a patient brings me complex medical history; I can hold it.

Honest assessment of integrative interventions. I have seen, from inside conventional medicine, where it succeeds and where it fails. I have seen, from inside naturopathic medicine, where integrative care succeeds and where it overpromises. I am skeptical in both directions, and the skepticism is calibrated.

Comfort with medication. I am not anti-medication. Many of my patients are on appropriate prescribed medications and I do not encourage them to stop. I am familiar with drug interactions, side effects, and pharmacokinetics, and I incorporate this knowledge into integrative care planning.

Coordination with conventional providers. When my patients have family physicians, specialists, or other providers, I write letters, share findings (with consent), and coordinate care. I do not position naturopathic medicine in opposition to conventional medicine. We are part of the same care team.

Willingness to refer. I refer patients to physicians and specialists when their conditions warrant. Many naturopathic doctors do this; some do not. My MD background makes the referral decision- making particularly clear.

Honest about scope limits. Naturopathic medicine has real scope limits, both regulatory and clinical. I am clear about what I can and cannot do, and what should be referred. The dual training makes the boundaries cleaner.

Comfort discussing evidence. Conventional medicine has thoroughly socialized me into the evidence-based medicine framework. I read research critically. I do not accept or recommend interventions just because they are integrative-friendly; I want to see the evidence (or honest acknowledgment of its limits).

What dual training does not change

Some things worth being honest about:

It does not make me a specialist in everything. I am an integrative generalist, not an endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, or cardiologist. For specialist conditions, the appropriate specialist is the right provider. Sometimes I co-manage; sometimes I refer entirely.

It does not eliminate uncertainty. Medicine is uncertain in both conventional and integrative forms. The dual training does not give me magical clarity. It gives me richer tools for thinking through uncertainty.

It does not make every integrative intervention work. Even with rigorous evidence-based practice, not every patient responds to every intervention. Patient-by-patient assessment and adjustment is part of the work.

It does not replace the patient's own work. Many of the most important changes in integrative care are lifestyle changes the patient makes — sleep, nutrition, movement, stress management, relationship work. My role is to identify and support; the patient does the work.

What this means for patients

Several practical implications:

You can bring complex medical histories without anxiety. I can read your records. I can engage with your specialists' notes. I can understand what is going on with your conventional care and where integrative care fits within it.

I will not encourage you to stop your medications without medical reason. If we identify that medications are causing problems and there are integrative alternatives, I will discuss with you and your prescribing physician. I will not unilaterally recommend stopping prescribed medications.

I will refer when referral is the right answer. If your situation warrants specialist conventional care, I will tell you and help you access it. I do not see referral as failure of integrative care; I see it as appropriate care.

I will be honest about evidence. When I recommend an intervention, I will tell you what the evidence supports. When I am offering something based on clinical experience rather than formal evidence, I will tell you that too. You deserve to make informed decisions.

I will not overpromise. I have seen too much overpromising in both conventional and integrative medicine. I aim to set realistic expectations and to be honest when interventions are not working as hoped.

A note on Iranian-Canadian patients specifically

For my Iranian-Canadian patients: I share your cultural and linguistic context. I trained as a physician in Iran. I understand the medical system you may have grown up with. I work in English and Farsi, and I integrate the cultural context into how I approach your care — not as exotic accommodation but as the natural way I work.

I co-founded Ninisite.com, the first Farsi-language website dedicated to pregnancy and parenting, more than two decades ago. Persian-speaking integrative healthcare has been part of my work my entire professional life.

When to come in

If you are considering integrative care and the dual MD-ND background is part of what you are looking for, please reach out. The Free Introductory Naturopathic Consultation is a no-pressure way to explore whether we are a good fit.