When it comes to holistic medicine, naturopathy can be seen as the queen bee or the mothership. It encompasses most other alternative medicine approaches to healing within its ranks, homeopathy included. Its main precept, which ties together the varied approaches, is the notion that the human body has the capacity to heal itself.
Naturopathy and homeopathy are often mistaken, in part because the term naturopathy has not caught on to the same degree as homeopathy, a medical approach that dates back to the late 18th century. A naturopathy doctor will insist, however, that the two are quite different; many a naturopathy doctor does not practice a homeopathic approach to healing.
The Basic Philosophy of Naturopathic Healing
Naturopathy is based on the philosophy of vitalism, the belief that the human body is not just a series of complex chemical and biological interactions, but that the human body has an inherent life-sustaining energy, which must be nourished in order to maintain optimal health. Where traditional medicine aims to rid a body of the symptoms ailing it, naturopathic medicine seeks to find the underlying cause, thus going to the root of the problem, which may be something vested deep within a person's being.
The Precepts of Naturopathic Healing
Many a naturopathy doctor insists on adhering to a set of principles, which define the naturopathic healing approach:
- First Do No Harm: A naturopathy doctor strives to use natural techniques and substances to limit harmful side effects that may be caused to patients. For instance, naturopathic doctors don't support the use of medicines like antibiotics because they heal one area of the body at the expense of another.
- Nature Heals: Naturopathy considers the human body a natural part of the world, fully capable of healing itself. The naturopathic physician's task is merely to aid in that naturally-occurring healing process.
- Treat the Whole Person: Every aspect of a patient's health – emotional, physical, mental, even environmental, socioeconomic, and spiritual health – are taken into account when determining a naturopathic remedy.
- Treat the Cause: Rather than suppress symptoms, naturopathy seeks to remove the disease entirely.
- Prevention is the Best Cure: Those who subscribe to naturopathy believe that the entire body should be maintained as the first means of curing disease. This often means avoiding overly processed foods, exercising regularly, and taking natural doses regularly, but a naturopathy doctor will usually take into account a patient's uniqueness to suggest healthy practices for an individual.
- Doctor as Teacher: Naturopathic physicians are tasked with not only treating ailments in their patients, but with their health education, as well. This is often considered to be the most important aspect of naturopathy, because it enables patients to take responsibility for their own body's health. Cooperation and learning is believed to be of therapeutic value, as well.
Healing Alternative Medicine: Naturopathic Remedy Types
Naturopathy includes a wide spectrum of medical practices, and not all naturopathy doctors practice all types of naturopathic cures. Some of the methods and therapies practiced by a modern naturopathy doctor may include the following:
- overall evaluation of a person's health, with recommended changes to diet, exercise and daily routines
- herbal or mineral vitamin supplements
- acupuncture, acupressure, and other Oriental medicines
- botanical medicine
- homeopathy
- mineral baths
- hydrotherapy
- aromatherapy
- fasting
- cleanse diets
- meditation, hypnosis, or psychological counseling
- encouragement of spiritual growth
What Naturopathic Cures Are Available for Illnesses?
While naturopathic cures are capable of scientifically treating some chronic and acute illnesses, it is most effective at preventing disease by promoting good health. Chronic (long-lasting) conditions that can be treated (not necessarily cured) by naturopathy include allergies, diabetes, insomnia, arthritis, and asthma. Shorter-length (acute) ailments like colds, flu, ear infections, and headaches can be treated by naturopathy as well, but with aim at total recovery instead of symptom avoidance.
For instance, a traditional approach to diabetes is to inject insulin, but a naturopathic healing approach may include any number of treatments, depending on the treatments known by a naturopathy doctor and the unique needs of his or her patient. Many people go to see naturopathic doctors before they've become sick to better prevent future illnesses from occurring in the future.
Naturopathy may be a valid alternative to many people's medical needs. For more information on naturopathic healing, try one of these great websites:
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: An Introduction to Naturopathy
- University of Minnesota: Taking Charge of Your Health: Naturopathy
Michael Hintz - Michael Hintz is a technically-inclined writer with a great appreciation for technology and nature alike. Having graduated in December ...
