What is naturopathy?
Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a system of medicine based on the healing power of nature. Naturopathy is a holistic system, meaning that naturopathic doctors (N.D.s) or naturopathic medical doctors (N.M.D.s) strive to find the cause of disease by understanding the patient as a totality of body, mind, and spirit. Most naturopathic doctors use a wide variety of therapies and techniques (such as nutrition, herbal medicine, homeopathy, and acupuncture).
There are two areas of focus in naturopathy: one is supporting the body's own healing abilities, and the other is empowering individuals to make lifestyle changes necessary for the best possible health. While naturopathic doctors treat both short bouts of illness and chronic conditions, their emphasis is on prevention of disease and patient education.
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Six Principles of Naturopathy
- First Do No Harm: Utilize the most natural, least invasive and least toxic therapies first.
- Identify and Treat the Cause: Look beyond the symptoms to effectively address the underlying cause(s) of illness
- The Healing Power of Nature: trust in the body's inherent wisdom to heal itself.
- Treat the Whole Person: View the body as an integrated whole in all physical and spiritual dimensions.
- Doctor as Teacher: Educate patients in the steps to achieving and maintaining optimal health.
- Prevention: Focus on promoting health and wellnes, and preventing disease
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What should I expect from a visit to a naturopath?
A visit to a naturopathic doctor, or N.D., will be similar to a visit to your family doctor. Your first visit may take more than an hour. During this time, a very thorough history is taken, including questions about diet, lifestyle, stress, and environmental exposures. Next, the N.D. will perform an appropriate physical examination.
Naturopathic doctors treat the whole person, which means they consider a variety of factors before they diagnose and treat an illness. Factors an N.D. might consider in making a diagnosis include your mental, emotional, and spiritual state, your diet, your family history (whether or not your parents or grandparents suffer [or suffered] from the same condition), your environment, and your lifestyle.
Some of the more common treatments used by a naturopath include:
*Nutritional counseling
*Herbal medicine
*Homeopathic medicine
*Acupuncture
*Hydrotherapy (water therapy) -- Therapies in this category include drinking natural spring water, taking baths, alternating hot and cold applications, and exercising in water, all of which are thought to stimulate and support healing and strengthen the immune system.
*Physical Medicine -- This natural approach to healing involves using touch, hot and cold compresses, electric currents, and sound waves to manipulate the muscles, bones, and spine.
*Detoxification -- This therapy removes toxins from the body by using techniques such as fasting, enemas, and drinking water in large amounts.
*Spirituality -- Personal spiritual development is encouraged as an important part of an overall health program.
*Lifestyle and Psychological Counseling -- An N.D. may use hypnosis, guided imagery, or other counseling methods as part of a treatment plan.
Naturopaths consider patients to be participants in their health care, so you may be asked to make lifestyle changes (such as changing your sleeping, eating, and exercise habits).
What illnesses and conditions respond well to naturopathy?
Because naturopaths successfully combine so many therapies it is difficult to single out specific illnesses for which naturopathy is recommended. In fact, naturopaths treat both acute and chronic conditions from arthritis to ear infections (otitis media) to HIV to asthma to congestive heart failure to hepatitis. N.D.s treat the whole person (rather than simply treating a disease or its symptoms), striving to maintain a balanced state of good health in their patients. Because of this holistic approach, chronic conditions may be particularly suited to an N.D.'s care.
