Naturopathy

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Naturopathy is a holistic system of treatment based on the idea that the body has an innate capacity to fight disease and heal itself. On the one hand naturopathy focuses on supporting the body's own healing abilities, and on the other it empowers individuals to make lifestyle changes necessary for the best possible health. Naturopathy goes back to the 18th- and 19th-century natural healing systems such as hydrotherapy (water therapy), which was popular in Germany and nature cure, developed in Austria.

Why should I be aware of this?

It has been seen that naturopathy is effective in treating most health problems, both acute and chronic. Some of the most commonly used therapies include clinical nutrition, homeopathy, botanical medicine, physical medicine (such as myotherapy and hydrotherapy), natural childbirth, oriental medicine, counseling and stress management, and minor surgery.

All about naturopathy

Naturopathy is the science of holistic health, creating a balance with the nature and a positive living. It believes that unless there is harmony between body, mind and spirit, one cannot enjoy healthy life.

Naturopathy involves a multi-disciplinary approach, which uses the healing power of natural resources like foods, herbs, earth, water and air to allow the body to heal itself. It also lays an emphasis on the importance of positive attitude in determining the state of one’s existence.

Caused by toxin accumulation

Naturopathy believes that all illnesses are caused by the accumulation of waste materials and toxins in our bodies. Waste materials pile up in our body by natural and unnatural means.

  • Natural means – The cells in our body continuously die and are replaced by new ones. The old dead cells are foreign material to the body and need to be eliminated. In addition, processes of the living cells also generate toxic wastes due to metabolic reactions.
  • Unnatural means - Wrong ways of life also cause production of excess toxins.

When these toxins are not eliminated at a reasonably fast rate, a diseased condition is created.

Six principles

There are six principles to naturopathic practices:

  • Nature’s healing power: The therapy recognizes an inherent self-healing process in each of us which is both ordered and intelligent. Naturopathy doctors identify and remove the obstacles to healing and recovery, and to facilitate and augment this self-healing ability.
  • Cause identification: Rather than merely eliminating or suppressing the symptoms naturopathy seeks to identify and remove the underlying causes of illness.
  • No side effects: Naturopathy utilizes methods and medical substances which minimize the risk of harmful side effects. It uses the least force necessary to diagnoses and treat. Avoids when possible the harmful suppression of symptoms.
  • Self-responsibility: Naturopathy encourages self-responsibility for health. It also recognizes and employs the therapeutic potential of a good doctor-patient relationship.
  • Treating the whole person: Naturopathy doctors treat each patient taking into account individual physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, genetic, environmental, social and other factors.
  • Prevention: Naturopathy lays great emphasis on prevention of disease. It assesses risk factors, heredity and susceptibility to disease to prevent illness. Naturopathic medicine is committed to the creation of a healthy world in which humanity may thrive.

CopperBytes

  • In naturopathy many medical conditions can be treated more effectively with foods and nutritional supplements than they can by other means, with fewer complications and side effects.
  • Many plant substances are powerful medicines. Where single chemically-derived drugs may only address a single problem, botanical medicines are able to address a variety of problems simultaneously.
  • Naturopathic medicine has its own methods of therapeutic manipulation of muscles, bones, and spine. Naturopathy doctors also use ultrasound, diathermy, exercise, massage, water, heat and cold, air, and gentle electrical pulses
  • Naturopathic physicians provide natural childbirth care in an out-of-hospital setting.

Unlearn

One of the great myths about naturopathic medicine is that there is no firm evidence of its efficacy. However scientific studies and observations have validated not only the use of diet, natural supplements and herbal medicines…but also led to significant improvements and greater understanding in the natural treatment measure. Even in mainstream medicine, there is a growing trend in using substances found in nature over synthetic drugs.

References:

  • Naturopathy
  • What is Naturopathy?
  • Naturopathic Medicine
  • Nature Cure or Naturopathy
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