Notable Principles Of Naturopathic Medicine

Before we get started, naturopathic medicine or naturopathy is a type of alternative medicine that employs a wide array of natural treatments, including acupuncture, herbalism and homeopathy, in addition to lifestyle and diet counseling. In this case, naturopathy favours a holistic approach with non-invasive treatment, and in general avoids the utilisation of drugs and surgery. Naturopathic philosophy is generally based on a belief in self-healing and vitalism. Here are key principles of naturopathy you might want to think about:

Disease prevention and health promotion

It is cheaper and more advantageous to prevent diseases rather than to cure them. Naturopathic practitioners encourage and emphasise disease prevention rather curing it. Prevention involves making appropriate therapeutic interventions, determining susceptibility to disease, assessing risk factors and promoting a healthy medicine. This approach prevents minor ailments from developing into more chronic or serious degenerative diseases. In this case, prevention of diseases is a continuous process that:

Takes into consideration an individual’s environmental and how to live in harmony with nature

Involves every aspect of a person; their mental emotional and health, their lifestyle, their family and community

Is maintained through the homeostatic mechanisms of the body

Starts at conception and continues throughout all of life

The role of naturopathy practitioners is to facilitate enhanced awareness in addition to educating patients on the needed changes to address their health concerns and ailment symptoms so as to prevent the progression of the disease.

First do no harm (primum non nocere)

This principle refers to not only the patient but also to his or her vital force. In the case, naturopath practitioners apply this principle by:

Teaching patients awareness and insight of how lifestyle choices and other factors affect their health
Opting for treatments that honour the laws of nature
Going for treatments that sustain the innate healing ability of the body
Picking out diagnostic methods that are non-invasive, whenever possible
Naturopathic physicians work on the basis that there is a hierarchy to treatment options. To do no harm, doctors opt for a given naturopathic therapy and fashion the gentlest and non-invasive strategy to achieve the desired outcome for each individual patient.

Doctor as teacher (docere)

Naturopathic doctors or “docere” role is to educate on aspects that affect health so that patients are more informed about the impact of this choices. This way, they are more capable of marinating their own health. And this is through environmental and occupational situations that influence health, social, sleep, rest and our peace of mind, hygiene, posture, spiritual well-being, exercise and nutrition.

Since teaching takes time, most naturopathic visits are longer so as to allow sufficient time for the doctor the teach and educate the patient how to make and maintain lifestyle changes and choices that are required to assist them in achieving wellness.

Treat the whole being

Since diseases affect the whole person, not just a specific system or organ, the whole being needs to be treated. In this case, disease and health are a result of complex interaction of all aspects of a being, their environment and life. The spiritual, structural, functional, emotional and mental aspects of an individual are inseparable, interdependent and interconnected with environment, community and family. Treating the entire person is a holistic theory that recognizes that the whole being is greater than the sum of the parts. Each person in this case is distinct with his or her own specific ways of manifesting susceptibilities, disharmony and disease.