What is Naturopathy?

ALTHOUGH THE TERM NATUROPATHY ORIGINATED IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY, THE ART CAN BE TRACED BACK THROUGH GERMANY INTO GREECE, TO HYPOCRITES HIMSELF, AND EVEN BEYOND. THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTOOD THAT healing will occur IN THE HUMAN BODY, IF IT IS GIVEN WHAT IT TRULY NEEDS: proper diet, pure water, fresh air, sunlight, exercise and rest. FOR THESE PEOPLE, THE EMPHASIS HAS BEEN TO HELP THE BODY ESTABLISH ITS OWN STATE OF GOOD HEALTH, NOT TO FOCUS ON DISEASE. TODAY, THESE EDUCATORS ARE KNOWN AS NATUROPATHS OR NATUROPATHIC CONSULTANTS.

WHILE NATUROPATHS RECOGNIZE THAT ALLOPATHIC HEALTH CARE IS, AT TIMES, NECESSARY, THEY UNDERSTAND THAT MANY ACCEPTED ALLOPATHIC TREATMENTS MAY BE INFECTIVE IN PROMOTING HEALTH. ALLOPATHIC PHILOSOPHY HOLDS THAT DISEASE IS CAUSED BY EXTERNAL AGENTS. ACCORDING TO THIS PHILOSOPHY, A CURE WILL RESULT WHEN OFFENDING AGENTS ARE ELIMINATED. THE ALLOPATHIC APPROACH ALSO TENDS TO LOOK AT THE SYMPTOM AND THE DISEASE AS ONE AND THE SAME.

THE NATUROPATH SEES A SYMPTOM AS A SIGNAL THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG. ACCORDING TO NATUROPATHIC BELIEF, WHEN A SYMPTOM ALONE IS ELIMINATED, IT IS MOST LIKELY BELONG SUPPRESSED. UNLESS THE ORIGINAL CAUSE HAS ALSO BEEN ELIMINATED, THE SYMPTOM MAY RETURN LATER IN A CHRONIC FORM

On body*Mind*Sprit:

The mind contains tremendous healing ability. We teach a deep interconnectedness of mind and sprit.

Naturopaths Do

The origin of “education” was celebrated in the Latin phrase docendo discimus: “by teaching, we learn.”

In teaching clients know how to live a healthy, holistic lifestyle, naturopaths follow these principles:

Do No HARM

Primum non nocere is part of the Hippocratic Oath. Naturopaths do not use harmful, artificial substance such as drugs and pharmaceuticals; nor do they use invasive procedures, such as surgery.

RECOGNIZE THE HEALING POWER OF NATURE

Naturopaths understand the body’s innate capacity for self-healing. They educate clients in creating external and internal environments conducive to healing.

FIND AND ELIMINATE THE CAUSE OF POOR HEALTH

Naturopaths help clients evaluate lifestyle choices to identify both the cause of a problem and how to correct it.

TEACH HEALTH

Naturopaths teach clients how to achieve and maintain good health

They empower clients, enabling them to participate in the process of staying well.

HONOR THE TOTAL PERSON

A person is never simply a headache, or a backache, or a sore throat. Except in the case of acute injury, seldom does any problem occur in isolation. Naturopaths understand that people are interconnected physical, mental, and spiritual beings, and that one “dis-ease” affects all areas of life.

PREVENT “DIS-EASE”

In teaching clients know how to create homeostatic balance; naturopaths help others achieve future health as well.

NATUROPATH DO NOT

In teaching clients know how to live a healthy, holistic lifestyle, naturopaths avoid certain allopathic practices:

DIAGNOSE DISEASE

Naturopaths perform evaluations and assessments to determine the root cause of problems, but they do not diagnose disease.

TREAT DISEASE

Naturopaths focus on health and education, not on treating any specific disease. Naturopaths empower clients to create internal and external environments that are conducive to good health.

PRESCRIBE DRUGS AND PHARMACEUTICALS.

Many naturopaths teach clients about herbs, homeopathic remedies, and the healing properties in foods and nutritional supplements. They do not prescribe.

PERFORM INVASIVE PROCEDURES.

Depending on the type and extent of their training, nature-opaths may use hands-on modalities such as reflexology or acupressure. There are naturopaths who are also chiropractors or massage therapists, who may blend naturopathic modalities with those common to their other discipline. For example, this would include performing spinal adjustments if the naturopath is also a chiropractor. Naturopaths do not perform invasive procedures such as surgery of any kind. They do not give injections or draw blood.

The origin of “doctor” was in the Latin, docere: “to teach”.

The Principles of Naturopathy:

• Health is Determined by Nutrition
• Health is Movement
• Health is Psycho- Physiological
• One Health, One Disease
• The Symptoms of Ill-Health are Friendly
• Acute Conditions are Unavoidable
• Chronic Conditions Arise from the Mismanagement of Acute Illness
• Illness Begins the Cure
• The Cure is Rest
• Naturopathy Affirms Reality