Naturopathic medicine is a system of primary health care practiced by doctors called naturopaths. In theory, naturopathy treats the causes of diseases rather than just suppressing symptoms. Naturopathic practitioners believe that the human body has an innate healing ability that can be stimulated to achieve optimal health or treated when it has been compromised. The four primary principles of naturopathic medicine are:
The healing power of nature (vis medicatrix naturae) In vivo, the vital force In order to get well, you must be treated holistically with a combination of therapies. Treatment plans have a specific order for introducing treatments and will be tailored to your individual needs A naturopathic doctor will start with the least invasive therapies before moving toward more aggressive treatments.
According to naturopathic theory, the body has an innate healing power that is activated when it is in a state of natural health. Symptoms are seen as evidence that this vital force is being restrained or overcome by disease or the environment. The goal of naturopathic treatment is to stimulate this vital force and restore the body’s natural state of health.
The naturopathic practitioner will take into account your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects in deciding on a diagnosis and plan for your treatment. Naturopathy views an individual as more than just his or her disease, thus it is important to go beyond the symptoms to determine what is causing the disease. A naturopathic doctor will look at factors such as stress, diet, environment, and other lifestyle choices when diagnosing an illness or condition.
Treatments may include changes in diet, herbal remedies, hydrotherapy (the use of water in healing), homeopathy (a system of medicine that treats the individual with highly diluted substances), acupuncture (inserting thin needles into certain points in the body to regulate energy), chiropractic treatments, massage therapy, counseling, and lifestyle changes.
Naturopathic medicine can be used to treat a wide range of conditions along with maintaining good health. Naturopaths are trained in both pharmacology and natural medicine, therefore they are able to manage both acute and chronic conditions.
Conditions successfully treated with naturopathic medicine include allergies, anxiety, arthritis, fibromyalgia, low back pain, multiple sclerosis (MS), respiratory conditions such as asthma or bronchitis, high cholesterol, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), depression, acne, eczema, menopause, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and many more.
How Can You Get Started?
Are you looking for just a little bit of advice to get the ball rolling with your health and wellness goals? Or are you overwhelmed by all that is naturopathic medicine and need just a little guidance on where to start? If either of these sounds like you, then we’ve got what you want! We’ve created an easy-to-follow guide for beginners in naturopathic medicine.
- Make sure you are in good health with a thorough checkup by your primary care physician or naturopathic doctor, who will monitor your vitals and do some basic testing to ensure that there aren’t any major concerns that need to be addressed before starting natural therapeutics. It’s also a great idea to look into drug-herb/supplement interactions if you are already taking medications to avoid any uncomfortable side effects from possible contraindications.
- Start reading and learning! Try to read one article or blog post a day on topics that interest you.
- Sign up for my free 10 week email series (subscribe in the right-hand column and you’ll receive an email with a link to the rest of the series) on my best tips for starting your naturopathic lifestyle.
- Visit websites to see the variety of services that I offer for both adults and children.
- Take one step forward every day. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day so don’t expect everything to come together at once. Start small by incorporating just one new healthy habit into your daily routine, whether that’s drinking lemon water first thing in the morning or adding more vegetables to your diet. Before you know it, you’ll have formed many lifelong healthy habits that will only continue to benefit you as the years go on.
At the end of the day, it’s really about finding a practitioner with who you feel comfortable and whose philosophy aligns with your own. We recommend talking to friends or coworkers for recommendations before making any decisions on which Naturopathic doctor is right for you. If none of those options work out, don’t hesitate to give us a call! Our team has helped hundreds of people find practitioners that were just what they needed at every stage in their lives – from new parents looking for advice on how best to feed their children all the way through to retired couples looking forward to retirement living arrangements. Let’s get started today!
About the Authors
Society’s Voice advocates for Naturopathic treatments for a variety of physical and mental disabilities. Naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of primary health care that emphasizes prevention and the self-healing process through the use of natural therapies. We know that the efficacy of naturopathic medicine dates back to the 1890s, and are heartened to see naturopathic medicine undergo a rapid increase in public interest in recent years as a result of the growing consumer movement to solve the healthcare puzzle using prevention, wellness and respect for nature’s inherent healing ability.
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