What Is Naturopathic Medicine?

What is Naturopathic Medicine?
Naturopathic Medicine is a philosophy based medicine based on treating the individual needs of each person. It is the art and science of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease using natural therapies with a focus on optimizing health and well-being through individualized patient care and public education. It is a complementary and/or alternative medicine which emphasizes the body's inert ability to heal and maintain itself.
Naturopathic practice includes many, and different, treatment modalities, with practitioners emphasizing a holistic approach to patient care. They may also recommend, if indicated, that patients use conventional medicine alongside their treatments.

Principles of Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathic doctors are guided by six fundamental healing principles:

· Primum non nocere: First, to do no harm, by using methods and medicines that minimize the risk of harmful side effects and providing effective health care with the least risk to the patient.

· Tolle causum: To treat the causes of disease, by identifying and removing the underlying causes of illness, rather than suppressing symptoms.

· Docere: Doctor as teacher, thereby teaching the principles of healthy living and preventative medicine, by sharing knowledge with patients and encouraging individual responsibility for health.

· Vis medicatrix naturae: To support the healing power of nature, by recognizing and removing obstacles to the body's inherent self-healing process.

· Treat the whole person: To heal the whole person through individualized treatment, by understanding the unique physical, mental, emotional, genetic environmental and social factors that contribute to illness, and customizing treatment protocols to the patient.

· To emphasize prevention, by partnering with the patient to assess risk factors and recommend appropriate naturopathic interventions to maintain health and prevent illness.

Naturopathic Medicine Modalities

Naturopathic medicine is unique in that each naturopathic doctor is trained in all of the treatment modalities described below, and most importantly in their integrated use.
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine: Based on a 5,000 year old tradition of diagnosis and treatment of disease. It combines acupuncture, diet and traditional botanical formulas to treat a variety of conditions. It works to balance the flow of Chi (energy) through the meridian pathways.

Botanical Medicine: The use of Botanical/Herbal Medicine for the prevention and treatment of disease have been safely and effectively utilized for centuries. The clinical uses of traditional herbal medicine have been described in detail in textbooks and literature for centuries, and they are the subject of an increasing amount of new scientific research.

Clinical Nutrition: Encompasses diet and supplementation, including vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other nutraceuticals as well as specialized diets for health promotion and treatment of disease. The relationship between diet and health has long been established, linking many diseases to inadequate dietary health. This is one of the main modalities used in Naturopathic practice for the treatment and prevention of disease.

Homeopathic Medicine – Developed in 18th century Germany by physician Samuel Hahnemann. Based on the law of similars, “like cures like”, highly dilute amounts of a substance are prepared and prescribed according to strict homeopathic principals to help stimulate the body to heal itself. It includes a detailed case taking method and analysis to find the appropriate remedy for each individual case.

Hydrotherapy: The use of hot and cold water to boost the immune system, reduce inflammation and promote the body’s natural healing powers.

Prevention and Lifestyle Modification: Involves the assessment of risk such as environment, diet and lifestyle in connection with its impact on health. Naturopathic Doctors teach behavior modification and suggest healthier changes while empowering the patient to assume responsibility for their own health.

Physical Therapy: A variety of hands-on techniques for the spine, joints and soft tissues. Also includes hydrotherapy, which is the use of hot and cold water to boost the immune system, reduce inflammation and promote the body’s natural healing powers. Naturopathic Doctors may also use techniques such as the use of light, heat and cold, massage and ultrasound.

Counseling: Interconnection of emotion and physical health with an emphasis on stress management and emotional wellbeing.