The Benefits Of Naturopathic Medicine

By Margaret Robinson


Naturopathy is a holistic approach to medicine whose scope of practice and philosophy has a global scope. Naturopathic medicine draws its philosophical roots from ancient Indian, Chinese, Egyptian and Greek traditions. In modern practice, surgical and pharmacological methods are applied in conjunction with evidence-based treatment and systems biology. Naturopathy promotes wellness by identifying distinct attributes of each patient then using non-toxic natural healing therapies to restore their functional balance.

This medical practice is built upon the belief that all living things inherently possess a healing ability. A disorder is thus taken to be an imbalance in normal functioning. The healing process is tailored to restore the normal balance, either with some help or independently. A number of treatments which include acupressure and acupuncture, herbs and supplements could be used. While there may be different methodologies of approach to treatment, all commonly incorporate non-scientific and scientific approaches to health.

Naturopathy adheres to several key principles. First is the healing power of nature, which recognizes that the body possesses an inherent ability to maintain and restore a state of wellness. The physicians facilitate healing by eliminating existing hurdles and identifying relevant cures.

Identifying and treating the cause follows closely. Instead of only addressing the symptoms of an illness, physicians seek to treat its underlying cause. Symptoms are taken to be merely the external evidence of internal imbalances. And although managing them could be vital, it must not be pursued at the expense of identifying the underlying cause. Naturopathy also seeks to do no harm. Any treatment used needs to be non-invasive, gentle and side effect-free, all while being effective. As such, all practitioners must employ techniques that don't suppress the symptoms.

Naturopathic physicians have the primary role of acting as educators. They must enlighten, empower and motivate patients to take up more responsibility for their health by adopting a proper lifestyle, diet and attitude. As such, they're encouraged to take interest in the maintenance of their bodily frame. This is certainly more effective than treatment

The treatment is meant to heal the whole person. The physicians first identify specific dysfunctions in their patients after which they can tailor the treatment according to the person's unique presentation. Here, it's understood that the patient is the one that needs treating, rather than their symptoms or illness. It thus becomes important to find and rectify symptoms specific to the particular patient, rather than the generic ones associated with the disease.

Prevention is far much cheaper and easier than treatment. Rather than fight disease, naturopathy adapts a health-promoting approach. The physicians thus evaluate both objective and subjective information needed to reveal unknown susceptibilities in the future states of the patients. This mentality seeks to empower the body's own healing capability to avoid falling ill in the first place. Prevention can be accomplished using a number of nutritional and lifestyle-related strategies.

Naturopathy works efficiently in combating chronic diseases, an area where modern medicine mostly falls short. Examples of such conditions include fatigue, sleep disturbance and digestive disorders. Naturopathy is also suited for conditions where boosting immunity works better than treatment.




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