Naturopathy
"There is only one good, knowledge,
and one evil, ignorance."
Socrates
These statements should guide us in many actions especially where our health is concerned. What we fail to realise is that ‘the cure’ comes from within. Nature has provided us with a wondrous immune system, and we have to take care of this inner healing force and learn to interpret what it means for us to be well in body mind and soul. Health is not just the absence of pathology, nor is it exclusive to able bodied, young, fit people; our attitude to life and ageing will very much dictate how we cope with and support the inevitable ageing process
Because most of us have a profound lack of knowledge as to what our bodies need to function properly, we find ourselves out of balance and susceptible to all sorts of illness and disease.
A Naturopath is a primary contact practitioner who is trained to a competent standard of nature cure including the modalities of Nutrition, Herbal Medicine and Homoeopathy along with the conventional health sciences. Naturopathy places emphasis on a preventative approach to healing and treating the causes of a disease state which can be contrast to the modern Medical approach of simply naming and treating the symptoms by prescribing drugs or performing surgery.
Naturopaths use a range of non invasive diagnostic techniques to assess the causative factors of a patients health problems, It is not necessary for a naturopath to name a disease as the wholistic approach looks at the physical, mental and the emotional aspects and the function of the various body systems as well as the external influences.
The word naturopathy was not used until the late 19th century. Philosophical roots can be traced back to Hippocrates. It is a system of health-orientated medicine which stresses maintenance of health and prevention of disease. It contrasts with the current disease orientated system (allopathy) markedly.
Naturopathy or ‘nature cure’ is both a way of life and a concept of healing employing various natural means of preventing and treating human disease.
PROGRAMME FOR NATURE CURE
1. Elimination of poor or destructive habits.
2. Corrective habits.
3. New principles of living.
PHILOSOPHY
The natural therapeutic approach maintains that the constant effort of the body’s life force is all ways in the direction of self cleansing, self repairing and positive health.
The philosophy maintains that even acute disease is a manifestation of the body’s efforts in the direction of self-cure. Disease or downgraded health, may be eliminated only by removing from the system the real cause and by raising the body’s general vitality so that its natural and inherent ability to sustain health is allowed to dominate.
"Vis medicatrix naturae" or the healing power of nature". Hippocrates
Fundamental to naturopathy is a profound belief in the ability of the body to heal itself, given the proper opportunities. The goal of the naturopath is to use the least invasive intervention that will have the desired therapeutic effect. This philosophical approach necessitates a broad range of therapeutic skills so that the specific treatment can be advised or can be referred on if out of the individual naturopaths sphere of expertise.
Naturopathic medicine is ‘vitalistic’ in its approach; the body is believed to have an innate intelligence that is always striving for health. Vitalism maintains that the symptoms accompanying disease are not always directly caused by the morbific agent e.g. bacteria, rather they are the result of the body's intrinsic response or reaction to that agent and the body’s attempt to defend and heal itself. Health is viewed as more than just the absence of disease.
The naturopathic physician can employ a wide variety of different types of therapy in the treatment of an individual including nutrition, botanical medicine, homoeopathy, acupuncture, lifestyle modification and remedial massage therapy.
Treat the cause not the symptom