Harley Street Therapies
Harley Street Therapies
Mersai Health Clinic
Naturopathic Medicine
What is Naturopathic Medicine?
Naturopathic medicine is a complete alternative care system that uses a wide range of approaches such as nutrition, herbs, manipulation of the body, exercise, stress reduction, and acupuncture. Parts of naturopathy are sometimes used along with conventional medicine as complementary therapy. Naturopathic Medicine is a holistic approach (intended to treat the whole person) that tries to enlist the healing power of the body and nature to fight disease
Naturopathic medicine uses the healing power of nature to maintain and restore health. Their goal is to create a healthy environment inside and outside the body. It also prevents illness because people are taught healthy diets and lifestyles to avoid disease. Treatment is focused on the cause of disease, rather than on the symptoms. Naturopaths may diagnose illness with many of the same methods used in conventional medicine. They use x-rays, lab tests, and physical examinations to try and find out what the problem is. However, naturopathic treatment does not generally use drugs, radiation therapy, or major surgery.
What does it involve?
Naturopathic medicine uses many different techniques and methods. Practitioners act mostly as teachers. They decide how to treat a particular patient based on case history, observation, medical records, nutrition, and previous experience. Naturopathic treatment can include nutritional medicine and fasting; herbs, minerals, and vitamins; homeopathy; Chinese medicine; manipulation of muscles, the spine, and other bones such as Osteopathy; natural childbirth; acupuncture; counseling and hypnotherapy; massage, colonics (enemas); hydrotherapy, heat, and cold applications; therapeutic exercise; and some minor surgery.
How Did Naturopathy Begin?
Naturopathic treatments originated as the use of herbs and foods for medicine, exposure to fresh air and sunlight, and hydrotherapy (the use of hot and cold water application) as steam or sauna. These techniques and methods have long
been respected throughout the world. While modern allopathic medicine is a youngster of less than 200 years old, Natural Medicine has been the primary medicine used by most of the human community even into the 21st Century. Herbal and traditional medical arts remain the primary medical choice of over 65% of humanity.
Naturopathic Medicine was first established as a distinct profession in North America at the turn of the 20th century by Benedict Lust, a German immigrant. Lust had been a student of Father Sebastian Kneipp, famous in Europe for being involved with a movement known as "Nature Cure." That was the system of employing clean food, water, air, sun, and exercise with hydrotherapy as healing agents to restore health.
Lust and his wife founded the Yungborn Nature Cure Health Resort in New York state. There they incorporated other disciplines and therapies compatible with the basic principles of "Nature Cure." In 1902, Lust began using the term Naturopathy to describe the mixture of disciplines and therapies he used to treat illness. Three years later he founded the first school of Naturopathic Medicine under the laws of the State of New York.
The Philosophy of Naturopathic Medicine
Living things have an innate ability to heal themselves. Our vital force promotes self-cleansing, self-repair, and therefore self-healing. This process can be achieved by focusing on the immune, hormonal, nervous, and detoxification/elimination systems of the body. Once these systems are in balance, restored health is a probability.
A good example is fever. When the body is invaded by a pathogen (a substance capable of producing illness or disease), the body will usually respond by producing a fever to fight the invader. If the body is properly supported through nutrition and rest, the fever will turn up the immune system and permit the recovery of health.
Other examples are the immune system, hormonal system, nervous system, and detoxification/elimination pathways, which all work as a unit to ensure our survival. If given the proper support, care, and the chance to function freely without suppression, they can bring the system back to a state of balance or "ease" (as opposed to "dis-ease").
Copyright © 2008, www.mersai.co.uk
Copyright © 2008, www.harleystreettherapies.co.uk
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