Naturopathic Medicine
The Principles of Naturopathic Medicine
Vis Medicatrix Naturae The Healing Power of Nature
Respect for nature includes honoring our fellow human beings and our natural healing processes. Naturopathic treatments work in harmony with our bodies immune systems to increase our strength and vitality. The physician's role is to facilitate and augment this process, to identify and remove obstacles to helath and recovery and to support the creation of a healthy internal and external environment.
Primum Non Nocere First Do No Harm
The approaches used in treatment are safe, noninvasive and minimize the risks of side effects. The process of healing includes generation of symptoms which are an expression of the life force attempting to heal itself. Therapeutic actions should be complimentary to and synergistic with this healing process. Methods designed to suppress symptoms without removing the underlying causes are considered harmful, and are avoided or minimized.
Tolle Causum Find the Cause
Naturopathic physicians honor symptoms as the bodies way of communicating deeper problems. Underlying causes of disease must be discovered and removed or treated before a person can recover completely from illness. Symptoms are an expression of the bodies attempt to heal, but are not the cause of disease. Symptoms, therefore, should not be suppressed by treatment. Causes may occur on many levels including physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. the physician must evaluate fundamental underlying causes on all levels, directing treatment at root causes rather than at symptomatic expression.
Tolle Totem Treat the Whole Person
A patient is unique in his life experiences as well as his genetics, therefore, disease manifests differently for each individual. Each has his unique complex of physical , emotional and mental interactions. These interactions out of balance determine one's susceptibility to disease and ability to relinquish it. In order to balance these interactions, the individual should have his appropriate medicine.
Prevenir Preventative Medicine
If we take responsiblity for our life situations, lifestyles, habits and patterns, we can begin to recognize imbalances and then work to change them for the better. We can prevent minor illnesses from developing into more serious or chronic degenerative diseases.
Docere Physician as Teacher
Naturopathic physicians educate their patients about their bodies and how to live healthy lifestyles. Disease not only encourages our innate healing abilities, but also allows us to open up and accept the help and love of others. When this interaction takes place, healing occurs. Then we can share the experience and compassion and catalyze the healing process in others. The physician is a catalyst for healthful change, empowering and motivationg the patient to assume responsibility. It is the patient, not the doctor, who ultimatley creates the healing.
PHILOSPHY
Naturopathic doctors (NDs) are primary care physicians clinically trained in natural therapeutics and whose philosophy is dervied in part from a Hippocratic teaching more than 2, 000 years old: vis medicatrix naturae- nature is the healer of all diseases. Naturopathic docotors practice is based on the same basic biomedical science foundation that allopathic practice is; however, their philosphies and approaches differ considerably from their conventional counterparts. naturopathic physicians diagnose disease and treat patients by using natural modalities such as physical manipulation, clinical nutrition, herbal medicine, homeopathy, counseling, accupuncture, and hydrotherapy, among others. ND's choose treatment based on the individual patient, not based on the generality of symptoms. this approach has proven successful in treating both chronic and acute conditions.
Frequently asked questions
How are ND's licensed? A licensed naturopathic physician attends a 4 year professional level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all of the same basic sciences as an MD. In addition, holistic and nontoxic approaches to healing with a strong emphasis on disease prevention and optimizing wellness. A naturopathic physician takes rigorous professional board exams ( basic science boards at the completion of the first 2 years, and clinical boards at the completion of the 4 years) so that he/she may be licensed as a primary care physician by a state or jurisdiciton.
What is the scope of practice for ND's? naturopathic physicians are the only primary care physicians trained in a wide variety of natural medicines and therapies. These include: clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathy, physical medicine and spinal manipulation, oriental medicine and accupuncture, obstetrics, annual male and female wellness exams, counseling and stress management, minor surgery, environmental medicine, pharmacology, hydrotherapy, IV nutrition, and detoxification.
