What is Naturopathic Medicine?
Most people are not aware what naturopathic medicine is all about and how it is different than other natural healing modalities or from seeing a traditional doctor.
Naturopathic medicine emphasises prevention of illness first and foremost; it then stresses on treatment and optimal health through means and substances that induce the individual’s intrinsic self-healing system to begin working. Naturopathic doctors first and foremost find the root cause of the issue, rather than treating symptoms.
6 Principles of Naturopathic Medicine
- Nature’s healing power: Naturopathic medicine understands that every individual possesses an intrinsic, orderly and intelligent self-healing system. Practitioners of naturopathic medicine, like Renee Young, N.D., work at identifying and eliminating the hurdles to the body’s healing and recovery, and to boost its self-healing capacity.
- Identifying and treating the root cause: A naturopathic doctor strives to find out the root cause of the illness and then remove it, rather than just suppressing the symptoms.
- Doing no harm to the patient: Naturopathic doctors believe that their treatment methods should, in no way, harm the patient. For this, they: A) Use only such means and medicines that have minimal to zero side effects, and use the least force required for diagnosis and treatment. B) Do not resort to symptom suppression C) Recognize, respect and work with the self-healing process of the patient and use that to optimize your health.
- Educate the patient: Naturopathic doctors encourage their patients to learn about their health conditions, recognize signs of ill-health or disease and to take responsibility for their own well-being. They also understand that a positive relationship between doctor and patient is highly beneficial to the patient and speeds up recovery; ergo, they always seek to maintain such a relationship with all patients.
- Holistic treatment: Naturopathic doctors consider the specific physical, genetic, emotional, social, mental, environmental and other factors related to each patient – the individual receives holistic treatment, and not just for the particular illness/symptom they present with. Holistic health also includes wellness; so naturopathic doctors encourage their patients to minimize stress and address any emotional issues that may be causing illness.
- Prevention is better than cure: Naturopathic medicine is all about prevention. Naturopathic physicians emphasise the prevention of disease by assessing risk factors, heredity and susceptibility to disease, and by making appropriate interventions in partnership with their patients to prevent illness.
Naturopathic Practice
Naturopathic doctors use a combination of modern technology and naturopathic treatment methods. For instance, they use clinical and lab testing to diagnose diseases, and combine methods like nutritional counselling and lifestyle changes, nutraceutical supplementation, botanical medicine and a host of other methods (other than conventional medicines) to treat their patients.
Naturopathic doctors are doctors. They attend medical school and learn the same subjects as other doctors, as well as do residency programs. In California, Naturopathic doctors are considered primary care physicians. The difference is in their protocols and therapies to remedy issues.
When you come to the Young Naturopathic Center for Wellness, you will see all of these principles in action. . You can avail of our one-time FREE consultation offer by clicking the button below:
