Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathic Medicine is a distinct system of primary healthcare utilizing safe and effective therapies and guided by six philosophical principles. It is a field of medicine that is commonly known as "complementary and alternative medicine" but in actuality can and does exist as an entire field of primary healthcare able to serve the needs of the diverse cultural and societal makeup of today's human population. People seek out Naturopathic Medicine both as adjunctive care to their current treatment plans and "team" of doctors and also as the primary source of finding and maintaining health.
Simply put, the goal within Naturopathic Medicine is to correct the cause of disease versus applying a treatment to the symptoms themselves. To briefly illustrate this idea in a more concrete manner, let's look at someone who suffers from the symptoms of chronic sinus infections. There are many underlying causes of chronic sinus infections, but one possibility is the presence of food sensitivities. Levels of a person's reaction to certain foods can be tested and once discovered can removed from the diet. If these were the cause of the chronic sinus infections, the infections stop and the symptoms resolve. There are many other possibilities for the cause of sinus infections, and this is not an advised course of treatment, rather this is merely an example to illustrate the Naturopathic approach of correcting the cause of disease versus treating the symptoms.
The principles that guide Naturopathic Medicine are:
First Do No Harm - primum non nocere
Naturopathic medicine uses therapies that are safe and effective.
The Healing Power of Nature - vis medicatrix naturae
The human body possesses the inherent ability to restore health. The physician's role is to facilitate this process with the aid of natural, nontoxic therapies.
Discover and Treat the Cause - tolle causam
Physicians seek and treat the underlying cause of a disease. Symptoms are viewed as expressions of the body's natural attempt to heal. The origin of disease is removed or treated so the patient can recover.
Treat the Whole Person - tolle totum
The multiple factors in health and disease are considered while treating the whole person. Physicians provide flexible treatment programs to meet individual health care needs.
The Physician is a Teacher - docere
The physician's major role is to educate, empower, and motivate patients to take responsibility for their own health. Creating a healthy cooperative relationship with the patient has a strong therapeutic value.
Prevention is the best "cure"
Naturopathic physicians are preventive medicine specialists. Physicians assess patient risk factors and heredity susceptibility and intervene appropriately to reduce risk and prevent illness. Prevention of disease is best accomplished through education and a lifestyle that supports health.
Homeopathy | Botanical Medicine | Nutrition | Detox | Hydrotherapy
Physical Medicine
This definition of Homeopathy is credited to Dr. Andre Saine:
Homeopathy is a scientific method of treatment that is based on the application of the law of similars. For thousands of years, man searched for a method to enhance and restore health in the most certain, efficient, gentle and permanent way. Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician who lived between 1755-1843, while pursuing this philosophical and scientific quest brought together a number of discoveries and reflections found throughout the history of medicine to develop an ideal system of therapeutics. After years of perfecting this therapeutic method, he called it homeopathy, by uniting two Greek roots, homoios meaning "similar", and pathos meaning, "disease". Homeopathy consists of treating sick people with remedies that, in crude doses, would produce in healthy people symptoms similar (homoios) to those of the disease needing to be overcome. [more] [top]
Nutrition is the process of ingesting substances that supply living organism with energy, nutrients, hydration and the basic building blocks of all physiological reactions. Good nutrition supplies the body with beneficial vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, sugars and fats in the most effective quantities and combinations. The core principle behind good nutrition is eating high-quality whole-foods free of pesticides and other environmental toxins, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and flavor enhancers. With an overwhelming amount of information about diets and nutrition available, it is important to seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare individual such as a Naturopathic Doctor. A change of diet should be a highly individualized process designed to meet your body's specific needs and lifestyle. Once a body has achieved optimal nutritional intake, it will have a vast supply of biological resources available to increase health and healing.[top]
Botanicals are medical preparations derived from any part of a plant to induce healing in the body. There are many familiar uses for botanical medicine such as putting Aloe on a burn or using lavender bath salts for stress and relaxation. In addition to common uses, Naturopathic Doctors use their in-depth knowledge of plants and botanicals to promote health, treat conditions, ease symptoms, and increase well being. Botanical medicine can be made from any part of the plant such as the root, stem, leaves, flowers, or seeds, and can be prepared into many forms such as teas, tinctures, essential oils or compresses. Knowing the right combination of botanicals with the right preparation can help target healing in an individualized way. When used under the guidance of a doctor or professional herbalist, botanical medicine is a gentle and effective therapy that can results in few, if any, side effects. Many times, natural botanical therapies can be as effective, or more so, than many pharmaceuticals. It is important to seek the guidance of a qualified professional with this or any other therapy. [top]
A toxin is any substance that is poisonous to the body and can originate from many places such as living organisms and bacteria (biotoxins), fungus (mycotoxins) and non-organic chemical substances. We can be exposed to these toxins in our diet, for example processed foods contain preservatives, dyes, artificial sweeteners and flavor enhancers. We can also be exposed to toxins in our environment such as heavy metals, molds, pollution and other chemical substances. Our own body even produces toxic substances as it goes about its daily business of being alive!
In a healthy body, organs such as the liver, kidneys and colon serve as organs of detoxification. They help cleanse and release these toxins out of your body. Unfortunately, some bodies are not able to clear these toxins because their system is overstressed, overburdened, or simply does not have the resources to function properly.
Detoxification is a therapy that uses diet, nutrition, supplements, hydrotherapy and botanical medicine to support your body and encourage it to release these built up toxins. Because it is important not to stress your body during this process, it is critical to perform a detox under the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional such as a Naturopathic Doctor. [top]
Hydrotherapy draws from the healing principles that many patients already use such as the application of an ice packs or hot compresses to the body during the time of illness or injury. Constitutional hydrotherapy is the application of hot and cold compresses and sine wave stimulation to the core area of the body, which increases blood flow to vital organs. The increase of blood flow into the core area of the body can provide benefits such as boosting the immune system, supporting detoxification, stimulating the gastrointestinal track and promoting relaxation and stress-relief. [top]
Physical medicine addresses the healing of the physical body consisting of the endoskeleton, muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons, and bones. This form of therapy can address issues such as chronic pain, misalignments, injury, degeneration, and inflammation. One physical medicine specialty used at Norman Natural Health is AK-SOT (applied kiniesiology - sacral occipital technique) as taught by Dr. Blum. This is a very gentle approach to encourage the body to realign itself with minimal intervention. [top]
