Customer L❤ve TNLP: What is Naturopathy?

Naturopathic medicine is a distinct primary health care system that blends modern scientific knowledge with traditional and natural forms of medicine. The naturopathic philosophy is to stimulate the healing power of the body and treat the underlying cause of disease. Symptoms of disease are seen as warning signals of improper functioning of the body, and unfavourable lifestyle habits. Naturopathic Medicine emphasizes disease as a process rather than as an entity.

Treating both acute and chronic conditions, naturopathic treatments are chosen based on the individual patient – their physiological, structural, psychological, social, spiritual, environment and lifestyle factors. In addition to diet and lifestyle changes, natural therapies including botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, naturopathic manipulation and traditional Chinese medicine/acupuncture, may also be used during treatments.

In Canada, the naturopathic medical profession’s infrastructure includes accredited educational institutions, professional licensing, national standards of practice, participation in many federal health committee initiatives, and a commitment to state-of-the-art scientific research.

Read more: http://www.cand.ca/index.php?78&L=0

Naturopathic Approaches

Naturopathic treatment can take the form of a variety of therapies and approaches, including:

Dietary advice – a balanced diet is an essential component for a healthy body
Herbal remedies – traditional remedies utilised for hundreds of years for healing
Homeopathy – the practice of treating like with like in diluted remedy form
Hydrotherapy – the healing power of water
Iridology – analysis of the iris for diagnosis of health issues
Massage – the manipulation of the tissues of the body for healing and relaxation
Nutritional supplements – especially useful when immunity is compromised by illness
Osteopathy – manipulation therapy concerned with the musculo-skeletal system

Naturopaths will not necessarily utilise all of these therapies, but will have a range of therapies they specialise in. It should be noted that this list is not exhaustive, and other therapies may also be used.