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Naturopathic medicine is a
system and philosophy of medicine that has been around for
hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. Before the advent
of ‘conventional’ medicine, which uses a wide variety
of drugs and surgical procedures, almost every doctor
learned how to use herbs, minerals, homeopathy, and other
natural methods to treat disease. Since the early 1900’s
and with the discovery of antibiotics, usage and public
knowledge of naturopathic medicine has declined. This was
most likely due to the ‘quick fix’ nature of many of
the new drugs developed and increased safety of surgical
procedures. Diseases such as influenza and measles, which
today are generally nuisances and easily treated in most
people, were very scary and sometimes life threatening in
these earlier times. The plague literally plagued people.
Today we are blessed with better opportunities for proper
nutrition, hygiene, and information about these diseases,
all of which lessen the threat of many of the more common
diseases becoming life threatening. The attraction that
people had towards conventional medicine was and is
understandable. Treatments that decrease symptoms of a
disease are often well received by patients who are
dealing with a troublesome condition. Most advances in
technology are viewed as progress and people want the
best, especially where their health or that of their loved
ones is concerned. The problem that came with this flux
towards conventional medicine was that it was new and no
one knew what the side effects or long-term effects of
using synthetic drugs would be. Also, most people
abandoned the more natural methods of health care and
stopped caring for themselves in a way that would keep
them strong and vital. Instead they began using pills and
surgery as ‘fixes’ when things went wrong. They began
to eat more processed foods that have fewer vitamins and
minerals. Our environment became more polluted. Most
doctors know little about nutrition, how or what to eat,
or what to do with people affected by the environment. As
well, the more scientific medicine gets, the less people
understand it. This leads to people feeling ignorant about
health matters and leaving all the power in their
doctor’s hands.
So, here we are today. When
people feel sick or know something is wrong, they make an
appointment and usually get a prescription. If that
doesn’t work, another prescription is tried. If a person
is lucky, they get sick very infrequently and live healthy
lives. Complications arise when the treatments given
don’t work or cause side effects that need another
treatment to lessen them. What happens if you have
allergies, asthma, and diabetes? How many prescriptions do
you take? What if the drugs given interact with each other
or cause a nutritional deficiency? What about the people
who are on a drug for the rest of their lives? What about
people with chronic diseases that have been told they have
no cure but the symptoms can be ‘managed’?
What causes many of the
above problems is the philosophy of the medicine used. The
focus should not be (however contrary it may sound) how to
get rid of whatever ails you, but why it began. If you can
find out what causes your disease and why it began for
you, it is entirely possible to foster your health in such
a way that your body heals itself. It does little good to
get rid of an ear infection in your child if it returns
again. Why take an antiviral daily to suppress herpes
outbreaks when this can be done with lifestyle and natural
methods that do the same thing while enhancing your
immunity? If you have advanced heart disease, diabetes, or
cancer, what feelings of hope do you have that your life
can be enhanced? If you take medications daily, perhaps in
increasing doses, for the rest of your life with your only
hope to have better or stable lab test results, that
doesn’t sound like the quality life you could be having.
Did you know that with changes to your lifestyle and
natural therapies you could increase the energy you feel
as well as possibly reverse many of the damaging changes
you now live with?
There are natural
treatments for every complaint. I once heard from a wise
doctor, “There are no incurable diseases, only incurable
people”. What he meant was that every case of cancer may
not be curable, but it is possible to cure cancer. No
condition is incurable. What happens in treatment is more
a factor of the person, the nature of the disease, and
other variables, and not so much which disease is being
treated. It is more difficult, of course, to treat
diseases that are long-standing, severe, or in other ways
complicated. But that does not mean it can never been
done. If a person does not want treatment and they get
something from being in the place they are at, that makes
recovery all the more difficult. It is much easier to
treat conditions when they first start and when the person
wishes to be well. But still there are no guarantees.
What tends to work best for
most people is a multifaceted approach to treating their
condition. First, treat the whole person. Find out what
their needs are and treat them physically, mentally,
emotionally, and spiritually, as they need it. Treat their
whole body. Migraines, arthritis, and urinary infections
can be related and not separate diseases. A person may not
need antibiotics or removal of an organ, they may need
something that seems entirely unrelated. The toddler with
constant stomach pains may not need medication; he may
need to change day cares. Try to understand what is going
on for the person.
Second, treat them in such
a way as to increase their vitality. The goal is to
increase the healing response within so that the body
becomes healthier and reverses the disease process
naturally and in its time (if this is possible). It may be
necessary to provide some symptomatic relief, but the goal
of a treatment should not be to simply suppress the
symptoms. Just because symptoms are gone does not mean
that the disease is not there. The goal is a complete cure
and no return of the condition (sometimes this is
possible, at other times it is not). Your body holds an
incredible healing force that wants to keep you in
harmonious balance at all times. Think of the miracle of
healing a broken bone. Think of how microorganisms cause
your lungs much distress in bronchitis, yet how well you
breathe and how complete the cure when the body is done
healing that condition. Think of the miracle of life
itself. If disease arises when we hinder the body in
maintaining its perfect balance, then restoring conditions
of balance will help our bodies to heal themselves. After
all, it is not the antibiotic that heals you. The
antibiotic simply kills off enough bacteria to allow your
body the upper hand. Ask yourself if the body shouldn’t
have the upper hand to begin with. If you really do need
antibiotics, what is causing the bacteria to gain the
upper hand?
Naturopathic medicine
strives to restore balance by removing any obstacles
keeping your body from healing itself. Physicians using
this medicine understand the importance of treating each
person individually and in a way that helps restore their
natural vitality. They also try to use the most gentle yet
effective treatment possible to avoid causing side effects
or interactions between treatments. Naturopathic
physicians also recognize the importance of using
conventional medicine when it is necessary. They will also
use appropriate lab work, x-rays, and other tools for
diagnosis and tracking when necessary. As all physicians,
they frequently will refer a complicated condition to
providers who can give the patient the best care along
with the natural treatments. Naturopaths regard the wants
and needs of their patients highly. A patient is
encouraged to share their goals and take and active part
in their healthcare. Consultations and treatments are
generally longer than those with a conventional
practitioner so questions can be addressed and a healing
relationship established.
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