Naturopathic Principles
Naturopathic Principles
Times are changing and it is no different in medicine. Patients want their doctor to listen to their story and offer treatments that are non-toxic and don’t cause side effects that are worse than the actual condition. Patients want their doctor to consider mind/body/emotion and spirit components of their health and offer suggestions to improve their well-being and prevent illness, not just treat illnesses that have manifested. If this resonates with you, Naturopathic medicine is an excellent fit. The practice of Naturopathic medicine is predicated upon the following principles:
- Healing Power of Nature: interventions and the doctor/patient relationship are used to support the body’s natural ability to heal itself.
- Treat the Cause: every attempt is made to identify and treat the cause of the patient’s illness, as opposed to suppressing bothersome symptoms, which can result in further disease.
- First Do No Harm: through proper diagnosis and using the least invasive therapies possible (and still effective), patients are at less risk of developing side effects and long-term complications from medical treatment.
- Doctor as Teacher: time is taken to educate patients about their conditions and treatment. Naturopathic doctors work to empower patients so they can make healthy decisions for themselves. It is a collaborative relationship.
- Treat the Whole Person: human beings are a complex organization of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, genetic, environmental and many other factors. Disease typically arises due to multiple factors being in disharmony. Time is taken to evaluate and support patients
- Prevention: the old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” gives a sense of this principle. By monitoring patients’ risk factors for disease we can design a treatment plan to reduce those risks. This is often done by supporting the foundations of health: nutrition, lifestyle habits, social support, exercise and an active spiritual practice, but also includes annual physical exams, lab work and radiographic imaging
