NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE
Naturopathic medicine uses natural methods to maintain or restore optimal health. Health is not merely the absence of disease, but has been defined as the balance of one’s total spectrum – body, mind and spirit. In 400 B.C., Hippocrates (the father of medicine) called it “the healing power of nature,” recognizing the intrinsic ability of the body to heal itself. Naturopathic doctors understand this process and seek to stimulate the healing forces without causing new illnesses or unwanted side effects. This approach also seeks to eliminate the fundamental cause of illness.
Each person is unique and requires individualized care. Therefore, central to naturopathic practice is individualized patient education, lifestyle modification and preventative medicine.
The training of the naturopathic doctor as a general practitioner encompasses both traditional and modern techniques of diagnosis, including lab tests and physical examination.
HOMEOPATHY
Homeopathy is a system of medicine where each remedy stimulates the natural healing force of the individual. Although the principles of homeopathy are ancient, today’s practice was developed 200 years ago by a German physician, Samuel Hahnemann, MD. He discovered that herbs, minerals and animal substances given to ill people in very low dosages cured the exact symptoms they caused when taken in toxic amounts. He called this concept the Law of Similars, that is like cures like.
ACUPUNCTURE
Classical doctrines of Chinese Medicine believe there is an unceasing “life energy”, Chi, flowing throughout the body. This vital energy originates in the major organs and courses along continuous circulatory channels called meridians. When the body’s energy moves smoothly and is in balance, one is healthy. However, when the normal balance is disturbed, pain or illness results. The acupuncturist stimulates specific points along the meridians (acupuncture points) and this balances the flow of energy and regulates organ function.
Acupuncture is recognized by western medicine as being highly effective in the treatment of acute and chronic pain. It is known to activate the natural pain suppression system in the brain, which releases endorphins. Acupuncture not only treats pain, but also strengthens the body, reduces stress, prevents disease, and promotes good health and longevity.
WESTERN AND CHINESE HERBS
Herbal medicine uses medicinal plants to treat illness. For thousands of years, different cultures around the world have developed and refined medicinal herbology, combining plants into precise formulas. These original formulas are as effective today as they were when first introduced by ancient Chinese sages. Herbs are effective and safe with virtually no side effects. The World Health
Organization estimates that a large percentage of the world’s population relies on plants as medicines. In fact, during the past 25 years, about 25% of all prescription drugs in the U.S. have contained active constituents obtained from plants. They can be administered as teas, powdered herbs, granules or concentrated liquids.
NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING
What you eat shapes your health, how you function and how you feel. Finding tasty, nutritious foods can be challenging with all the pesticides, additives, preservatives and soil-depleting farming methods that diminish the nutritional value of food. These factors, along with poor eating habits, can contribute significantly to many acute and chronic ailments such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Creating a workable day-to-day diet compatible with your nutritional needs may require professional guidance. Some people also need therapeutic support to digest and absorb their food properly, while others need dietary guidance to reduce food sensitivities or allergies.
DRAINAGE REMEDIES
Drainage is a process that begins with detoxifying the body by opening the routes of elimination and supporting the discharge of toxic accumulations from organs and tissues. This deep cleansing action recharges the enzymatic systems of the body restoring them to their primary function. Drainage remedies also modify the internal environment (terrain) of the body to change it’s genetic predisposition to disease as well as repair it’s weakened structures.
The primary homeopathic drainage remedies are combinations of herbs and minerals; gemmotherapies (concentrated preparations of fresh buds, sprouts, rootlets, seeds and barks of plants); and oligo-elements (liquid trace minerals). They all help clear the blockages that prevent healing and support the body’s inherent ability to heal itself.
