Your body is consistently communicating with you. You will know if there is something wrong going on in it. If you had a heavy dinner last night, your body would show digestive disorder symptoms the following day. When your body can not receive healthy nutrients from the food, it will let you know by small sickness signs. In such situations, you might visit your family doctor and take appropriate medicines to heal the illness. However, this is the temporary solution for prolonged deficiencies in your body.
Here comes the magic of naturopathy in the picture. When you visit a professional naturopath, you receive a deeper understanding of the signals that your body is trying to tell you. A naturopathic doctor will come up with an individualized treatment plan which will help you heal permanently. Before you jump off to the naturopathy treatments, let us first understand what is naturopathy and the philosophy behind it.
What is Naturopathy?
Naturopathy is a kind of healthcare in which a combination of modern techniques is used with traditional methods. It is one of the most preferred alternative therapies in modern medicine. Importantly, it focuses on the body’s capacity to heal itself and prevent other health problems. The therapy consists of a series of principles and beliefs to create individual treatment plans. These principles are as follows:
- Self-healing: Self-healing is about identifying and removing obstacles for recovery, allowing for natural healing, without any medicine.
- Underlying symptoms: Instead of preventing symptoms, a naturopath resolves underlying physical or mental issues by treating the body, mind, and spirit.
- Harmless treatment: Any naturopath treatment plan is not supposed to create harmful side effects or control symptoms in unexpected ways.
- Holistic treatment: To treat all aspects of the health of a person efficiently, a naturopath should recognize the individuality of the person.
- Education in treatment: Naturopaths teach self-care to patients to empower them against ill health.
- Prevention: This principle suggests removing toxic substances from a lifestyle to prevent issues from arising.
The Philosophy Behind Principles of Naturopathy
The philosophy behind naturopathy is rooted in the belief that the body possesses an inherent ability to heal itself. It embraces a holistic approach to healthcare, focusing on treating the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—rather than merely alleviating symptoms. The philosophy is based on several core principles:
- Healing Power of Nature: Naturopathy recognizes the body’s innate ability to heal and restore balance. The goal is to facilitate and enhance the body’s natural healing processes.
- Doctor as Teacher: Naturopaths are nothing less than educators, empowering individuals to be responsible for their health. It includes patient education, providing knowledge and guidance to promote self-care and prevent future health issues. Through this collaborative approach, naturopaths aim to foster a strong patient-practitioner partnership.
- Identify and Treat the Root Cause: Naturopaths identify and address the underlying causes of illness rather than simply managing symptoms. Catering to this, naturopaths aim to promote long-term healing and prevent recurrence.
1. What are the Benefits?
Naturopathy believes in the healing power of nature which supports and stimulates the natural ability of the body to heal from the inside. The goal of naturopathic medicine therapies is to treat the whole person in terms of mind, body, and soul. It shows a non-invasive and drugless holistic approach to treating various aspects of the health of a person effectively. The process emphasizes the natural defense of the body to strengthen its immunity power. The method treats underlying diseases & disorders and restores natural body functions by encouraging the healing capabilities of the body.
It can treat the following chronic diseases:
- Respiratory problems
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Disorders of sleep
- Degenerative illnesses such as arthritis
- Depression and emotional problems
- Digestive problems
- Menstrual and menopausal problems
- The problems of fertility
- Hormonal imbalance
- Migraines
- The conditions of the skin
- Hair fall issues
- Obesity
2. Naturopathic Treatments
Naturopath doctors understand that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach in naturopathy. Hence, they study every patient’s history in detail and suggest medicines suitable to their requirements and health problems. Naturopathic treatments include food and nutrition in which doctors will customize the recommendations for individuals. Mud therapy, manual therapy, fasting therapy, etc are various naturopathy techniques. Its treatments include the following practices:
- Pieces of advice regarding nutrition and diet. A poor diet prevents your body from functioning well and generates toxins that can lead to a range of illnesses. In this therapy, fresh, and unprocessed foods are suggested by doctors.
- Herbal medicine is recommended according to individual health conditions.
- In naturopathy treatments, homeopathic practices are applied to stimulate the body’s functioning.
- Hydrotherapy (water therapy) is a part of naturopathy. It includes using hot and cold water that can be applied during certain conditions to improve the flow of blood and body heat.
- Physical therapies are included in this process. For example, massage, Bowen, acupressure, bio-puncture, or mechanotherapy.
- Kinesiology and Integrated Bio-Dynamics (IBD).
- Counseling techniques include dealing with emotional problems and stress to help with the healing process. It enhances stress management strategies and life coaching.
From the above-mentioned information, you might have received an idea of what is performed as a part of naturopathic treatment. It is not for any specific health condition or disease. It is a complementary therapy that can be practiced along with other medicinal therapies. While undergoing any naturopathic treatment, it should be conducted under professional guidance. After receiving this information following techniques can be applied:
- kinesiology
- iridology
- blood analysis
- stool and urine analysis
- hair analysis
- functional testing
3. Risks Associated with the Therapy
Every medicinal practices have side effects and there are risks associated with each of them. Some practices, for example, healthful eating, are likely to be safe. However, according to experts, its regulations and licenses do not guarantee safe treatment. There are very few trusted sources in studies of naturopathic treatments and some of them even lack supporting scientific evidence.
In 2013, a publication by the World Health Organisation (WHO) classified naturopathy under the Traditional and Complementary Medicine category. Overall, according to WHO, it needs more evidence to be sure about its practices and prove harmless. People should be doing dietary changes with caution to maintain a well-rounded diet. Naturopathic doctors often recommend a gluten-free diet when it is not necessary. If a person is unable to substitute dietary changes correctly, they can face nutritional deficiencies.
4. Naturopathy for Mental and Emotional Well-being
Naturopathy sheds light on mental and emotional health in which it explores various approaches to stress management, anxiety, depression, and overall emotional well-being. It examines lifestyle modifications, herbal remedies, mindfulness techniques, and other naturopathic strategies for supporting mental health. It approaches harnessing holistic approaches to nourish the mind and soul by understanding the deep connection between them. The therapy discusses meditation, deep breathing exercises, and mindfulness practices that can effectively alleviate stress. It promotes relaxation and emotional resilience and helps to balance emotions.
Naturopathy emphasizes the significance of holistic lifestyle practices in nurturing mental and emotional well-being. It suggests doing regular exercise, quality sleep, and healthy routines. Here, patients can explore the role of holistic therapies like aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, and energy healing modalities in promoting emotional balance and self-care.
5. Naturopathy and Common Health Concerns
In everyday life, the digestive system, stress management, constipation, immune support, hormonal balance, and sleep disorders can be cured with the help of naturopathic techniques. Naturopathic medicines are an important source of effective and versatile prevention techniques that aid in healing common health concerns like asthma, constipation, allergies, insomnia, etc. Furthermore, natural herbs play a crucial role as naturopathic medicines by fulfilling the following things:
- Getting enough restorative sleep.
- Maintaining enough hydration.
- Proper and plentiful breathing.
- Eating a nutritious and well-balanced diet.
- Practicing daily stress management techniques.
6. Post-treatment Guidelines
After going through naturopathic treatments, a doctor may recommend some medicines. Furthermore, some dietary changes or lifestyle modifications are prescribed to heal health issues. In order to recover completely, it is important to follow the diet chart set by the doctor and maintain lifestyle-related practices. Homeopathy medicines intake in addition to herbal supplements is suggested by a doctor.
Naturopathy is a combination of traditional medicines and conventional healthcare to work with the body on a natural level. A doctor can practice naturopathic methods to back modern treatments and surgeries. It is a controversial field, as studies have not shown it to be consistently effective. It is advisable for people to take a doctor’s opinion before changing to or adding naturopathic treatments, as some therapies may interact with existing treatments.
We hope you enjoyed reading our article regarding how naturopathy can help you heal common health concerns and some chronic disorders. You can seek any nearby naturopathic health center to experience how it works on your mind, body, and soul.
Also Read: Why 3000-year-old Ayurveda is still among the Best Medicinal Practices?
