Modern medical advances are fantastic, and absolutely have a strong place in society. Vaccines, for instance, do a great deal for the well-being of the population. However, in utilizing scientific advances of the future, the cures and treatments of the past should not be forgotten. Pills are not the answer to every problem, and natural health is often a better path forward than the typical medical route. In order to truly understand what naturopathic medicine is, you must know what the six principles of naturopathy are.
Nature’s Healing Power
Rather than fighting against nature, naturopathic doctors work with the natural healing process that is going on within all of us all the time. Our bodies are designed to fix themselves, and too often, treatment can stand in the way of that, instead of aiding it. Naturopathy is all about finding out how to best supplement the body’s own healing process, rather than subverting it.
Identify and Treat Root Causes
Simply treating the symptom is never enough, and no naturopathic doctor would be satisfied with it. After all, symptoms are just indicators of a problem, and removing the indicator does nothing to remove the core problem. Naturopathy focuses on identifying why there is a problem, not just removing instances of that problem whenever they appear. Once you’ve identified a problem, you can better treat and prevent it.
Doctors are Teachers
More than just treating their patient, naturopathic doctors want to teach them how to live healthier and better. This allows the patient to move forward on their own resolve, and not fall back on help whenever it gets difficult. Overall, it promotes healthier long-term lifestyles.
Treat the Whole Person
Rather than seeing a symptom or illness in a vacuum, naturopathy focuses on treating the entire person, and identifying what works best for that person. Doctors take the whole of a person into account when determining an illness or issue’s cause, including emotional state, mental state, even factors like environment and social standing. Naturopathic medicine identifies that a patient in Whitby, ON is not the same as another patient in the area and shouldn’t be treated the same. By treating the whole person, naturopathic doctors make sure never to miss the forest for the trees.
Prevention
Ultimately, naturopathy is entirely about prevention. Doctors will treat illnesses as they come up, but naturopathy promotes living life better, to avoid having the issues that would drive one to a doctor in the first place.
