Naturopathy : Introduction
Naturopathic medicine or Naturopathy is a distinct system of health
care that uses a variety of natural approaches to health and healing.
Naturopathy aims at curing a person naturally using nature cure. It is
a scientific system of healing and stimulating the body's inherent power
to regain health with the help of five elements of nature - Earth, Water,
Air, Fire and Ether. In other words, Naturopathy is one of the major forms
of alternative medicine that focuses on an individual's natural healing
capacities. Unlike modern medications, naturopathy is commonly used as
a corresponding treatment in combination with traditional medicine. It
combines traditional and holistic methods to achieve optimal health and
wellness. Naturopathic medicine is based on the fact that human body has
an innate power to heal itself and naturopathic physicians use treatments
to support the body's inherent self healing abilities. Naturopathy is
built upon the dictum of Hippocrates, the father of medicine, who declared
"Nature cures, not the physicians". The system is known by different
names - Nature Cure, the natural methods, the New science of healing and
Healing from within. Naturopathy is not only a system of healing, but
also a way of life in tune with the internal vital forces or natural elements
comprising the human body.
The basis of Naturopathy can be traced back to the beginning of the19th
century and to people such as Preissnitz, a therapist in Germany, who
used the beneficial effects of water as a therapy (Hydrotherapy) which
is an important aspect of Naturopathy. Towards the end of the 19th century
in Bavaria, Father Kneipp, a monk, who was obviously a Naturopath treated
an American Benedictine by the name of Lust. As a result of his recovery,
Lust stayed with Kneipp to study his particular methods of healing and
upon returning to the United states he established his own form of natural
medicine which he called Naturopathy. Thus at the beginning of the 19th
century, Naturopathy began to be formally recognised. The blend of therapies
employed by Lust included nutrition and natural diet, Homeopathy, herbal
medicine, Hydrotherapy, Chiropractic and the management of stress.
Even though, this oldest form of medicine existed long before today's
technological and pharmaceutical advances, it began to decline with the
growth of allopathic medicine. Recently people's interest in holistic
health, and dissatisfaction with conventional medicine due to its side
affects and cost, has staged a rebirth for naturopathy.
Those who practice naturopathy are called Naturopaths or Naturopathic
physicians or Naturopathic doctors or N.D's. Naturopaths recognize the
reliability of the whole person, and they emphasize the individual's inherent
capacity for self-healing. They recognize the connection between the health
of the mind and the health of the body. Naturopaths believe that illness
is caused by bad living habits like eating the wrong foods, too much stress
and not having enough exercise.
Naturopathic physicians use therapies that are exclusively natural such
as homeopathy, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, botanical medicine, nutrition,
massage, exercises and counselling. 'Food is the best medicine' is the
basis of naturopathic medicine. Naturopaths give importance to diet, to
him medicine is the last resort. He first advices you on your diet, after
that only prescribe medicine.
Naturopathic medicine differs from common medical systems mainly in its
philosophy. While usually medical doctors treat and relieve a patient's
symptoms, naturopathic doctors try to discover the cause of the symptoms
by taking into account the physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental,
and social factors of an individual's health. Naturopathic doctors try
to support the natural healing potential of the human body using techniques
like good nutrition, natural hygiene, botanical medicine, homeopathy,
counseling, and spirituality whereas other medical systems uses drugs
and do surgeries as treatment methods. Rather than prescribing a standard
treatment for common health complaints, a naturopathic physician provides
an individualised approach based on natural therapies.
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