You may have gone to a doctor for a problem, only to be told that there is nothing wrong with you. Or perhaps you've decided you don't want to take medicine or drugs that might do more harm than good-that you'd prefer to go the natural route. If so, naturopathy may be the route for you. More people are turning to naturopathic care as an alternative treatment to traditional medicine.
The first naturopathic medical college opened its doors in 1895 in New York City, and the first class of naturopathic physicians graduated in 1902. The therapeutic methods that are taught come from ancient through modern-day sources. By the 1920s a number of states enacted licensing laws for naturopathic practitioners.
In the mid-20th century, though, interest in naturopathy waned. Antibiotics and other new medicines were discovered and appeared to be fighting disease with great success. Toward the end of the 20th century, as patients began to realize the serious side effects of many of the new "miracle" drugs, interest returned to naturopathic care as an alternative treatment.
Naturopathic physicians are just as prepared and well trained as a regular medical doctor. Each one has finished seven years of study, including a four-year, graduate-level, naturopathic medical school. They have passed the North American board examinations, and they have received a license to practice medicine. These men and women are well prepared to help their patients take control of their own health in a natural way.
Naturopathy deals with the body as a whole, and physicians use vitamins, nutrition, hydrotherapy and botanical medicines to treat the disease instead of just the symptoms. Everything that is used to treat a problem is selected with the goal of building your immune system so the body itself can fight off disease. As a result, the medicine that is used is all natural.
Naturopathy can be used to diagnose, treat and prevent illnesses. Naturopathic treatments can be used along with conventional medicine, or they can be used on their own. People of all ages can choose these treatments. The main goals of naturopathic care as an alternative treatment are to educate the patient, prevent illness, treat the cause of the problem rather than the symptoms, treat the whole person instead of just a part of her and strengthen the body so it can heal itself.
If you've been dissatisfied with your traditional medical care or simply would like to try something more natural, naturopathic care as an alternative treatment is worth exploring.
Many people turn to naturopathic doctors because their other treatment methods have not worked in the past. |
While many people think these two medical approaches are contradictory, the holistic approach in medicine and allopathic medicine can actually work together to provide you with more options as you seek to live your healthiest life possible. |
The purpose of naturopathic medicine isn?t treating disease?it's finding the underlying cause and then working with patients to restore total body wellness. |
Because most naturopathic doctors prescribe homeopathic remedies as part of their treatment plans, it can be difficult to understand how naturopathic and homeopathic medicine differs from one another. |
The general definition of holistic medicine and further explanation of its guiding principles. |
Many people are under the wrong impression about naturopaths, assuming that because these doctors are not mainstream allopathic doctors, a naturopath does not undergo rigorous or formal naturopathic training. This is far from the truth. |
A look at what holistic medicine is, what type of therapies are considered to be holistic, the difference between holistic medicine and conventional medicine, and the growing popularity of holistic medicine. |
Naturopathic clinics and medicine stimulate your body?s ability to heal itself with the use of natural remedies, bodywork, acupressure, acupuncture, dietary changes and lifestyle suggestions. |
Naturopathic medicine treats the whole body, promoting health and wellness on a holistic scale. This means naturopathic medicine also supports healthy aging through its many positive lifestyle, dietary and herbal solutions. |
Because naturopathic remedies are gaining recognition and even Federal support (in the United States of America), it is becoming easier and easier to combine both naturopathy and western medicine into your holistic health care program. |
An overview of naturopathy and naturopathic medicine, including what to expect if you seek to work with a naturopathic doctor. |
