What is Naturopathy?

Naturopathy is a system of healthcare that focuses on treating the whole person rather than just the symptoms. The aim is to promote wellness through natural methods such as nutrition, exercise, herbal medicine, and stress management. Naturopaths believe that the body has an innate ability to heal itself, and their role is to help support and encourage that natural healing process.

Core Principles of Naturopathic Philosophy

Naturopathic philosophy is built on six core principles:

• The healing power of nature: Recognizing the inherent healing abilities of the human body and the natural world.
• Identify and treat the cause: Seeking out and addressing the underlying cause of a symptom or disease rather than just controlling or suppressing it.
• First, do no harm: Using the least invasive, most natural, and most holistic approaches to treatment as possible.
• Treat the whole person: Looking at the physical, mental, emotional, environmental, and social factors that influence a person’s health.
• Prevention first: Focusing on preventing diseases before they manifest in the body.
• Doctor as a teacher: Empowering patients by educating them on how to maintain their health and prevent illness.

What to expect during a Naturopathic consultation?

Your naturopath will typically start the consultation by asking about your diet, lifestyle, stress levels, and medical history. They may use a range of diagnostic tools such as questionnaires, physical exams, and lab tests to help supplement their assessment of your health. Based on the findings of the consultation, your naturopath may recommend:

• Dietary and lifestyle changes
• Breathing and relaxation techniques
• Physical therapy and exercise
• Nutritional and herbal supplements

Benefits of Naturopathy

Unlike traditional medicine which can be detrimental to one’s overall health, Naturopathy is a more holistic approach to healthcare that takes a more natural view of the human body to achieve optimal wellness. Some of the benefits of naturopathic medicine include:

• Long-term effects for your body: Naturopathy tends to focus on the underlying causes of your ailment, this likely means less need for treatment for the same, or different issues in the future.
• Greater health reward with fewer risks: Treatments are tailored to work with patients, this helps to lower the risk of detrimental side effects since there is more of a focus on a patient centered treatment regularity.
• Evidence-based treatments that work even for tough diseases.
• Improved quality of life, once wellness is achieved.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking to take a more holistic approach to your healthcare or struggling with a chronic health condition, Naturopathy may be just what your body needs to help naturally achieving optimal health. With foundational principles rooted in natural healing treatments ordered according to what an individual need, considering a change to a more natural approach is worth considering. Naturopathy reaps big rewards with only hard work, dedication, and consistency in practicing a balanced lifestyle for your overall wellness.