Principles
of Naturopathic Medicine
Identify and Treat the Causes. The naturopathic
doctor seeks to identify and remove the underlying causes of illness, rather than
to merely eliminate or suppress symptoms.
First Do No Harm. Naturopathic doctors
follow three precepts to avoid harming the patient:
Utilize methods and medical substances that minimize the risk of harmful side
effects, using the least force necessary to diagnose and treat.
Avoid when possible the harmful suppression of symptoms.
Acknowledge, respect and work with the individual’s self-healing process.
Doctor as Teacher. Naturopathic doctors
treat each patient by taking into account individual physical, mental, emotional,
genetic, environmental, social and other factors.
Prevention. Naturopathic
doctors emphasize the prevention of disease – assessing risk factors, heredity
and susceptibility to disease and making appropriate interventions in partnership
with their patients to prevent illness. Naturopathic medicine is committed
to the creation of a healthy world in which humanity may thrive.
Naturopathic
medicine blends centuries-old natural, non-toxic therapies with current advances
in the study of health and human systems, covering all aspects of family health
from prenatal to geriatric care.
A
Naturopathic Doctor (ND) is a primary care general practitioner trained as an
expert in natural medicine. Naturopathic medicine concentrates on whole-patient
wellness – the medicine is tailored to the patient and emphasizes prevention
and self-care. Naturopathic medicine attempts to find the underlying cause
of the patient’s condition rather than focusing solely on symptomatic treatment.
For example, a food allergy or an environmental factor might cause congestion
- a naturopahic doctor would focus diagnosis and treatment on these causal factors.
Naturopathic medicine has been a distinct American health care profession for over 100 years. In the late 1800’s, practitioners from several medical disciplines combined to form the first naturopathic professional societies. By the early 20th century, more than 20 naturopathic medical colleges had been founded in the US, and naturopathic doctors were licensed in a majority of states. By the 1920’s, naturopathic medical conventions attracted more than 10,000 practitioners.
Naturopathic
medicine experienced a decline in the middle of the 20th century with the rise
of technological medicine, pharmaceutical drugs and the “quick fix”
idea that drugs and surgery could eliminate all diseases. Over the last
three decades, however, a health conscious public has increasingly sought alternatives
to conventional medical philosophy.