According to the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC), “Naturopathic medicine is a distinct health care profession that combines the wisdom of nature with the rigors of modern science.” Naturopathic doctors are primary care providers who come alongside their patients with education and support for optimum health and prevention or treatment of disease. They use a balance of traditional and modern medicine that starts from the most gentle and natural interventions and moves along a continuum of treatment toward more aggressive, invasive treatment only as needed to restore and maintain health. There is a Therapeutic Order built on the Six Principles of Naturopathic Medicine, and all naturopathic physicians practice according to this philosophy.
The Six Principles of Naturopathic Medicine
These principles are the pillars that support the philosophy and practice of naturopathic medicine. Each principle is just as important as all the others in keeping a healthy balance.
First, do no harm
Naturopathic doctors (NDs) use the most natural, least invasive, and least toxic interventions possible to diagnose and treat illness.
The healing power of nature
Naturopathic medicine aims to remove obstacles to the body’s fundamental wisdom and ability to heal itself.
Identify and treat the causes
Together with the patient, the ND works to discover the underlying cause of the symptoms and treat them, rather than suppress them, whenever possible.
Doctor as teacher
Through a therapeutic relationship, the ND strives to educate the patient about their unique health situation, thereby making them more vested in the individual treatment plan.
Treat the whole person
NDs recognize that physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, environmental, cultural, socioeconomic, and genetic factors intertwine to impact health. This understanding helps to restore and maintain good health.
Prevention
NDs understand that the best way to stay healthy is to prevent illness whenever possible. Besides, AANMC points out, “With naturopathic medicine, a person who has recovered from an illness also has the knowledge to prevent the problem from recurring.”
Therapeutic Order
The Therapeutic Order is a seven-step pyramid with the first step at the bottom, the foundation. NDs work with patients to make individualized treatment plans, starting with step one and moving up only as needed.
- Remove obstacles to health
Several common obstacles interfere with achieving good health or cure for illness. Some of these are poor diet, excessive stress, disruptive coping mechanisms, digestive disturbances, inadequate rest, toxic exposures, socioeconomic stressors, trauma, etc. Identifying and addressing these first equips a patient for the journey toward health. It is also vital for an individual patient to know what “good health” looks like for their unique situation.
2. Stimulate the body’s self-healing mechanisms
Naturopathic medicine is around the acknowledgment of the body’s innate ability to heal itself. NDs use a mix of therapies to help support this process, such as nutritional recommendations and supplements, botanicals, natural remedies, lifestyle counseling, and homeopathy.
3. Strengthen weakened or damaged systems – restore and regenerate
Sometimes a patient needs a bit more support. If an organ or system is over or underactive or needs extra help to repair itself, the ND draws from more targeted skills and tools. Professional grade endocrine-balancing supplements or manual therapies are examples of this level of intervention.
4. Correct structural integrity
When treating problems dealing with bones, joints, muscles, and fascia, the ND may incorporate various physical treatments into the plan of care. Some of these are spinal manipulation, craniosacral therapy, electrotherapy, and recommended exercises.
5. Use natural therapies to address pathology and symptoms
While naturopathic medicine aims to support the whole person as naturally as possible, sometimes specific pathologies (deviations from health) need attention. When this happens, NDs take a more targeted approach with more robust but still natural substances. The goal is to treat the illness while minimizing the toxic burden on the body.
6. Use pharmaceutical or synthetic substances to stop progressive pathology
If a patient suffers from a pathology that requires synthetic (or manufactured) pharmaceutical mediations, the ND manages the situation closely. Sometimes symptoms are too hard to deal with, but suppressing them may remove the body’s natural awareness and its ability to fight illness.
7. Use high force, invasive therapies to suppress pathology
Sadly, there are times when it is in the patient’s best interest to pathology and accompanying symptoms. In the situation of end-stage cancer or other conditions that have not responded to more conservative treatments. When this is the case, the ND monitors treatment vigilantly.
To learn more about naturopathic medicine, including how Whole Health Naturopathy can help, schedule an appointment with one of our compassionate providers today at 360-943-9519.
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