Naturopathy is unique in its own right. As against conventional medicines that use medicines and drugs to cure ailments, naturopathy is the promotion of health and understanding that the body has innate and inbuilt ability to heal itself.
What is Naturopathy
Instead of curing specific problem a naturopath identifies and removes hurdles to cure, with the body encouraged to heal itself and move towards the best of health. The objective of naturopathy is to treat disorders and bring back normal functioning of the body through its healing abilities .
This process of healing is done by evaluating the unique and individual aspects of each person first and then applying non-toxic therapies to restore psychological, physiological and structural balance.
As per The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), naturopathic medicine is:
"A distinct system of primary health care - an art, science, philosophy, and practice of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of illness. Naturopathic medicine is distinguished by the principles upon which its practice is based. These principles are continually re-examined in the light of scientific advances. The techniques of naturopathic medicine include modern and traditional, scientific, and empirical methods" (AANP, 1998).
Training to be a Naturopath
Naturopath practitioners are trained just as general practitioners but in natural medicine. They work in coordination with all branches of healthcare professionals referring their patients to other practitioners for diagnosis and treatment whenever necessary.
Naturopaths have a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (ND) degree from a four-year graduate medical college with admission requirements that are at par with that of conventional medical schools. The ND degree includes graduate-level studies in a wide range of medical branches such as cardiology, gynecology pharmacology, pathology, biochemistry, paediatrics, and neurology. Additionally, a naturopath at SA Wellness will have extensive experience in practical work in therapies, from the sciences of nutrition , physical medicine, lifestyle counseling, exercise therapies, and hydrotherapy. The latter is a healing therapy that uses water to treat a disease or a disorder.
Benefits of Naturopathy
Naturopathy is a holistic approach to treating illnesses and disorders and combines traditional healing methods with a modern approach . Naturopathic practitioners focus on minimizing the effects of prescription drugs or surgery. Incidentally, another common alternate therapy treatment is practiced by chiropractors. If you search online for a chiropractor near me you will find that they offer a form of alternative medicine too like naturopath but that is concerned mostly with the diagnosis and treatment of mechanical disorders, especially of the spine.
Coming back to naturopathy, here are some of the benefits of this process.
Treatment of Ailments
Most of the common ailments treated by general practitioners can be treated with naturopathy too. These include digestive disorders, headaches, allergies, common colds as well as certain skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Mental disorders like anxiety and depression can also be treated with naturopathy. An important part of the process is nutrition as physical well-being is an integral part of naturopathy.
Prevention of Disease
The most effective way to prevent and combat diseases is to prevent it from happening. This is what naturopathy aims to achieve. Disease prevention is the focus of naturopathy and guiding patients on proper nutrition is just one of the primary methods to achieve this end.
Treatment of Insomnia
Naturopathy offers solutions to insomnia or other forms of sleeping disorders. Most people take prescription drugs or use sleeping aids to get a good night’s sleep. But instead of doing so, herbal treatments and a nutritional regimen advised in naturopathy can help you sleep well.
Alternative Therapies
There are many options for treatments with naturopathic medicines. These include the use of supplements and herbs , homeopathy, botanical remedies, acupuncture or a combination of all of them. Nutritional counseling is an important function and rounds up the treatment. Practitioners of alternative therapies and treatments do not follow conventional healthcare practices. If you want a naturopath of a chiropractor after hours, you can contact the leading specialists in this field in your locality.
Illnesses and Conditions Treated
Naturopathic doctors are well trained to handle a multitude of illnesses and conditions – acute and chronic health concerns and physical to psychological. However, there are three broad categories of patients that they work on. They are those that are -
looking for disease prevention and health promotion
with a range of health concerns and no clear diagnosis
with chronic and severe illnesses
First Consultation in Naturopathy TreatmentThe first appointment with a naturopathy practitioner is much longer than that with a traditional healthcare professional and often stretches to a couple of hours.
Additionally, patients have to complete extensive and detailed paperwork. This helps the naturopath to fully understand the condition of the patient and formulate the course of treatment. The major part of the interview is spent on hearing the patient’s story and going back in history to the patient’s physical antecedents.
It involves knowing about the patient’s conditions and the multiple problems he/she might have faced in the past. Naturopaths always give their patients time and space to relate fully and in detail their part of the story.
A naturopath combines the patient’s subjective narrative and a series of laboratory tests to determine the most optimal course of treatment. It is the goal of this alternative therapy to find the best fit for the patient through a process of trial and error, patience and good communication that works well for the patient. The whole process of initial consultations ends in structuring an exclusive and individual treatment plan tailor-made for patients.
Since each person’s health and body composition varies with any other, treatment plans are unique too. After a plan of treatment is worked out by the physician, detailed discussions are initiated with the patient on how to put the plan into practice. It is not uncommon for a patient to go through a few consultations before the actual process starts.
Cost-Effective Treatments
The cost of naturopathy treatments is reasonable and well within reach of the ordinary person. In traditional medicine, expenses for treatments especially for chronic cases and complex ones can be exorbitant.
Research carried out in the USA has proved the cost-effectiveness of naturopathy treatments and in this process, a significant amount of savings can be realized. This saving is not for individual patients alone but also for the insurance companies and the healthcare system too.
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