Sometimes, conventional treatments do not cut it, forcing patients to turn to alternative medicine to seek relief from their condition.
One form of alternative medicine is known as naturopathy, which restores psychological and physiological balance through natural remedies and therapies. It is known to alleviate many illnesses. But if you are thinking of trying it, here are some key considerations:
What is naturopathy?
Naturopathic medicine is a system of natural remedies that helps your body heal on its own. It incorporates many treatments and therapies, including massage, exercise, acupuncture, herbal medicine and nutritional therapy.
Physicians who are trained in naturopathy are well-versed in natural healing. Naturopathic treatments focus on the body’s inherent ability to restore and maintain health. Once they have diagnosed the cause of your illness, naturopaths will remove these causes to facilitate the healing process.
How does naturopathy help you?
Conventional physicians treat the symptoms of a disease, whereas naturopathic physicians treat its underlying causes. Naturopathy believes that symptoms are merely the external manifestation of internal imbalances in your emotional, mental and physical health. While managing symptoms is important, naturopathy acknowledges the underlying causes.
The treatment involves gentle, non-invasive therapies that take effect without producing adverse side effects. The symptoms are not suppressed as the treatment works on their causes.
How do naturopathic physicians work?
Naturopathic physicians educate and motivate their patients to be responsible for their own health and adopt a healthy lifestyle, diet and attitude. They may take a couple of hours and several procedures to pinpoint the specific cause of your illness, during which they will not only assess your physical health, but also enquire about your mental and emotional situation.
The treatment prescribed to you is tailored according to the specific imbalances and weaknesses that the physician diagnosed. In naturopathy, you are the one who is being treated, instead of the symptoms or disease. Naturopathic physicians find and treat the symptoms that define you rather than those that define the illness.
Prevention is easier and cheaper, and naturopathic physicians implement ways to help you prevent diseases. They consider subjective and objective information to learn which conditions you are susceptible to and discuss strategies to prevent them.
Can it help with your condition?
Most health issues can be addressed by naturopathic medicine. Some of the common conditions it treats include:
- Chronic pain
- Allergies
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Hormonal imbalances
- Digestive problems
- Obesity
An existing medical condition is not required to try naturopathy. You can try it even if you only want to boost your health or prevent an illness.
It is ideal for patients with chronic illnesses who do not find relief in conventional medicine. You may even use it alongside conventional methods to treat an illness. It can even ease the side effects from chemotherapy.
As Thomas Edison said, “the doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” Since this is what naturopathy is all about, a naturopathic physician is the doctor of the future. Naturopathy is for anyone, whether or not you have a disease.
