What is Naturopathy?
Naturopathic medicine (also known as naturopathy) is a school of medical philosophy and practice that seeks to improve health and treat disease chiefly by assisting the body’s innate capacity to recover from illness and injury.
Naturopaths prefer to avoid invasive surgery or synthetic drugs. Instead, using “natural” remedies as much as practical, for instance relatively unprocessed or whole medications such as herbs, nutrition and foods.
Principles of Naturopathy
First, do no harm – Naturopathic medicine uses therapies that are safe and effective. The manifestations of symptoms
The healing power of nature – The healing power of nature (vis medicatrix naturae) has two aspects:
Firstly, that the body has the ability to heal itself and it is the naturopathic doctor’s role to facilitate this natural process. Secondly, that nature heals. Following this principle includes getting enough sleep, exercising, feeding the body nutritious food and, if needed, additional earth food, such as herbs, which are living organisms themselves. It is asserted, yet strongly refuted by critics, that plants can gently move the body into health without side effects posed by some synthetic chemicals in modern pharmaceuticals.
(Note: We believe that herbs can have side effects and these need to be taken into consideration. Yet in almost all cases they are in no way as manipulative and disruptive to the body as pharmaceuticals can be.)
Discover and treat the cause, not just the effect – Symptoms are expressions of the body’s natural attempt to heal. The underlying root causes of disease must be removed for complete healing to take place (
Treat the whole person – Another core principle of naturopathy is the belief that health must go beyond the treatment of immediate symptoms (as often with modern medicine), and instead treat the entire person’s well-being. This means treating the entire body, as well as the spirit/soul and mind. This approach is usually called the holistic or holistic method.
The naturopath is a teacher – My role is to educate and empower you to take responsibility for your health. A healthy cooperative relationship is essential to healing.
Prevention is the best ‘cure’ – I assess your risk factors and intervene appropriately to prevent illness. The ultimate goal of the naturopathic physician is prevention. The emphasis is on building health, not fighting illness. This is done by fostering healthy lifestyles, healthy beliefs and healthy relationships.
And if you do get sick, there is often an alternative to drugs and surgery – or ways to improve their effectiveness. Through nutrition, herbal medicine and physical therapy it’s possible to take control of your health and feel a whole lot better.
We call it real life support.
Qualification
Your naturopath at A Natural Choice is a fully qualified healthcare practitioner who has completed four years of study, covering the ‘tools of the naturopathic trade’—herbal medicine, nutrition, homoeopathy, iridology, celluloid therapy, Bach flower therapy, etc.
Further Study
In addition to naturopathy, Karyn has completed a wide range of general medical subjects. These include pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, pathology, symptomatology and diagnosis, clinical studies, biochemistry and chemistry.