What is Naturopathy?

Naturopathic medicine is based upon three basic principles.


- The body possesses the power to heal itself through its internal vitality and intelligence. This vital force is the foundation of naturopathic philosophy, and all the naturopathic practitioner does is to create the most favourable conditions to stimulate and enhance this healing power of nature.
- Disease is a manifestation of the body’s vital force working on the removal of obstructions to the normal functioning of organs and tissues. Naturopaths always seek to discover and remove the basic causes of disease.
- Naturopathic medicine is a holistic approach to health. In other words, disease affects the whole person - body, mind and spirit, and not simply an isolated organ or system. Each person responds in unique ways to his or her environment, each has individual strengths, weaknesses and needs. Their body's reactions to the same stress may be very different depending on their level of health, inherited tendencies, previous medical history, etc. In treating the whole person the naturopathic practitioner searches for causes at many levels, and attempts to eliminate the fundamental cause of illness, not simply to remove symptoms.
By using methods and practices that have been successfully applied for centuries and in many societies, naturopaths empower individuals to regain the best possible state of health.

Naturopathy’s basic tenets are:


The Healing Power of Nature

- the body has the ability to heal itself and it is the practitioner's role to facilitate this natural process.

Identify and Treat the Cause

- for complete healing to take place the underlying root causes of disease must be removed. These root causes can exist at many levels: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It is the practitioner's role to identify this root cause, in addition to alleviating suffering by treating symptoms.

First, Do No Harm

- the process of healing includes the manifestations of symptoms, so any therapy that interferes with this natural healing process by masking these symptoms is considered suppressive and should be avoided. Your body’s natural life force needs to be supported to facilitate healing.

Treat the Whole Person

- naturopathy goes beyond treatment of symptoms and treats the entire body, as well as the spirit and mind.

The Physician as Teacher

- it is the role of the naturopath to educate an individual in their health and lifestyle practices, and encourage that individual to take responsibility for their own health. This cooperative relationship between naturopath and patient is essential to healing.

Prevention

- The ultimate goal of the naturopath is preventive health. Accordingly, the naturopathic emphasis is on building health, not just fighting illness, by adjusting your lifestyle towards healthier options. Naturopathy is a wellness-focused health system.

Naturopathic Medicine and treatments can help a person’s general health, or a specific health issue. We do this by strengthening the body and supporting the body’s ability to heal and return to a state of balance.

Here at My Naturopath we can help you:

- Increase your energy
- Improve your digestion
- Determine your ideal dietary choices
- Enhance your fertility Build you immunity Lose fat & maintain or build muscle
- Manage stress and balance moods
- Improve hormonal balance
- Reduce lifestyle risks

We encourage you to maintain your relationship with your GP as naturopathy and mainstream medicine can work together quite successfully in recovering complete health and wellbeing.