Naturopathic philosophy of wellness
Naturopathic medicine is the integration of science with traditional forms of medicine. As a naturopathic medical practice, we draw on traditional European, Chinese, Native-american, and Ayurvedic systems of medicine within the current medical framework.
Your treatment may include any of the available modalities of naturopathic medicine, depending on the needs of each unique individual. The treatment is centered around:
Education and counseling
Sleep and exericse
Nutrition and detoxification
Herbal medicine and hydrotherapy
Physical medicine such as joint and visceral manipulation
Hormones and other pharmaceutical medications
Injections such as trigger point, prolotherapy, and prolozone
Intravenous nutrient and metabolic therapies
The specific philosophy of naturopathic medicine is explained more by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, found here.
NATUROPATHIC PRINCIPLES
Primum non nocere - First do no harm, provide care with compassion and therapeutic alliance.
Docere - Educate patients to live harmoniously and empower the self-healing process.
Vis medicatrix naturae - Stimulate the healing force within.
Tolle totum - Treat the whole person, as an individual, including their symptoms.
Tolle causum - Treat the causes of illness as much as possible.
Preventir - Prevent progression of illness, as well as potential future diseases.
THERAPEUTIC ORDER
1. Establish conditions for health - Create the lifestyle essential for health, including diet, exercise, social support, and spirituality suited for each individual patient.
2. Remove obstacles to cure - Identify and address environmental, physical, psychological, social, and spiritual obstacles to the cure of illness.
3. Stimulate the vital force - Evoke the self-healing force within. This can be done with exercise, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, and a variety of other modalities (eg. infrared sauna, phototherapy, prolotherapy, ozone therapy, etc.).
4. Tonify weakened systems - Strengthen weakened body systems and organs by supporting the metabolic and energetic pathways with diet, nutrient, energetic, oxygen, and botanical medicines.
5. Correct structural integrity - Support the physical and energetic structures that are essential parts of energetic and biochemical health.
6. Address pathology with low-risk natural and synthetic medicines - Directly address pathology with safe natural or synthetic substances, eg. turmeric, cramp-bark, thyroid hormone, etc.
7. Address pathology with higher-risk natural and synthetic medicines - Directly address pathology with higher-risk natural or synthetic substances, according to a risk-benefit analysis, eg. antibiotics, prednisone, belladonna, etc.
8. Surgically remove pathology - Surgery is generally reserved for advanced illness, due to the inherent risk of such a procedure, but is sometimes the best and quickest way to restore health (eg. abscess drainage, cancer excision, etc.). Although major surgery is not performed by Naturopathic doctors, many minor office procedures are performed in some states, such as cleaning and suturing a wound, draining an abscess, removing warts and moles, and other minor cosmetic procedures.