Naturopathic medicine

Naturopathic medicine is the practice of attempting to improve the health of patients through the application of natural remedies. Most naturopaths consider their care complementary, not supplementary, to conventional Medicine.

Basic tenets

Naturopathy is based on six tenets or principles http://www.pandamedicine.com/medicine.htmlhttp://ccnm.edu/about.html:

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• "The healing power of nature"
• "Identify and treat the cause"
• "First do no harm"
• "Treat the whole person"
• "The physician as teacher"
• "Prevention"

"The healing power of nature"

The healing power of nature, basically that the body has the ability to heal itself

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and it is the naturopath's role to try to facilitate this natural process.

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"Identify and treat the cause"

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

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"First do no harm"

The process of healing includes the manifestations of symptoms, so that any therapy that interferes with this natural healing process by masking symptoms is considered suppressive and should be avoided. The natural life force of the individual should be supported to facilitate healing.

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"Treat the whole person"

One of the biggest tenants of naturopathy is the belief that conventional medicine does not treat the "whole person", and that naturopathy goes beyond treatment of symptoms and treats the entire body, as well as the spirit and mind.

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"The physician as teacher"

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

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"Prevention"

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.

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