What is Naturopathy?

Naturopathy (pronounced Nature-op-athy) is a type of alternative primary care medicine that enables the body to heal itself by removing obstacles impeding a cure. Through the use of nutrition, lifestyle choices, exercise, hydrotherapy, vitamins, homeopathy, herbal medicines, and stress reduction, Naturopathy is able to reverse disease and bring the body back into health. This profoundly simple, natural approach is capable of bringing about life altering health change.

Naturopathic medicine is based on six healing principles: 

  • Healing Power of Nature: The body has the inherent ability to heal itself and ward off disease. The health practitioner’s job is to identify and remove agents blocking the healing process and to support the body’s natural healing power.
  • Identify and Treat the Cause: Illness does not happen without cause. Symptoms are not causes of disease, but signals that the body is out of balance on some deeper level. Treating symptoms only masks the underlying disease process; it does not bring about true healing. Naturopathy seeks to identify and resolve underlying causes of disease rather than suppress symptoms.
  • Treat the Whole Person: True health results when the intricate systems of the body, mind, and spirit function together in perfect harmony. When any one system is out of balance, other parts are affected. To achieve wellness, we must address a person as a complete human being, seeking to balance of each and every part as it relates to the whole.
  • First Do No Harm: Since every system in the body works intimately with another, it is important to use the least disruptive therapies first. This means avoiding toxic medications and invasive procedures whenever possible and avoiding the suppression of symptoms which could lead to deeper illness.
  • Prevention is the Best Cure: Preventing illness is far easier than curing disease. Naturopathy seeks to point out the everyday lifestyle and dietary choices that will eventually adversely or favorably affect health.
  • Doctor as Teacher: The doctor is to act as a coach in the healing process by educating, guiding, and encouraging the client to take responsibility for their own health.