Removing the cause of disease so the body can heal itself.
by Bettina Yelman, N.D.
he term "naturopathy" was first coined in
the late nineteenth cen- tury, but its philosophical roots date back many
thousands of years. Naturopathy draws from the healing wisdom of many cultures
including Ayurveda from India, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Native American
Shamanism, and Hippocratic philosophy from the Greeks.
Naturopathy is an eclectic compilation of doctrines
and practices of natural healing, as well as a way of life, and a concept
of employing various practical holistic means of preventing and treating
human imbalance and suffering. The capacity of the body-mind to heal itself
is the central tenet of Naturopathy.
Naturopathy is based on a very different paradigm
from allopathic medicine. While allopathic doctors (M.D.s) seek to provide
relief for patients by suppressing the symptomatic conditions, naturopathy
views these disease conditions as manifestations of the natural means by
which the body heals itself. For instance, when a patient has a headache,
the doctor is likely to prescribe aspirin or another drug to relieve the
pain. For a fever, a patient is likely to receive an anti-pyretic drug.
Unfortunately, these remedies usually provide only temporary relief, but
do not address the cause of the condition. Usually these conditions become
chronic with repeated suppression therapy.
A naturopathic doctor, on the other hand, would
seek to understand the "cause" of the headache. What imbalance
in the body is causing it to manifest a headache? It is unlikely that the
body has a deficiency of aspirin. In fact, aspirin and other drugs can cause
harmful side effects without resolving the cause of the problem. Discovering
the real cause of the patient's problem and recommending corrective non-harmful
action is the art and practice of naturopathy. Simply put, to activate healing
of a chronic condition involves the removal of the underlying cause.
One of my out-of-town clients recently called
to ask what could be done for her husband who had terrible headaches every
two to three days. The doctors had given him a drug to take when he got
the headaches, but the headaches kept occurring, sometimes worse than before.
The doctors, including several specialists, had run all the tests they knew
of and said there was nothing else they could do.
After asking several pertinent questions and
talking for several minutes, I recommended that he remove three specific
foods from his diet, take a few specific supplemental nutrients, practice
a stress reduction technique, then see how he felt. The gentleman soon became
free of headaches.
After that, as long as he didn't violate the
dietary restrictions and managed his stress level as we had discussed, he
remained headache free. As his body heals, he is slowly becoming less sensitive
to the offending foods and occasionally can consume these foods without
getting a headache.
The point is, you control the vast majority
of factors that affect your health and happiness. Former U.S. Surgeon General
Julius Richmond stated, "Over 90 percent of the factors that determine
health lie in the patient's hands and occur in the patient's everyday living
environment." This means your health is in your hands! And naturopathy
can offer a safe, effective way to learn what is causing your health problem
and specific recommendations for relief and healing.
The book Alternative Medicine, compiled
by The Burton Goldberg Group, outlines the six time-tested principles that
Naturopathy, as a system of healing, is based on:
The body has considerable power to heal itself,
and the role of the naturopath is to facilitate this natural process with
the aid of natural, non-toxic therapies.
Naturopathic physicians seek the underlying
cause of a disease rather than simply suppressing the symptoms. They avoid
suppression of the natural healing wisdom of the body, such as fever and
inflammation. Symptoms are viewed as expressions of the body's natural attempt
to heal, while the causes can spring from the physical, mental, emotional
and spiritual levels.
By employing the safe and effective natural
therapies, naturopaths are committed to the principle of causing no harm
to the patient.
The individual is viewed as a whole, composed
of a complex interaction of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social,
and other factors. This multifaceted approach results in a therapeutic approach
in which no disease is automatically seen as incurable.
Naturopathic physicians are first and foremost
teachers who educate, empower, and motivate the patient to assume more personal
responsibility for his or her health by adopting a healthy attitude, lifestyle
and diet.
Naturopaths are preventive health specialists.
Prevention of disease is accomplished through education and a lifestyle
that supports radiant health.
Naturopathy is not a single modality of healing,
but an array of healing practices. The Del Mar-based California Naturopathic
College offers a variety of coursework that is collectively considered Naturopathy.
This professional naturopathic training program includes coursework in the
areas of dietary modification, clinical nutrition, homeopathy, bioenergetic
methods, herbology, hydrotherapy, such physical therapies as therapeutic
movement, exercise, soft-tissue manipulation, massage and light therapy,
as well as therapeutic counseling, client assessment, program development
and natural pharmacology.
For more information on the classes, workshops
and training programs offered at the California Naturopathic College, please
call (800) 354-8166.
Dr. Yelman is a Naturopathic Doctor and licensed
Holistic Health Practitioner specializing in therapeutic nutrition, natural
healing and body mind integration therapies. She is the developer and primary
instructor of the first California State Board of Education approved 1000-hour
Professional Training Program in Nutrition and Natural Healing. This program
is offered at the California Naturopathic College, which provides monthly
free lectures for the public and professional holistic health education
programs. Dr. Yelman is also the founder and director of Resources For Health,
which offers innovative natural health care products, a newsletter and individual
health care consulting services, intended to empower people to heal themselves
