Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic medicine is based around six core principles which guide naturopathic doctors in their treatment of patients:

The Healing Power of Nature

The human body has an inherent, natural ability to heal. If an individual is struggling with a chronic illness, something is blocking that individual’s healing process. It could be on the physical level, like a poor diet. It could be on the mental level, like high job stress. It could be on the emotional level, like a failing marriage. It could be on the energetic/spiritual level, like a problem with proper chi flow as described in Chinese medicine. Removing these blocks allows for the natural healing power to re-engage.

Identify and Treat the Causes

Illness has underlying causes. In order to effectively treat an individual’s health problems, identifying the initiating factors and causes allows for a better understanding of how to correct the illness and restore wellbeing.

First Do No Harm

Always start by listening and understanding any situation or individual. When approaching a person’s health, choose the safest most efficacious healing modalities for every individual’s situation.

Doctor as Teacher

Doctor’s should strive to educate their patients, teaching them how to best take care of themselves. Ultimately, the best healthcare providers empower their patients to take charge of their own health through their own understanding.

Treat the Whole Person

People are not individual parts, they are an interconnected whole. We know how profound the mind-body connection can be and it makes sense to work with people in sum total of all that they are, rather than focusing on individual parts.

Prevention

As is so commonly stated, prevention is the best medicine. It is always easier to prevent negative health outcomes than to reverse them once they are in place. Healthcare providers should think about the present and the future, focusing on ways to prevent progression or development of any disease process.