Natural medicine or naturopathic medicine or naturopathy is a distinct system of health care that encompasses various natural healing therapies to treat symptoms as well treat the root cause of the symptoms, and in doing so strengthening the overall body and immune function. Naturopathic medicine is an umbrella term that includes various other natural health modalities such as traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, massage, nutrition and diet counselling, botanical or herbal medicine, homeopathic medicine, among others.
Naturopathic Doctors do place emphasis on getting to the root cause of the problem before treating it, as the only way to really resolve a symptom, is to first get to the cause and then treat it. Naturopathic medicine has been around for centuries, and been addressed as many things, however, it is what our forefathers used to heal their health before allopathic medicine came in.
I quite often get asked the following question: what is the difference between a naturopath and a homeopath or a nutritionist? So here is the answer:
Naturopathic medicine encompasses both homeopathy and nutrition, among other therapies, so when we as naturopaths treat clients, its a more holistic approach based on our length of study and experience. Naturopathic Doctors generally study for up to 8 years (with undergrad studies) and are exposed to various healing modalities in their training, including lots of training in laboratory diagnosis, pathology and pharmacology, along with an internship.
Natural medicine is much more gentle on the body – as it is focused to bringing back the optimum balance of the body, rather than just treating the symptoms, but remember, its important to get good quality help- when seeking out a natural medicine “healer”/ therapist as opposed to seeing just anyone. Naturopathic Doctors are very well educated in using natural therapeutics for healing and hence are highly sought after.
By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Natures Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.