Although the term “Naturopathy” originated in the late 19th century as a distinction from the rising “medical,” or allopathic, approach to treating illness, the art of natural healing can be traced back through Greece, to Hippocrates himself, and even beyond. In natural healing, the emphasis is not on finding a disease and killing it, but rather on helping the body establish its own state of good health. The practitioners of Traditional Naturopathic Medicine understand that healing occurs naturally in the human body if it’s given what it truly needs:
Proper diet • Pure water • Fresh air
Sunlight • Exercise • Rest
While Traditional Naturopaths recognize that allopathic health care is, at times, necessary, they understand that many commonly-accepted allopathic treatments can be harmful. For example, the allopathic medical system is based on the belief that a cure will result when offending agents (such as bacteria and viruses) are eliminated. In addition, allopathic medicine treats the symptom and the disease as one and the same: when the symptom has been eliminated, it is presumed that the disease is cured.
The Traditional Naturopath, however, sees a symptom as nothing more than a signal that something is wrong. According to Naturopathy, when a symptom alone is eliminated, it is most likely just suppressed. Unless the original cause has also been eliminated, the symptom may return later in a chronic form.
• What is Homeopathy? |
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BASIC PRINCIPLES OF TRADITIONAL NATUROPATHS |
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In helping clients to experience optimal health, Traditional Naturopaths follow a number of basic principles: Do no harm. Primum non nocere is part of the Hippocratic Oath and translated from Latin means, first do no harm. Traditional Naturopaths do not use harmful substances, such as drugs and pharmaceuticals, and do not rely on potentially dangerous procedures, such as surgery, to treat illness. Recognize the healing power of nature. Traditional Naturopaths understand that the body has an innate capacity for self-healing. They focus on educating their clients in setting up the proper external and internal environments so that healing will take place. Find and eliminate the cause. All “dis-ease” has some kind of cause. Self-healing can |
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occur when that cause has been eliminated. Traditional Naturopaths help clients evaluate their lifestyles, identify the cause of their problems, and take corrective action. Teach health. Traditional Naturopaths teach their clients how to achieve and maintain good health. This empowers their clients and enables them to participate in the process of staying well. Honor the total person. A person is never simply a headache, or a backache, or a sore throat. Unless there has been an injury, seldom does any problem occur in isolation. Traditional Naturopaths help you correct the imbalances that are currently manifesting in your body as illness. At Loftin Integrative Health Services in San Diego we use the wisdom of Traditional Naturopathy with cutting edge technology to teach you how to remain healthy into the future. |
Call us to schedule your next step into optimal health! (858) 792-4004
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Loftin Integrative Health Services, LLC, San Diego, California
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