CHAPTER 1

Naturopathic Principles –
Foundations for Healthy Living

The word naturopathy simply means nature cure. It’s been around for many thousands of years. In fact, the foundation of all naturopathic practices can be traced to a statement from the founder of modern medicine, Hippocrates:

First, treat thyself.

The overarching aim of naturopathy is to treat the person rather than the illness. In contrast to modern pharmaceutical medicine, naturopathic treatment works very hard not to suppress the immune system. The focus, then, is on treating the root cause of a problem rather than focusing on treating the symptoms. By turning the tap off at the source, all associated problems will dry up.

Naturopathy is an umbrella term that covers a range of natural treatments.

These include:

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Each treatment plan that a naturopath formulates is tailor made for the individual. This means that a large part of the job of a naturopath is to teach the patient so that they are better able to work with, rather than against, their body. By learning how to recognise the early warning signs of imbalance, a person will be able to act promptly in order to avoid a more serious problem from developing.

Naturopaths will employ different diagnostic methods and tools in order to examine their patients.

I love to see patients one on one and get to the root cause of whatever symptoms are presented at the time. This means that I take into consideration all that is you; your physical, emotional, social, psychological and spiritual health.

7 Principles of Naturopathy

There are 7 founding or fundamental principles from which all naturopaths function. These principles assist the practitioner in understanding the movement of illness and disease along with the movement of wellness and healing within the human body. I work with these every day.

Principle 1: Vis MedicatrixNaurae: The Healing Power of Nature

There are two aspects to the healing power of nature:

  1. The power of nature to regenerate itself. Any system, given the ability along with the vital nutrients it needs, will heal itself if allowed to do so. So, given the right environment, our body is always striving to be well.
  2. The destructive power of nature. Breakdown, rot, decay, waste products – all examples of catabolism. Yet from these processes, new growth originates.

Principle 2: Do No Harm

Any intervention, be it a prescription, a manipulation or an exercise, must not harm the individual. If there is a risk associated, that risk must be far outweighed by the potential benefits. The aim of naturopathic care is to work in line with the laws of nature. Always working towards a positive outcome and doing no harm.

Principle 3: Find the Cause

What is causing the pain? And what is causing that cause? It is only by going back that we can identify the root cause of a problem. This obviously requires delving into a range of areas of the whole patient in order to identify all of the catalysts that combine to cause the problem.

I ask lots of questions; the human body is like a jigsaw puzzle. Finding the cause and working with weaknesses allows for naturopathic care to achieve the most positive outcome.

Principle 4: Treat the Whole Person

Naturally following on from the ‘find the cause’ principle, the naturopath considers the totality of the individual – their socio-economic situation, the stressors in their life, their work and family life, spirituality, diet and exercise.

I absolutely love to get to know the person one on one for there are no two people alike and therefore, must acknowledge what suits the individual as far as a treatment strategy goes.

Principle 5: Prevent Disease

Preventing disease is much easier than treating disease, so a naturopath not only treats the patient for what he presents with today, they are treating them for the future in order to prevent any trends evident now from becoming illnesses down the track.

Yes!! It’s about teaching you so that you understand your body and weaknesses and have these skills for life no matter where you are.

Principle 6: Doctor As Teacher

The job of a naturopath is to equip their patients to be informed decision makers about their healthcare. This includes education about all of the risk factors involved and what the next steps are. This allows the patient to make an informed decision about their treatment.

With knowledge and education, there is always freedom and self-empowerment.

Principle 7: Maintain Wellness

A naturopath is keenly interested in the ongoing health of their patients. She will provide them with the knowledge necessary to engage in a healthy lifestyle in order to avoid future problems, by maintaining the body’s natural balance.

There are absolutely no bandaids here. No cover ups. Treat the whole body and learn new ways of doing and being. There is freedom in that.

Foundational Concepts - Nutritional Medicine

If you have ever seen me one on one or attended one of my seminars you will realise that nutrition on a physical level is really all about cellular health. Our cells make up the human body so, when ingesting food, the question is WHAT DO OUR CELLS NEED?

It makes sense to me that if we fuel our cells, we fuel our body and therefore will accomplish not only wellness but increased levels of vitality, right?

The human body is an amazingly complex system of cells. Healthy cells equate to healthy tissue, which leads to healthy organs, a healthy system and a healthy physical body. You will only ever be as healthy as the most unhealthy cell in your body. Similarly, adequate nutrition and adequate waste removal will result in a healthy body. The following 3 concepts underpin a naturopathic approach to wellness:

For example: All acute diseases like fevers, colds, diarrhoea, eczema and inflammation are the body’s attempt to get rid of waste material. All chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes are a suppression of symptoms by drugs, avoidance and neglect.