Natural Medicine, Naturopaths And Naturopathy

By Steven McDonald


When it comes to holistic and alternative medicine, there are a number of choices. Some of these include Naturopathy, acupressure, acupuncture, chiropractic, Christian Science, crystal healing, eugenics, homeopathy, osteopathy, parapsychology, phrenology, radionics, Reiki and reflexology. While some have proven effective, most are considered to be fringe medicine by medical professionals

Naturopathic medicine provides a form of alternative treatment which employ a number of pseudoscientific practices labeled as non-invasive or natural treatments. Whereas, the practice is considered a self-help method as the ideology and techniques are based on folk medicine and vitalism. Most often, practitioners in this area shy away from, and often recommend against, following Western practitioners and practices.

The primary practices which these providers recommend avoiding include vaccinations, medical testing, drugs and surgery. As some studies related to vaccines have shown that children acquiring vaccinations are prone to autism, there is an ongoing debate as to whether or not parents should vaccinate children. Whereas, most public schools still require children to be vaccinated before parents can register the child for school. In some cases, parents will go as far as to pay the high cost of private school to avoid this requirement.

Even with the threat that measles and other communicable diseases can often be deadly if not caught early, some parents still refuse to vaccinate babies and children. In other cases, parents reject the notions which natural medicine is based on, and still move forward with vaccinations and enroll children in public school. In either case, it should be noted that most treatments provided by naturopathists nor natural medications have been scientifically proven as effective.

It is for this reason that this type of practice is often considered ineffective and harmful by the medical community. The lack of testing has also raised ethical questions about the practice. Whereas, the American Cancer Society along with the medical community has often considered practitioners to be charlatans practicing nothing other than quackery. At the same time, there are a number of individuals which claim natural treatments are more effective and less invasive than others which have been prescribed by Western doctors in the past.

Some naturopathic providers are better than others. In fact, there have been a number which have been taken to court and found guilty of committing a crime related to issues which resulted from treatment. In response, a number of holistic providers, including naturopathists now identify as primary care providers.

Since inception sometime around 1902, the practice has been based on the belief that a body can heal through a connection to the chi, or life energy force which resides within each individual. In fact, diagnoses and treatments focus on the natural ability of the human body to heal over time. As a result, most naturopaths treat individuals with dietary changes, lifestyle modification and stress reduction over treatments provided in Western medicine.

Most often, a typical consultation with a practitioner will begin with a review of past medical history. After which, the individual will be interviewed about current lifestyle, emotional well-being, mental health and physical features such as complexion, height and weight. In most cases, the interview will conclude with a physical examination similar to that provided by Western practitioners. Most providers will then design and develop a custom wellness plan for individuals to follow on an ongoing basis.




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