|
Naturopathy as we know it today was pioneered in the early 19th
Century by practitioners such as the Austrian Vincent Priessnitz
who founded the principles of hydrotherapy. Towards the end of the
century a German priest (Father Sebastian Kneipp) who practised
various therapies treated an American named Benedict Lust with a
combination of his herbal treatments and water cures. Lust
returned to the United States and founded the American School of
Naturopathy which became the basis for all naturopathic training
and practice, as we know it today.
What does naturopathy do?
Good health and wellness is what naturopathic treatment is all
about. The main emphasis of naturopathic practice is the belief
that the body has an inbuilt ability to strive for health. The
role of a naturopath is to work with a person to promote the
natural healing of the body. Naturopathy is rooted in the belief
that health is more than just the absence of disease and works on
strengthening the body’s natural defences.
How do naturopaths work?
Naturopaths see the symptoms of a disease as the body’s
defence mechanism attempting to move the person back to a state of
health. A naturopath will work with this process rather than
suppress the symptoms, such as fever, diarrhoea, or loss of
appetite.
A naturopath will design a treatment path that meets your
body’s needs. They may at first advise you on how to remove the
underlying causes of the stress that is causing problems in the
body. This could involve recommending dietary changes, and
encouraging ways of achieving a deeper level of relaxation.
The naturopath may then suggest ways to nourish and cleanse the
body, by suggesting dietary changes that might involve avoiding
certain foods, eating certain foods, taking various vitamin,
mineral or food supplements, or drinking fruit and vegetable
juices. Often, the naturopath will recommend a diet high in fresh,
raw fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, seeds and nuts.
The naturopath will also be concerned with ridding the body of
accumulated toxins. The naturopath may suggest that the person
eliminates tea, coffee, tobacco and alcohol. The naturopath may
also suggest that the person undertakes a cleansing fast or diet.
Make sure you do not stop taking any medications without
consulting your doctor first.
What therapies do naturopaths use?
As well as nutrition, naturopaths may use herbal medicines,
homeopathy and massage. Some naturopaths are trained in
counselling skills. Bach flower remedies and iridology — a
technique in which the iris of the eye is examined and is said to
give information about a person's tendency to develop disease —
may also be used by some naturopaths.
What is a healing crisis?
Naturopaths often talk about the concept of the 'healing crisis'.
When a person undertakes changes in their diet, or undertakes
fasting or cleansing diets, a healing crisis may be triggered.
This is actually a worsening of their symptoms and people who have
accumulated a large amount of toxins in the body are considered
most susceptible. It is thought that when the dietary changes are
made, the toxins are forced out of the body's organs such as the
kidneys, liver, lungs and skin and these can become overloaded
which leads to an initial worsening of the original condition plus
such symptoms as headaches, skin eruptions, bad breath and
seemingly unrelated aches and pains. These extra symptoms are
generally short-lived and subside within a number of days and are
considered by naturopaths as a sign that the healing process has
begun.
What do naturopaths
treat?
Common ailments that naturopaths seek to treat or relieve the
underlying causes of include:
- allergies, including food allergies
- arthritic conditions
- asthma
- back pain and problems
- chronic fatigue syndrome
- constipation
- depression
- digestive complaints such as irritable bowel syndrome and
ulcers
- hypertension (high blood pressure)
- menstrual and menopausal problems
- migraine and
- skin conditions, such as eczema.
|
