What is Naturopathy?
To introduce this notion simply, naturopathy is a way to treat people with conditions ranging from Autoimmune conditions to Skin conditions like Rosacea by combining Traditional Methods and Modern Medical science.
Naturopathic Medicine is more of a holistic approach to medicine as it takes the whole person into account. This means that it focuses on the root of the problem/condition of someone by looking at their diet, lifestyle and environmental exposures.
In other words, naturopathic medicine aims to ameliorate the body’s self-healing processes. This is achieved by treating the mind, body and spirit to find balance.
Additionally, practitioners will also look at ways to prevent a conditions or diseases that may run in a patient’s family.
Who Practices it and What does a Consultation look like?
Naturopathic Practitioners will have obtained a qualification recognised by one of the a professional organisations for Naturopathy like the The General Council and Register of Naturopaths (GCRN) in the UK. If you’re interested in the career or what the job entails it is all described on the NHS website…
What types of Conditions can they treat?
- Insomnia
- Skin Conditions (Rosacea, Eczema)
- Mood, Anxiety, Stress
- Autoimmune Conditions
- Thyroid Issues
- Menstrual Irregularities
The list of conditions naturopaths can treat is much longer…
Through the combination of evidence based research and natural approaches to medicine, naturopathy aims to combine the best of both practices to guide patients into feeling healthy once again.
What happens during a Consultation?
Unlike modern day GPs, naturopathic consultation can last between 1-2 hours. One main reason for this is because Naturopaths aim to identify and treat the root cause of a condition/disease instead of treating the symptoms alone.
It may seem like a long tile for a consultation, however, this is because a range of questions will be asked. This to allows the practitioner to go in depth about a patient’s personal health.
They will ask questions concerning a patient’s diet, lifestyle, environmental exposure. Including questions revolving around emotional factors, as they also play a huge role in a person’s well-being.
They can also run functional lab testing such as blood tests, X-rays, SIBO tests, Organic Acids test, the DUTCH test, MRIs..etc. This allows them to form a more detailed diagnosis and generate a treatment plan which is specific to the patient.
What happens after the consultation?
Often, after a GP consultation patients could be advised or prescribed to take certain medicines. Naturopaths do the same thing, except that they will base the choice of treatment on the consultation they’ve had with a patient. Making sure the course of treatment is specific to the individual.
Their approach is more holistic in many ways as their course for treatment is more vast taking into account an individuals personal health history as a whole, often turning towards the use of herbal medicines, supplements (e.g for vitamin deficiencies) as a course of treatment.
Acupuncture, Homeopathy and an overall more therapeutic way of treatment is used.
Here are a few links for Naturopath Consultations in the US:
Here are a few links for Naturopath Consultations in the UK:
Book List Recommendation for Naturopathy/Herbal Medicine/Self-development:
2. My Water Cure (by Sebastian Kneipp)
3. Nature Cure (by Henry Lindlahr)
4. Nature’s Path (by Susan Cayleff)
5. An Introduction to Principles and Practices of Naturopathic Medicine (by Fraser Smith)
6. The A Cappella Singer Who Lost Her Voice & Other Stories From Natural Medicine (by Amy Rothenberg)
7.The encyclopedia of Bach Flower Therapy (by Mechthild Scheffer)
8.The Secret Teachings of Plants (by stephen harrod buhner)
9.Braiding Sweetgrass (by Robin Wall Kimmerer)
10. Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
11.Foods That Harm, Foods that Heal – Reader’s Digest;
12. Natural Remedies (by Mim Beim)
