Medical Health Naturopathy

Published Date: 23 Mar 2015

Medical and Health

Naturopathy: The Alternative Medicine

Naturopathy is an alternative medicine preferring natural remedies over synthetic drugs and surgeries. The naturopathic medicine practice includes manual therapy, hydrotherapy, herbalism, acupuncture, environmental medicine, counseling, aroma therapy, orthomolecular medicine, homeopathy and other holistic approaches.

It has been one of the most common and widely practiced around the globe following different standards and public acceptance. Some said that the naturopathic treatments have not been tested for safety. This is relatively due to the utilization of unprocessed or whole medications such as herbs in curing a patient. Naturopathy is labeled as pseudoscience lacking scientific basis in justifying its modalities. Critics said that they are not subjected in detailed and vigorous health assessments. According to Stephen Barett:

Naturopaths assert that their "natural" methods, when properly used, rarely have adverse effects because they do not interfere with the individual's inherent healing abilities. This claim is nonsense. Any medication (drug or herb) potent enough to produce a therapeutic effect is potent enough to cause adverse effects. Drugs should not be used (and would not merit FDA approval) unless the probable benefit is significantly greater than the probable risk. Moreover, medically used drugs rarely "interfere with the healing processes." The claim that scientific medical care "merely eliminates or suppresses symptoms" is both absurd and pernicious.

However, despite of the criticisms, this alternative medicine believes that the human body is self-healing. Due to this fact, it will repair the damages and can recover from illnesses in a healthy environment.

The acceptance of naturopathy will be dependent on each individual. However, tracing the principles, it is quite unjustified to completely trash this kind of alternative medicine. Naturopathy is promoting the healing power of nature. There is always the innate way to heal our body. In order to do that, one must establish the underlying conditions; in this way harming the patient will be eliminated. Some other things that they carry are the fact that they need to treat a person as whole. A treatment plan will be made in accordance to the over-all status of the patient.

In this kind of practice, the naturopath is not the only physician. He should also teach his patient self-care. In this way, he included self-empowerment to the patient which in turn might be contributor to a positive lifestyle.

Considering the fact that naturopathy is not backed up by strong fundamental researches, creating a healthy environment is indeed advisable to a sick person. In a modern technology susceptible to environmental pollution, poor diet and stress, the ability of a Naturopath to utilize natural methods of healing is very necessary. The considerable importance of health failure due to the environmental aspects has been categorically encountered by the Naturopaths. Natural therapies are procured in order to treat acute and chronic ailments.

The only reason that naturopathy is not acceptable in some areas of the world specifically with medical doctors is the fact that science is the major foundation of our health practitioners. In naturopathy, nature and the holistic unity of body, mind and spirit is the main strength of this alternative kind of medication.

Science is the knowledge that we are all searching for. It is the basis of all living things. The acceptance of science to all things in nature is clearly the way of the society in dealing with their lives. However, naturopath might not be as science as our medical practitioners claim, the idea of self-healing is very appealing. There is nothing wrong in trying alternative medicines as long as specified principles will be applied. Naturopath is a great thing since it is promoting a clean and healthy lifestyle. In developing such, the probability of eliminating different health hazards is very big. Keep in mind that, nature has its own way of balancing things.

Works Cited

A Close Look at Naturopathy. Quackwatch 2003. 23 Dec. 2003< http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Naturopathy/naturopathy.html>.