Naturopathy or naturopathic medicine?

In countries where there are no stringent rules governing naturopathy - as is the case of several francophone countries - the term naturopathy and naturopathic medicine are used interchangeably. In English, by cons, naturopathy prevails, and in countries where the discipline is officially recognized, it becomes a doctor of naturopathy (ND), not in naturopathy. On the other hand, the origin of the word naturopathy is uncertain. Perhaps it comes from the Latin: naturo, nature, and the Greek: pathy , suffering. Naturopathic treatment therefore mean suffering - or disease - by nature. But the word is perhaps rather English: path resulting path. Naturopathy mean the path (to health) by nature.



Naturopathic medicine is a complete medical system and consistent efforts primarily on the stimulation of natural mechanisms of healing the body. Naturopathic interventions aimed primarily to activate, nurture and strengthen these mechanisms rather than eliminate symptoms or directly attack pathogens. They also want soft and non-invasive as possible.

Among the key tools of naturopathy, we find, among others, herbal medicine, nutrition, homeopathy, aromatherapy, physical manipulation, the techniques of stress management, etc..

To better understand what today naturopathy, it may be useful to recall its origins dating back to 2500, and his more recent development, for a hundred years.
Its origins

By its nature and its foundations, naturopathy is attached firmly to the medical tradition of ancient Greece. The principles that govern our day to practice naturopathic owe much to the "Hippocratic Corpus," which formed the basis of Western medicine, the fifth century BC to the early twentieth century. Here the main lines.

Primum non nocere - First do no harm. The symptoms of disease (fever, for example) may be signs of a healing process. Therefore, their simple deletion can cause more harm than good. The interventions need to encourage the natural healing process and not the counter.

Screw medicatix naturae - nature holds its own healing power. The body has the inherent ability to preserve health and restore it when he lost. At the heart of the living are the forces of life to achieve it. The role of the physician or therapist is to facilitate access to these forces by discovering and eliminating obstacles to it.

Tolle causam - Discovering and treating the cause. The doctor must seek the causes of disease rather than trying to suppress symptoms. The disease is seen as the ultimate outcome of a particular disorder. Restoring the natural balance can be done by working on the root causes of this disorder.

Docere - Teaching. The physician should guide the patient on the road to recovery and help maintain their health naturally. He must teach him to take care of himself and take charge of their own healing process, according to the following principles:

* The holistic approach. The therapist tells the patient that his disease is the result of a complex set of interactions between physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, and it should act on each of them.
* Food. It teaches how to eat so as to obtain all the nutrients necessary for health, to avoid the use of synthetic drugs or surgery.
* Prevention. He finally taught him how to act on its environment and lifestyle to maximize his strength and well-being and, ultimately, reduce the risk of disease.