1. Let Nature Heal
Our bodies have such a powerful, innate instinct for self-healing. By finding and removing the barriers to this self-healing—such as poor diet or unhealthy habits—naturopathic physicians can nurture this process.
2. Identify & Treat Causes
Naturopathic physicians understand that symptoms will only return unless the root illness is addressed. Rather than cover up symptoms, they seek to find and treat the cause of these symptoms.
3. First, Do No Harm
Naturopathic physicians follow three precepts to ensure their clients’ safety:
–Use low-risk procedures and healing compounds—such as dietary supplements, herbal extracts and homeopathy—with few or no side effects.
–When possible, do not suppress symptoms, which are the body’s efforts to self-heal. For example, the body may cook up a fever in reaction to a bacterial infection. Fever creates an inhospitable environment for the harmful bacteria, thereby destroying it. Of course, the naturopathic physician would not allow the fever to get dangerously high.
–Customize each diagnosis and treatment plan to fit each client. We all heal in different ways and the naturopathic physician respects our differences.
4. Educate Clients
Naturopathic medicine believes that doctors must be educators, as well as physicians. That’s why naturopathic physicians teach their clients how to eat, exercise, relax and nurture themselves physically and emotionally. They also encourage self-responsibility and work closely with each client.
5. Treat the Whole Person
We each have a unique physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, sexual and spiritual makeup. The naturopathic physician knows that all these factors affect our health. That’s why he or she includes them in a carefully tailored treatment strategy.
6. Prevent Illness
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” has never been more true. Proactive medicine saves money, pain, misery and lives. That’s why naturopathic physicians evaluate risk factors, heredity and vulnerability to disease. By getting treatment for greater wellness, we’re less likely to need treatment for future illness.
