Naturopathy

 

Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopath's works from the premise that your body needs certain basics to function properly: Appropriate exercise, fresh air, clean water and sunlight. Whilst recognising the limitations of our modern world. Naturopaths will assist you to create a healthier diet and lifestyle that will help your health to return. Often your body needs assistance to function properly.

How does Naturopathy Work?

• Finds the root cause of your problems
• Stimulate your own natural healing ability
• increase your energy levels and vitality
• Teach you about your own body
• Advise you on a healthier lifestyle
• Put you back in charge of your own health

Naturopaths are skilled in tailoring natural health programs to suit you unique requirements.

 

The Naturopathic Training

Naturopaths undergo four years plus of fulltime training. They study the same basic medical sciences as doctors: Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, and Pharmacology. In addition they study Biochemistry & Metabolic Nutrition and Detoxification methods. The emotional well-being on health & disease is addressed as a whole.

Many Naturopaths are qualified Osteopaths too. They do refer to other disciplines as necessary. Applications of Naturopathy in health: focuses on working out where you are in your health status now! How did you arrive there? Naturopathic approach explores the contribution of how the external factors have disturbed your natural physiological processes and works in reverse to find the root of the problem. It is almost like putting the missing piece back in a jigsaw puzzle of health, but you can only do this, once you have found what pieces are missing!

The practitioner's role is to identify these underlying causes and to promote the inherent self-healing power within the individual.

Naturopathy is also a way of life and the naturopath will help empower individuals through education about lifestyle, diet and exercise.

 

What is Naturopathic Treatment?

Chemical:

• Imbalances in the chemistry of the body fluids.
• Excess dietary intake, overloading and impairing digestion.
• Retention of water and by products, resulting in toxin overload.

Mechanical:

• Spinal misalignment interfering with the nervous supply to the musculoskeletal and the endocrine system.
• Poor tissue tone and imbalance in the muscle functions leading to incorrect motion in gait and affecting Posture. If not addressed later prone to balance issues and accidents.

Psychological Factors:

• Impaired function, inducing stress and poor health.
• Poor vitality and lack of concentration.
• Insomnia, restlessness and lethargy.

Herbs are used as fresh, or dried, homeopathically in preparations, herbal tinctures or as herbal infusions like teas, even made in compresses or added into clays for poultices, and applied clinically and therapeutically for ailments.

Plants can be used in many forms, the therapeutic properties from the whole plant and all it parts are used in natural medicine:

• Leaf
• Stem
• Seeds
• Roots

 

Naturopathic Treatment Modalities

In The principles of natural medicine, iridology is the theory that the eyes offer, a reliable representation of a person's wellbeing. This is one of many methods are used in Naturopathy .To examine the eyes a torch and magnifying glass is used. The iris divides into seven concentric zones with pupil at the center. There are further forty five sectors that are associated with the specific body organs. This is an example of a naturopathic method for investigating and diagnostic approach used in conjunction with other methods.

The Philosophy of Naturopathic Medicine is based upon the body's own abilities to heal itself. This is achieved by using the body's own natural energy. The holistic practice of natural medicine was considered after analysing the concepts used in conventional medicine.

Emphasis on educating the patient be independent from therapies, but be treated when necessary. Patients are encouraged to be responsible and observant of their own health, once they have been placed on the natural course of recovering health.

Understanding the basic fundamental laws of health, exercise, rest, nutrition, and lifestyle. Natural therapy focusing on increasing vitality of the individual and removing obstructions which cause disease in the body.

Naturopaths use a combination of treatment modalities from other disciplines:

• Dietary Advice (adding and eliminating of food types) raw foods & fasting.
• Nutritional supplements if necessary.
• Detoxification & decoction form of herbs used.
• Physical therapies / osteopathy / acupuncture / massage
• Herbs in numerous forms
• Homeopathic remedies used
• Hydrotherapy / Body wraps for conditions
• Make compresses / Clay Poultices

What is involved in the Naturopathic Treatment?

What is involved in the naturopathic treatment? An in depth detailed medical history of the case covering all aspects of health and wellbeing are explored in the consultation. There will be times when certain information will may require medical investigations, or searching back into the past medical history. Sometimes Naturopaths also focus on your childhood and constitutional wellbeing of the family.

• Physical examination as appropriate, with medical tests
• Re-dietry adjustment eating whole foods to its nearest and natural form.
• This involves inclusion / exclusion of certain food types
• Structural adjustment through spinal work
• Hydrotherapy hot/ cold packs compresses and sprays
• Homeopathic remedies used
• Hydrotherapy / Body wraps for conditions
• Adjustment of lifestyle, relaxation exercises, education
• Further treatment involves fasting, exercises and body wraps

The general ideology is to promote regeneration of body's organs and restoring balance. Revitalising energy starts natural healing, after the cleansing and repairing of tissues at the cellular level. Functional processes are raised to their maximum performance, enhanced at the levels of cellular tissue / organism as a whole. At all times the root of the problem is addressed. Changes in the patients overall health status is monitored from the signs and symptoms experienced.

NB: Natural healing works via reversing back the disease processes which initially made progression into the system!

Naturopathy

A treatment within the paradigm of nature's laws and principles and combination of the earths five elements , Earth, water, fire, air and space.

Diet Planning: individualizing diet according to metabolic constituents and demands of the body. This could be too high and low metabolism, your blood group typing or addressing current dietary habits which needs to be modified.

Immune system boosting: Natural immunity: assisted by eating food which reflect in boosting your ability to fighting of infections throughout the four seasons. Man adapting to his/her environmental the key to health and survival.

Eliminating toxins

Understanding that anything consumed beyond the body's tolerance can lead to adverse effects. Toxins are stores furthest from the central core areas of the body example of this certain pain in the peripheral joints are common signs like gout. Uric acid is the problem here. Doing a hair mineral analysis and looking at accumulating heavy metal levels within the system and bring them back to a safer level. A hair sample is sent off to laboratory for testing. Once results come back combination of methods are used to eliminate the high levels of substance toxicity. Once safer levels achieved there is a reduction in pain swelling and less flare ups of inflammation

Detoxification of systems

Crucial part of natural therapies is teaching people to be in control and be sensible when observing a detox program or doing a fast. Patients following detox programs in hot weathers, or taking medications for other conditions have to be monitored.

Detoxification is beneficial as it is cleanses rejuvenates physiological processes of the whole bodies system. Most crucially following the removal of toxins and by products released from the systems is eliminated without adverse reactions. Especially where medication is involved. The term "healing crisis" often used describe effects. For example patients drinking coffee. Following 3 day fast, experiences severe headaches, nausea and sweats from dehydration. Rapid or slow fluctuation in blood pressure. The actual elimination is initially fast and reactive. However the symptoms eases with time the longer you eliminate coffee out of the body. Thus consulting a naturopath prior commencing a fast is recommended. They can advise you on which type of fast to follow and how to prepare and endure and how to gradually break the fast.

Improving vitality

Understanding and liking varied taste of differing food types is important. Implementing a correct dietary regime is vital. Benefits of combining right foods to receive the best of nutrients from diet and healthy eating. Where patients have been on long time drug therapy then Naturopaths will first look at their vitality by repairing their gut lining with use of acidophilus and natural yogurt and glutamine supplement in a drink formulation. So that healing processes start where absorption in the gut takes place. Strengthening the gut lining allowing balance of nutrients and gut bacteria to mend the gut flora from decline and preventing disease.

Rejuvenation organs

Fasting and doing mono food fast is limiting the body’s organs exposed to different food types. Simple foods and fasting helps with rejuvenation of digestive processes. Balancing of bodies acidity and alkalinity tissue and blood PH. This helps with homoeostasis balancing the production of enzymes, hormones, within the circulatory and lymphatic system.

Hydrotherapy

Water can cleanse by washing, diluting, acting as a barrier, a lubricant to diffuse particles across air and surfaces. Naturopathy includes hydrotherapy in its various forms. Popular therapies people seek advice on colonic hydrotherapy, following a detox. Bathing in sitz spar bath and doing clay packs. Sauna and steam rooms often used with hot and cold pack and clay and mud pack to help with ailments.

Guidance on supplementation

Over the counter supplementation can be dangerous if taken without consulting nutritionist or naturopath or pharmacist. Naturopaths understands how many deficiency can be corrected by eating healthy foods and how prescription nutrients from food sources can be alternative to addressing deficiencies without overburdening the body's internal systems. Naturopaths will work with your daily supplement formulae to prescribe a timetable to suit your individual requirements. For example if someone relies on laxatives daily to relieve constipation. Naturopaths would use food types containing high water content with fibre with certain foods including essential oils to be consumed daily including exercises. This includes bowel habit re-training to enable natural motion to occur rather than taking daily laxatives. Then every 4 months recommending a colonic hydrotherapy for the bowel treatment followed replenishing using a good source of dietary bacteria to strengthen the colon and Intestinal flora.

Treating Ailments

Naturopaths are trained to work with ailments and work at the root level. This exacerbates symptoms then relieves the initial condition. By resurfacing these causative layers of the disease from within many areas of health are also highlighted. For example treating the skin condition rosacea. Eliminating red berries such as strawberries and grapes will change the Pancreas hormone levels of trypsin, insulin and glucagon activity in breaking down concentrated fruit sugars. Then topically applying calendula douches on the skin would help control the exacerbation on the skin. But internally drinking hot lemon flushes the liver, reducing the burden on the liver and pancreas enabling digestive enzymes to work better. Overall, this helps relieve skin itching, healing breakouts of reddish flaky patches. The skin being the largest elimination organ. This way naturopathy treatments will have wider benefit in treating you as whole person.

I am always happy to answer any questions you may have. Call me today on 07711 265500, or please send an email to, nita.mistry@btinternet.com for more information or text me with your enquiry followed by your name and contact number.

Most people consult osteopaths privately. Many private health insurance schemes give benefit for osteopathic treatment. Some companies will reimburse the total fee that you have paid for treatment, others only a percentage. Most companies require a GP or specialist referral. All insurance companies have helplines. Patients are advised to check the terms and conditions with their health insurance provider prior to having treatment and placing a claim.