Naturopathy Therapy
Naturopathy is the term embracing a range of therapies, all of which come under the umbrella of “natural medicine”. Naturopathy literally means “natural treatment” as coined by the German pioneer Benedict Lust. Practitioners of Naturopathy typically have advanced training at specialized colleges and training centers. They offer a broad range of skills including: acupuncture, herbalism, homeopathy, osteopathy, hydrotherapy, massage, nutrition and dietary therapy.
Although Naturopathy originated in Germany and is still practiced there, its’ major popularity is in the U.S.. Having evolved over the past fifty years, today, Naturopathy as a system is the closest thing alternative medicine has to being described as a complete system.
Individuals seeking livelihoods in alternative medicine are increasingly seeking professional training with established educational facilities and under the general cover of Naturopathy.
The principles of Naturopathy specify that there are four basic compounds that make up good health:
Clean air
Clean water
Cleaned food from a clean good earth
Exercise in the right amounts
The various forms or categories or fields of Naturopathy concentrate on these four components, often combining them in order to restore their patient to good health. Naturopaths believe that if the four compounds are balanced and perfect condition, than the body’s natural ability to heal itself will be active. They also believe that the four compounds can seldom be in perfect condition and consequently it is normal for disease to occur. Recognizing that disease occurs because of a lack of purity in one a more of the compounds they also believe that correcting the impurity can lead back to a healthy body.
Naturopaths pay particular attention to that portion of the body, which facilitates the absorbtion of nutrients, which of course is the digestional system. They pay particular attention to the condition of the bowels, because it is in the bowels that nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. They also recommend frequent and short fasts to cure anything from a bout with the flu to a general cleansing of the system. They recommend a diet rich in whole foods, low alcohol intake, and a restricted intake of fats, sugars and salt.
Naturopaths believe that over toxicity in the bowels is the root of many illnesses. It is this theory that bacterial toxins located in the bowels have a tendency to grow out of control in which case an over toxicity occurs with the subsequent diminishing of the immune system. A rather constant amount of attention is recommended by naturopaths to keep the gut clear of excessive toxins while at the same time promoting a healthy level of friendly bacteria. Some naturopaths recommend the cleansing of the gut through the use of a colonic irrigation, also known as Colon Hydrotherapy.
CLEAN AIR
One of the basic components of naturopaths’ basic set of principles is clean air. Significant effort is encouraged in order to create an environment, especially in the home in which the air is pure.
Once clean air is assured proper breathing of the air is essential. As they say, good breathing leads to good relaxation. There are a number of breathing exercises and techniques, which are recommended. Long deep breaths is one of the primary recommendations, which is designed to expand the rib cage, widen the air paths, and even ionize the air as it passes into the respiratory system.
HYDROTHERAPY
Hydrotherapy also known as colonic irrigation, is utilized as it technique for removing toxic waste and impacted feces from the inner regions of the bowels. If performed properly hydrotherapy can be effective in cleansing the system. However, it is not the same as in enema and is significantly more dangerous. It should only be carried out with the guidance of the trained practitioner and with full awareness of any potential side effects. Because the bowel is cleansed of all forms of debris including good and bad bacteria, supplements of good bacteria are essential after the procedure. The intake or ingestion of supplemental good bacteria is to repopulate the gut with new healthy good bacteria.
Many practitioners refuse to use hydrotherapy because of its potential danger. They do recommend cleansing of the bowels and recommend alternative methods of taking supplements orally which are comprised of certain special fibrous materials, which works as well as hydrotherapy.
DIET
More and more discussion is taking place regarding the value of a well-rounded sensible diet. When naturopaths talks about good diet, they are referring to a diet with whole food, live food, unprocessed food, all of which are as organically grown or bread as possible. As in other professions there is controversy regarding percentages of protein, raw foods, plant vs. animal food, etc., etc.. However, few disagree that tea, coffee, alcohol, refined and processed foods should be avoided.
Often elimination diets are used as a means of identifying foods to which there is an allergic reaction. Illumination diets are merely a structured elimination of foods one at a time from the diet noticing change in the system and body and then re-introducing the food into the diet observing once again any change.
Macrobiotics is a diet promoted by many naturopaths. The principles of macrobiotics dictate that only locally grown whole grains, seeds, and plant foods should be eaten. Foods are broken into two groups the yin and the yang.
FASTING
Fasting is not starving, it merely indicates elimination of solid food for specific period of time. Liquids in some form must be taken during all fasts. Naturopaths strongly favor fasts as a way of serving one of several purposes:
To cleanse a system of poisons
To enhance immune system functioning
To give the digestive system a rest in order for it to rejuvenating itself
Fasting is highly recommended for acute problems of skin rashes and digestive problems. Short fasts, lasting no longer than 48 hours can be carried out by most healthy individuals without supervision. It is recommended that strict supervision take place in fasts lasting longer than three days especially if the patient is chronically ill.
