| Naturopathic Medicine, or Naturopathy,
is a system of medicine that uses natural substances
to treat the patient and recognition that the patient's
mental, emotional, and physical states must all be treated
for a lasting effect. The therapies used to support
and stimulate the healing power of nature are always
gentle, least invasive. The medicine is useful for treating
chronic as well as acute diseases.
In Naturopathy the naturopaths assume that many diseases,
including cancer, are caused by faulty immune systems.
This immune system is the body's own set of mechanisms
that attack anything that isn't "self." Where
only in some cases rather than attack "foreign
bodies" such as viruses, fungus, or bacteria, the
immune response goes haywire and the body attacks it
own cells.
Our body is made up of cells, some of which continuously
die and are replaced by new ones. The old dead cells
are foreign material to the body and need to be eliminated.
In addition, processes of the living cells also generate
toxic wastes due to metabolic reactions.
Unnatural means - Wrong ways of life also cause production
of excess toxins. When these toxins are not eliminated
at a reasonably fast rate, a diseased condition is created.
Naturopathy is often, if not always, practiced in combination
with other forms of "alternative" health practice.
Much of the advice of naturopaths is sound, e.g., exercise,
quit smoking, eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables,
practice good nutrition, etc.
Naturopathy views the body as a self preserving form
that tries to heal itself. Diseases and illnesses are
viewed as natural responses of the body to harmful stimuli
and lifestyle. Naturopaths seek to find the underlying
causes of imbalances that lead to disease and prescribe
various therapies for returning the body to a state
of homeostasis
The therapeutic modalities usare herbal medicine, homeopathy,
nutrition, hydrotherapy, food, exercise therapy, physical
therapy, manipulation of the bony and soft tissues,
lifestyle and counseling. The medicine treats the patient
from the preventive stage through to serious, chronic
and debilitating disease. Therefore, people can go to
Naturopaths for colds, bronchitis, allergies, as well
as for heart disease, diabetes, and malignant diseases.
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