Naturopathy is an alternative
paradigm of medicine that focuses on nature's remedy and the body's intrinsic
ability to heal itself. Naturopathy replaces or greatly diminishes the use of
drugs, surgery and chemotherapy in favor of a holistic approach through the use
of mineral, diet, and lifestyle-based remedies. While Naturopathy has roots in
the Nature Cure movement in Europe, it is now practiced throughout the world,
with the most standardized practices in the United States and Canada.
Required Education
In the United States and in
Canada, a Naturopathic Doctor can received accreditation for the designation
through completion of a four year program of study at Naturopathic medical
school that includes not only the study of natural medicine, but also that of
conventional medicine and basic health sciences.
Practice
Naturopathy is premised on a
number of principles. These are; 1. Do not harm by providing the most effective
health care with the least amount of patient risk possible. 2. Recognize and
respect the self-healing power of nature. 3. Identify and remove the cause of
illness and don't simply alleviate symptoms. 4. Inspire and educate rational
self-responsibility for health. And 5. Consider and factor in all circumstances
for each individual's particular health.
Methods
Each Naturopath is trained and
specializes in different modalities of alternative treatment therapies. Some of
the more popular include acupuncture, applied kinesiology, botanical medicine,
color therapy, live blood analysis, and nutritional methods.
Naturopathy is not an
uncontroversial division of medicine but many have benefited greatly from
naturopathic therapies, including those undergoing mesothelioma cancer
treatment. Mesothelioma patients may find naturopathic medicine to be more
helpful than traditional invasive therapies like those described in our
mesothelioma treatment guide. Many patients have far-outlived initial the
mesothelioma prognosis through complementing traditional therapies with
naturopathic remedies or even foregoing traditional medicines altogether. It is
important to discuss the implementation of any non-traditional therapies into a
mesothelioma treatment regiment with your doctors to ensure they do not
adversely affect other treatments that may already be prescribed. Many patients
suffering with malignant mesothelioma have found Naturopathic medicine to be an
effective complement to traditional medicine.