Naturopathic medicine is a distinct primary health care system that blends modern scientific knowledge with traditional and natural forms of medicine. The naturopathic philosophy is to stimulate the healing power of the body and treat the underlying cause of disease. Symptoms of disease are seen as warning signals of improper functioning of the body, and unfavourable lifestyle habits. Naturopathic Medicine emphasizes disease as a process rather than as an entity.
Treating both acute and chronic conditions, naturopathic treatments are chosen based on the individual patient – their physiological, structural, psychological, social, spiritual, environment and lifestyle factors. In addition to diet and lifestyle changes, natural therapies including botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, naturopathic manipulation and traditional Chinese medicine/acupuncture, may also be used during treatments.
In Canada, the naturopathic medical profession’s infrastructure includes accredited educational institutions, professional licensing, national standards of practice, participation in many federal health committee initiatives, and a commitment to state-of-the-art scientific research.
Please click on the images below to discover more about naturopathic medicine treatments & principles.
I’ve heard of naturopathic medicine before but I didn’t know it was a blend of scientific knowledge and natural forms of medicine until I came across this site. It seems like something worth trying since it seeks to find the underlying health problems and use the bodies own defenses to correct it. I’ll have to try this holistic approach to healing the next time I have a health problem. Thanks for the interesting article.
That’s great John! Yes there are many misconceptions around what naturopathic medicine is, and We’re glad we were able to shed some light on it for you. We like to think of what we do as integrative medicine because what we do works best when combined with conventional medicine, physical therapies, and other modalities.