Types of Treatment

American Naturopathic medicine offers many different treatments to help with overall health and different health issues. These treatments mix traditional knowledge with modern science. Some common ones are:

Occupational Therapy

This is a type of therapy that helps people of all ages to participate in the things they want and need to do, through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. This unique approach helps people to live life to its fullest by promoting health and preventing, or living better with, injury, illness, or disability.

Aromatherapy

This is a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extracts to promote health and well-being. It uses aromatic essential oils medicinally to improve the health of the body, mind, and spirit.

Hydrotherapy

Also known as water therapy, hydrotherapy involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. It encompasses a broad range of approaches and therapeutic methods that take advantage of the physical properties of water.

Acupuncture

This is a form of treatment that involves inserting very thin needles through a person's skin at specific points on the body, to various depths. It is most commonly used to treat pain.

Physical Therapy

Also known as physiotherapy, physical therapy involves the treatment, healing, and prevention of injuries or disabilities. Physical Therapy helps to relieve pain, promote healing, and restore function and movement.

Herbal Medicine

This is a type of treatment that involves using plants or plant extracts that may be eaten or applied to the skin. It has been used for medical purposes since prehistoric times.

Nutritional Counseling

This is a type of assessment made by health professionals that analyzes various health needs regarding diet and exercise. A nutritional counselor helps people to set achievable health goals and teaches various ways of maintaining these goals throughout their lifetime.

Principles of Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic medicine in North America is defined not by a particular modality, but by a set of principles. In 1989, the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians adopted these six principles to unify their approach to clinical care, regardless of therapeutic or preventive modality.

Vis Medicatrix Naturae

Naturopathic medicine emphasizes nature's inherent healing abilities in plants and animals. The naturopathic doctors assists in creating conditions that best enhance this natural healing process.

Tollo Causa

Tollo Causa often written as tolle causam, and naturopathic doctors aim to diagnose and treat the root cause of illness, not just the symptoms. Removing the cause eliminates the effect.

Primum Non Nocere

"First, Do No Harm" emphasizes using methods and medicines that minimize unnecessary risks and side effects. However, serious illnesses often require more invasive interventions, like drugs or surgery, which is also considered in the context of doing no harm.

Docere

Naturopathic doctors educate patients, promote selfresponsibility for health, and value the doctor-patient relationship, acknowledging its therapeutic potential.

Treat the Whole Person

Naturopathic doctors acknowledge the complex interaction of environmental factors in health and disease. They view bodily systems as interconnected and consider the patient's physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, and spiritual factors.

Prevention

Naturopathic doctors focus on optimal health, prioritizing disease prevention through education, risk factor assessment, and heredity considerations. They partner with patients to provide interventions and lifestyle guidance to prevent illness.

References
  1. Logan, A. C., Goldenberg, J. Z., Guiltinan, J., Seely, D., & Katz, D. L. (2018). North American naturopathic medicine in the 21st century: Time for a seventh guiding principle–Scientia Critica. *Explore*, *14*(5), 367-372.
  2. American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. (2024, March). Principles of Naturopathic Medicine. Retrieved from https://naturopathic.org/page/PrinciplesNaturopathicMedicine
  3. icon source: https://www.flaticon.com/