In this article, you will discover what naturopathy is in detail: its principles, its history, its benefits, the work of the naturopath, how to choose a naturopath and finally, the contraindications to naturopathy.

Still confidential a short time ago, naturotherapy rapid growth in recent years and tends to impose itself in the landscape of unconventional medicine.

Recognized by the WHO (World Health Organization) as the 3rd traditional medicine, alongside Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine, naturotherapy is a holistic medicine, which takes into consideration all aspects of the person and seeks to act, not on the symptom, but on the cause.

First and foremost preventive medicine, naturotherapy aims to maintain and / or restore health by natural means. The naturopath seeks to restore the capacities of self-healing inherent in each one and his approach consists in relying on the strong points in order to counterbalance the weaknesses. To this end, it establishes a vitality assessment, which is not a diagnosis but which intends, by various means, to measure the level of vitality, to estimate the overloads and deficiencies in order to stimulate and strengthen these capacities.

The naturopath has a double mission, that of therapist, which allows the person to regain health and that of health educator, by which he gives advice on vital hygiene, with the aim that the person maintains health on the long term. A naturopath should not create dependency with his clients but on the contrary guide them on the path to health by making them actors of their own health, in an autonomous way.

The main principles

It is based on 4 fundamental pillars which are as follows:

Primum does not harm

First, do no harm. Hippocrates thus underlined it “In front of the diseases, to have two things in the mind: to do good, or at least not to do bad”. The doctor’s role is to observe and support the symptoms which are often a sign that the healing process is underway. Removing the symptoms can cause more harm than good. We speak of “morbid transference”: the cause is still there, we reduce its expression to silence, it will return to another organ, generally amplified.

Medicatix force of nature

Nature has its own healing power. A healthy human body has in it a self-healing capacity which allows it to regain health on its own. At the heart of the living organism are the life forces that make it possible to achieve this. The role of the doctor or therapist is to facilitate access to these forces by discovering and removing the obstacles that stand in the way.

take the case

Discover and treat the cause. Going even further, Hippocrates said “Seek the cause and treat it, find the cause of the cause and treat it, find the cause of the cause and treat it”. The role of the naturopath is therefore not to try to act on the symptom but to go back to the cause of the pathology and to act on the latter so as to restore the natural balance and ensure that the symptom no longer has to be expressed.

teach

Teach. The naturopath teaches his patient the rules of functioning of his body and teaches him to take care of it in a natural way. The rules of vital hygiene concern all areas of life and consider the interactions that exist between the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual planes. Each plan is to be taken into consideration to regain and maintain perfect health.

Supporting these 4 pillars, the naturopath has 10 techniques that he uses in synergy, always as part of a cure, but not necessarily exhaustively. The 3 major, fundamental techniques are nutrition, physical exercise and mental management. A naturotherapy consultation necessarily includes recommendations in these 3 areas.

The other 7 techniques, which are not necessarily used every time are techniques are hydrology, biokinesis (also called organ gymnastics), reflexology, manual techniques, phytology, pneumology and magnetism.

There are no clinical trials with results that would demonstrate the effectiveness of naturotherapy as an integrated system. But several techniques and approaches used in naturotherapy have been the subject of clinical trials (nutrition, balneotherapy, aromatherapy, gemmotherapy, colon hydrotherapy, fasting, etc.).

However, phytotherapy (or herbalism) remains the discipline which, in naturotherapy, has been the subject of the greatest number of scientific studies. In 2003, a review of systematic reviews of clinical trials involving complementary therapies revealed that, out of 34 reviews analyzed, 20 related to the use of medicinal plants1. The supplements commonly used by naturopaths are particularly used against high cholesterol2 levels and infectious agents.

Improve the symptoms of PMS

Changing your diet can help reduce some of the symptoms associated with PMS. For example, a study has shown the impact of vitamin D and calcium on triggering this syndrome.

To lose weight

The naturopath will carry out an assessment of the individual. Depending on the profile that emerges, he will propose completely adapted measures to facilitate weight loss. The overall care (food, physical …) will allow the individual to adopt a new lifestyle favorable to the elimination of fat.

Strengthen the immune system and fight against allergies

Very often, allergies are due to a dysfunction of the immune system. However, naturotherapy can deeply correct disorders related to the immune system. Dietary and nutritional measures and the use of certain natural remedies will improve allergies by strengthening the individual’s immune system.

Fight against osteoarthritis

The evolution of the osteoarthritis process is closely associated with the lifestyle of the individual. Additionally, some herbs like devil’s claw and ginger have been shown to reduce pain and symptoms of osteoarthritis. More generally, a change in diet can reduce inflammation and improve the quality of life of individuals with osteoarthritis.

Help quitting smoking

The naturopath can offer the individual several kinds of measures aimed at making it easier to quit smoking. For example, certain plants like Kudzu help calm addiction since it stimulates the production of dopamine. In addition, certain plants and supplements can improve withdrawal symptoms such as magnesium for fatigue or St. John’s wort which acts as an antidepressant.

In states where the practice is recognized, naturopaths are considered to be true primary care physicians capable of treating both crisis situations and chronic disorders. They could be compared to general practitioners, who can order or perform examinations, make diagnoses, prescribe and administer treatments, and even perform minor surgeries such as removing a wart or suturing a wound. If they feel that care outside their area of ​​expertise is required, they will refer the patient to specialists (doctors, surgeons, osteopaths, homeopaths, etc.).

In other countries, naturopaths are considered health advisers. They intervene above all to counter minor problems which do not require the care of “advanced medicine”, and to combat chronic and degenerative diseases. They favor the typical approaches of naturotherapy, such as nutritherapy and lifestyle changes.

It should be noted that naturopaths sit more and more often on working committees responsible for supervising medical research and the development of public health policies at the initiative of medical and government authorities.

Naturopathic training

In North America, there are six educational institutions whose programs are accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education. This organization is recognized by the states, territories and provinces where naturotherapy is regulated. Two of these schools are located in Canada and four in the United States. Another American school is in the process of accreditation (see Sites of interest).

All these institutions offer a full-time four-year university education, ie at least 4 hours, leading to the title of doctor in naturotherapy. At the end of their training, students must pass the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners exam before obtaining a license entitling them to practice.

The training of naturopaths varies somewhat from country to country, but generally includes courses in medical sciences (biology, anatomy, physiology, immunology, etc.), clinical medicine (diagnostics, laboratory, naturopathic principles, etc. ) and specialized techniques (nutritherapy, homeopathy, phytotherapy, hydrotherapy, Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, etc.). In Germany, training in naturotherapy is already integrated with that of doctors and pharmacists. It also trains practitioners specializing in naturotherapy, the heilpraktikers.

Where there are no regulations governing the practice of naturotherapy, as is the case in Quebec, various schools and organizations offer all kinds of courses. Some offer very minimal training, while others, whose curriculum is similar to that of recognized institutions, can produce excellent health counselors. However, these cannot qualify for obtaining a naturopathic license which would be valid where the practice is recognized.

The work of the naturopath

A visit to a naturopath is like a visit to a traditional clinic. However, the naturopath will probably ask you more questions about your general health, your lifestyle, your eating habits and even your stress level at work …

In fact, he will try to find the root causes of your discomfort before intervening. For example, a recurring headache will not be treated a priori with analgesics. Before proposing a treatment, the naturopath will ask himself where the headache comes from: a musculoskeletal disorder, a nutritional problem (a low sugar level, for example), a lack of sleep, excessive stress… And of course, the treatments offered will conform to the naturopathic approach.

Where the law allows the practice of naturopathy, professional associations can provide a register of their members. Elsewhere, it is necessary to assess the competence of the therapist oneself by checking whether he is part of a professional association, what his training has been and by asking for references.

The first visit usually lasts an hour to an hour and a half. The following visits are 30 to 40 minutes. A growing number of insurance companies cover the costs of consulting naturopathic doctors. You have to check with your insurer.

Choosing a good naturopath

In order to choose a good naturopath, it is necessary to make sure that he is well qualified. The Medoucine site is responsible for listing trusted naturopathic graduates, all of whom have signed a code of ethics.

Contraindications to naturopathy

Naturotherapy is a medicine for everyone, regardless of their age or physical condition. Indeed, the earlier the prevention is carried out in life, the more quickly the disorders are treated after their appearance, the greater the chances of restoring a state of health. Ideally, naturotherapy should be practiced from an early age, when acute pathologies are expressed and when the vital force is at its maximum.

However, even if they are natural, the means offered by naturopathy are nonetheless effective and effective. That is why there are contraindications that fully depend on the profile of the individual. For example, for pregnant women, many essential oils are not recommended. It is the same for people with fragile intestines, children, babies.

Heir to Hippocrates, physician from ancient Greece, in the XNUMXth century BC, naturotherapy was practiced in the West until the beginning of the XNUMXth century and the addition of chemical drugs which profoundly modified medical practice and made fall into disuse traditional medicines.

From the end of the XNUMXth century, when all the sciences experienced a fabulous boom, medicine discovered and integrated a host of empirical approaches ranging from homeopathy to hypnosis, including the pharmacopoeias of various cultures. In the United States, the eclectic medicine movement uses many medical approaches from old Europe, Asia, and Native American peoples. A variety of herbal preparations were also very popular with the doctors of the time.

It is in this vein that the German Benedict Lust (1870-1945), who was a doctor, osteopath and chiropractor, officially founded naturotherapy after having emigrated to the United States. In 1902, he inaugurated the first naturotherapy school in New York, teaching hydrotherapy, herbalism, nutrition, physiotherapy, physiology, psychology and a host of other therapeutic techniques.

Thus, in the first quarter of the twentieth century, a few dozen naturopathic medicine schools were opened in the United States, offering courses lasting from two to four years. These training courses were often associated with advanced courses in homeopathy or chiropractic, medical techniques which were also experiencing significant growth at that time.

At the same time as this proliferation, a medicine more focused on so-called “heavy” surgical interventions and on synthetic drugs from the nascent pharmaceutical industry was developing. This approach, perceived as being more “scientific”, ended up winning the favor of the medical schools of the great universities of the West. This is the direction medicine took in the decades that followed. Only doctors trained in medical schools are then allowed to diagnose and treat diseases. Result: the majority of naturopathic schools are closing their doors.

However, from the 1970s, naturotherapy experienced a resurgence in popularity with the public. Some American universities are even starting to offer a solid four-year course. It is the arrival of a new generation of naturopaths.

Naturotherapy has gained some recognition over the years. In 1983, the World Health Organization recommended that medical authorities in all countries integrate naturotherapy into public health services. In 1994, the United States government allocated a budget for scientific research against AIDS to Bastyr University, one of the leading naturotherapy schools in North America.

True holistic medicine, naturopathy has a dimension that is both curative and above all preventive. In the sense of true prevention, that which aims to maintain an optimal state of health by all the means that Nature puts at your disposal. By learning from an early age to live according to the immutable laws of the Living, we avoid creating imbalances that lead to disease.

This is why naturopathy is a global discipline, because eating well is not enough and does not make sense if you are also sedentary and stressed, if you are unhappy in love or overworked at work, … The naturopath is not therefore limited to a few standardized advice in a particular field but takes into consideration all the aspects that make up your life: you in your environment.

Even if the scale of the changes to be implemented may seem too immense to be feasible, it is necessary to take the naturopathic health practitioner as a guide who will accompany you on a life more in phase with your deep needs, that it goes through a upheaval. immediate or small changes over the long term. Your therapist listens to your needs, your means (not just financial), your pace and adapts to them so that the advice you receive is in line with them. A naturopathic consultation is unique because you are unique.