Interview by Raïssa Blankoff, naturopath

Sussana Czeranko is convinced of this: “naturopathy is based on the power of self-healing of each person and on the healing power of nature: air, fire, earth, water and plants, which would be effective in allowing the human body to find harmony.

In the past, naturopaths said that when you violate the laws of nature, you get sick. To help a patient regain good health, this involves investigating the causes of his illness, whether chronic or acute. Naturopathy focuses on restoring homeostasis, a physiological process that helps maintain certain constants in the body’s internal environment necessary for its proper functioning. Take fever, for example. Fever, in general, is “nature’s effort” to flush out toxins. It is an acute reaction that often allows the body to rid itself of an intruder, bacteria or virus. If we prevent this self-regulatory mechanism from taking place, the body will try to repeat it several times and if it is still prevented as much, its alert becomes chronic, and we would then fall into chronic disease. The body speaks and it is important to hear and understand it.

Here is an example of a disease that has become chronic: diarrhea. Diarrhea is the body’s effort to eliminate a virus or bacteria and restore a normal digestive system. If we prevent diarrhea with medication, we would not eliminate the cause of the diarrhea, but rather we would tend to push the body to raise the alarm a little later. Why ? Because what the body seeks to eliminate is always in the body. Naturopathy accepts the acute expression of the body, it sometimes even encourages it, it pushes the symptoms to speak, rather than trying to silence them, while accompanying the process of restoring homeostasis.

Dr. Henry Lindlahr (1862–1924), American physician and naturopath, author of key books on naturopathic medicine, established precise definitions of acute and chronic illness. According to him, chronic disease is the result of repetitive suppression of acute episodes. Chronic disease can occur in systems other than those in which acute disease has occurred several times. For example, an acute intestinal problem can trigger a skin problem or vaginal yeast infection. To be cured, it is advisable to let the first diseases express themselves until the end. Medicines erase the symptoms, while we should instead encourage the body to use its own resources or water, surrounding plants, breathing, sleep, to regain its vitality and its capacity for self-healing. This is exactly the opposite of what allopathic medicine offers (= which includes drug treatments and natural medicines such as herbal medicine or aromatherapy for example). “