Nov 17, 2009

Natural Healing Wisdom and Know-How (Amy Rost) NOTES

|| N A T U R O P A T H Y ||

**Introduction:

A core aspect of this philosophy is that treatment must be individualized to meet

the needs of a particular patient. Treat the disease by treating the person.

Naturopathic medical students study all of the medical sciences, including

clinical and physical diagnosis, pathology, anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, and
pharmacology. They focus their art on counseling, nutrition, exercise
therapeutics, homeopathy, botanical medicine, hydrotherapy and physical therapies.
A naturopathic doctor differs from other physicians only in how s/he treats the
diagnosed illness and in what s/he does with the information gathered.

**Naturopathic Medical Philosophy:

Vis medicatrix naturae: The Healing Power of Nature

Both our human bodies and the earth's body have an innate wisdom that governs the
cycles of birth, growth, maturation, and decay. Bodily health is supported by
moving and living in harmony with these natural cycles.

Health is a result of balance which may be maintaned by what appear to be

destructive forces - fever and inflammation that restore the vitality of our
bodies.

Tolle Causum: Identify and Treat the Cause

Informed healthcare means learning to listen to the body and its early warning
signs. Body symptoms are markers of shifts and changes in the life processes.
Symptoms are the result of the body's trying to rebalance itself.

Chinese medicine refers to the treatment principles of [ben] and [biao] the
"roots" and "branches" of disease. The skillful physician learns to differentiate
between the deep seated causes and the peripheral manifestations of a disease. "To
treat a disease, find the root."

"First Do No Harm"
Rebalance the body with the least invasive treatments possible - dietary changes
and hydrotherapy to start. Simple treatments should be considered before surgeries
or expensive medicines. This also includes implementing treatments that nourish
and strengthen the body. For example, the Chinese often drink special teas and eat
certain foods at the change of each season to prepare the body for new
environmental conditions.

Doctor as Teacher: Docere - To Teach

The physician's primary function is to provide information, thus empowering people
to regulate their own health. The physician serves as a source of information for
emergencies or as a coach for reaching even higher levels of health.

Many people continue to operate in a paradigm engendered by the conventional

medical system: "I'm hurting. Give me a pill to take away the pain so I can
continue on with my life." Sometimes the patient's lifestyle is the cause of the
pain. Not all patients are interested in health or empowerment. For such patients,
drugs and surgery may be valid choices.
Prevention:
Preventative care requires studying health as closely as one studies the process
of disease. Return patients from prone to standing position through right action
to prevent medical and mental crisis. True preventative medicine requires making
daily investments in our health - eating foods that nourish our body, exercising,
developing loving relationships and supportive communities, contributing to the
health of the Earth.

Treat the Whole Person:

The cause of disease is almost always multifactorial. The treatment must be
multifaceted. Some patients need coaching to understand that their physical body
is intimately linked to their mental, emotional, and spiritual lives.

The healing process can often cause unresolved wounds from the past to resurface.
Such wounding may have occurred on the mental, emotional, or spiritual level.
Focusing on healing an aspect of the self can restimulate past hurts as well.

The Laws of Cure

Healing Occurs
- From inside to outside (organs to skin)
- From top to bottom (head to feet)
- From most recent to most distant (symptoms in reverse chronological order)
- From least important to most important organs.

NEXT TIME WE START WITH: Paradigm of Health and Disease