Therapeutic Order
These are guidelines used by naturopathic doctors to make treatment decisions. The goal is always to use the least force necessary to stimulate a change towards health.
- Establish foundations of health
- Stimulate the healing power of nature
- Address weakened or damaged systems
- Correct structural integrity
- Address pathology using natural substances
- Address pathology using pharmaceuticals
- Suppress or surgically remove pathology
Foundations of health
This refers to the basic building blocks that are needed to sustain or promote one’s health. The foundations are often the first place a naturopathic doctor will start to move someone out of a disease state and into a more vital one. The foundations of health always include things like nutritious food, clean water, regular physical activity, adequate sleep, family/social life, and spiritual beliefs. In addition to the basic list things like art, meditation, time in nature, etc. may play an important part in your life. We will work to determine which foundations are important to you and help to establish any missing pieces.
Vitalism
Vitalistic naturopathic medicine is rooted in the Laws of Nature, which must always be observed and followed. It assumes that the human body is an intelligent being that is always making the best choice it can, given the conditions that it is dealing with. Vitalism looks for the ordered and predictable ways that we as human beings respond to our environment and use this information to guide the body, mind, and soul towards health using the least force required.
Naturopathic Principles
- First Do No Harm (Primum Non Nocere): Naturopathic physicians follow three guidelines to avoid harming the patient.
- Utilize methods and medicinal substances which minimize the risk of harmful side effects, using the least force necessary to diagnose and treat.
- When possible, avoid the harmful suppression of symptoms.
- Acknowledge, respect, and work with the individual’s self-healing process.
- Identify and Treat the Cause (ToIle Causam): The naturopathic physician seeks to identify and remove the underlying causes of illness, rather than to merely eliminate or suppress symptoms.
- The Healing Power of Nature (Vis Medicatrix Naturae): Naturopathic medicine recognizes an inherent self-healing process which is ordered and intelligent. Naturopathic physicians act to identify and remove obstacles to healing, and to facilitate this inherent self-healing process.
- Treat the Whole Person (Tolle Totum): Naturopathic physicians treat each patient by taking into account individual physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, and spiritual factors.
- Doctor as Teacher (Docere): Naturopathic physicians educate their patients and encourage self-responsibility for health.
- Prevention (Praevenire): Naturopathic physicians emphasize the prevention of disease by assessing risk factors, heredity, and susceptibility to disease. The doctors make appropriate interventions in partnership with their patients to prevent illness.
Education
Naturopathic doctors (designated as ND or NMD) are experts in natural medicine with extensive graduate level didactic and clinical training. State licensing requires doctors to sit for national board examinations before they are able to obtain their license. An NMD is a licensed physician who is able to diagnose and treat illness using both natural and conventional medicines and modalities. For more information about naturopathic doctors and their training, please visit the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) web site at https://www.naturopathic.org/natfaqs.