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What is Naturopathy?
In the dictionary, Naturopathic Medicine is defined as, “the integration of alternative practices such as Botanical Medicine, Homeopathy, Acupuncture, and Oriental Medicine with modern scientific diagnostic methods and standard of care.” In a few words, Naturopathy is the usage of natural methods and non-toxic remedies to improve or restore health.
Naturopathy has been around for centuries. The Chinese are known for their usage of acupuncture. The Greeks and especially Hippocrates described in their literature many Naturopathic principles like the usage and benefits of water, diet, massage, herbs and physical therapies. During the 19th century, Naturopathy was extensively developed with more than 20 Naturopathic schools in the United States (today there are only four). The practice of Naturopathic medicines declined as the use of pharmaceutical drugs increased. However, in the past several decades there has been a resurgence of interest in Naturopathy. Today there are more people consulting a natural health practitioner in the United States than their primary care practitioner.
Prevent and educate: Information and education are very important keys given to the patients to improve their quality of life. The Naturopath carefully and thoroughly explains to his patients how to eat better, how to exercise, and how to prevent most of the current diseases. This helps the patients to become more autonomous by a better understanding of how their bodies work. Thus, a typical Naturopathic consultation includes not only the recommendation of certain remedies, but also the explanation of the reasons the body may malfunctions. As a consequence, the patient becomes more and more knowledgeable and responsible for his own health.
Nutrition: Good nutrition is the foundation of good health. Naturopaths take a considerable time to explain to their patient how their diet is important to improve their health conditions. A personalized nutrition program is built with the patient to meet his personal needs depending of his health problems. Generally, improvements appear very quickly if the patient follows the diet recommendations faithfully.
Nutritional Therapy:
Only whole food based supplements are used to improve or restore one’s health. An unhealthy body has a lot of needs for supplements but only if when they are of the best quality can they be assimilated properly. Chemically made or extracted types of vitamins are at the most not efficient, at worst harmful.
Herbal Medicine:
Homeopathy:
Homeopathy is a 200-year-old practice developed by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. It is based of two main principles. The first one states that a substance that can cause certain symptoms when given to a healthy person can cure the same symptoms in someone who is sick. The second states that the more substance is diluted, the more potent it becomes. Homeopathy is a very useful technique that has its best results on chronic symptoms because it really works on the origins of the disease.
What can Naturopathy address?
Naturopathy can improve and/or resolve almost all types of health problems from acute to chronic symptoms. Indeed, there are limitations for Naturopathic medicine, as for any type of technique or method. Naturopathy doesn’t perform miracles. Today there is more scientific research conducted on natural remedies to understand how they work. More and more physicians are accepting the concept of Naturopathy. Naturopathy can help in certain areas where conventional medicine cannot. But, Naturopathy also needs the competence of conventional medicine. Naturopathy is in fact a complementary medicine. When naturopathic and conventional medicine work together, all the benefits accrue for the patients, and that is certainly the most important.
Beatrice Levinson is a Naturopath and submitted this article to MBHA as a member and Health and Wellness Educator of the Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance. For more information about membership, contact us or visit our website at www.montereybayholistic.com
Disclaimer: The Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance is a charitable, independent registered nonprofit 501(c)3 organization and does not endorse any particular products or practices. We exist as an educational organization dedicated to providing free access to health education resources, products and services. Claims and statements herein are for informational purposes only and have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The statements about organizations, practitioners, methods of treatment, and products listed on this website are not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This information is intended for educational purposes only. The MBHA strongly recommends that you seek out your trusted medical doctor or practitioner for diagnosis and treatment of any existing health condition.
What Are Essential Oils?
An essential oil is a concentrated liquid containing volatile aromatic compounds from a wide variety of plants, flowers, and herbs. Essential oils are made from berries, roots, stems and leaves of plants. There are more than 150 common essential oils that are used in a variety of ways, although many more oils exist. The term “essential” refers to the “essence” of the plant.
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Essential oils are generally created by distillation with steam, although other methods can be used to extract the oil. Essential oils are used in aromatherapy for healing. They are also used in perfumes, cosmetics, and cleaning products, and added to foods for flavoring.
HOW ARE ESSENTIAL OILS USED FOR HEALTH AND HEALING?
Essential oils are extensively used in aromatherapy and in combination with other holistic health practices such as massage or energetic healing. Essential oils have been found to have a wide variety of health benefits, and are currently being tested in laboratories by researchers for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases including:
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How Do Essential Oils Enter the Body?
Essential oils enter the body in three ways:
Some oils oils are strong in nature and can cause side effects if they are not taken in the appropriate manner and quantities. Some oils may cause allergic reactions. A complete patient history should be taken before applying essential oils. Always consult a medical practitioner before using these oils, internally or topically.
Applying Oils to the Skin
Essential oils can be very effective when applied to the skin. For example, an oil blend that contains black pepper (Piper nigrum) or ginger (Zinziber officinalis) essential oil can be applied to the skin to reduce arthritis pain and improve flexibility, or an oil that contains German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) can be applied to treat eczema. Many of the citruses oils are phototoxic. This means that particular compounds can become toxic when exposed to sunlight. This is not of concern when diffused or sprayed but when applied to the skin, it can be toxic. It is suggested, then that the person using phototoxic oils, is not exposed to the sun for at least 24 hours after applying the oil. Some oils need to be diluted, because they can be irritating when applied directly to the skin. A skin patch test should be conducted prior to using an essential oil that has never been used before.
Inhaling Essential Oils
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Inhaled essential oils can affect the body through several systems and pathways. The odor molecules travel through the nose and affect the limbic system, the emotional brain, often bringing relief and healing. If you are pregnant, epileptic, have liver damage, have cancer, or have any other medical problem, use essential oils only under the proper guidance of a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. Use extreme caution when using oils with children and give children only the gentlest oils at extremely low doses. It is safest to consult a qualified aromatherapy practitioner before using essential oils with children. A skin patch test should be conducted prior to using an essential oil that you’ve never used before.
Ingesting Essential Oils
Oral ingestion of essential oils is NOT recommended except under the strict guidance of a aromatherapist, medical doctor or health practitioner because many essential oils can be toxic to the liver or kidneys and the chemical breakdown in the stomach can change the effects of the essential oils. For information about the healing properties of oils, contact an aromatherapist. Essential oils should always be treated as medicine and should not be carelessly used or misused.
Common Types of Essential Oils
Some popular essential oils include the following:
Chamomile oil
Eucalyptus Staigeriana oil
Lemon oil
References
Battaglia, S. The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy, by The International Centre of Aromatherapy, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Kilina AV, Kolesnikova MB. The efficacy of the application of essential oils for the prevention of acute respiratory diseases in organized groups of children]. Vestn Otorinolaringol. 2011;(5):51-4. Russian. PMID: 22334926
Ross SM. Aromatic plants, spirituality, and sacred traditions II. Holist Nurs Pract. 2010 Nov-Dec;24(6):355-7. doi: 10.1097/HNP.0b013e3181fbb8b3. No abstract available. PMID: 21037460
Tisserand , Robert, and Blacas, Tony. Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals.
Woronuk G, Demissie Z, Rheault M, Mahmoud S. Biosynthesis and therapeutic properties of Lavandula essential oil constituents. Planta Med. 2011 Jan;77(1):7-15. doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1250136. Epub 2010 Jul 21. Review. PMID: 20665367
This article is written by Jean Voice Dart, M.S. Special Education from Illinois State University. Jean is a published author and has written hundreds of health articles as well as hosting a local television program, “Making Miracles Happen.” She is a Registered Music Therapist, Sound Therapist, and Master Level Energetic Teacher, and is the Executive Director, founder and Health and Wellness Educator of the Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance. The Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance is a registered 501 (c) 3 nonprofit health and wellness education organization. For more information about the Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance contact us or visit our website atwww.montereybayholistic.com. Images used in this article are free public domain from Pixabay.com orPublicdomainpictures.net Other images are credited.
Disclaimer: The Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance is a charitable, independent registered nonprofit 501(c)3 organization and does not endorse any particular products or practices. We exist as an educational organization dedicated to providing free access to health education resources, products and services. Claims and statements herein are for informational purposes only and have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The statements about organizations, practitioners, methods of treatment, and products listed on this website are not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This information is intended for educational purposes only. The MBHA strongly recommends that you seek out your trusted medical doctor or practitioner for diagnosis and treatment of any existing health condition.
Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance 