What is Traditional Naturopathy?
Traditional naturopathy is a philosophy of life and an approach to living that incorporates a lifestyle as close to nature as possible. There have always been people who understood that healing occurs naturally in the human body when it is given what it truly needs: proper diet, pure water, fresh air, sunlight, exercise, and rest. These elements are the basic tenets of traditional naturopathy.
Traditionally, individuals who understood this principle have focused on helping the body establish its own condition of good health, rather than on overcoming a particular disease. Although the term “naturopathy” originated in the late 19th century, the art can be traced back through Germany into Greece, to Hippocrates himself, and even beyond. In the views of traditional naturopathy, good health encompasses far more than the absence of disease. Instead, it is a dynamic state in which body, mind, and spirit maintain an energetic equilibrium known as homeostasis.
“The original principles of naturopathy have always made sense to me, even as a child. The principles follow the laws as found in nature and, when applied, can assist a person to reclaim dignity and power in their healing process. Rather than covering symptoms and giving temporary relief, the actual practice of naturopathy allows the possibility of healing to occur from inside out.” —Janine Romaner, Natural Health Consultant
In an approach that often equates symptom and disease, allopathic philosophy holds that disease is often caused by external agents and cured when the offending agents, which cause the symptoms, are eliminated. The traditional naturopath sees a symptom as a signal that the body’s healthy balance has been upset. According to this philosophy, when a symptom alone is removed, it is most likely being suppressed and may return later in a chronic form.
The tenets of traditional naturopathy provide the foundation for the educational philosophy at Clayton College. As such, CCNH has been instrumental in promoting and formalizing the teaching and the practice of traditional naturopathy; today traditional naturopaths, using a variety of natural health modalities, comprise the largest group of natural health practitioners in the country.
While traditional naturopaths recognize the importance of allopathic healthcare in specific instances, they also understand that many accepted allopathic treatments may not truly promote homeostasis. These individuals who choose to put the philosophy of traditional naturopathy into practice may be known as traditional naturopaths, natural health practitioners, or community wellness educators. They understand and teach that true health can be achieved only when balance is restored.
Traditional Naturopaths Do
Recognizing that the disciplines of natural health, holistic health and wellness, and holistic nutrition are vitally important to one another and are all grounded in the philosophy of traditional naturopathy, we offer a broad education that will give students a wide variety of tools with which they can educate others. These take into account the effects of diet and lifestyle habits on body, mind, and spirit, as well as on the earth.
Education is celebrated in the Latin phrase docendo discimus: “by teaching, we learn.”
Adhering to the tenets of traditional naturopathy, the practitioner teaches clients how to live a healthy, holistic lifestyle by following these principles:
Do no harm. Primum non nocere is part of the Hippocratic oath. Traditional naturopaths do not use harmful, artificial substances such as drugs and pharmaceuticals; nor do they use invasive procedures, such as surgery.
Recognize the healing power of nature. Traditional naturopaths understand the body's innate capacity for self–healing. They educate clients in creating external and internal environments conducive to healing.
Find and eliminate the cause of poor health. Traditional naturopaths help clients evaluate lifestyle choices to identify both the cause of a problem and how to correct it.
Teach health. Traditional naturopaths teach clients how to achieve and maintain good health. They empower clients, enabling them to participate in the process of staying well.
Honor the total person. A person is never simply a headache, backache, or a sore throat. Except in the case of acute injury, seldom does any problem occur in isolation. Traditional naturopaths understand that people are interconnected physical, mental, and spiritual beings, and that one “dis-ease” affects all areas of life.
Prevent “dis-ease.” By teaching clients how to create homeostatic balance, naturopaths help others achieve future health as well.
Traditional Naturopaths Do Not
In teaching clients how to live a healthy, holistic lifestyle the practitioner who follows the principles of traditional naturopathy avoids certain allopathic practices:
Diagnose disease. Traditional naturopaths perform evaluations and assessments to determine the root cause of problems, but they do not diagnose disease.
Treat disease. Traditional naturopaths focus on health and education, not on treating any specific disease. Traditional naturopaths empower clients to create internal and external environments that are conducive to good health.
Prescribe drugs and pharmaceuticals. Many traditional naturopaths teach clients about herbs, homeopathic remedies, and the healing properties in foods and nutritional supplements. They do not prescribe drugs and pharmaceuticals.
Perform invasive procedures. Depending on the type and extent of their training, traditional naturopaths may use hands-on modalities such as reflexology or acupressure. There are traditional naturopaths who are also chiropractors or massage therapists, who may blend naturopathic modalities with those common to their other discipline. For example, this would include performing spinal adjustments if the naturopath is also a chiropractor. Naturopaths do not perform invasive procedures such as surgery of any kind. They do not give injections or draw blood.
The origin of “doctor” was in the Latin, docere: “to teach.”
