Naturopathy is a system of health care which encourages and promotes the body’s natural self-healing mechanisms using an eclectic approach. Natural methods such as fasting, diet, hydrotherapy, hygiene, mind/body interaction, massage, sunshine and therapies including nutrition, herbal medicine, acupuncture and homeopathy are often implemented. Naturopaths work alongside other health professionals such as your GP.
The 5 basic Principles of Naturopathy
The healing power of nature: given the right conditions, our Vital Force, Life Force or ‘Qi’ as it's known in Asia, is stimulated to self-correct. Since prevention is better than cure, Naturopaths emphasise how to promote health and vitality through self-healing rather than on how to suppress disease.
Treat the cause, not the symptoms: a full Case History is taken at the first appointment and the underlying causes of your illness investigated, whilst considering the unique physical, mental, genetic, environmental, social and emotional factors that affect you, as a ‘whole’ (third Principle).
Prevention is preferable to cure in order to keep your Life Force optimal at all times (fourth Principle) so educating you on how to better understand your health, maintain it and thus avoid getting sick (fifth Principle) is important to me. Therefore I use coaching tools and techniques to help identify realistic health and personal goals; address underlying ‘blocks’ and motivate you to achieve long-term change.
It’s my passionate belief that good health is more than the absence of disease – it’s having the capacity to live life to the full, in touch with the natural rhythms of nature; finding balance on physical, spiritual and mental levels. You’re encouraged to take responsibility for your own health – become empowered.
Why Naturopathy & how can it help you?
Naturopathy helps people with all sorts of health concerns – from infant to elderly; from acute (sudden onset) to chronic (long-term) illness; and from physical to psychological. It’s beneficial for fatigue, digestion & detoxification, stress. Naturopathic training provided me a wide range of tools with which to help patients looking for:
disease prevention and health promotion strategies
support with various symptoms you or other health practitioners have been unable to address
effective and supportive treatment options for improving quality of life for those diagnosed with serious illnesses
a way to potentially minimize side-effects of drugs, surgery or medical treatments, alongside which it can be used.
Naturopathic tools I use
Herbal preparations - there’s evidence that plants, notably herbs, have been highly valued as medicines since prehistoric times. I may recommend herbal preparations (like digestive bitters) or tinctures but do not formulate them myself.
Schuesslers Tissue Salts - also called biochemic or cell salts, Tissue Salts are a group of 12 minerals that should be present in our bodies, in a perfect balance, as a prerequisite for perfect health and well-being. Found naturally in the earth’s rocks and soil, Tissue salts are also present in organic foods grown in mineral-rich soils. However, the fast pace of modern life and consumption of processed junk foods means our bodies are often depleted, therefore susceptible to a wide range of ailments. Supplementing our diet with Tissue Salts promotes good health and benefits many specific issues, including digestive conditions. Inexpensive and readily available in tablet or liquid form, Tissue Salts are nature’s way of restoring vibrant health at a cellular level. Vibrational Medicines use subtle-energy fields (vibrational frequencies) to help restore and maintain well-being; re-alignment and re-balancing enables the natural magnetics of your Heart to radiate, optimising your energy and increasing intuition. Many, like acupuncture or meditation have gained widespread acceptance by individuals, schools, and health-care institutions. My favourites to use in practice are:
Bach Flower Essences - a collection of flower essences developed to support better emotional balance. Made from wild flowers and plants to ensure their full energetic healing potency, Bach Flower Remedies bring about energetic change on an emotional level. Helpful for balancing any negative emotions. They can work well with Energy Tapping (EFT) as well as with herbal medicine tinctures (they can blended together) - the key to taking essences being consistency, not quantity.
Homeopathy for First Aid - Homeopathy is a natural form of complementary medicine which encourages the body to heal itself. Practised worldwide for over 200 years, it's the second largest system of medicine in the world today (per WHO) and benefits a wide range of health conditions presented by people at all stages of life, even animals and plants. Useful for minor issues, such as cuts, bruises, coughs & colds; also long-term complaints, such as arthritis, asthma, migraine, chronic fatigue, depressed, eczema or IBS which haven't responded well to conventional medicine. It works on a ‘like cures like’ principle, meaning, a substance taken in minute amounts may resolve the same symptoms it causes. A person suffering from hayfever may benefit from a remedy which produces similar symptoms (watery eyes, runny nose). Homeopathic remedies are made tiny amounts of natural, plant and mineral substances which help stimulate the body’s natural healing ability. They are prepared in licensed laboratories under strict control, using a potentised process of repeated dilution and rigorous shaking. Remedies are usually in tablet form but liquids, powder or creams are also available. I like Homeopathy because it works well alongside conventional medicine, for example to support recovery after an operation and it's safe for people at all stages of life, including babies and pregnant or breast-feeding women. There are no dangerous side-effects and homeopathic medicines are non-addictive. It is available on the NHS in Scotland.
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