6 Principles of Naturopathic Medicine

You may be wondering about naturopathic medicine, if it actually works, and how. The good news is that it does work. How it works is based on six principles that guide the practice.

Naturopathic medicine works on a fundamentally different basis than the traditional, mainstream medicine with which you may be more familiar. It follows certain principles to health and wellness which definitely do work when followed. 

Rachael O’Connell, ND, and the team at Nutura Clinic in Portland, Oregon, provide their patients with quality, natural care for both acute and chronic conditions. Dr. O’Connell helps you lead a balanced life through a blend of ancient and modern methods to encourage self-healing and longevity.

Read on to learn more about the principles that guide this practice.

The foundation of naturopathic medicine

The foundation of naturopathic medicine is considerably different from the mainstream approach. With the mainstream approach, you go to a doctor when you’re not feeling well. They diagnose the cause of your symptoms as best they can, and prescribe medication and/or treatment to help you feel better.

Naturopathic medicine addresses your whole body as a system. It looks at all the factors that might be influencing your health and seeks to bring them into balance. Your emotional and physical health are considered, as well as the health of your environment. 

The first difference you’ll notice is that your appointment with your doctor is much longer than an appointment with a traditional doctor. You’ll have plenty of time to describe what’s going on in your life. All of these factors help guide our team to an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

The 6 principles of naturopathic medicine

The six principles of naturopathic medicine guide the entire practice. These principles are the same regardless of which naturopathic medicine provider you see. They are as follows:

1. First do no harm

This may seem simple and obvious, like you would expect from any medical provider. But this is actually a big difference from mainstream medicine. Naturopathic medicine chooses the least invasive treatments in producing relief of your symptoms. 

We do sometimes use the best of mainstream medicine, such as blood tests and minor surgery. But these are never the first or only line of defense.

2. The healing power of nature

Naturopathic doctors believe that everything we need to heal our bodies is already found around and within us. Your body can heal itself; you just may need some help in finding out what your body needs.

3. Identify and treat the causes

This is one of the most major differences between mainstream and naturopathic medicine: finding the causes. Mainstream medicine often seeks to just alleviate the symptoms by whatever means necessary.

Naturopathic medicine seeks to find the root cause of your ailments. We view your body like any other system found in nature: When we can identify the root of what’s causing your symptoms, we can resolve the issue and often prevent it from coming back.

4. Doctor as teacher

Rather than viewing your doctor as an expert who knows more about your body than you do, naturopathic medicine views your doctor as a guide or teacher. This approach allows you to learn from your doctor about what your body’s symptoms mean and encourages you to become an active participant in your own healing.

5. Treat the whole person

You aren’t just the part of your body that’s causing symptoms. Instead, naturopathic doctors look at you from every perspective to get a good idea of you as a whole. Your physical, mental, social, and environmental health all make up a part of what’s affecting your overall wellness.

6. Prevention

You don’t want to get sick, and we don’t want you to feel sick. You’ll learn about all the ways you can keep your body in an optimal state so that you don’t experience being unwell as often. It’s about finding balance in all aspects of your life.

If you haven’t experienced the healing power of naturopathic medicine, it’s never too late to start. Contact Nutura Clinic today by calling our office or requesting an appointment online.