Naturopathy is a form of healthcare that combines modern treatment with traditional methods. It includes alternative, natural therapies to modern medicine.

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Naturopathy focuses on:

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• the body’s capacity to heal itself

• preventing health problems

• a personal responsibility to optimize health

Naturopathic treatment plans focus on education and prevention. They often emphasize diet, exercise, and stress management. 

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What is naturopathy?

Naturopathy uses a series of principles and beliefs to create individual treatment plans.

These principles and beliefs are: 

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• Self-healing: Identifying and removing obstacles to recovery, allows for natural healing.

• Underlying symptoms: Rather than stopping symptoms, a naturopathic doctor can resolve underlying physical or mental issues by treating the body, mind, and spirit.

• Harmless treatment: Treatment plans should not have harmful side effects or control symptoms negatively.

• Holistic treatment: A naturopathic doctor must recognize individuality to treat all aspects of a person’s health effectively.

• Education in treatment: Naturopathic doctors teach self-care to help empower people against ill health.

• Prevention: It is good to remove toxic substances from a lifestyle to prevent problems from arising. 

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Therapies may include acupuncture, herbal medicine, and homeopathy.

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Possible treatments

Naturopathic doctors design medical care plans to suit individual needs and health conditions. This means the treatment plans they offer can vary, but they all follow similar principles.

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Most treatments include food and nutrition. A naturopathic doctor will customize recommendations for the individual.

A diet plan will typically use whole foods, for example, fruit, vegetables, lean meat, and whole grains.

 

The doctor may also offer advice on maximizing nutritional value by eating seasonal, local food. Some believe  food is better for the body when consumed raw, rather than cooked.

Treatments a naturopathic doctor may offer:

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• diet and nutrition recommendations

• behavioral change, such as exercise and lifestyle

• homeopathy, a type of natural medicine

• hydrotherapy, which is water-based treatment

• manipulative therapy, for instance, putting pressure on certain parts of the body to establish balance

• herbal dietary supplements

• detoxification

• psychotherapy