Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic Medicine is the practice of assisting in the health of patients
through the application of natural remedies. Most naturopaths consider their
care complementary, not supplementary,to the care a traditional medical
professional.

There are two types of healers who call themselves naturopaths, (1) refer to
themselves as traditional naturopaths, the other (2) hold naturopathic
medical degrees with licenses in 11 states. These two groups have recently
held much animosity toward each other and been in recent legal battles.
However, in Puerto Rico, they each hold separate licenses which allows both
their own different scopes of practice.

Traditional Naturopaths

There are two paths of practice. One is Traditional Naturopathy which
recognizes that the medical profession has value for individuals who are
injured, suffering from trauma, suffering from congenital or genetic
disorders, and otherwise need a highly trained individual who can intercede
to help them survive and recover. The traditional naturopath practices in a
complementary fashion by applying natural means to improve the patient's
health. Through application of good dietary and lifestyle practices,
combined with the addition of modalities such as herbalism, bodywork,
spirital and mental exercises, this type of naturopath enables an individual
to take ownership and better control of his or her own health and
well-being. Naturopaths consider these practices as being complementary
rather than alternative. Traditional naturopaths are trained to work with
individuals who can, by application of these techniques, either enhance or
regain their good health. Traditional naturopaths do not diagnose and they
do not treat diseases. For these, they rely on medical doctors.

Traditional naturopaths beleive there is a crucial relationship between the
body, mind, and spirit and by using methods and practices that they believe
have been successfully applied for centuries and in many societies,
traditional naturopaths attempt to empower individuals to regain ability to
live in the best possible state of health. Traditional naturopaths and
medical doctors can work with the same individual cooperatively in order to
help the patient recover.

Naturopathic Physicians

Naturopathic physican are primary care physicians with licenses in 11
states, they graduate from 4-year graduate schools and receive the same
basic science and clinical science training as allopathic medical doctors,
but receive different training with regard to modalities: nutrition,
botanical medicine, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, physical manipulation,
pharmacology, and minor surgery. Some naturopathic physicians have
additional training in natural chidbirth and/or acupuncture.

The basic tenets defining the profession are:

   * 1- The Healing Power of Nature

The healing power of nature, that the body has the ability to heal itself
and it is the physician's role to facilitate this natural process.

   * 2- Identify and Treat the Cause.

The underlying root causes of disease must be removed for complete healing
to take place. These root causes can exist at many levels: physical, mental,
emotional, and spiritual. It is the physician's role to identify this root
cause , in addition to alleviate suffering by treating symptoms.

   * 3- First Do No Harm

The process of healing includes the manifestations of symptoms, so that any
therapy that interferes with this natural healing process, by masking these
symptoms is considered suppressive and should be avoided. The natural life
force of the individual should be supported to facilitate healing.

   * 4- Treat the Whole Person

Every individual deserves a personalized healing plan, and all the complex
factors affecting a person's health and illness should always be considered.

   * 5- The Physician as Teacher

It is the role of the physician to educate an individual and encourage that
individual to take resposibility for their own health. This cooperative
relationship between doctor and patient is essential to healing.

   * 6- Prevention

The ultimate goal of the naturopathic physician is prevention. The emphasis
is on building health not fighting illness. This is done by fostering
healthy lifestyles.

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