Naturopathic Medicine
Also called “naturopathy” was created by Benedict Lust. Born in Germany in the late 1800′s, Dr. Lust traveled to America and carried with him initially the teachings of Father Kneipp’s water cure which helped restore his own health. In the early 1900′s, he started treating patients with the water cure and included massage. He gave instruction on this and this was the beginning of The American School of Naturopathy, in New York. His experience at the New York Homeopathic medical college, New York Eclectic medical college, and Universal College of Osteopathy of New York made him realize that all people would benefit from receiving the combination of all the methods of health care. Dr. Lust did not believe in specific therapy rather, that the training of a doctor/practitioner was to encompass all treatments that helped Nature within the body. With that belief, a naturopathic student is taught all the sciences required, Hydrotherapy, Massage, Nutrition, Phytotherapy, Counseling, Osteopathic/Chiropractic manipulation, Homeopathy, all classic medical training, Naprathy & exercise (which is now called sports medicine). Earlier, Iridology was a taught but then removed.
A Naturopathic Physician/doctor/practitioner attends a 4-year graduate level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all the same basic sciences as an MD/DO but also studies holistic and non-toxic approaches to therapy with a strong emphasis on prevention and optimizing wellness. They use Nature as their guide, and utilize the body’s natural healing capabilities. There is never a focus on disease, just the person.
In addition to the standard medical training, ND’s are required to complete 2 years of clinical training. In 1929, Naturopathic medicine was seen all across the United States and seen as a comparable degree to MD/DO in Washington DC.
Hydrotherapy
is the use of water to illicit the natural healing ability of the body. It is the oldest form of treatment for the body. Developed in the 1800′s by Father Kneipp, a German priest and carried to America by Benedict Lust, water was used to treat many ailments. Water use was multi-faceted. Hot, cold, body temperature, with/without herbs, sprays or showers, compresses, baths, etc; each had their own function to help the body repair and return it to the “normal state.”
European Biological Medicine
is homeopathy and isopathy, which helps support the entire body and helps remove any barriers that may be preventing one from maximizing their genetic potential. It regulates internal ecology, supports beneficial micro-flora, improves immune function, supports organ/organ system function, removes (detoxifies) lifestyle and environmental blockages, and reduces the effects of biochemical stress.
Whole Food Nutrition
Apart from being in-tune with nature, what you eat and how you eat it is probably the most important thing you will do everyday of your life. Only food should supports one’s body, no “food-like” substances nor fractions of foods, this includes vitamins and minerals.
Applied Kinesiology
Applied Kinesiology – Founded by Dr. George Goodheart, Applied kinesiology links the physics of body movement and muscle testing to health and healthcare. It gives licensed health professionals an additional diagnostic tool to enhance their examination skills. The International College of Applied Kinesiology offers a quality control label for AK education and research. It restricts high quality AK education to licensed professionals only and promotes an AK Certification delivered by the International Board of Examiners. Applied Kinesiology is performed by health care professionals only.
Applied Kinesiology can be divided into two distinct parts.
One is an aid in assessment. Muscle testing is used help assess what is functioning abnormally. This can be a problem with the nervous system, the lymphatic drainage, the vascular supply to a muscle or organ, a nutritional excess or deficiency, a problem with the cranial-sacral – TMJ mechanism, an imbalance in the meridian system or a host of other problems. The second part of Applied Kinesiology involves the treatment phase. here, Dr. Goodheart and others in the International College of Applied Kinesiology have adapted different treatment methods to the problems that have been diagnosed. From nutrition to chiropractic manipulation to osteopathic cranial techniques to acupuncture – meridian therapies to myofascial techniques to nervous system coordination procedures to some of the latest theories in medicine involving control of the vascular and nervous system may be employed to balance the malfunction found in the patient.
Applied Kinesiology borrows from many different disciplines and through the use of accurate, scientific muscle testing, in addition to the basic knowledge of the practitioner, helps direct the care to exactly what the patient’s needs are instead of what the practitioner does.
Phytotherapy/Herbs
is the use of flowers, leaves, resins, and roots to promote the body’s healing and natural functions. For thousands of years, humans as well as animals, used the plants around them to heal what ailed them. Each plant has specific qualities that can help with specific actions of the body with little to no side effects.
*Naturopathic Medicine, as defined by the U.S. Department of Labor is to “diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases using a system of practice that is based on the natural healing capacity of individuals. May use physiological, psychological or mechanical methods. May also use natural medicines, prescription or legend drugs, foods, herbs, or other natural remedies.”Naturopathic doctors train at four-year, post-graduate naturopathic medical schools that are accredited by an agency of the United States Department of Education. Sixteen states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands regulate naturopathic medicine.