| Basic Principles of Complementary/ | | | | are applied in an ordered fashion congruent |
| Alternative Therapies | | | | with the internal order of the organism. |
| | | | |
| JUST AS MAINSTREAM MEDICINE has a fairly | | | | 4. Identify and Treat the Cause (Tolle |
| consistent approach to illness, so does | | | | causam) |
| al-ternative medicine. Most prevalent in | | | | |
| alternative medicine are the six naturopathic | | | | Illness does not occur without cause. |
| principles. In one form or another, these | | | | Underlying causes of disease must be |
| principles are revisited again and again | | | | discovered and removed or treated before a |
| throughout Section Two of this text. The | | | | person can recover completely from illness. |
| following principles are described by Dr. | | | | Symptoms are expressions of the body's |
| Catherine Downey and excerpted from her | | | | attempt to heal, but they are not the cause |
| chapter on naturopathic medicine. | | | | of disease; therefore naturopathic medicine |
| | | | addresses itself promptly to the underlying |
| 1. The Healing Power of Nature (Vis medicatix | | | | causes of disease, rather than symptoms. |
| naturae) | | | | Causes may occur on many levels, including |
| | | | physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual. |
| The body has the inherent ability to | | | | The physician must evaluate fundamental |
| establish, maintain and restore health. The | | | | underlying causes on all levels, directing |
| healing process is ordered and intelligent: | | | | treatment at root cause rather than at |
| nature heals through the response of the life | | | | symptomatic expression. |
| force. The physician's role is to facilitate | | | | |
| and augment this process, to act to identify | | | | 5. Prevention (Prevention is the best "cure") |
| and remove obstacles to health and recovery, | | | | |
| and to support the creation of a healthy | | | | The ultimate goal of naturopathic medicine is |
| internal and external environment. In short, | | | | prevention. This is accomplished through |
| give the body the appropriate tools and it | | | | education and promotion of lifestyle habits |
| will heal itself. | | | | that create good health. The physician |
| | | | assesses risk factors and hereditary |
| 2. Treat the Whole Person (The multifactorial | | | | susceptibility to disease and makes |
| nature of health and disease) | | | | appropriate interventions to avoid further |
| | | | harm and risk to the patient. The emphasis is |
| Health and disease are conditions of the | | | | on building health rather than on fighting |
| whole organism, involving a complex | | | | disease. Because it is difficult to be |
| interaction of physical, spiritual, mental, | | | | healthy in an unhealthy world, it is the |
| emotional, genetic, environmental, and social | | | | responsibility of both the physician and |
| factors. The physician must treat the whole | | | | patient to create a healthier environment in |
| person by taking all of these factors into | | | | which to live. |
| account. The harmonious functioning of all | | | | |
| aspects of the individual is essential to | | | | 6. The Physician as Teacher (Docere) |
| recovery from and prevention of disease and | | | | |
| requires a personalized and comprehensive | | | | Beyond an accurate diagnosis and appropriate |
| approach to diagnosis and treatment. | | | | prescription, the physician must work to |
| | | | create a health-sensitive, interpersonal |
| 3. First Do No Harm (Primum no nocere) | | | | relationship with the patient. A cooperative |
| | | | doctor-patient relationship has inherent |
| Illness is a purposeful process of the | | | | therapeutic value. The physician's major role |
| organism. The process of healing includes the | | | | is to educate and encourage the patient to |
| generation of symptoms, which are, in fact, | | | | take responsibility for health. The physician |
| an expression of the life force attempting to | | | | is a catalyst for healthful change, |
| heal itself. Therapeutic actions should be | | | | empowering and motivating the patient to |
| complementary to and synergistic with this | | | | assume responsibility. It is the patient, not |
| healing process. The physician's actions can | | | | the doctor, who ultimately creates or |
| support or antagonize the actions of the vis | | | | accomplishes healing. The physician must |
| mediatrix naturae; therefore methods designed | | | | strive to inspire hope as well as |
| to suppress symptoms without removing | | | | understanding. Physicans must also make a |
| underlying causes are considered harmful and | | | | commitment to their personal and spiritual |
| are avoided or minimized. Therapeutic actions | | | | development in order to be good teachers. |