University Of Western Cape Naturopathy, Naturopathy is a system of healing based on the principles, philosophies, acts and medicines of Naturopathy which are aimed at promoting health and treating disease using the body’s inherent biological healing mechanisms to self-heal.
Naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of health care – a science, philosophy and practice of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of illness. Naturopathic medicine is distinguished by the principles which underlie and guide its practice. These principles are based upon the observation of the nature of health and disease. Treatment methods used are consistent with these principles and are chosen upon the basis of patient individuality. Treatment is chosen because of their ability to support the body’s ability to mount a defence against the disease. As such, naturopathic treatment strengthens the body’s own abilities to regain and maintain health. Naturopathic medicine treats the person holistically, not the disease. Through the application of this method, it is the removal of the disease that is the main goal of naturopathic treatment.
Naturopathic doctors focus on the prevention of disease and the promotion of health through changes in lifestyle. They are primary health care practitioners, whose diverse techniques include traditional as well as scientific and empirical methods of diagnosis and treatment and they utilize a variety of treatment modalities and medicinal substances which minimize the risk of harmful effects and aims to effectively diagnose illness and restore health. With the increase in non-communicable diseases related to lifestyle, diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardio-vascular diseases have increased dramatically and in developing countries co-exist with communicable diseases. Both these disease profiles require an approach which focuses on prevention of disease and promotion of health through changes in lifestyle. Naturopathy as a system of medicine is ideally placed to address these health challenges of the 21st century.
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