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Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathic medicine is a distinct, comprehensive
and professional system of health care which
emphasizes the use of natural therapies to promote
health and treat and prevent disease. Naturopathic
doctors (NDs) are primary care practitioners who
specialize in natural medicine. Naturopathy blends
centuries-old natural, non-toxic therapies with the
current advances in the study of health and human
systems.
There
are six foundational principles used by naturopathic
doctors:
- First do no harm - Utilize the most
natural, least invasive and least toxic
therapies first.
- Identify and treat the cause - Look
further than the bodies' symptoms to effectively
address the underlying causes of illness.
- Trust in the healing power of nature
- This is the body's inherent wisdom to heal
itself when given the necessary support and
removal of obstacles to healing.
- Doctor as teacher - Naturopathic
doctors educate patients in the steps to achieve
and maintain optimal health.
- Prevention - Focus on promoting
health and wellness, and preventing disease.
- Treat the Whole Person - health and
disease are made up of the interactions between
physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, genetic,
environmental and social factors. Therefore,
healing requires a personalized and
comprehensive approach.
NDs
are extensively trained in basic and clinical
sciences. Their knowledge also includes physical
examination, laboratory testing, nutritional and
metabolic analysis, allergy testing, X-ray analysis
and other diagnostic tests. NDs are the only primary
care physicians trained to use a wide variety of
natural therapies including nutrition, herbal
medicine, homeopathy, lifestyle counseling, and
physical medicine. NDs can also prescribe
pharmaceuticals and order laboratory tests and
diagnostic imaging.
NDs
combine and adapt naturopathic medicine to the needs
of the individual patient based on a philosophy
which acknowledges the patient as an active
participant in the healing process. NDs empower
patients in their own self-responsibility for
healing and achieving optimal whole wellness. The
primary goal of the ND is to help the patient
recover and maintain true health, thus preventing
and minimizing chronic disease and patient
dependency upon the conventional medical system.
Natural Healing and Holistic Healing
Naturopathic Medicine aids the healing of the body
with natural therapies, lifestyle changes, and
techniques which look further than the patients'
symptoms. The approach looks at the whole person and
examines the many various facets which can be
contributing to and causing health conditions and
disease. By approaching health care with a
holistic model, exploring the interconnected
relationships between all aspects of the body and
brain, natural-based medicine can be transformed
into holistic-based medicine. |
A
Holistic approach takes an even further leap
into removing and healing the causes of disease over
the traditional naturopathic approach. With
natural-based medicine, remedies and suggestions may
be given to temporarily relieve a migraine headache,
acknowledging that the migraines may return in the
future. With holistic-based medicine, the doctor
knows that the migraine pain can be related to
cranial bone motion, spinal and joint alignment,
nerve supply, blood supply, lymphatic drainage,
chemical hormone imbalances, nutritional
deficiencies, liver function, stomach function,
acupuncture meridian excess or deficiency, imbalance
in electrical brain activity, tooth and jaw
problems, toxicity, electromagnetic fields, etc…this
list can go on and on. All of these various aspects
of health can be screened in order to find the true
primary causes of a condition such as migraines.
Only then can treatment be applied which will be
more effective in the long run for helping the body
fully recover and rebalance.
Holistic findings in science demonstrate that we
cannot separate the mind and the body. This is based
on the science of holographic principles, string
theories, and quantum physics. Everything can affect
everything else. The holistic approach therefore
examines the true causes of a health condition and
aids the patient in removing and/or altering the
imbalance, redirecting the body's energies towards
healing.
As a practitioner of
applied
kinesiology and
Neurofeedback, Dr. Thomas uses a holistic
model to uncover what is out of balance in the body
and brain, why it is out of balance, and what other
areas are related to and affecting the imbalance.
These therapies directly supply the body and brain
with the support they need for healing.
"When I came to see Dr. Thomas, I was suffering from frequent, unexplained headaches and some digestion issues. Within a few weeks, both problems were solved and, more than a year later, they have not come back."
R.P. Portland, OR
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