Naturopathy and its associated Therapies

1. Naturopathy and its associated Therapies

3. Definition • Naturopathy is a multidisciplinary approach to healthcare that recognizes the body’s innate power to heal itself. • It is primarily a preventive discipline with education in the basics of healthcare as one of its most important goals.

4. The philosophy of naturopathic medicine also includes the treatment of disease through the • stimulation, • enhancement and • support of the inherent healing capacity of the person.

5. History • Naturopathy can trace its origins back to doctors Bernard Lust and Robert Foster, who worked in the USA around the turn of the nineteenth century. • American doctors disillusioned with contemporary procedures were joined by a number of European immigrants involved in natural cures. • In the following years the popularity of naturopathy became cyclical, with periods of intense interest and scepticism.

6. History • At one time there were thousands of practitioners, numerous journals and much informed debate. • In recent years the discipline has enjoyed a revival, particularly in the countries stated above. • In the UK there are currently around 400 practitioners, with qualifications recognised by the General Council and Register of Naturopaths.

7. Theory • Naturopaths work from the premise that the body needs certain basics to function properly: the correct nutrients, adequate rest and relaxation, appropriate exercise, fresh clean air, clean water and sunlight. They are skilled in adapting natural health programmes to patients’ unique requirements.

8. Theory • There are considered to be six important principles for naturopathic practice: 1. The healing power of the body (vis medicatrix naturae) has the ability to establish, maintain and restore health.

9. Theory • 2. The cause of the illness must be identified and treated (tolle causam) – underlying causes of a disease must be discovered and removed; symptoms are not the cause of a disease, and the causes of diseases include physical, mental, emotional and spiritual factors, which all must be dealt with.

10. Theory • 3. First do no harm (primum no nocere) – therapeutic action should be complementary to and synergistic with the healing process. • 4. Treat the whole person. • 5. The physician as teacher (docere) – he or she should create a healthy interpersonal physician–patient relationship. • 6. Prevention is the physician’s aim and the best cure; naturopathy is the building of health rather than fighting the disease.

11. Theory • Professor Hans Selye of Montreal was the first to postulate the concept of a general adaptation syndrome, by which an individual reacts positively to an episode of injury or disease. • According to Selye the body’s response to any physical or emotional stress initiates a three-phase sequence: • 1. Alarm: there is pain from an injury • 2. Shock: from bad news • 3. Inflammation: due to friction.

12. Theory • Naturopaths attach great importance to the body’s adaptive capacity and recognise that symptoms such as inflammation, fever and pain are signs of the defences at work and should not be suppressed. • Furthermore, the process of recovery from chronic ailments may necessitate a return to the stage of resistance, known in natural therapy as the healing crisis.

13. Theory • As the body adjusts to the crisis, there is a stage of resistance in which the body adapts to withstand the stimulus. If the stresses are prolonged and the body is no longer able to adapt, it becomes exhausted and collapse or degeneration occurs. • The contribution of emotions to the cause of physical illness is considered carefully by many naturopaths, with a variety of counselling and psychological approaches being adopted.

14. Practice of naturopathy • While recognising the limitations of our modern world, the naturopath seeks to assist patients to create a healthier diet and lifestyle that will help their health return. • Thus, a cold might be considered as being self-limiting and not treated directly, but the patient will be supported in a return to good health using various naturopathic measures.

15. Practice of naturopathy • In degenerative disease the body may be supported in its compensatory reorganisation of function. • Information is gathered during a consultation by the usual complementary techniques of listening, observing, questioning and physical examination, so that an overall impression of the patient and his or her particular requirements may be obtained.

16. Practice of naturopathy • Factors such as hereditary tendencies, constitution and previous treatments are considered to be particularly important in choosing an appropriate course of action. • Iridology is a valuable diagnostic tool of the naturopath. Some therapists use iridology as a basis for recommending dietary supplements and/or herbs.

17. Variety of treatments • Nutrition: dietetics, nutritional supplements and the maintenance of optimum health through good wholesome food (see below) • Hydrotherapy: hot and cold water treatments to encourage circulation (see below) • Detoxification: cleansing programmes that allow healing to take place (see below)

18. Variety of treatments • Physical therapy: to restore structural balance and improve tissue tone; may include gentle manipulation, massage and ultrasound, and exercise • Administration of homeopathic or herbal medicines • Minor surgery: in some countries naturopaths may perform simple surgical procedures, e.g. removal of warts.

19. Variety of treatments • The particular portfolio of therapies chosen will depend on factors other than those found during the consultation process, e.g. when treating diabetes naturopathic physicians prescribe comprehensive therapeutic lifestyle change recommendations – dietary counselling, stress reduction techniques and exercise.

20. Variety of treatments • In addition patients receive prescriptions for botanical and nutritional supplementation, often in combination with conventional medication. • Naturopathic medicine as a whole medical system supplies evidence-based lifestyle recommendations as suggested in management guidelines for diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia, set forth by the respective national organisations.

21. Variety of treatments • The authors recommend that there should be an increased research effort to determine the safety and efficacy of combinations of supplements or medications and supplements if warranted. • The time spent with a naturopath is variable. Typically a first consultation can take 1–2 h. Subsequent repeat sessions may last only half an hour.

22. Detoxification therapy

23. Detoxification therapy • In naturopathy it is believed that a common cause of all diseases is the accumulation of waste and poisonous matter in the body resulting from overeating. Most people eat too much and follow sedentary occupations that do not permit sufficient and proper exercise for the utilisation of this large quantity of food. The surplus food overburdens the digestive and assimilative organs and clogs up the system with impurities or poisons. • On the basis of a comprehensive dietary anamnesis, it is often possible to identify foodstuffs and eating behaviour capable of aggravating the patient’s symptoms.

24. Detoxification therapy • The underlying basic principle of treatment is that the gastrointestinal tract first undergoes a temporary period of rest before being gradually re-accustomed to a biologically high-quality diet. Digestion and elimination become slow and the functional activity of the whole system is deranged • A central approach includes various forms of fasting therapy, in particular in the case of severe conditions, which can usefully be supported by additional relaxation techniques, psychotherapy, hydrotherapy, massage and special manual techniques.

25. Practice of detoxification therapy Detoxification programmes are often used to assist a transition from an unhealthy lifestyle to a healthier one. There are a number of stages involved: • Initiating the cleansing process through elimination of the offending substances and application of a formal cleansing procedure through dietary modification and fasting

26. Practice of detoxification therapy • Facilitating elimination through normal excretion (e.g. colonic cleansing and increased fluid intake to stimulate urine flow) • Nutritional supplementation • Return to healthier lifestyle and diet. Safety Detoxification over extended periods can lead to a risk of nutritional deficiencies.

28. Chelation therapy • Chelation therapy is used to rid the body of toxic metals (e.g. arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and nickel), which can cause disruption of basic cell function. • Signs of metal poisoning include headaches, dizziness, memory impairment, irritability and weight loss. • Chelation is the incorporation of a metal ion into a heterocyclic ring structure. • More than 10 000 chelating agents exist, but only 7 or 8 are available for administration to humans by intravenous infusion.

29. Chelation therapy • Lead, cadmium and nickel may be removed with calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid (disodium EDTA, a synthetic amino acid with chelating properties), meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) or D-penicillamine. DMSA is also used for removing arsenic and mercury. • Treatment is usually associated with the administration of various supplements (vitamins, minerals, etc.). • Chelation therapy may be useful in various coronary and vascular diseases.

30. Hydrotherapy

31. Hydrotherapy • Water has been used as a valuable therapeutic agent since time immemorial. • In all major ancient civilisations, bathing was considered an important measure for the maintenance of health and prevention of disease. • It was also valued for its remedial properties.

32. History • The ancient vedic literature in India contains numerous references to the efficacy of water in the treatment of disease. • In modern times, the therapeutic value of water was popularised by Vincent Priessnitz, Father Sebastian Kneipp, Louis Kuhne and other European water-cure pioneers. • They raised water cure to an institutional level and employed it successfully for the treatment of almost every known disease.

33. History • There are numerous spas and Bads in most European countries where therapeutic baths are used as a major healing agent. • Water exerts beneficial effects on the human system. It is claimed to have beneficial effects on circulation, to boost muscular tone and to aid digestion and nutrition. • Hydrotherapy may also be of great value in restoring a better range of joint motion through a combination of pain relief, muscle relaxation and stretching exercises

35. Enemas • Rectal irrigation or enema involves the injection of 1–2 l of warm water into the rectum and is used for cleaning the bowels. • After 5–10 min, the water can be ejected together with the accumulated morbid matter. • A cold-water enema is helpful in inflammatory conditions of the colon, especially in cases of dysentery, diarrhoea, ulcerative colitis, haemorrhoids and fever. • A hot-water enema is beneficial in relieving irritation caused by inflammation of the rectum and painful haemorrhoids. • It also benefits women in leukorrhoea.

36. Compresses • Cold compresses A cold compress is claimed to be an effective means of controlling inflammatory conditions of the liver, spleen, stomach, kidneys, intestines, lungs, brain and pelvic organs. It is also advantageous in cases of fever and heart disease. It is generally applied to the head, neck, chest, abdomen and back.

37. Compresses • Heating compresses A heating compress consists of three or four folds of linen cloth wrung out in cold water, applied to the affected area, and then completely covered with a dry flannel or blanket to prevent the circulation of air and help accumulation of body heat. • A compress is sometimes applied for several hours. A heating compress can be applied to the throat, chest, abdomen and joints. A throat compress relieves sore throat, hoarseness, tonsillitis, pharyngitis and laryngitis.

38. Compresses • A throat compress relieves sore throat, hoarseness, tonsillitis, pharyngitis and laryngitis. • An abdominal compress helps those suffering from gastritis, hyperacidity, indigestion, jaundice, constipation, diarrhoea, dysentery and other ailments relating to the abdominal organs. • A chest compress, also known as a chest pack, relieves cold, bronchitis, pleurisy, pneumonia, fever, cough, etc. • A joint compress is helpful for inflamed joints, rheumatism, rheumatic fever and sprains.

39. Baths • The common water therapy temperature chart is cold 10–18_C, neutral 32–36_C and hot 40–45_C. Above 45_C, water loses its therapeutic value and is destructive.

40. Hip baths • A hip bath involves only the hips and the abdominal region below the navel. A special type of tub is used for this purpose. • A cold hip bath (10–180C) is a routine treatment in many diseases. • It relieves constipation, indigestion and obesity, and helps the eliminative organs to function properly.

41. Hip baths • A hot hip bath (40–450C) is generally taken for 8–10 min. • It helps to relieve painful menstruation, pain in the pelvic organs, painful urination, inflamed rectum or bladder, and painful piles. • It also benefits an enlarged prostatic gland, painful contractions or spasm of the bladder, sciatica, and neuralgia of the ovaries and bladder. • It is recommended that a cold shower be taken immediately after the hot hip bath.

42. Hip baths • A neutral hip bath (32–36 0 C) is generally taken for 20–60 min. • It helps to relieve all acute and subacute inflammatory conditions, such as acute catarrh of the bladder and urethra and subacute inflammations in the uterus, ovaries and tubes. • It also relieves neuralgia of the fallopian tubes or testicles, and painful spasms of the vagina. • It is used as a sedative treatment for sexual hyperactivity in both sexes.

43. Hip baths • In an alternative hip bath, also known as a revulsive hip bath, the patient sits in a hot tub for 5 min and then in a cold tub for 3 min. • The duration of the bath is generally 10–20 min • The head and neck are kept cold with a cold compress. • The treatment ends with a dash of cold water to the hips. • This bath relieves chronic inflammatory conditions of the pelvic viscera such as salpingitis, inflammation of the ovaries, cellulitis and various neuralgias of the genitourinary organs, sciatica and lumbago.

44. Spinal bath • A spinal bath is another important form of hydrotherapy treatment. This bath provides a soothing effect on the spinal column and thereby influences the central nervous system. It is given in a specially designed tub with a raised back in order to provide proper support to the head. • The bath can be administered at cold, neutral and hot temperatures. The water level in the tub should be 4–5 cm and the patient should lie in it for 3–10 min.

45. Spinal bath • A cold spinal bath relieves irritation, fatigue, hypertension and excitement. • It is beneficial in almost all nervous disorders, such as hysteria, fits, mental disorders, loss of memory and tension.

46. Spinal bath • The neutral spinal bath is a soothing and sedative treatment, especially for the hyperactive or irritable patient. • It is the ideal treatment for insomnia and also relieves tension of the vertebral column. • The duration of this bath is 20–30 min.

47. Spinal bath • A cold spinal bath relieves irritation, fatigue. • A hot spinal bath, on the other hand, helps to stimulate nervous individuals, especially when they are in a depressed state. • It also relieves vertebral pain in spondylitis and muscular backache. • It relieves sciatic pain and gastrointestinal disturbances of gastric origin.

48. Foot baths • In this method, the patient keeps his or her legs in a tub or bucket filled with hot water at a temperature of 40–45ºC. • Before taking this bath, a glass of water should be taken and the body should be covered with a blanket so that no heat or vapour escapes from the foot bath. • The head should be protected with a cold compress. • The duration of the bath is generally 5–20 min. • The patient should take a cold shower immediately after the bath.

49. Foot baths • A hot foot bath stimulates the involuntary muscles of the uterus, intestines, bladder, and other pelvic and abdominal organs. • It also relieves sprains and ankle joint pains, headaches caused by cerebral congestion and colds. • In women it helps restore menstruation, if suspended, by increasing the supply of blood, especially to the uterus and ovaries.

50. Foot baths • For a cold foot bath, 7–10 cm of cold water is placed in a small tub or bucket and the patient’s feet completely immersed in the water for 1–5 min. • Friction is continuously applied to the feet during the bath, either by an attendant or by the patient by rubbing one foot against the other. • A cold foot bath, taken for 1–2 min, helps in the treatment of sprains, strains and inflamed bunions when taken for longer periods.