HOLISTIC NATUROPATHY

What is Holistic Naturopathy?

Holistic Naturopathy is based on a theory that the vital force of the body enables it to defend and heal spontaneously. Examples of the manifestation of this vitality are many: elimination of microbes by fever, spontaneous wound healing , bone formation after a fracture…

The aim of Holistic Naturopathy is to strengthen the body’s natural defense system with the use of 10 natural health techniques,  including 3 major ones which are considered necessary and sufficient for the maintenance of health:

• Nutritional hygiene (dietetics, nutrition, seasonal cures…)

• Psychological or neuropsychological hygiene (relaxation, stress management, relational hygiene, meditation … )

• Physical exercises or muscle hygiene, and excretory system hygiene ( gentle exercise , fitness , yoga , stretching, dance, Qi Gong , cycling, swimming )

The 7 remaining techniques are: Phytology (phytotherapy, gemmotherapy, aromatherapy), Pneumology (breathing techniques such as Plent method, Bol d’Air Jacquier, Buteyko breathing, Yogic breathing…), Chirology (massages, Amma therapy, aromatic anointing…), Reflexology (Foot, ear, nose reflexology, Knapp method, Shiatsu…), Hydrology (herbal infusions, healthy juices, showers, baths, saunas, clay therapy, spa…), Magnetology (energy healing, Reiki, Shamanism, magnets…), Actinology (color therapy, sound therapy, sun exposure…)

The 5 principles established by Hippocrates, are:

1. “Primum non nocere”: First, do no harm
2. “Vis medicatrix naturæ”: Nature is a healing power
3. “Tolle causam”: Identify and treat the cause, not the symptoms
4. “Deinde purgare”: Cleanse, purify and detoxify the body
5. “Docere”: Teach. Educate the client to participate in prevention of future health problems.

WHO classes Naturopathy in the category of traditional medicines in the same way as Ayurveda or Chinese medicine . WHO defines Naturopathy this way : a care methods aimed at strengthening the defenses of the organism by means regarded as natural and organic.

What is a Holistic Naturopath?

The Holistic Naturopath is neither a doctor nor a healer, but a health educator that optimizes a healthy lifestyle by supporting self-healing processes. Rather than seeking to suppress symptoms without understanding their cause, the Holistic Naturopath will try with your help, to find the root causes of disease or issue. He/She is there to guide you and help you take charge of your health.

What is the Aim of Holistic Naturopathy?

• Treat the patient; not the disease
• Remove obstacles to healing by identifying and treating the cause of disease
• Direct the vital force to stimulate the body’s own defenses and healing ability
• Decrease a person’s susceptibility to disease

5 Basic concepts

• HUMORISM: It defines all the biological fluids of the human body (blood,lymph and interstitial fluid), their aspects in terms of quantity, quality, as well as their functions and therefore their influence on our health.  Indeed, an improper diet, an unhealthy and/or sedentary lifestyle can lead to diseases by “fouling” and “overloading” our body with the accumulation of waste known as “toxins”. Detoxify and purify the body is the prerequisite to get healthy.
• CAUSALISM: It is the methodical quest for the primary origin of symptoms. That quest will focus on the root causes of the disease, in order to establish a Personal Vitality Program, customized for a global comprehensive care of the person.
• HOLISM: The holistic approach of Naturopathy recognizes that the spiritual, psychological, functional, and structural aspects are one and the same and that to treat an individual you have to treat all aspects, including a person’s environment and external factors.
• VITALISM:  It refers to the view that life is governed by forces beyond the physical self. Often vitalism is associated with concepts of personal essence, spirit or soul and the term vitality refers to the inherent capacity of an organism to live, grow, develop and heal itself. Vitalism, or Vital Force describes the intelligence that animates each and every person. This is a concept that has been recognized universally for thousands of years and called by many different names, including life force, breath, chi, ki, prana, and mana, depending upon the particular culture or tradition. This is the theory of the “Force or vital energy”, this power that our body have to self-repair and regenerate itself in the event of aggression.
• HYGIENISM: It is the art of eating and curing oneself in harmony with the laws of nature and by the proper knowledge of specific foods one needs. The contact with natural elements (earth, water, air, light, animals, trees, etc.) is also considered vital to maintaining a good health and a healthy interaction with our environment.

4 rules to a healthy lifestyle

• Healthy Diet: “Let Food Be Thy Medicine…” In order to grow, function and repair itself, the body needs to eat the right quantity of food (better portion sizes during scheduled meal times), high-quality foods  (varied, unrefined, minimally processed foods) and live food that is rich in vitamins and minerals (food particularly high in life force or vitality) because as we know: “We are what we eat”.

• Healthy Filters: The Importance of Regular Elimination. Our body has 5 main excretory organs: the emunctories or filters, which are the liver, the kidneys, the skin, the intestines and the lungs. They are in charge of eliminating toxins and organic waste (water, gas, fibers, fats, acid waste and crystals) produced by body functions. They should be cleansed regularly through detox and/or seasonal cleanse.

• Healthy Body: Keep Your body and Nervous System Healthy. In order to maintain your body and nervous system in good shape, we must breathe, move, rest and relax…Physical activity allows a rebalancing of the nervous system and the body’s natural process of reconstruction. 30 minutes of physical activity each day on average are the indispensable minimum to maintain a good health.

• Healthy Mind: Feel good in your heart and in your mind. It is important to maintain emotional balance and to have positive thoughts. A body in good health is not a guarantee of well being if the mind isn’t. Somatisations are emotional pains that couldn’t be expressed with words that are manifested in various body ills. Some doctors estimate that as much as 80 percent of our physical pains are tied to emotional pains.

3 Cures

• The detoxification cure which is the purification of all your excesses, the reduction or elimination of toxemia and overloading of the body, the opening of excretory organs and the release of the self healing vital force/energy.
• The revitalizing cure which aims to re-balance your daily diet and compensate nutritional deficiencies that occur during the saturation of your body (minerals, trace elements, vitamins, essential fatty acids, antioxidants ).
• The stabilizing cure which aims to maintain your health with a personalized diet and a healthy lifestyle.

Seasonal detoxification cures are based on the idea that everyone should prepare for the change of season. Your body wastes energy in order to adapt to various changes. To facilitate these transitions, you must get rid of toxins at every change of season, preferably during spring and/or autumn.

What can Holistic Naturopathy do for you?

• PREVENT: Holistic Naturopathy encourages and emphasizes disease prevention. Prevention involves promoting a healthy lifestyle, assessing risk factors, determining susceptibility to disease and making appropriate therapeutic interventions. This approach prevents minor illnesses from developing into more serious or chronic degenerative diseases. The role of the Holistic Naturopath is to facilitate increased awareness, as well as to educate each person on the changes required to address their symptoms and health concerns in order to prevent the progression of disease.
• CARE: Holistic Naturopathy uses natural cures and strategies (specific and personalized) to improve functional disorders of the body and chronic problems, such as: chronic fatigue, sleep disorders, headaches, stress, emotional stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, digestive disorders (constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating, heartburn and acidity) and metabolic disorders (cholesterol, diabetes), circulatory and cardiovascular problems (heavy legs, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, hypertension), musculoskeletal problems (osteoporosis, arthritis, muscle pain), immune deficiency (winter ailments, repeated infections, allergies) chronic respiratory and ENT problems (viral tonsillitis repeatedly, sinusitis, chronic bronchitis …), skin problems (eczema, acne, psoriasis, herpes), female sphere (PMS, menopause, uterine fibroids, recurrent urinary tract infections), male sphere (prostate problems, erectile dysfunction, andropause…)

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Serious diseases and injuries are the responsibility of medical doctors (acute infections, cancers, autoimmune diseases, psychiatric disorders, etc…) The holistic naturopath can however intervene as a complement of medical treatment, ensuring support for the vitality of the patient, in order to minimize the undesirable effects of the allopathic treatment.