About Naturopathy & Functional Medicine
Traditional naturopathy is an ancient, non-invasive healing art that recognizes and cooperates with the body’s inner wisdom and ability to heal itself through the use of proper nutrition, healthy lifestyle and various healing alternatives.
Our practitioners align with the principles of naturopathy as the optimal path towards greater health and well-being. We therefore believe that once the roadblocks that are keeping your body from healing are removed, and proper nutrients are received, healing is inevitable.
Naturopathy is based on the following principles:
1. The healing power of nature.
Symptoms are the body’s expression of its attempts to heal. This healing can take place once obstacles to healing are removed and missing nutrients are provided.
2. Treat the cause, not the symptoms.
A healing plan should focus primarily on identifying and eliminating the underlying cause of symptoms. Suppression of symptoms should not be such that they interfere with the body’s healing process, nor replace identification and removal of the underlying cause.
3. First do no harm.
The most natural, least invasive and least toxic therapies should always be first choice for treatment.
4. Treat the whole person.
Harmonious functioning of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects are essential to attain and maintain whole-body health. This requires an individualized approach that considers each of these aspects.
5. Physician as teacher.
The job of a naturopath is to educate, empower and motivate patients to assume more personal responsibility for their health by adopting a healthy lifestyle, diet and attitude.
6. Prevention is the best cure.
Interventions known to prevent an illness are also the best way to heal from that same illness.
Functional Medicine focuses on understanding the fundamental physiological processes, the environmental inputs and the genetic predispositions that influence health and disease. This allows you to heal the root of the problem, not just mask the symptoms with medication.
Functional Medicine is an integrative, science-based healthcare approach that treats illness and promotes wellness by focusing on the bio-chemically unique aspects of each patient, and then individually tailoring interventions to restore physiological, psychological and structural balance.
Functional Medicine is based on the following principles:
1. Science-based medicine that connects the emerging research base to clinical practice.
2. Biochemical individuality based on genetic and environmental uniqueness
3. Patient-centered care rather than disease-focused treatment
4. Dynamic balance of internal and external factors that affect total functioning
5. Web-like interconnections among the body’s physiological processes also affect every aspect of functionality
6. Health as a positive vitality, not merely the absence of disease
7. Promotion of organ reserve