WHEN WOULD YOU SEEK NATUROPATHIC ADVICE?
Modern Naturopathic training equips the qualified Naturopath with the expertise to effectively treat any health disharmony or disease process that is not acutely life threatening or requiring hospitalization.
In many cases a families Naturopath is their primary-care health practitioner, so the Naturopath in this type of practice will have an experienced working knowledge of a broad spectrum of health problems. This is often only achieved through years of practical hands on experience on top of the professional bona fide bachelor degree course initially completed. So really, the only restrictions on using your Naturopath for all your health advice are as I mentioned above. Other than that, treat your Naturopath as your general practitioner, knowing that the treatment you receive will be a non-drug holistic treatment
THE HOLISTIC APPROACH
Advice from your Naturopath will always be from an holistic perspective as this forms the basis of Naturopathic ideology. In a nutshell, holistic refers to an approach that treats the whole body, and therefore the cause, as opposed to a symptomatic treatment that will give superficial short term relief.
This holistic advice will not only include effective herbal and nutritional treatments, but more importantly will be based on dietary and lifestyle modifications. As seen so often these days a great number of symptoms patients complain of are either directly or indirectly influenced by dietary factors. Unfortunately, as simple as it sounds, the dietary omissions that are prescribed are often the biggest challenge for clients to comply with. This is only because these foods are invariably loved by the client and form a large part of their diet.
On the lifestyle front, by far the major influence is anxiety. Because of the pace of our lifestyles, virtually everyone is exposed to such stressors as Deadlines, Financial Worries, Relationship Tensions and Bad News. These influences evoke a cascade of inflammatory chemical release which will then, without exception, affect an individual at their genetically weakest point. For example, some people have headaches, others get rashes while some suffer the typical symptoms of an irritable bowel.
So an holistic approach would address these lifestyle issues by 1) using adaptogenic herbal tonics - these are herbs that change the body's reaction to stressors where the cause of the stress can't be removed. 2) Councelling 3) Use of emotional remedies like Bach Flower Remedies. These promote a positive emotional response to stress rather than the negative alternative.
A QUICK A-Z OF NATUROPATHIC ADVICE
A) Acne is mostly hormonal - consider chaste tree berry, dandelion root and burdock root.
B) Boils respond well to burdock root - purify and increase drinking water, increase veges and decrease sugar.
C) Cystitis is effectively treated with bearberry - increase water, decrease sugar and coffee.
D) Diarrhoea - use Chinese wormwood and agrimony and decrease fruit intake temporarily.
E) Elder flowers - great for treating sinusitis and fever.
F) Fatigue - check iron, sleep, viral history - use astragalus, ginsengs, B complex, magnesium, zinc. Co-Enzyme Q10.
G) Gout - use celery, juniper, devils claw and boswelia in the acute and avoid purine rich foods and alcohol, increase water and take folic acid, zinc, magnesium, B6 to prevent.
H) Hair loss - use zinc, biotin, B complex. Use a chemical free organic shampoo and conditioner.
I) IBS - Avoid gluten, dairy, yeast and sugar. Use nervine and adaptogenic herbs eg. Siberian ginseng, lavender, passionflower, chamomile peppermint and ginger. Magnesium and B complex also useful
J) Joint pain - Eat less solanaceae veges but more other veges. Eat less red meat, salt, sugar and coffee and more fish, nuts and seeds. Consider glucosamine, MSM, fish oil, celery, tumeric, boswelia, manganese, zinc and Vit C.
K) Kola nut - A great herb for weakness, malaise and mild depression.
L) Liver fatty - Decrease animal fats, increase flaxseed oil. Take St. marys thistle, dandelion root, globe artichoke, fringe tree and boldo. Use methionine, choline, inositol, B12, folic acid and Vit C.
M) Memory loss - Consider brahmi, gingko biloba, gotu kola,rosemary or schisandra. Nutritionally consider B complex, B12 folic acid, zinc, NAC, acetyl l-carnitine, phosphatydal serine and l-glutamine.
N) Nose bleeds - Fragile capillaries - use Vit. C, bioflavonoids, quercetin, rutin, Vit. E and zinc.
O) Olive leaf extract ¨C very effective immune tonic that can be used to both prevent infection or treat a current bacterial or viral infection.
P) PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) - estrogen dominance use the herbs - chaste tree berry, paeonia, licorice root, thuja, and chelidonium. Consider GLA, fish oil, zinc magnesium and B6. Eliminate food chemicals and hormone fed meat.
Q) Quercetin - A very active plant derived bioflavanoid. Used for it's anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-edemic and immune stimulating properties.
R) Rhinitis - Could be food or environmental causes. Avoid gluten, dairy, yeast and sugar. Consider anti-allergy herbs ¨C rehmania, hemidesmus, bupleurum, and feverfew. Also anti-congestive herbs: eyebright, golden rod, golden seal and ground ivy.
S) Schisandra - A renowned traditional Chinese herb used to improve cognitive function and restore liver function.
T) Tonsilitis - If recurrent consider food sensitivity and avoid dairy, wheat, sugar and yeast. Use immune stimulating herbs like Echinacea root, andrographis and olive leaf. Locally use gargle-and-swallow herbs like myrrh, sage, baptisia and propolis.
U) Ulcers ( Stomach) - Eat very simply without dressings, gravies and sauces. Avoid large meals, spicy meals and eat slowly chewing thoroughly. Take golden seal, aloe vera, licorice root and slippery elm herbs. Nutritionally use L-glutamine, zinc, B-complex and magnesium. Manuka honey has also been helpful.
V) Varicose veins - Elevating legs where possible and wearing compression stockings can be supportive. Herbs such as horsechestnut, butchers broom, gotu kola and ginkgo biloba are extremely effective. Nutritionally Vit. C, E, citrus bioflavonoids, rutin, quercetin, EFAs and zinc are indicated.
W) Warts - Externally the use of thuja ointment is effective especially if combined with internal thuja 6c.
X) Xylitol - natural plant derived sweetener with an ultra-low GI. Safe and effective alternative to chemical sweeteners.
Y) Yellow dock - Blood purifier and liver stimulating herb used to treat skin problems, liver congestion and bowel disease.
Z) Zanthoxylum bark (prickly ash) ¨C A powerful bitter herb renowned for it's peripheral circulation stimulating action. Used to treat Raynauds phenomenon, cold hands and feet and weakened digestion.
To have your own personal health problems solved, contact Mark Thomas. You'll receive the professional advice you need to over come any health challenges you may have.