Naturopathy



      Naturopathic medicine is rooted in the healing wisdom of many cultures and times. As a distinct health profession in our country, Naturopathic medicine is over 150 years old. The profession continues to grow and evolve, incorporating elements of modern conventional medicine that advance the knowledge of the mechanisms of natural healing and therapeutics, especially in the fields of diagnosis, immunology and clinical nutrition.
      Naturopathy is a WHO recognized system of medicine. Naturopathy can be defined as a drugless, non-invasive, rational and evidence-based system of medicine which imparts treatments using natural elements based on the theory of vitality, theory of toxemia, theory of self-healing capacity of the body and the principles of healthy living.

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF NATUROPATHY
1) Human body has remarkable recuperative powers when left alone.
      It is the body’s own vital power that prevents and cures diseases. According to Naturopathy, vitality or ‘Nature’ is the healer. For effective healing, the body, mind and intellect have to be left alone. Leaving alone means total rest of the body, mind and intellect from any external impulse. This holistic outlook is the basic approach of Naturopathy.

2) Theory of Vitality:
      The theory of vitality is the chief principle of Naturopathy. Vitality is the inherent power in every individual that preserves and promotes health, prevents and cures diseases. The inherent vital power will be the optimum in an individual. It can never be increased by supply of physical energies like chemical [Food, Water and Air], electrical [Solar or Cosmic] or any other forms of energy, but only can be supplemented or regained on loss, by these supplements and rest.
Rest or fasting is the supreme remedy to regain the lost vitality and to cure every disease.

3) Theory of Toxemia:
      According to Naturopathy, cause of every disease is toxemia. Toxins – external, internal or generated due to psychological reasons are the primary cause. Micro-organisms are only secondary findings or by-products of toxemia.
      External or internal toxins lead to abnormal composition of blood and lymph and damage of organs leading to acute and chronic diseases. Toxins generated due to negative mental impulses cause psychological imbalance which in turn leads to endocrinal disturbance generating physical toxins causing psychosomatic diseases.

4) Symptom vs. Disease:
      Symptom and disease are not synonymous. Symptom is the external manifestation or uneasiness felt during the process of disease. Hence suppressing the symptom is not cure of the disease; rather it causes stagnation of toxins leading to lowered vitality, more damage to the organs and chronic diseases.

5) Concept of Disease:
      Disease is the result of toxemia. It is the effort of the vitality to eliminate the toxins and protect the individual.
Acute Disease:
      Acute disease is the crisis created by the nature’s own healing power, the inherent vital force, to eliminate the toxins and save the individual. If proper care is taken through rest and relaxation by fasting, treatment with natural elements and return to the habits of healthy living, the crisis can be overcome in few hours to days, according to the intensity of toxemia and damage caused.
Chronic Disease:
      Chronic disease is that stage where the organs are functionally or structurally affected due to toxemia, lowered vitality, abnormal composition of blood and lymph and poor blood and nerve supply. Most of the time, it is followed after suppression of an acute condition.
      Fasting, dieting and treatments with natural elements ensure cure of any chronic disease and return to habits of healthy living ensures complete health.
Healing Crisis:
      Healing Crisis is the effort of the body vitality to eliminate the deposited toxins, producing symptoms of acute diseases, during the course of treatment of chronic diseases. This may appear repeatedly until the elimination is complete. This is due to the positive effect of the treatments including fasting.

6) Fasting:
      Fasting can be defined as Total Rest; Physical, Physiological, Sensory and Mental rest which involves voluntary total abstinence from all food, solid or liquid that demands digestion, except water for a definite purpose and period of time. Fasting is the supreme remedy for all diseases. This provides ample rest and relaxation to whole body and mind so that the vitality can be fully concentrated upon elimination of the toxins and repair of the damages.

7) Treatment:
      Treatment whether fasting, Dieting or any other applied therapies, is only an assistance or support to the vital power to concentrate on the diseased part to remove the toxins and recover from the damage caused. It helps to attract the concentration of blood circulation and nerve supply to the affected locality and speedup the healing process. Natural elements like mud, water, sunlight, heat, exercise and relaxation, ensure activation of blood supply, nerve supply and improved functions of the endocrine glands.