You may have heard about Naturopathy or of a Naturopath/Naturopathic Physician and wondered what it is. So as a Naturopathic Physician I thought I would explain.
In the United Kingdom Naturopathy is not regulated by the government like other therapies. This means that anyone can call themselves a Naturopath and not have to prove any form of qualification. However, Naturopathy does have its own regulatory body the General Council and Register of Naturopaths (GCRN) of which I am a member. At the moment, you can only join the GCRN if you training exceeds certain standards, (I have a BSc (Hons) in Complementary Medicine: Naturopathy) which is why I am allowed to call myself a Naturopathic Physician.
A true Naturopath is defined by their approach following a set of principles, rather than modalities used. This means it’s very flexible and doesn’t limit the patient with treatment options. When explaining what a Naturopath is I say I am like a natural doctor treating the individual in a natural and non-invasive way.
The main thing that makes us different to other types of therapists is that we are not defined by a specific therapy like an Acupuncturist or Nutritional Therapist. A Naturopath is defined by a set of 6 principles followed when seeing a patient. They are:
1. Do no harm – during the initial consultation I gather a lot of information so I make sure I keep you safe. If I think you need to see your GP, I will tell you and potentially not see you again until you have.
2. Treat the cause not the symptom – symptoms are the body saying something isn’t right. If you just treat the symptom you don’t get to the underlying cause. By addressing the cause the body can then get itself into balance and health.
3. Doctor as teacher – throughout our sessions I will suggest things for you to do at home. This means I can hopefully teach you enough health care tips so you can look after yourself. My aim is for you to no longer need me. It seems that between 6-8 sessions is enough depending on you and your needs.
4. Treat the individual – everyone experiences everything differently. Due to this I have no set treatment plans. I decide on how I will look after you once I have gathered all the information in the first session and researched your health concern. The majority of the therapies I use have been shown in clinical trials to be effective. The others have anecdotal evidence as not enough clinical research has been done using them.
5. Prevention – I give you things to do at home in order to maintain health and prevent illness.
6. The body has the ability to heal itself – by supporting you and your body in the sessions with therapy treatments, and with the tools I teach you to carry out at home the body should begin to get back into balance. When it is in balance its own innate healing ability is triggered.
I also use the triad of health which means that I asses:
1. You emotional health – how you feel on a day to day basis, how your health concerns impacts on your emotions and how work and family make you feel.
2. Your biochemical health – the impact your diet has on your health as well as any supplements or medications you may take.
3. Your structural health – your posture and how you breathe.
By doing this I look and treat every aspect of you making me truly holistic with your care. If I were to miss one aspect of the triad I would not be looking after you as an entirety nor would I be truly holistic in my approach. It is often when one of these aspects gets overlooked that the person struggles to maintain health.
Your bespoke treatment plan is devised for you depending on you and what would suit you best after information is gathered in the initial consultation. I always take your pulse and blood pressure; look at your breathing and diet as these are fundamental to good health.
The rest of your treatment plan may include Nutritional Therapy, Massage, Reflexology, Essential Oil Therapy and Herbal Medicine.
Through observing the above I aim to look after you and your family’s health in a natural and non-invasive way.
For more information please see my website www.harleystreetnaturopath.co.uk
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