Naturopathy - the Basics (2)

Naturopaths recognise that dis-ease may be due to inherited, congenital and developmental factors as well as infection, trauma, nutritional, structural and emotional imbalance. Naturopathy is an approach to health rather than one specific therapy. Modern naturopathic medicine is based on a philosophy which emphasises the unity of life and sees health  and dis-ease very much as the product of human physiological, biochemical and emotional harmony and disharmony. The diagram is one of the most basic you will ever see, and yet is quite profound. It deals with both CAUSE and EFFECT

A physical aetiology may produce both emotional and chemical affects - an emotional condition may have been produced by our own thought forms or environment etc. but there are often chemical and physical changes as well. Just because we may be dealing with a mechanical condition it doesn't necessarily mean that the cause is mechanical - it may be chemical or emotional. A symptom such as pain may be due to emotional aetiology (long term stress, anger, tension, jealousy), a chemical imbalance (eating foods or taking chemicals or drugs that cause stomach or liver imbalance) or plain old trauma. Take the case of a 'frozen' shoulder. If the client tells you that it occurred due to an accident - then treat the shoulder. If they tell you that it just happened - the DONT treat the shoulder - that is where the symptoms are, it is not the cause.

However, they should also be considered in isolation. the treatment for an obvious mechanical (physical) condition should be a physical therapy, like wise the treatment for a chemical imbalance should be internal medicine. Therefore treating a spinal condition with chemicals (drugs) is about as daft as going to see an osteopath if you have chicken pox! Next time - a little on Constantine Hering and the Law of Cure and possibly Hippocrates - you lucky people! - JRC