How does naturopathic medicine work?

Naturopathy has always been around in one form or another. From ancient times right up to the mid 20th century doctors worked mostly with foods and herbs. So why is that if we see an animal looks sick, we immediately think about what we are feeding it, yet we don’t think of this for ourselves?

Some of us do, of course, and I have always believed that not feeling well has a lot to do with what I’m eating. That is why I have always found it incredible that doctors rarely enquire what their patients are eating.

In the last 20 years, naturopathy or natural medicine has made huge progress. Not so long ago it was just a question of ‘healthy eating’ and taking vitamins. Now it is much more tailored to the individual. Naturopathic practitioners can now learn many skills to understand what an individual person needs. These skills include using symptom analysis, diagnostic diets and advanced testing.

Surely healthy eating is the same for everyone?

Conventional wisdom dictates this, but in fact once symptoms develop people’s needs can be very different according to what is causing them. Analysing these symptoms can provide clues. The naturopathic nutritionist does this in great detail. Condition of skin, hair, eyes, digestion, bowel habits, energy, nerves and menstruation can all give clues. If the client suffers from painful menstrual periods and also has a very dry skin and flaking fingernails, we might suspect a magnesium and essential fatty acid deficiency. If this client also has, say, a heart condition, we would expect that by providing a magnesium-rich diet we could also begin to correct some of the abnormal body chemistry which may have made the client vulnerable to the heart problem.

Bloating accompanied by migraines or skin rashes might suggest a food intolerance (‘allergy’). If the client also suffers from arthritis, we would expect that the inflammatory state produced by this allergy may be affecting his or her joints too.

Some people have problems digesting or handling certain foods. Sinusitis, for instance, can come and go at random if we are regularly eating one of these foods. To identify problem foods, naturopathic nutritionists use a special diet which is very low in foods which are liable to cause symptoms. This diet is used just for diagnostic purposes for a few weeks and allows  the therapist to monitor the effects of different foods on the body.

Naturopaths also uses a variety of special diets, including rotation diets, diets to make the body more alkaline, diets to reduce bacterial or yeast infestations within the intestines, and so on.

Differences between naturopaths and dieticians

Naturopathic nutritionists are very different from dieticians. We normally say that naturopathic nutrition starts where dietetics stops. The dietician is trained to be primarily concerned with whether or not you are meeting the Government’s minimum guidelines. Some dieticians are trained in tube feeding and other hospital procedures, but naturopathic nutritionists are not. Naturopaths hope that people will consult them before such drastic measures are required.

Can naturopathy cure anything?

Naturopathic medicine has excellent success rates for many problems for which your doctor has no cure:

Irritable bowel syndrome, menstrual and premenstrual problems, migraine, children’s ailments like glue ear and ADHD, skin problems, low energy levels or digestive problems. Some people have described their recovery as miraculous. Cures have also been achieved for more serious problems like arthritis, high blood pressure and asthma, although the response is more variable. A man with angina so severe that he could not walk more than a few yards without pain was able to start climbing mountains in his spare time after less than a year of following a naturopathic health program.

Even if a problem cannot be entirely stopped, its progress can be slowed down by giving optimum nutritional support to functions like the immune system.

Case report

Mary, aged 50, had reached the menopause, and was suffering from hot flushes (hot flashes). They were very embarrassing, and her doctor prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Mary was worried about potential side effects, especially a higher risk of cancer. Everyone told Mary that HRT was good and beneficial as it would help to protect her bones from developing osteoporisis; but on reading the scientific research Mary was concerned to discover that this protection was only temporary and would stop as soon as she stopped taking the drug.

Mary’s blood pressure was on the high side, she got headaches regularly and ran out of energy very quickly. Her naturopath gave her a herbal remedy that would reduce her hot flushes, and counselled her on simple methods to help balance her blood sugar. Testing revealed that Mary’s headaches were due to drinking coffee. Some of Mary’s symptoms were clear indications of magnesium and zinc deficiency so she was given supplements to deal with these as quickly as possible. The therapist also asked Mary to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. Within six weeks Mary’s hot flushes were much less noticeable, her blood pressure had come down, her energy had come up and she was free of headaches.