Naturopathy Alternative Medicine by Jim Roane   Introduction:   Naturopathic medicine has become a popular form of health care in recent years because it has proven to be an effective way to maintain or restore our bodies to a natural state of health without the use of costly synthetic drugs.    Naturopathic medicine prescribes a modality of treatment that tries to incorporate the "whole" person, considering root cause and natural health options, such as herbs or aromatherapy, depending on the problem. Alternative medicine is a fairly controversial topic among healthcare professionals, but is gaining more respect as people find naturopathy to be an effective form of treatment. There are different levels of naturopathy training, including one involving years of holistic health training to become a naturopathic physician (N.D.). The practice of naturopathy is based on six key principles: 1. Promote the healing power of nature. 2. First do no harm. Naturopathic practitioners choose therapies with the intent to keep harmful side effects to a minimum and not suppress symptoms. 3. Treat the whole person. Practitioners believe a person's health is affected by many factors, such as physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, and social ones. Practitioners consider all these factors when choosing therapies and tailor treatment to each patient. 4. Treat the cause. Practitioners seek to identify and treat the causes of a disease or condition, rather than its symptoms. They believe that symptoms are signs that the body is trying to fight disease, adapt to it, or recover from it. 5. Prevention is the best cure. Practitioners teach ways of living that they consider most healthy and most likely to prevent illness. 6. The physician is a teacher. Practitioners consider it important to educate their patients in taking responsibility for their own health.     Responsible links for further research and consultation:   Loyola University Health System 2160 South First Avenue Maywood, IL 60153 888 LUHS-888 http://www.luhs.org/HEALTH/kbase/list/cam/m.htm   NCCAM, National Institutes of Health 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892 USA Web: nccam.nih.gov E-mail: info@nccam.nih.gov   Best of health to you,   Jim Roane, N.D., Ph.D. Member, The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians(2007)   For some interesting methods of naturopathic diagnosis click onto "diagnosis" unlined below:   Diagnosis