Naturopathy is a health and healing system that dates back to Europe, the middle east and south Asia. When you hear the word ‘naturopathy’, think ‘path of nature’. It employs herbs, nutrition, and healthy living modalities that may include stretching, stress reduction and other wellness approaches. Some naturopaths, like myself, marry to it other healing disciplines such as Ayurvedic medicine. I’ll write more on Ayurveda in future articles.
Naturopathy addresses the main cause of a health problem instead of its symptoms.
For example, the majority of health complaints have their root in poor digestion and assimilation. The patient may have any number of complaints but one thing the naturopath must look at is if sufficient or compromised digestive flora is present (beneficial bacteria). According to naturopathy 80 percent of our entire immune strength is housed in the gut. This is where our trillion beneficial bacteria reside. If there is insufficient flora present then he/she may recommend taking probiotics (the beneficial bacteria). Other suggestions are quite common also.
If the good bacteria (should be about 80 percent of the total bacteria in the gut) is over run due to stress, illness, poor food combining or excessive intake of toxins, then the incoming food stuff may rot, ferment, and putrefy, laying a foundation for disease.
Ever present virus, fungus and destructive bacteria may feed on the putrefying food.
This then, for most disorders, is the first stage of disease.
The question arises: How does the naturopath know when the beneficial flora is compromised? The tongue, stool samples and blood work may be examined. Through the window of Ayurveda we know the tongue to be a good indicator of gut health. How? The tongue often will exhibit a white coating. If the coating is in the rear of the tongue only then we know the accumulated toxins reside mostly in the colon. If the coating covers most of the tongue the entire digestive system may be over run and most likely candida is a dominant presence.
So although the naturopath may address specific herbs to aid and abet the healing and detoxification process, the gut health must be evaluated!!
Look for weekly articles on holistic health, wellness and naturopathy in the months ahead.
For questions and comments email Steven West at: heartwest@gmail.com
