4
An introduction
to Naturopathy
by Steuen Bailey
This is my first Just Health column in this
paper. As a regular columnist I will focus on a
broad range of health issues with an emphasis
on topics and concerns of the reading public
at Just Out. As a Naturopathic doctor I will
emphasize preventive aspects of health as
well as disease reversal and wellness. I will
also track political and local medical issues
as they arise.
While Oregon has more licensed Naturo­
pathic doctors than any other state, Naturo­
pathy is a practice that most Oregonians
know very little about For this reason I will
devote most of this article to explaining the
practice and philosophy of Naturopathic
Medicine.
Naturopathic Medicine is a branch of
medicine that is based on the philosophy “vis
medicatrix naturae,” which translates to "let
the force of nature be your medicine." The
Naturopathic doctor (N.D.) will utilize sub­
stances found in nature (foods, herbal pro­
ducts, heat, electricity, hydrotherapy,
massage, fasting, etc.) to encourage the
body’s natural ability to heal itself. Like other
healing arts, Naturopathy continually grows
with the advancements of science, integrat­
ing new knowledge with proven therapies
that have withstood the tests of time.
One of the areas that distinguishes Naturo­
pathic Medicine from other areas of the heal­
ing arts is the concept of “wellness." "Well­
ness" or “health" may be defined as a free­
dom from “dis-ease,” a freedom to live, grow,
and create without undue attention to limit­
ing symptoms in the physical, emotional and
mental areas of life.
While much of the high-tech medicine of
today concerns itself solely with the removal
of symptoms, the naturopathic approach is
quite different To the N.D., symptoms repre­
sent the body’s vital expression of “dis-ease.”
The Naturopathic physicians seek to identify
and eliminate the factors that cause the
symptoms, and by doing so, a healthier state
will return, and the symptoms themselves will
disappear. Therefore, rather than treating the
symptoms alone, the Naturopathic physician
will attempt to understand the "whole" per­
son, to remove illness through its root
causes, with a state of wellness and preven­
tion of future "Dise-ease” as the final objective.
Many people are familiar with the term
holistic medicine. The term holisitc was
coined in the late 1960s, yet the concept of
treating the whole person has been the foun­
dation of Naturopathic medicine since its in­
ception. The triad of body, mind and spirit has
been an inseparable unit in the naturopathic
approach in treating health concerns. Within
this triad, the holistic approach considers
such areas as personal lifestyle, attitudes,
heredity, mental and emotional characteris­
tics as well as physical symptoms and state-
of-the-art diagnostic and laboratory work-ups.
The end result is more personalized health
plans directed to your own personal needs
and individual problems.
In Oregon we are guaranteed that any
practicing naturopathic physician has met a
rigid standard of academic requirements as
well as having passed national exams in the
clinical sciences. The Oregon Board of Naturo­
pathic Examiners is appoined by the Gover­
nor, and serves as the regulating authority for
the profession. Continuing education is re-
IF YOUR DOCTOR
ISN’T HELPING YOU,
MAYBE YOU NEED
ANOTHER KIND OF DOCTOR
If you are suffering from chronic health problems such as
allergy, headache, constipation, arthritis, fatigue, or lower back pain, a
naturopathic doctor may be able to help where others have failed.
Naturopaths are trained in laboratory and clinical diagnosis, botanical
medicine, homeopathy, nutrition, spinal manipulation, massage, coun­
seling, and other natural therapies that enhance your body’s own healing
powers (they also feel good.) These therapies often will help when
conventional medical methods do not. They can also be used as preven­
tive medicine to enhance your immune system or keep more serious
illnesses from developing.
The P O R T L A N D N A T U R O PA T H IC CLIN IC, located
at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, is known through­
out the country as the foremost teaching clinic in natural healing methods,
and specializes in the treatment of chronic or acute illnesses without
surgery or synthetic drugs.
PORTLAND
rwuROPKrmc
CL1MIC
255-7355 • 11231 S.E. Market Street, Portland, Oregon
24
quired on a yearly basis to keep practicing
physicians abreast in current advancements
in the areas of science, diagnosis, therapeu­
tics and other areas of specific Naturopathic
concern.
While some Naturopathic doctors special­
ize in particular areas of care (i.e. home
births, homeopathy, Chinese medicine, etc.)
most practitioners are oriented toward gen­
eral practice. Some of the common services
performed by Naturopaths include:
Nutritional Counseling: Specific individual
diets including vitamins, minerals and other
nutritional supplements to strengthen the
body. Nutritional therapeutics are included in
all clinical courses in Naturopathic colleges
as well as extensive courses on nutrition itself.
I know of no other doctoral level curriculums
that offer as extensive an education in nutri­
tion as do the two State accepted Naturo­
pathic colleges.
Botanical ( herbal) Medicine: The federal
government has recognized the Naturopathic
profession as the current base of herbal
medicine. Naturopathic physicians in Oregon
are licensed to use any substances that are
found in nature. These products are used
both nutritionally and medically as the case
may warrant
Hom eopathy: A required part of the
Naturopathic curriculum, with specialization
available to interested students. This is a form
of medicine which uses minute amounts of
plant or other natural substances to stimulate
the body’s innate healing ability.
M anipulation: Corrections of stress or
trauma-induced misalignments of muscle,
connective tissue and the skeletal system.
Naturopathic doctors are accepted for insur­
ance work in all on-the-job injuries and auto
accidents in Oregon.
Physical Medicine: The therapeutic use of
water, light electricity, ultrasound, massage
and exercise.
Chinese Medicine: Like homeopathy, all
Naturopathic students are required to take
courses in acupressure and Chinese herbol-
ogy with the ability to specialize in these
areas. The Oregon College of Oriental Medi­
cine which offers the degree of AC. utilizes a
partial shared curriculum program with the
National College of Naturopathic Medicine in
Portland. Naturopathic doctors who have
specialized in Chinese medicine can com­
plete their AC. program with one additional
year of study and then take state boards to
practice Acupuncture in Oregon.
N atural Childbirth: Prenatal and postnatal
care and natural childbirth in an out-of­
hospital setting. Practicing home-birth physi­
cians must complete additional continuing
education to keep abreast in ail areas of ob­
stetric care. Where natural chilbirth is not
medically indicated, patients are referred for
appropriate care.
Minor surgery: The re p a ir of superficial
wounds, removal of superficial foreign bodies,
cysts and other superficial masses wth local
anaesthesia as needed.
Psychological Techniques: Counseling,
hypnotherapy, emotional support and bio­
feedback are commonly integrated into the
in-patient services.
Naturopathic medicine is not the answer to
all problems nor is it a form of medicine that
benefits all individuals. It is a form of medicine
that is primarily drug-free and requires active
participation on the part of the patient Health
is a dynamic entity, and the promotion of a
sound base may take work and patience, but I
feel the end results are well worth the effort
I personally have a family practice approach
to my work although I emphasize programs
in fasting, immune support, stress, musculo­
skeletal injuries and womens’ health care.
You can find Naturopathic doctors and clin­
ics listed under “Naturopathic" in the Port­
land yellow pages or under “physicians,
Naturopathic” in most other Oregon yellow
pages. It is never too early to begin building
the base of a healthy future.
Readers of Just Out are probably as con- •
cerned with freedom of choice as any group
around. To this end, the Oregon Health Care
Coalition has formed to eliminate discrimina­
tion in health insurance policies in Oregon. A
bill has been drafted that will allow the con­
sumer the right to choose who provides their
health services and will prohibit insurance
companies from having the right to refuse
payment on covered service performed by
any licensed provider. Oregon is one of fewer
than a dozen states that still allow insurance
discrimination and it is time for a change.
More on the progress of this legislation in
future articles. If you have personal interest in
this area you can write the coalition at P.O.
Box 10943, Portland, Oregon 97210.
If you have any areas o f concern that you
w o u ld like comment on in J u s t Health,
please w rite me at Just O ut c/o Steven
B ailey N.D.. P.O. Box 15117. Portland 97215.
A SECOND OPINION!
Preventing Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and AIDS Related Com­
plexes can be as much a matter of good health as safe sex practices.
Good Health starts with NUTRITION. At the Wellness Center, we can help
you determine your nutritional balance and how vou can upgrade vour general
state of health.
Boosting vour general resistance to disease by balancing vour nutritional
profile mav be the most important step vou ever take toward
GUARDING YOUR HEALTH
We can help.
For details call
THE WELLNESS CENTER
Bruce R. MacFarland, N M D , RNC
Lynelle McCue, counselor
3331 N.E. Sandy Blvd.
231-7244
Just Out, December. 1986