Naturopathic medicine offers an integral solution to the health care crisis in the United States. It is a system of medicine with huge successes in both minor and major illness, cost-effectively addressing many problems for which there is claimed to be no cure. Unfortunately, while many people have a vague idea of naturopathy, few understand what it really is.

Homeopathy, herbalism and natural living practices in the late 19th century were the predecessors to modern naturopathic medicine. These traditions developed over the centuries as physicians learned to trust in the healing power of nature. As doctors noticed positive changes in the course of long-term illnesses following acute problems of a different nature, they realized that not all disease was necessarily negative; symptoms of illness can be the body's way of restoring balance to itself. Naturopathic medicine grew out of a tradition referred to as “vitalist,” in which the practitioners trusted the wisdom of the body's attempts to heal itself.

Today naturopathic medicine uses the best of western physiology and modern science, while retaining the ancient vitalist philosophy that views the person as a whole being whose strength resides in the physiology's capacity to react. Reactions are symptoms that the body creates to signal a problem or dysfunction, and they are also signs of the healing power within. The therapeutic philosophy in naturopathic medicine is based on the true science of knowledge through experiential evidence.

Modern medicine overshadowed natural medicine for the greater part of the 20th century. The discovery of penicillin played a significant role in eclipsing the naturopathic movement. Use of antibiotics is the quintessential allopathic medical attempt to eliminate the reactions, or symptoms, of the patient. The cessation of the infection or symptom can appear truly miraculous; however, experience has shown that the use of antibiotics, like other allopathic medications, is often at the expense of the health of certain organ systems or even the longevity of the patient. By contrast, naturopathic medicine addresses the fundamental cause of symptoms and seeks to correct an abnormal functioning or metabolism.

While there are serious cases in which antibiotics are necessary, naturopathy considers repeated infections to be more than a weakness in the immune system. Naturopathic medicine recognizes rashes, excessive mucus, diarrhea and other discomforts as different ways in which the body discharges excessive toxicity. Recognizing this dynamic, the naturopathic physician utilizes the body's own attempt to self-regulate or heal a deeper problem. Therefore, the naturopathic view of symptoms is that they are not always dangerous. In fact, the naturopath knows that it is the suppression of such symptoms that is often the real danger.

Naturopathic medicine supports the body's natural defenses through a multitude of options which enable the body to detoxify itself through diet, herbs, homeopathics, hydrotherapy techniques or vitamins and minerals. Yet the critical aspect in naturopathic medicine is not what modality is used, but rather in understanding the laws of homeostasis and balance: what it looks like when the body is attempting to heal itself. The vitalist approach to naturopathic medicine maintains that the expression of the healing reaction should be recognized and utilized. Otherwise, substances that suppress the body's vital force will be used – which could possibly weaken the immune function altogether in the long term.

The application of naturopathic medicine changes the way we understand the language of the body. The symptom reveals what the body is doing so the physician understands how to further enhance the body's attempt to self-correct. The clearest demonstration of this healing dynamic is febrile illness. When an individual has a fever, it is not wise to suppress it since this is how the body actually combats the threat of infection. The fever stimulates blood flow, metabolism, the immune response and respiratory rate, thus increasing oxygen to the brain and involved tissues. To suppress a fever is to work against the body's own defenses and consequently impede the body's inherent healing power. Naturopaths work with and strengthen the body's natural defenses. To work with the body this way is to understand that acute illnesses can have purpose.

Today, naturopathic modalities are holding up under increasing scientific scrutiny, but it is the philosophy of naturopathy that stands out and threads the natural therapies together to form a cohesive system of medical practice. Naturopathy differentiates itself from conventional medical philosophy by demonstrating the trust it places in a living organism's capacity to move toward a state of health and wellness when properly supported. Naturopathic medicine places more emphasis on physiology by watching for signs of aberrations in physiological functioning, and intervening before a person develops an outright disease. Experience and tradition have taught that early intervention helps prevent further problems. Naturopathy addresses a simple problem before it reaches the pathological stage.

Naturopathic medicine fills the niche of pre-pathological care currently ignored and largely misunderstood in conventional medicine. The naturopathic approach is crucial in preventing chronic disease. This is the primary reason naturopathic medicine is a solution to the current health care crisis in America.

Erin Holston, N.D. is the president of the Ohio Chapter of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (OCAANP) and has been practicing in Cleveland Heights for five years. For more information about naturopathic medicine, naturopathic medical training or history see Dr. Holston's website at www.optionsnaturopathic.com or call (216) 707-9137. For more information on licensure of naturopathic doctors in Ohio please see www.ocaanp.org. The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians website is also a comprehensive resource at www.naturopathic.com.

Dr. Holston, along with Dr. Len Torok, will be speaking at a Mind Body Spirit Connected event on September 2, 2004. They will address how to integrate natural remedies into a regular health care program. For more information, please visit www.MBSConline.org or call (216) 321-9181.

Dr. Holston will lecture on naturopathy as it relates to immunity at the Fall Wellness Festival at Trillium Creek in Medina on October 2, 2004. Please watch for updated information on this event on our home page, or call (216) 226-6094.