Naturopathy regards the body as a self-healing entity. Diseases and health complaints are thought to be natural responses to damaging lifestyles. Naturopaths investigate the underlying reasons for imbalances in the body and prescribe therapies in order to return the body to its original state of equilibrium.

The earliest doctors and healers used natural elements such as foods, herbal remedies, water, fasting, and tissue manipulation. These moderate therapies do not interfere with the body's own healing powers. Today's naturopaths continue to incorporate herbal medicine, homeopathy, nutrition, detoxification, hydrotherapy, food, exercise therapy, physical therapy, manipulation of the bony and soft tissues, lifestyle and counselling.

Naturopathic medicine treats the patient through a wide spectrum, from the preventative stage through to chronic, debilitating disease.

Naturopathy and Conventional Medicine

Naturopaths are not involved in the practice of medicine. They do not prescribe or use drugs or pharmaceuticals. Naturopathy most often deals with wellness and relief from conditions which are the result of stress whether from mental, nutritional, environmental or physical factors.

Major Principles of Naturopathy

Naturopathy promotes health through education and non-invasive natural agents.

1. Avoid harm

Naturopathy embraces only therapies or procedures which are designed to enhance healing and produce wellness.

2. Identify the healing power of nature

Naturopathy is designed to work in harmony with nature in the restoration and support for the in-built self-healing systems of the body.

3. Investigate cause

For naturopaths, the correction of the cause is the most reasonable way of eliminating symptoms and restoring health to the patient.

4. Approach the patient holistically

Naturopathic doctors are aware that a person can have a physical, spiritual or emotional illness. The chosen therapy is determined by what kind of problem the person is experiencing. Naturopaths use various counselling, stress management and bio-feedback techniques for those experiencing emotional or spiritual problems.

5. Teaching over treatment

Naturopathic philosophy places the responsibility for health with the individual patient. Naturopaths teach their patients what lifestyle, nutritional, emotional or dietary changes should be made to alleviate the condition. The condition is alleviated by the patient making those changes and not by some outside agency.

6. Prevent disease

While naturopathy maintains that the body is self-healing, it recognises that it is preferable for the body not to experience imbalances and their resulting consequences. Naturopaths advise clients on simple disease prevention principles which are designed to produce health.

What to expect from your first visit

Your first visit to a naturopath could take an hour or two. The physician will spend time with you to learn not only about the condition that brought you to the office, but also about all the other factors relating to your health. You will be asked to provide details about your eating habits, sleep and work patterns, health history and stress factors, for example.

The naturopath might perform an appropriate physical examination, which may require laboratory tests.

Hilary Haynes uses a non-invasive screening system called 'Vegatesting' which can screen for food intolerances, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, hormonal balance, and environmental sensitivities.The results are available as soon as the testing is completed.

A computer print-out is then generated which gives clear indications of any problem areas.