So What is Naturopathy? Am I saying it Right?
Hi there and welcome to my journal, I’m so glad you found me :)
I thought a good place to start would be to explain exactly what a naturopath is, because the number of times someone has asked me what I do before I can see a giant “?…….” floating above their head still amazes me.
So let’s break it down.
The term naturopathy originates from the Greek root word for suffering (“pathos”) and the Latin root word for birth (“natura”), and was interpreted as meaning “natural healing.” Naturopathy’s roots are traced back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when various natural healing systems, such as the nature cures (light, food, air, and water) of Austria, and hydrotherapy of Germany, were used to treat and prevent illness.
Benedict Lust, considered the father of naturopathy, was initially trained in hydrotherapy in Germany before coining the term “naturopathy” in 1895. He eventually emigrated to America to spread his teachings on natural health practices and established the American School of Naturopathy in 1901.
Since then, naturopathy has been a growing discipline of complementary medicine worldwide. While many individuals choose to use a naturopath as their primary healthcare provider, naturopaths make an excellent addition to your overall healthcare team, working alongside your GP and other specialists or disciplines you may see - we complement them and fill gaps that they may not have the time, or training, to cover (hence belonging to the field of complementary medicine).
At its core, naturopathy emphasises the use of natural health practices, which may include nutrition, herbal medicines, hydrotherapy, flower essences, as well as general diet and lifestyle optimisation, to trigger and support the body’s inherent healing response.
Naturopaths are guided by 6 key principles in practice:
First, do no harm
The healing power of nature
Find and treat the cause whenever possible, not only the symptoms
Doctor as teacher
Treat the whole person
Education and prevention
How does this translate to your consult?
Where possible, we opt for non-invasive and gentle approaches to support health. This may look like optimising your nutritional status, supporting your sleep quality, helping you to manage stress, or using specific approaches like herbal medicines to trigger your body’s healing response.
We also treat the person, not the disease. This means that we don’t have one default response to particular scenarios, and work to fill any gaps that may be present that allow certain presentations to occur. Any prescriptions will also be tailored and selected to that individual’s need, not just because it was designed with a particular concern in mind.
Naturopaths are also big advocates for the individual to be the driver of their own health, not the practitioner. This means that part of the consultation and treatment process will involve education so that you play an active role in the decisions regarding your health outcomes.
Ultimately, our goal is not to see you again (sounds harsh I know, but it’s said with love!). We should be a part of your health journey for some time, which may be a few months to years depending on your circumstances, but, ideally, we should get you to a position where health and well-being become baseline. Hopefully, through this journey, you will also become more comfortable in making decisions about everyday scenarios that impact your health, like diet and lifestyle.
Of course, we’ll always be here if you so get stuck or something new comes up, but long-term you should walk away feeling more empowered about yourself.
All of this results in a treatment plan that is completely tailored to you and your individual needs, called holistic healthcare.
And if you’ve been wondering how to pronounce the word naturopath, it’s similar to saying nat-er-o-path or, for us Aussies who tend to shorten our words, nat-ro-path.
Something to be mindful of is that in Australia, naturopaths aren’t regulated by AHPRA, which means that the title isn’t protected. As a result, anyone can technically call themselves a naturopath, regardless if they’ve completed the appropriate training, or not. Instead, we are regulated by professional associations (e.g. NHAA, ANTA, ATMS), which all require proof of insurance and graduation from a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopath (BHS Naturopathy), a 4-year degree. These associations ensure the minimum level of training required to be covered by insurance, continued practitioner education post-bachelor graduation, and bind the practitioner to a national code of conduct.
So when you’re choosing your naturopath, ensure that they’re fully qualified and registered with a professional association And yes, I’m a BHS-qualified naturopath registered with ATMS - you can contact me for more details if you like :)
