Health is valuable. Modern living, however, has a tendency to be demanding and fast-paced. People then can sometimes get overindulgent or neglectful. When disease comes knocking, the obvious recourse is to take medication. It’s not to say that it is a bad option. But advances in the study of health has led to more alternatives. Naturopathy is among these alternatives.
Many institutions promote this thrust. One of them is the College of Naturopathic Medicine in the United Kingdom. This training provider helps students understand the basic concepts of naturopathy. But what is naturopathy? What are its distinct features?
The Concept of Self- Healing
This treatment believes that the body can heal itself. This is done by removing the toxins that the body accumulated due to overindulgence. A proper diet is also observed, and as such, food becomes medicine. Healing extends beyond the physical to the mental and psychological aspects. Meditation and yoga are definite elements of this therapy.
A Drugless Treatment
Naturopathy supports drugless treatment. This therapy believes that medicine does not get to the cause of the problem. Rather, medicine only suppresses the disease. In the process, adverse side effects may also be triggered by medication.
Naturopathy is a natural way to heal. It probes the root of the disease, which mostly is an imbalance of the body’s function. This method restores the harmony of the body. It is tri-fold in such a manner that it heals, prevents and educates. Once a disease is managed, naturopathy prevents it from recurring by educating the person about a healthier way of living.
The Application of the Five Elements
The five elements of nature are each a component in a human’s body. As such, the cure also involves these elements.
Water
- In the body: water comprises all the liquid elements in the body, such as sweat, blood, saliva and urine.
- As a form of therapy: water therapy is very effective to regulate body functions.
Air
- In the body: air is the essence of all movements, such as expansion, suppression and contraction.
- As a form of therapy: breathing exercises cleanses the body of toxins.
Earth
- In the body: earth forms the solid structure of the body. It includes bones, muscles, skin, nails, teeth and hair.
- As a form of therapy: earth in the form of mud has therapeutic effects. Mud packs, massages and baths are all used in naturopathy.
Fire
- In the body: fire is the element that is responsible for hunger, thirst, and sleep.
- As a form of therapy: exposure to sunlight has many advantages.
Space
- In the body: space represents all the hollow areas in the body.
- As a form of therapy: space is equal to a vacuum. Thus, in therapy, space is equal to fasting therapy. By fasting, toxins are eliminated from the system.
Some people do not consider naturopathy as a definite science. But it is liberating to know that the power to heal is also within ourselves. With all the elements of naturopathy combined, there is the hope of a healthier way of life. Awareness of one’s body and its functions is a powerful tool to keep the person fit. Being healthy does not only benefit people as individuals but society as a whole.
