Naturopathic medicine* also called “naturopathy” was created by Benedict Lust. Born in Germany in the late 1800′s, Dr. Lust travelled to America and carried with him initially the teachings of Father Kneipp’s water cure which helped restore his own health. In the early 1900′s, he started treating patients with the water cure and included massage. He gave instruction on this and this was the beginning of The American School of Naturopathy, in New York. His experience at the New York Homeopathic medical college, New York Eclectic medical college, and Universal College of Osteopathy of New York made him realize that all people would benefit from receiving the combination of all the methods of health care. Dr. Lust did not believe in specific therapy rather, that the training of a doctor/practitioner was to encompass all treatments that helped Nature within the body. With that belief, a naturopathic student is taught all the sciences required, Hydrotherapy, Massage, Nutrition, Phytotherapy, Counseling, Osteopathic/Chiropractic manipulation, Homeopathy, all classic medical training, Naprathy & exercise (which is now called sports medicine). Earlier, Iridology was a taught but then removed.

A Naturopathic Physician/doctor/practitioner attends a 4-year graduate level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all the same basic sciences as an MD/DO but also studies holistic and non-toxic approaches to therapy with a strong emphasis on prevention and optimizing wellness. They use Nature as their guide, and utilize the body’s natural healing capabilities.  There is never a focus on disease, just the person.

In addition to the standard medical training, ND’s are required to complete 2 years of clinical training. In 1929, Naturopathic medicine was seen all across the United States and seen as a comparable degree to MD/DO in Washington DC.

Hydrotherapy is the use of water to illicit the natural healing ability of the body. It is the oldest form of treatment for the body. Developed in the 1800′s by Father Kneipp, a German priest and carried to America by Benedict Lust, water was used to treat many ailments. Water use was multi-faceted. Hot, cold, body temperature, with/without herbs, sprays or showers, compresses, baths, etc; each had their own function to help the body repair and return it to the “normal state”.

European biological medicine is homeopathy and isopathy, which helps support the entire body and helps remove any barriers that may be preventing one from maximizing their genetic potential. It regulates internal ecology, supports beneficial micro-flora, improves immune function, supports organ/organ system function, removes (detoxifies) lifestyle and environmental blockages, and reduces the effects of biochemical stress.

Reiki is Japanese technique that keeps the energy flowing through out the body & mind. Created by a man in Japan in 1922, he understood the way to use healing energy without draining the practitioner. Rei means life force, God, universal being and Ki means energy. It helps with stress and relaxation.

Whole food Nutrition — Apart from being in-tune with nature, what you eat and how you eat it is probably the most important thing you will do everyday of your life. Only food should supports one’s body, no “food-like” substances nor fractions of foods, this includes vitamins and minerals.

Iridology — As quoted by Bernard Jensen, DC, ND, the man who improved the science; a science whereby the doctor or operator can tell from the markings or signs in the iris of the eye the reflex condition of the various organs of the body. It is the science of determining acute, sub-acute, chronic, and destructive stages in the affected organs of the body through their corresponding areas in the iris. Drug deposits, inherent weaknesses and living habits of the patient are also revealed in the iris of the eye.

Functional/Dynamic Personal Training — Unlike most personal training, this type of training prepares one to everyday activities and stressors as well as improves the body’s overall functioning. Each training session includes cardiovascular, strength training and stretching and accomplishes in 1 hour what one what have to do in several hours at the gym. Also there is focus on posture, gait, form, and adaptation to performed exercises.

Phytotherapy is the use of flowers, leaves, resins, and roots to promote the body’s healing and natural functions. For thousands of years, humans as well as animals, used the plants around them to heal what ailed them. Each plant has specific qualities that can help with specific actions of the body with little to no side effects.

Wholistic Counseling is the essence of complete guidance through connecting the body, mind and spirit. As the body expresses itself through heal crisis’s and detoxing, so does the mind. It is this time one needs to connect the two and understand the minds need to detox as well.

Preconception/Prenatal guidance — encouragement for the development of a strong healthy baby as well as optimizing the body for the time of conception, for both male and female.

Homeopathy — honed by Dr. Samuel Hahnamann in the 1800′s, it was an alternative to the poisons being used as medicines during that time. He found that a lesser dose of many different substances had a good medicinal property as well as no side affects. He found also that eventually dilutions of the substances with no physical evidence left in the dilution, had an even deeper impact with a much more positive long term effect. One of Homeopathy’s tenets is to heal from within, out. This modality is great especially when there are many deep rooted chronic problems.

Applied Kinesiology – Founded by Dr. George Goodheart, Applied kinesiology links the physics of body movement and muscle testing to health and healthcare. It gives licensed health professionals an additional diagnostic tool to enhance their examination skills. The International College of Applied Kinesiology offers a quality control label for AK education and research. It restricts high quality AK education to licensed professionals only and promotes an AK Certification delivered by the International Board of Examiners.  Applied Kinesiology is performed by health care professionals only.

Applied Kinesiology can be divided into two distinct parts.

One is an aid in assessment. Muscle testing is used help assess what is functioning abnormally. This can be a problem with the nervous system, the lymphatic drainage, the vascular supply to a muscle or organ, a nutritional excess or deficiency, a problem with the cranial-sacral – TMJ mechanism, an imbalance in the meridian system or a host of other problems. The second part of Applied Kinesiology involves the treatment phase. here, Dr. Goodheart and others in the International College of Applied Kinesiology have adapted different treatment methods to the problems that have been diagnosed. From nutrition to chiropractic manipulation to osteopathic cranial techniques to acupuncture – meridian therapies to myofascial techniques to nervous system coordination procedures to some of the latest theories in medicine involving control of the vascular and nervous system may be employed to balance the malfunction found in the patient.

Applied Kinesiology borrows from many different disciplines and through the use of accurate, scientific muscle testing, in addition to the basic knowledge of the practitioner, helps direct the care to exactly what the patient’s needs are instead of what the practitioner does.

*Naturopathic Medicine, as defined by the U.S. Department of Labor is to “diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases using a system of practice that is based on the natural healing capacity of individuals. May use physiological, psychological or mechanical methods. May also use natural medicines, prescription or legend drugs, foods, herbs, or other natural remedies.”Naturopathic doctors train at four-year, post-graduate naturopathic medical schools that are accredited by an agency of the United States Department of Education.

Sixteen states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands regulate naturopathic medicine.

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