I am gonna go little off-topic here. I have a sudden urge to write something about naturopathic medicine, I am gonna give in to the temptation.
Naturopathic medicine (AKA hikmat) is a holistic approach to a health condition. Naturopathic physicians study the human body and their relationship with the environment in a much more elaborate way. It’s of no wonder that good naturopathic physicians in America can be counted on fingers. Naturopathy is thousands of years old (maybe as old as life on earth), conventional or mainstream medicine has been into practice for hardly 100 years, and they are still experimenting. Every few days you hear about some medicine getting recalled for its irreversible side-effects. Traditional Chinese medicine, ayurvedic medicine, Yunani medicine, traditional European medicine, botanical medicine, homeopathy, reflexology are all branches of naturopathy.
I will give you an example of how the course of treatment would differ in two settings
If you go to a regular doctor for indigestion or stomach infection, he would most prolly give you antibiotics, some over the counter medications. If your condition persists, he’d recommend some intense testing, x-rays, blood work, endoscopy, scans and more antibiotics.
Giving antibiotic for stomach infection is so absurd, it’s almost laughable. Antibiotic = antibacterial. It kills all bad bacteria in your gut, but in doing so it does not spare the good bacteria. Lack of healthy gut bacteria probably initiated the infection on the first place.
If you go to a naturopathic physician, the discussion would be somewhat along these lines
Look, You have to eat slowly, chew thoroughly, eat peacefully, eat in a good mood and good company. Eating is a sacred act, don’t rush it, and make a connection with your food. Avoid drinking cold water before after and during your meal, the digestive enzymes work at a specific temperature. Cold water inhibits the enzymes. You also have to inoculate good bacteria in your digestive system, eat food with live cultures in it, like yogurt, unpasteurized butter milk, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, etc. Stomach is the nucleus of Good health, longevity, vitality, energy, endurance. Everything starts from stomach. Select foods that are whole, seasonal and local. Then he would recommend some concoction to strengthen your digestive system like fennel tincture, or crushed fennel, mint, and cumin mixed with honey, or ginger glyceride. If you have an infection, he would give you some herbs that only target the harmful bacteria, not the healthy gut bacteria, for example, oregano, basil tincture, or oregano essential oil.
I don’t have any agenda behind promoting naturopathic medicine. I just feel this unexplainable urge to get the word out.