L01_Naturopathy 1 Flashcards
History and Philosophy
What is the definition of naturopathy?
Naturopathy is a system of healthcare that encourages and promotes the body’s own self-healing mechanisms.
Naturopathy utilizes therapies such as nutrition, fasting, hydrotherapy, herbal medicine, acupuncture, and homeopathy.
What are the historical origins of naturopathy?
Naturopathy dates back to ancient civilizations including:
* Ancient Egypt (5000 years)
* India (ayurveda) (4000 years)
* China (TCM) (4000 years)
* Ancient Greece (3000 years)
* Native Americans (3000 years)
All cultures used methods like fasting, diet, herbs, and hydrotherapy for disease treatment.
Who is known as the father of medicine?
Hippocrates (468‒377 BC)
He established a school of medicine and believed disease is due to diet, lifestyle, and environment.
What is Hippocrates’ famous quote regarding food?
‘Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.’
This emphasizes the importance of diet in health and healing.
What was Samuel Thomson’s role in herbalism?
Regarded as the father of American herbalism and developed a practice based on herbal remedies.
He used lobelia inflata and other herbs, advocating for elimination, restoring body heat, and promoting sweating.
What is the ‘Schroth diet’?
An early form of intermittent fasting involving:
* Low-calorie, high-alkaline vegetable diet
* Followed by a drainage day with plenty of fluids
Developed by Johannes Schroth, this diet aims to reduce oxidative stress.
Who founded modern hydrotherapy?
Vincenz Priessnitz (1799‒1852)
He treated 40,000 patients with a focus on drugless healing and bio-individuality.
What therapeutic regime did Priessnitz advocate?
Cold water treatments, a vegetarian diet, fresh air, exercise, rest, and sometimes fasting.
He emphasized treating the patient, not just the disease.
What is the concept of ‘bio-individuality’?
The idea that every person has unique nutritional and therapeutic requirements.
This concept was emphasized by several naturopaths, including Priessnitz and Kneipp.
What did Dr. John Harvey Kellogg believe about bowel health?
He believed that ‘90% of diseases are due to improper functioning of the bowel’.
Kellogg promoted bowel cleansing and regular enemas.
What did Adolf Just advocate for in his practice?
Raw food and ‘earthing’ (going barefoot).
He believed that disease was punishment for disregarding nature’s laws.
What is the significance of Rudolf Steiner in naturopathy?
He developed systems of medicine, education, and farming, advocating herbal medicine and biodynamics.
Steiner founded the Anthroposophical Society and believed health issues stemmed from imbalances in different planes of existence.
What is the ‘healing crisis’ concept introduced by Henry Lindlahr?
The initial mobilization of toxins leads to an aggravation of symptoms prior to their elimination.
Lindlahr emphasized the importance of restoring healthy elimination for health restoration.
Fill in the blank: Naturopathy uses therapies such as nutrition, fasting, ________, herbal medicine, acupuncture, and homeopathy.
hydrotherapy
True or False: Hippocrates believed that nature is the physician of man.
True
Who is known for developing the idea of alternating hot/cold compresses?
Sebastian Kneipp (1821‒1897)
He is also known as the father of hydrotherapy.
What did Johannes Schroth believe about fasting?
Fasting encourages natural healing processes.
He founded a health spa that combined hydrotherapy and fasting.
What does ‘earthing’ refer to?
Going barefoot to reduce electromagnetic stress and improve health.
It is believed to help with sleep quality and reduce blood viscosity.
What is the concept of the ‘healing crisis’?
Initial mobilization of toxins leads to an aggravation of symptoms prior to their elimination.
This concept emphasizes that discomfort may occur as the body begins to detoxify.
What did Henry Lindlahr develop?
The iris ‘map’ for iridology.
Iridology is a practice where the iris of the eye is examined for signs of health.
What diet did Arnold Ehret promote?
An alkaline diet focusing on citrus, green-leafy vegetables, and nuts.
Ehret believed this diet could help build ‘new blood’.
What is the theory of ‘vitalism’ as described by Arnold Ehret?
Vitality = power minus obstruction (V = P - O).
This theory suggests that health is dependent on the vitality of the body minus any obstructions.
What did Dr. Max Bircher-Benner advocate?
A 50/50 raw food diet, emphasizing fruit.
Bircher-Benner is also known for creating Bircher Muesli.
What does the ‘seedbed analogy’ refer to?
The health of a human body is akin to the health of plants, needing the correct internal environment for growth.
This analogy emphasizes the importance of gut health for overall well-being.
Who is considered the father of naturopathy in America?
Benedict Lust.
Lust popularized the term ‘naturopathy’ and founded the first American College of Naturopathic Medicine.
What was Dr. Max Gerson’s primary focus in his treatment?
Alkalizing the body with fresh organic vegetable juices and detoxifying with coffee enemas.
Gerson therapy is known for its approach to cancer treatment.
What is the key principle behind Dr. Herbert Shelton’s philosophy?
Toxaemia is the universal basic cause of all diseases.
Shelton emphasized the body’s natural healing processes without intervention.
What is the difference between germ theory and terrain theory?
Germ theory sees disease as caused by external microbes; terrain theory views disease as resulting from internal conditions.
Terrain theory emphasizes the importance of the body’s internal environment.
What did Claude Bernard contribute to the understanding of health?
The concept of ‘milieu interieur’ (internal environment) as the foundation of good health.
Bernard’s work countered the germ theory by highlighting the significance of internal balance.
What did Antoine Béchamp believe about disease?
Most diseases result from an acidic, low oxygenated ‘terrain’.
Béchamp argued that bacteria are not the cause of disease but rather a symptom of an unhealthy internal environment.
What is one of the key naturopathic principles regarding health?
The Healing Power of Nature.
This principle states that the body can heal itself if provided with the right conditions.
Fill in the blank: ‘Prevention is ______ to cure.’
preferable
This emphasizes the importance of addressing lifestyle factors to prevent disease.
What does ‘treat the cause, not a symptom’ mean in naturopathy?
The underlying cause of dysfunction must be identified and treated, not just the symptoms.
This approach focuses on holistic healing rather than merely alleviating symptoms.
What does it mean to ‘Treat the Cause, not a Symptom’?
Identify and treat the root cause of dysfunction rather than just addressing the symptoms
For example, using natural detoxification methods instead of topical steroid creams for skin conditions.
What is meant by treating the ‘Whole’ Person?
Consider all aspects of a patient’s life, including physical, mental, genetic, environmental, and social factors
There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach in treatment.
How is health defined in naturopathy?
Health is viewed as abundant vitality rather than merely the absence of illness
Many people may be considered healthy but still lack energy and vitality.
What is the focus of treatment in naturopathy?
The person is treated, not the disease
The approach must be individually focused on each patient’s unique situation.
What does ‘bio-individuality’ refer to?
Each person is biochemically unique, leading to different nutritional and therapy requirements
Factors include variations in blood types, genes, metabolic rates, and age.
What is the connection between disease and imbalance?
All disease starts with disruption to homeostasis, and healing involves returning to balance
For example, if the body becomes too acidic, alkalizing treatments may be necessary.
What is the internal environment’s role in health?
Ill-health is a product of the internal environment of the body, not external influences
An analogy is a sick fish in a polluted tank.
What should treatment address when dealing with deficiency and excess?
Treatment should build up deficiencies and remove excess toxins
Tailoring treatment to the patient’s specific state is crucial.
Why should ailments not be suppressed?
Symptoms are manifestations of the body’s healing force and suppression can drive issues deeper
Suppression disrupts homeostasis.
What role do naturopaths play in patient education?
Naturopaths empower patients by educating them about their health and how to maintain it
This includes awareness of dietary, lifestyle, and environmental influences.
What is the literal meaning of ‘naturopathy’?
Naturopathy means ‘disorder’ of ‘nature’
It focuses on restoring order in the mind and body through natural healing.
How does naturopathy view the concept of wholeness?
Naturopathy is holistic, emphasizing that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
Mending a broken part does not necessarily benefit the whole.
What does ‘non-uniformity’ imply in naturopathy?
Each person’s unique genes and adaptations mean that treatments must be tailored to the individual
This makes evaluating treatment effectiveness based on scientific criteria challenging.
How is naturopathy described in relation to science?
Naturopathy is both an art and a science, aligning with nature’s laws for effective healing
Healing must be in harmony with the natural environment.
What is the naturopathic term for general lifestyle changes that support vitality?
Hygiene
This includes practices like wearing breathable clothing and ensuring adequate rest.
What is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)?
A form of exercise involving cycles of short intense periods followed by rest
It enhances endurance and cardiovascular fitness.
What is the purpose of ‘Earthing’?
To reduce electromagnetic stress by taking up negative ions from the earth
Walking barefoot on grass or using leather-soled shoes can facilitate this.
What are good sleep hygiene practices?
Establish a consistent sleep schedule, maintain a dark room, and avoid technology before bed
Ideally, sleep between 10pm and 6am.
Why is sunshine important for health?
It is essential for vitamin D and melatonin synthesis
15 minutes of midday sun exposure is recommended for optimal health.
What is the significance of correct breathing?
It increases oxygenation, CO2 removal, and activates the parasympathetic nervous system
Breathing exercises can enhance overall calmness and repair processes.
What are Hering’s Laws of Cure?
Five principles that describe the healing process: 1. Inside out 2. More serious to less serious organs 3. Mind before body 4. Symptoms disappear in reverse order 5. From above to below
These laws guide the understanding of healing progression.
What symptoms did the patient experience one month after treatment?
Bloating, diarrhoea, headaches, brain fog, mouth ulcers
The progression of symptoms indicates a potential reaction to treatment.
What improvements were noted after using natural treatment for the patient with headaches and concentration issues?
Headaches and concentration started to improve
This suggests that natural treatment may have a positive effect on cognitive function.
What symptoms subsided eight weeks after natural treatment?
Diarrhoea and bloating
This indicates a gradual improvement in the patient’s gastrointestinal health.
What is Hering’s Law of Cure?
From above to below
This principle suggests that healing often occurs in a specific order, starting from the top of the body to the bottom.
What condition did the 39-year-old female in the case study have?
Long-standing rheumatoid arthritis
This condition typically involves inflammation and pain in the joints.
What was the sequence of pain improvement in the patient with rheumatoid arthritis?
Elbow pain ceased, wrist pain improved, finger joints started to improve
This reflects the application of Hering’s Law of Cure in the treatment process.
Who is regarded as the father of naturopathy?
Not specified in the provided text
Commonly recognized figures include Benedict Lust.
What was Samuel Thomson’s trilogy of healing?
Not specified in the provided text
Thomson’s approach emphasized the use of herbal remedies.
Describe the Schroth diet.
Not specified in the provided text
The Schroth diet is often associated with respiratory health and involves specific dietary restrictions.
List FIVE naturopathic principles.
- The healing power of nature
- Identify and treat the cause
- First do no harm
- Doctor as teacher
- Treat the whole person
These principles guide naturopathic practice.
Give THREE examples of when suppression might occur.
- Treating symptoms without addressing the cause
- Using strong medications that mask symptoms
- Ignoring emotional or psychological factors in treatment
Suppression can lead to further health issues.
Explain how earthing (grounding) works.
Not specified in the provided text
Earthing involves connecting with the Earth’s energy to promote health.
What organ might you support if a client wakes up at 4am most nights according to the Chinese clock?
Liver
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver is associated with this time.
Where does the word ‘naturopathy’ come from?
Not specified in the provided text
The term is derived from ‘nature’ and ‘pathos,’ suggesting a natural healing path.
Which of Hering’s Laws of Cure is demonstrated if a patient with eczema sees the rash clear first from the face, then the neck and arms?
From above to below
This demonstrates the principle of healing progression.
SQ: Who is regarded as the father of naturopathy?
SQ: What was Samuel Thomson’s trilogy of healing?
SQ: Describe the Schroth diet.
SQ: Describe FIVE naturopathic principles
SQ: Give THREE examples of when suppression might occur.
SQ: Explain how earthing (grounding) works
SQ: A client goes to sleep fine but wakes up at 4am most nights. What organ might you support based on the Chinese clock?
SQ: Where does the word ‘naturopathy’ come from?
SQ: If a patient with eczema is treated naturally and the rash clears first from the face, then the neck and arms, which of Hering’s Laws of Cure is demonstrated?
