The Naturopathic Principles: How it affects my massage therapy and manual osteopathy practice

Having the opportunity to work alongside two naturopathic doctors has had a significant influence on my daily practice. Through collaborative work and discussions, it was interesting to find how naturopathic medicine and other manual therapeutics are connected via their basic principles or tenets. One thing that has stuck with me since starting my practice is the importance of maximizing how you feel. This means going beyond not feeling sick, and more towards how good can your health get. The 6 naturopathic principles heavily influence other manual therapies and are how we get you feeling your best.

• Do no harm

• The healing power of nature

• Identify and treat the cause

• Doctor as teacher

• Treat the whole person

• Prevention

The basis of all healthcare practices follows one basic tenant; do no harm. Whenever someone steps into the clinic, my main goal is for them to leave better than when they came in. Whether it be through physical treatment or education I strive to have every client leave a little better.

The healing power of nature; closely relates to osteopathy as one of our tenants is the body is a self-regulating and self-healing entity. I was always taught that the body is healing itself, and as a massage therapist or osteopath, we are just facilitating the body's natural healing process.

Identify and treat the cause, while treating the person as a whole. Have you woken up with a kink in your neck? What’s causing the issue? Did you sleep wrong last night, or is it from that minor fender bender in the parking lot that happened 6 months ago? Maybe your pelvis is misaligned and causing issues further upstream. Your body holds and distributes tension and damage in strange and incredible ways and the root cause may not be as obvious as it seems.

Doctor as teacher and prevention. My goal is to reach my clients one new thing every time they see me. While I am not a doctor, recommending different home care and adjustments to daily activities plays a large portion in my practice. This may come in the form of stretching or strengthening exercises, changes to posture, and gait, or even referrals to different health care providers. Education is certainly the best form of prevention. If you are aware of how certain activities affect your mental or physical health, and you have the proper tools to overcome or correct them, your chance of illness or injury is greatly reduced.

*Disclaimer: The information contained within this post is for general educational and information purposes only, no doctor-patient relationship is formed. It is not professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or care nor is it intended to be a substitute therefore. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional.