1. History & Philosophy of Naturopathic Medicine Flashcards

1
Q

Definition of naturopathy

A

System of healthcare which encourages and promotes the body’s own self-healing mechanisms

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2
Q

What are the 5 naturopathic principles?

A
  1. The healing power of nature
  2. Treat/support the cause, not the symptom
  3. Treat/support the whole person
  4. Prevention is preferable to a cure
  5. Education
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3
Q

Explain what is meant by the ‘healing power of nature’

A

The body can heal itself given the right conditions and treatment

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4
Q

How can good health be stimulated?

A
Fresh air
Sun
Clean water
Healthy diet
Fasting
Detoxification
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5
Q

The question is not what the disease is but…

A
  1. Why is it there?
  2. Where did it come from?
  3. What is the cause?
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6
Q

What are the principles behind ‘treat/support the whole person’?

A

Recognising individuality
Take into account the whole person - physical, mental, genetic, environmental, social factors
There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach

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7
Q

What is the principle behind ‘prevention is preferable to a cure’?

A

Most diseases linked to diet, lifestyle and environment so important to address these in order to prevent disease

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8
Q

What is behind the principle ‘education’?

A

Educating patients to have a better understanding of their health
How to attain health
How to maintain health
How to avoid creating an environment where disease can result
Empower them to take responsibility for their own health

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9
Q

What is health?

A

The best possible physical, mental and emotional state

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10
Q

What is a naturopathic nutritionist?

A

Follows the naturopathic principles knowing that every person is an individual that requires a personalised nutritional approach to health

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11
Q

What does a naturopathic nutritionist focus on?

A

Understanding the cause of a patient’s symptoms
The constitution of the patient using TCM, Ayurveda, Homeopathy
Using whole/organic food as medicine
Detoxification

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12
Q

What is a nutrient?

A

A substance which provides nourishment

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13
Q

What is nutrition?

A

Providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth

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14
Q

What is nourishment?

A

Food or other substances needed for growth, health and good condition

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15
Q

What is food?

A

Any nutritious substance that people eat or drink in order to maintain life and growth

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16
Q

What is whole food?

A

Food that hasn’t been processed or refined

Free from additives or artificial substances

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17
Q

What is organic food?

A

Food free from fertilisers, pesticides, GMOs, growth hormones and irradiation

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18
Q

What are superfoods?

A

Highly nutritious foods containing all, or nearly all, the vitamins, minerals and trace elements a body needs

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19
Q

Examples of superfoods

A

Sprouts
Wheatgrass
Algae
Bee pollen

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20
Q

Why should superfoods not be consumed on their own?

A

They don’t work in isolation

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21
Q

What is junk food?

A

Substances which aren’t natural
Have been altered
Not suitable to maintain health and growth

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22
Q

Why is junk food detrimental to health and growth?

A

They hinder cell communication

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23
Q

Is microwaved food junk food?

A

Yes

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24
Q

What was Hippocrates renowned for saying?

A

Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food

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25
Q

What was Hippocrates’ philosophy?

A

Food is the primary source of medicine, health and healing

Use food first, then herbs, then intervention

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26
Q

What do Ayurvedic Medicine, Chinese Medicine and Ancient Greek Medicine all have in common?

A

All seek to harmonise the health of an individual with nature

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27
Q

What was Sebastian Kniepp renowned for?

A

Hydrotherapy

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28
Q

What is hydrotherapy?

A

Use of water as a healing agent

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29
Q

What is involved in hydrotherapy?

A

Cold water - decreases circulation and numbs the area
Hot water - relaxes muscles and increases circulation
(stimulates blood flow, increasing O2 and nutritional supply to cells)

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30
Q

Examples of hydrotherapy

A

Compresses
Foot baths
Steam baths
Saunas

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31
Q

What is water treading?

A

Alternating hot and cold water treatment

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32
Q

What are the effects of water treading?

A
Strengthens immune system
Promotes circulation
Lowers blood pressure
Relieves headaches
Promotes parasympathetic activity
Enhances sleep
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33
Q

What was Dr Max Bircher-Benner renowned for?

A

Raw food diet with emphasis on fruit to maintain nutrient profile in food
Bircher muesli

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34
Q

What was Bircher-Benner’s philosophy?

A

Good gut health is necessary for proper growth of cells and tissues

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35
Q

What was Dr John Harvey Kellogg’s philosophy?

A

90% of diseases are due to improper functioning of the bowel

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36
Q

What was Dr John Harvey Kellogg renowned for?

A

Importance of the intestinal microflora

Shredded wheat and granola biscuits

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37
Q

What was Henry Lindlahr’s philosophy?

A

The accumulation of morbid matter [toxins] is the primary cause of disease

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38
Q

What was Henry Lindlahr renowned for?

A

Term Nature-Cure - defined his approach to recovery

Healing Crisis - get worse before you get better

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39
Q

What was Dr Max Gerson’s philosophy?

A

Toxicity and deficiency are the two planks underpinning health

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40
Q

What was Dr Max Gerson renowned for?

A

Alkalising the body with fresh organic vegetable juices
Detoxifying with coffee enemas
Gerson therapy for cancer patients

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41
Q

What was James C Thomson renowned for?

A

Advocating fibre to keep gut clear

unrefined grains, raw fruit/veg

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42
Q

What was Dr Bernard Jensen renowned for?

A

Bowel-cleansing as the most important aspect in maintaining health
Chlorophyll enemas and colonics
Sensations in a certain part of the bowel corresponding with condition elsewhere in body

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43
Q

What was Dr Bernard Jensen’s philosophy?

A

Every tissue is fed by the blood which is supplied by the bowel

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44
Q

What was Louis Pasteur renowned for?

A

Germ theory of disease

Pasteurisation

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45
Q

What is Pasteur’s Germ Theory of Disease?

A

Disease occurs from outside the body - bacteria, viruses, fungi

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46
Q

What was Antoine Bechamp’s philosophy?

A

Disease occurs from within the body due to an acidic, low-oxygenated terrain
Bacteria and viruses are the after-effects, rather than the cause of disease

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47
Q

What did Bircher-Brenner, Kellogg, Thomson and Jensen have in common?

A

All advocated the importance of gut health

48
Q

Definition of allopathy

A

Uses drugs/chemicals to treat the symptoms

Views symptoms as the disease

49
Q

What does treating a symptom do?

A

Suppresses a symptom/disease

Drives the disease deeper into the body

50
Q

Definition of homeopathy

A

Cures Like with Like
Treats the whole person
Views symptoms as an expression of a disease - not the disease itself

51
Q

What ‘law’ did Samuel Hahnemann formulate?

A

The Law of Similars (Like with Like)

52
Q

How did Samuel Hahnemann discover Like with Like?

A

Took China [bark] which produced malaria symptoms

Then gave China to malaria patients and their malaria disappeared

53
Q

Examples of Like with Like treatment

A

Bee venom for bee stings
Coffee for insomnia
Onion for watery eyes/runny nose
Snake venom for snake bite

54
Q

Applications of Like with Like

A

Fever (hot) - dab lukewarm water on person’s skin
Sunburn (hot) - apply warmth, drink
something warm
Burns (hot) - apply something warm
Frostbite (cold) - rub foot with snow. Warm up slowly
Hangover - sip or smell alcohol

55
Q

What is suppression?

A

Getting the symptoms of a disease to disappear without having healed the illness

56
Q

What happens if symptoms are suppressed?

A

The body finds different ways to express itself

Drives the disease deeper into the body

57
Q

Examples of suppression

A
Suppressing emotions
Suppressing natural body secretions
Topical applications
Surgical removals
Suppression of recurring infections
Suppression of fever/pain
Suppression of natural immunity
58
Q

How can emotions be suppressed?

A

Through anti-depressive drugs

Hypnosis

59
Q

What can the suppression of emotions lead to?

A

Deep-seated anxiety
An unhappy individual
Diseases

60
Q

Why shouldn’t body secretions be suppressed?

A

Body’s attempt to detox

61
Q

What can excessive sweating under the arms be a sign of?

A

Liver weakness

Over-reacting circulatory system

62
Q

Why is it better to use natural deodorants?

A

Free from toxins and aluminium

Allow toxin secretion

63
Q

Examples of suppression using topical applications

A

Corticosteroids

Coal/tar/zinc creams

64
Q

How can corticosteroids cause suppression?

A

Compromise the immune system
Weaken adrenal function
Inhibit waste elimination through skin

65
Q

What can steroid creams for eczema cause?

A

Asthma - waste is eliminated through the lungs instead causing inflammation

66
Q

How can coal/tar/zinc creams [for eczema/psoriasis] create suppression?

A

Can incite skin eruptions to spread
Can push the disease state deeper
Causes anxiety, candida, allergies and asthma

67
Q

Examples of suppression using surgical removal

A

Tonsillectomy
Warts/cysts
Radiotherapy
Chemotherapy

68
Q

What can a tonsillectomy result in?

A

Chronic throat infections that can become chest infections, digestive disorders or heart problems

69
Q

What can the removal of warts or cysts result in?

A

Formation of benign tumours and growth elsewhere deeper in the body
e.g. fibroids, intestinal/nasal polyps

70
Q

What can fever-suppressing drugs result in?

A

Disease to spread

Delay recovery

71
Q

Why shouldn’t painkillers be used?

A

They only mask diseases

72
Q

How often do brain cells renew?

A

1 year

73
Q

How often do blood cells renew?

A

3-4 months

74
Q

How often do liver cells renew?

A

6 weeks

75
Q

How often do skin cells renew?

A

30-40 days

76
Q

How often does the stomach mucosa renew?

A

5 days

77
Q

How should be body’s self-healing abilities be supported?

A

Healthy diet
Natural therapies
Avoid suppression

78
Q

What can negatively impact the body’s self-healing abilities?

A

Drugs
Toxins
Vaccines

79
Q

What was Constantin Hering renowned for?

A

Hering’s Laws of Cure

80
Q

What are the principles of Hering’s Laws of Cure?

A
  1. From inside out
  2. From more serious organs to less serious ones
  3. The mind gets better before the body
  4. Symptoms disappear in the reverse order to when they arrived
  5. From above to below
81
Q

Example of Hering’s Law of Cure: From inside out

A

A boil formation clears toxins from the inside to the exterior away from more vital organs

82
Q

Example of Hering’s Law of Cure: From more serious organs to less serious ones

A

From the lungs (asthma) to the skin (eczema)

83
Q

Example of Hering’s Law of Cure: The mind gets better before the body

A

Anxiety starts improving before IBS does

84
Q

Example of Hering’s Law of Cure: From above to below

A

RA patient starting with finger pain/inflammation, then wrists, then elbows
Following treatment, elbow pain ceased, then the wrist pain, then the fingers

85
Q

Naturopathic approach to coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis

A

Correcting diet and lifestyle that caused the problem

Decreases or even removes the plaque

86
Q

Allopathic approach to coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis

A

Removing plaque through surgery
Using drugs to prevent further plaque formation
Ignoring the cause of the disease

87
Q

Naturopathic approach to T2 Diabetes

A

Comprehensive dietary changes (and supplements) which naturally lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin resistance
Exercise/stress reduction production

88
Q

What are the effects of an naturopathic approach to T2D?

A

Improved cholesterol
Improved blood pressure
Weight loss
Reduced cancer risk

89
Q

Allopathic approach to T2 Diabetes

A

Drugs that decrease insulin resistance and/or lower blood sugar levels
Minimal dietary changes

90
Q

What are the effects of an allopathic approach to T2D?

A
Weight gain
Increased cholesterol
Increased triglycerides
Increased blood pressure
Increased risk of CVD
91
Q

What is the basis of the Chinese Body Clock?

A

That each organ functions at its optimum capacity at certain times of the day

92
Q

What can the Chinese Body Clock be used for?

A

Determine organs involved in pathology presentation based on time
(guideline only)

93
Q

Principles of TCM

A

Individualised (patient-centred)
Emphasises stimulating the body’s self-healing mechanisms
Holistic - looks at the person as a whole

94
Q

What is the primary aim of TCM?

A

Maintain health

95
Q

Principles of modern western medicine

A

Standardised approach
Based on medication and procedures
Reductionist - looks at the structure and functions of individual parts

96
Q

What is the primary aim of modern western medicine?

A

Manage disease

97
Q

Where does yin and yang originate from?

A

Chinese medicine

98
Q

According to Chinese medicine, what should a healthy meal consist of?

A

A balance of yin and yang

99
Q

Examples of yin foods

A
Cold and cooling foods
Wet foods
Sweet foods
Raw food
Refined [blended, juiced, ground] food
Foods that grow in spring and summer
100
Q

Examples of yang foods

A

Warm and warming foods
Foods with higher calorific value
Foods that grow in autumn and winter

101
Q

Are noodles yin or yang?

A

Can be either depending on whether they are rice noodles (yin) or wheat noodles (yang)

102
Q

Are the yin and yang labels for each food fixed?

A

No, it depends on what the food item is paired with
e.g. fish is considered yin but not in relation to more yin foods like raw vegetables. Fish then becomes yang
Or the label can change within a food group
e.g. Sweeter fruits are more yin than bitter fruits

103
Q

How can cooking methods alter the yin or yang of a produce?

A

Water has a cooling influence
Steaming/boiling won’t add yang properties
Fire/baking/roasting will make foods more yang
Juicing/blending/grinding/processing increases the yin of foods

104
Q

What are considered to be yang conditions?

A

Acne
High blood pressure
Migraines
(caused by excess of animal products, hot spices or alcohol)

105
Q

What are considered to be yin conditions?

A
Lethargy
Anaemia
Feeling cold
Some eating disorders
(caused by excess of sugar, raw foods or not enough foods)
106
Q

What is the macrobiotic diet?

A

Based on Chinese principles of yin and yang
Health can be achieved by balancing your diet with foods that are closest to the balance point (neither extreme yin or yang)
Chewing food properly
Not microwaving

107
Q

What is the constitution of a yang-type person?

A

Can eat all of the yin food without any ill effect but may get a nose bleed from a bit of yang food

108
Q

What does a yin-type person need more of?

A

Needs boosting or nourishing types of food (more yang)

109
Q

What is the constitution of a neutral-type person?

A

Generally healthy

Will only have strong reactions after over-consumption of certain foods

110
Q

What are the polarities of yin/yang foods?

A

Hot/cold
Wet/dry
Heavy/light

111
Q

Examples of cold foods

A

Fish, crab, prawns
Rice (as grows in water)
Cucumber, watermelon, sprouts, celery, cabbage, broccoli
Apple, orange, pear, mango, almonds
(Sedate the metabolism and relieve excess heat)

112
Q

Examples of hot foods

A

Lamb, beef, duck, walnuts, sunflower seeds
Chocolate, tea, coffee, alcohol
Black pepper, ginger, chilli, onion, garlic
Wheat (as ripens in the sun)
(Stimulate the metabolism)

113
Q

Examples of wet foods

A
Milk/dairy products
Bananas
Avocados
Coconut
(Rich, oily, moistening)
114
Q

Examples of dry foods

A
Bean, soybeans, chickpeas
Pomegranates
Asparagus
Dried fruit
(Either physically dry or aid the organism in eliminating excess fluids)
115
Q

Examples of light foods

A

Rice cakes
Popcorn
Sunflower seeds
(they produce lightness/alertness in the body but in excess they can lead to light-headedness and weight loss)

116
Q

Examples of heavy foods

A
Meat
Wheat
Greasy fried foods
Aubergines
(can give strength to the body but they can produce sluggishness, heaviness, drowsiness and are difficult to digest)