Natural Health Philosophy
The philosophy of natural health practice is often described by these core values:
- Do no harm; provide the most effective health care available with the least risk
- Recognize, respect and promote the self-healing power of nature
- Identify and remove the causes of illness, rather than eliminate or suppress symptoms
- Educate (doctor as teacher); Inspire rational hope and encourage self-responsibility for health
- Treat the whole person by considering all individual health factors and influences
- Promote well-being for the individual, family, community, and world.
Historical aspect of natural health practice:
- Early history
- The latest health care as practiced by alternative health doctors
- The simple therapies as water, sunshine, rest, and eating
- The study of herbal formulation, homeopathic remedies, vitamins and minerals
Nature’s medicine is the oldest of all healing arts and the root of all other forms of medicine. Prehistoric sites have yielded numerous medicinal herbs; Over 5,000 year old Chinese writings describing the energy flow through the human body became the basis for acupuncture. By 2000 BC Ayruvedic medicine of India was firmly established; a fifty volume Materia Medica, completed during the Ming Dynasty (1644-1368 B.C.) contains over 12,000 medicinal formulas. In 300 B.C. the great natural medical school was founded in Alexandria, Egypt. In 377 B.C. the Queen of Ireland, Macha Mong Ruadh established a Druid hospital which extensively used naturopathic methods. During the dark ages, natural (Sufi) medicine was similar and alive in the Islamic world. In the 1790’s Samuel Hahnemann established homeopathy and proving the law of similars or (like cures like).