NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE

Naturopathic medicine; a holistic or whole approach to healing, focuses on natural remedies and the body's ability to cure itself.

The basic rule of Naturopathy is 'in harmony with nature'.It is a holistic medicinal practice using natural means to achieve the perfect state of health and fitness. As long as there exists an undeniable relation between human beings and the Mother Nature, the relevance of Naturopathy cannot be deprived of.

Naturopathy teaches us the basic lessons of achieving this harmony by means of fresh air, light, hygienic water, balanced diet and exercise. All these are the primary requisites of human life.

Naturopathy tells us about the intrinsic healing power of human body. It stresses on treating the cause rather than symptoms through prescribed diet and regular exercises.

HISTORY
The science of naturopathic medicine was popularized by Dr. Benedict Lust in the 19th century. In general, Dr. Lust integrated the prevention of disease by promoting good eating habits and founded the American School of Naturopathy in 1902.

ABOUT
A naturopathic diet works to prevent illness, increase energy and improve overall health. It relies on food as close to its natural state as possible. This means eating foods that do not contain artificial ingredients and are free of chemical preservatives and additives. Foods typical of a naturopathic diet include raw vegetables that are organic and seasonal and meat from animals that are pesticide, hormone and antibiotic-free.
Yes, naturopathy prescribes a change in your lifestyle achieved through balanced nutrition, fasting to distill the body, hydrotherapy, mud therapy, steam therapy, exercises etc. It's proven as an effective healing system widely used in eastern countries like Indonesia etc.
The primary purpose of taking food is to maintain the body and mind healthy by infusing the adequate protein, starch, vitamins and minerals. By prescribing nutrient rich food, naturopathy helps your body achieve the state of perfect health and wellness. It's a diet program that can last for more than six months. But the prescribed diet can be prepared in your kitchen by yourself.
No more starving during the naturopathy dieting. In fact many of us believe that starving is a part of dieting. Dieting is the practice of eating food in a regulated fashion to decrease, maintain, or increase body weight.
You can eat as much as you want during the naturopathy diet program, but only the prescribed diet. Seeds and nuts are allowed as snacks in the naturopathy. Dry fruits are also a part of naturopathy diet. Fasting does not mean starvation,it's a method of body purification.
Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. Fasting is observed by people who adopt naturopathic diet only once in a month. On the day of fasting one is supposed to have only drinks that cleans the body, such as cucumber juice and coconut water. Always keep dinner as minimum to the vegetable soups,fruits and salads.

NATUROPATHIC PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO MEAL PLANNING
A naturopathic diet follows the six guiding principles of naturopathic medicine: trust that the body can heal itself; identify and treat the cause; treat the person as an integrative whole; use non-harming and non-invasive techniques; focus on overall health, wellness and disease prevention; and use education to allow people to take responsibility for their health. With this in mind, a typical naturopathic meal includes a combination of approximately 50 percent organic vegetables, 25 percent whole grains and 25 percent protein made up of organic dairy products or free-range meats.

BENEFITS
Naturopathic medicine is based on the belief that a diet that doesn't include food that is natural or wholesome produces toxins that poison the body. Conditions that are treated and eliminated with a naturopathic diet include digestive issues, food sensitivities and allergies, immune disorders, reproductive imbalances, high cholesterol, insomnia, stress and anxiety.

What is a healing crisis?
Naturopaths often talk about the concept of the 'healing crisis'. When a person undertakes changes in their diet, or undertakes fasting or cleansing diets, a healing crisis may be triggered. This is actually a worsening of their symptoms and people who have accumulated a large amount of toxins in the body are considered most susceptible. It is thought that when the dietary changes are made, the toxins are forced out of the body's organs such as the kidneys, liver, lungs and skin and these can become overloaded which leads to an initial worsening of the original condition plus such symptoms as headaches, skin eruptions, bad breath and seemingly unrelated aches and pains. These extra symptoms are generally short-lived and subside within a number of days and are considered by naturopaths as a sign that the healing process has begun.

USE FOR WEIGHT LOSS
A naturopathic approach to dieting begins by examining the cause of obesity. Unlike other weight-loss programs, naturopathic medicine attributes weight problems to the potential for physical imbalances such as liver or kidney disease and thyroid disorders, high stress or emotional unevenness, food toxicity or drink addictions, or to sudden lifestyle changes.

DIETING

Dieting is the practice of eating food in a regulated fashion to decrease, maintain, or increase body weight.

FASTING

Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time.

Resource :Google, Wikipedia, www.livestrong.com, www.sunriseayurvadic.com, Yahoo.