Naturopathy is an alternative form of treatment that employs a wide range of natural options including acupuncture, herbalism, and homeopathy. The treatment also incorporates some aspects of lifestyle, counseling, and diet. A naturopath administers this form of treatment by using non-invasive treatments that generally avoid medicines and surgery. Much of the beliefs and procedural reinforcement of naturopathy are founded on self-healing and vitality rather than evidence-based medicine. This form of treatment uses a pseudoscientific approach that supposedly assists nature in supporting the intrinsic ability of the body to attain optimal health and expedite its inherent healing mechanisms. According to naturopaths, diseases come about from the body’s effort to cleanse itself. Thus, a cure will come about from the increase in vital force of the patient. The naturopaths stimulate the natural healing processes of the body by helping it expel wastes and toxins. This paper seeks to give an insight on naturopathy as an alternative method of treatment.

Naturopathy assists in the healing process by introducing nature’s support, processes, products, and forces to the body by any viable method that guarantees better results health-wise. This mode of treatment helps the body maintain a balance and heal itself by acting on the root causes of the ailment rather than on the associated symptoms. A naturopath uses a variety of methods to aid in the recovery process. These may include herbal remedies and nutrition such as lifestyle and diet recommendations, pulse and tongue analysis, and mineral and vitamin supplements. This form of intervention also aids the healing process by empowering and motivating the patient to gain control of their health. When the patient gains control, then the main causes of the disease are slowly eliminated, and the patient slowly gains good health.

While administering treatments that facilitate the healing process, a naturopath uses one or more specific nutritional, mechanical, psychological, and mechanical devices to treat a given disease. Doing this enables him to get rid of the impediments that interfere with the normal functioning of the body. The healer also identifies the underlying causes of the diseases and removes them before complete recovery can occur. Several important precepts have to be followed so as to reduce the chances of harming the patient. First, the healer must apply minimal force to diagnose the illness and restore health. They must also refrain from implementing options that suppress the symptoms of the disease. Thirdly, when the need arises, they must combine this alternative treatment with conventional treatment if this is the only option that can expedite recovery. Thus, they must access the risk factors, the genetics, and vulnerability to the disease so as to come up with appropriate interventions that facilitate the healing process.

The dynamics that facilitate the healing process are recommendations that create healthy surroundings so that the body can instinctively heal itself. A holistic treatment approach often has to be followed, since the whole process is based on the belief that the body is united with the mind and soul in such a way that the three have to be treated as one. The treatment employs the use of nature’s forces of proper nutrition, rest, exercise, magnetism, electricity, earth power, sunlight, air, and water. Other types of mechanical treatments such as osteopathy and massage are also used. Thus, the healing process is facilitated by the right combination of these factors depending on the needs of each individual patient.

The treatment method can be used on a wide range of ailments. One such scenario is the case of a patient suffering from alcohol addiction. A wide range of treatments can be combined to help the patient overcome alcohol addiction. Several interventions can be used to help address the mind, body, and spirit of the addict. The therapy may begin with a diet that helps in the detoxification of the body. This may involve increasing the person’s daily intakes of warm water, fresh vegetables and juices. After the detoxification process, the person is then encouraged to eat more complex carbohydrates, fruit, and vegetables so as to increase the level of serotonin in the brain, which is essential in calming the mind, since alcoholics often suffer from anxiety. The person can also be encouraged to take a bath twice or thrice daily with cold water so as to rejuvenate the body. If the person has withdrawal symptoms, then they are encouraged to bath in water that is the same temperature as that of the body.

Alcoholics often have a problem falling asleep at night. A naturopath can help them find sleep at night by placing a mud pack on their lower back or forehead. Alcohol addicts can also be given a full body massage from time to time to help them relax their minds and sleep better. Meditation and yoga is also an important technique in treating this form of addiction. Through this, the patients learn breathing techniques that help them resist temptation. Through meditation, the patient’s mind gets to relax, especially when they get an urge to drink. Meditation and yoga should be done in environments that ensure free flow of fresh air. This helps increase the oxygen levels in the body and encourages the production of feel-good hormones.

Naturopathy promotes the healing of the mind, body, and spirit by employing a holistic approach that focuses on the whole person rather than the local, affected area. The approach is based on the fact that alcohol addiction affects the mind, body, and spirit and not isolated systems and organs of the body. First, the addicts have to be taught the important laws that govern health and how to take charge of their health. It is important for them to first understand the whole process that leads to alcohol addiction. When this concept is integrated in the mind, then the patient can learn to take charge of their thoughts. Meditation, yoga, and other relaxation activities encourage complete healing of the mind. Alcohol addicts are then encouraged to be in charge of what goes into their body after the detoxification process. This helps them gain and maintain an improved level of body health. The use of natural therapies also helps increase vitality and restore internal peace.

The healer facilitates the healing process by carrying out several important roles. First, he has to comprehensively ascertain the cause of the addiction problem for each of the alcoholics, since each of them is unique. The causes may range from anxiety, depression, divorce, financial difficulties, the individual’s social circle, and many more. The healer then makes an inclusive assessment of the main causes of the addiction problem and makes decisions that take into consideration the selective causes that fully meet the patients’ treatment needs. The healer then decides on the educational, rehabilitative, and/or preventive features that need to be integrated as a typical feature of naturopathic physical medicine.

On the other hand, the patient plays a role of maintaining high levels of discipline throughout the healing process. This helps ensure that they successfully get past each milestone of the treatment process with minimal chances of relapse. For instance, the addict should strive to ensure that they steer clear of alcohol and any social or environmental factors that may tempt them. The patient also has to have patience and a positive attitude, since the process entails changing almost every aspect of their normal lives. Thus, they have to remain faithful to the treatment and counseling sessions so that they successfully battle alcohol addiction.

The goal of addiction treatment is eliminating denial so that the patients accept that they are alcoholics who need treatment and learn how to lead a sober life. Thus, the patients have to go through group therapies in therapeutic surroundings. Such environments encourage hardheaded alcoholics to be honest about their problems, since they get to see other addicts share their honest encounters. They get to learn that they have lost control over their own minds, bodies, and spirits, and that they are slowly progressing to death if they do not take charge. Another goal is to help new patients learn to see the absurdity of addiction in them, since it is often easier to see it in others. When the patients learn to identify with the experiences of other patients, they will begin to take the diagnosis seriously.

Another goal is to help the patients understand the sickness model of alcohol addiction. That is, the patients need to learn that the cause of their problem is not a result of moral decline or failure of self-discipline but a biological problem of the whole body. This will help them manage the feeling of guilt and shame. The treatment also aims to teach patients the techniques that make epic behavioral and mental changes that facilitate sobriety. Also, towards the end of the treatment process, the patients have to prepare for life after treatment. This involves strategies that will protect them from relapse and plans for continual care after completing the treatment.

The effectiveness of the process can be accessed by keeping track of alcoholics after the completion of the treatment process. This is essential in establishing the number of addicts that have abstained from alcohol consumption and is also an indicator of long-term recovery. Through outpatient care, the healer can continually monitor and gather information on the patients’ progress, especially in the first 90 days after the successful treatment. The effectiveness can also be evaluated through the number of treated addicts who willingly join structured activities that are substance-free and those who take part in programs to help other alcoholics in their communities.

The effectiveness can also be evaluated by keeping track of the frequency with which relapse cases occur. If the number of people who relapse immediately after treatment increases, then it means that the process is not that effective in facilitating long-term recovery processes. Also, naturopaths can keep track of the number of alcoholics who seek their services based on referrals from previous patients. A high number of referrals is an indicator of high confidence and effectiveness of the process. This means that society has great confidence in the process due to the high number of success stories associated with the process (Sutton, 2010). Generally, the outcome results cannot be measured or quantified.

Essentially, naturopathy is a form of alternative treatment that uses natural remedies in the healing process of the mind, body, and spirit. This form of treatment has been evolving over the years and has been used successfully to address a wide range of medical conditions. The processes used are widely renowned for having limited side effects that do not harm the body. The overall treatment focuses on eliminating the main cause of the ailment rather than one or two associated symptoms. The method can be used to treat alcohol addiction by incorporating a wide range of procedures. In such instances, the healer and the patients have to commit themselves to the treatment for the process to be successful. As a result, the underlying cause of the ailment is eliminated, and the body’s natural healing ability is encouraged.

The article was prepared by Linda Ween, a researcher at https://bestwritingservice.com/.