If the “Service Engine”warning light starts flashing on your car you have 3 options:
Ignore it and hope it corrects itself--but that light gets annoying after a while.
Cover it with duct tape so you don’t see it.
Bring your car to a mechanic to run a diagnostic test to find the cause of the problem and have it fixed.
With your car, you know the problem will only get worse if you don’t get it fixed soon and it may even cause more serious problems down the road, so you know the trip to the mechanic is the only sensible option.
Your body is the same way, when you start feeling ill, low energy, pain or other symptoms, that is your body’s “service engine” light telling you something is wrong and you have the same 3 options:
Ignore it and hope it corrects itself (the hope and pray option)
Cover it with drugs or pain killers so you don’t feel it (sometimes this is needed (at least temporarily))
Go to a Naturopathic Doctor to run some tests to find the root cause of your symptoms and “fix” it using natural treatments...no duct tape or drugs needed!
Unlike your car, sometimes your body’s natural healing ability will correct the problem itself.
Think about when you catch a common cold, or you cut yourself. For most people your body recognizes the problem and given time, will go to work on fixing it. But for other health issues such as insomnia, fatigue, digestive issues, PMS symptoms, hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause, anxiety, skin rashes, insomnia, and a plethora of other symptoms your body needs some help to overcome.
When you take drugs or painkillers you are simply putting duct tape over the warning light, but it doesn’t address what the symptoms (warning light) are trying to tell you. You need to find out what’s causing the problem and go to work on fixing it. That’s where your Naturopathic Doctor comes in.
The Naturopathic approach starts with a detailed “diagnostic” of your health. Your naturopath will take the time to talk with you about your health history, your family’s health history, your symptoms, your lifestyle, your health goals and more. Depending on your symptoms they may need to run some additional tests to identify what is causing the problem.
Once NDs have found the cause, they will typically develop a whole person natural care plan that supports your body to heal or fight the disease. That care plan may include some diet changes, lifestyle changes, natural supplements, or vitamins to help your body heal itself.
Depending on your health issue, or the severity of your condition your ND will continue to monitor and adjust your personalized care plan to train or retrain your body to be able to heal or overcome the problem so you can enjoy a healthy life again…naturally, of course.
Here are some common issues we treat successfully in our practice using naturopathic medicine without ever using harmful drugs:
Menopause: Balancing hormones naturally by knowing what foods you are eating that are causing your hormones to be out of balance. Often this one step can help reduce or eliminate those nasty hot flashes and make you feel great again.
Digestive issues: With so many foods claiming to be “all natural” these days, people are trusting the huge food and grocery industry to provide them with good quality food. By educating you on what to look for in the products you eat and by knowing what specific foods cause your digestive discomfort, your ND will help you love eating again without fear!
Natural Alternatives to Antibiotics: Antibiotics are all too often prescribed for viruses and research tells us that we are creating super-bugs that are resistant to antibiotics from over prescribing. For many, the antibiotics do so much harm to their body it can take months or even years to recover from the harm the antibiotics did to their normal gut flora. I prescribe antibiotics when appropriate, but always with supportive therapies to limit the harm they do to the body.
These are just three simple examples of why I believe Naturopathic Medicine is the only true health care solution. Talk to an ND in your area to explore if and how Naturopathic Medicine can work for you…no duct tape needed!
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