Tracy had wisely trimmed her fingernails to avoid injuring her own skin, but as she sat in my office she continuously rubbed one part of her body or another with the ball of her thumb in order to relieve the itching. Dermatologists sometimes refer to this as, “The itch that rashes, rather than the rash […]
Naturopathic Medicine
Services / Naturopathic Medicine
Safe natural therapy to heal illness and improve well-being
Naturopathic medicine emphasizes prevention and optimization of health through therapeutic modalities that support the body’s inherent healing processes, including modern, traditional, scientific, and empirical methods.
Naturopathic medicine, whose roots date back to the 1890s, is founded on 6 principles:
First, Do No Harm (Primum Non Nocere) Naturopathic medicine follows three guidelines to avoid harming the patient:
- Utilize methods and medicinal substances that minimize the risk of harmful side effects, using the least force necessary.
- Avoid when possible the harmful suppression of symptoms.
- Acknowledge, respect, and work with the individual’s self-healing process.
The Healing Power of Nature (Vis Medicatrix Naturae) Naturopathic medicine recognizes an inherent self-healing process in people that is ordered and intelligent. It works to identify and remove obstacles to healing and recovery, and to facilitate and augment this inherent self-healing process.
Identify and Treat the Causes (Tolle Causam) Identify and remove the underlying causes of illness rather than merely eliminate or suppress symptoms.
Doctor as Teacher (Docere) Naturopathic doctors educate their patients and encourage self-responsibility for health. They also recognize and employ the therapeutic potential of the doctor-patient relationship.
Treat the Whole Person Taking into account individual physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, and other factors, a holistic approach.
Prevention Focusing on prevention of disease by assessing risk factors, heredity, and susceptibility to disease, and by making appropriate interventions in partnership with patients to prevent illness
Health Tips
Let me start by saying that in real life, endocrinologists are probably nice people and not the arrogant, dismissive and too frequently rude specialists that have been reported to me by patients over the years. One of them, over at the mega-medical center a few blocks away is notorious for tossing into her wastebasket any […]
As a woman, unless you undergo the ‘instant menopause’ of a total hysterectomy, anticipate your own menopause transition in one of three ways. First, there’s “Menopause Heaven.” Your periods will lighten, become erratic, then stop altogether. A year goes by, and you’ll say, “Oh, so that was menopause. I wonder what everyone is complaining about.” […]
Although many new patients arrive at WholeHealth Chicago with chronic symptoms and a history of no help elsewhere (“You’re my 12th doctor.”). Others pour out a bagful of medications with a mournful, “I’ve got to get off of some of these!”. Going off a bevy of psych meds is a popular request, especially when the […]
You saw a movie last week and in discussing it with friends simply can’t remember the important parts. Plus you just missed another appointment. Planning to drive to a north suburb, you instead got on the southbound expressway and after 15 minutes of Loop traffic realized your error. You’re mixing up words and forgetting too […]
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