Mind, Body and Spirit in Medicine ©Dr. Kevin Passero Ridgely Ave Annapolis Md

Naturopathic Medicine What is it? Naturopathic Medicine blends centuries-old natural, non-toxic therapies with current advances in the study of health and human systems.

The Six Principles 1) The Healing Power of Nature. Naturopathic Doctors believe that the natural state of the body is to be healthy. Our jobs are to help the patient identify and remove obstacles to healing and allow the body to heal itself.

The Six Principles 2) Identify and Treat the Causes. The Naturopath seeks to identify and remove underlying causes of illness, rather than to merely eliminate or suppress symptoms.

Symptoms as messengers Naturopathic Medicine attempts to find the underlying cause of the patient’s condition. Much of modern medicine, conventional and alternative is focused on symptom management. Often this means neglecting the possibility of an underlying cause. Symptoms are messengers, and what happens when we shoot the messenger? We don’t know from where the message came.

The Six Principles 3) First Do No Harm. The Naturopathic Doctor implements this third rule with the following precepts Utilize methods and medical substances which minimize the risk of harmful side effects. Avoid when possible the harmful suppression of symptoms. Acknowledge, respect and work with the individual’s self-healing process.

The Six Principles 4) Doctor As Teacher. As Doctor’s we not only believe it is our job to help people improve their health, it is also our job to educate them so they can be responsible for their own health as well. Encouraging self-responsibility for one’s health is a major goal for the Naturopathic Doctor.

The Six Principles 5) Treat the Whole Person This is achieved by taking into account individual physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social and spiritual factors.

The Six Principles 6) Prevention Prevention involves assessing individual risk factors, heredity and susceptibility to disease and making appropriate interventions in partnership with the patients to prevent illness.

How are ND’s trained? Naturopathic Medical colleges are four-year, graduate level medical schools with admission requirements comparable to those of other medical schools. The Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree (ND) is awarded after classroom, clinic and practical study.

ND’s are trained in medical sciences including AnatomyNeurologyPathologyObstetricsPharmacology Lab diagnosis CardiologyBiochemistry Minor surgery ImmunologyPediatrics Clinical and physical diagnosis PhysiologyRadiologyMicrobiologyGynecologyDermatology

What NDs do Clinical Nutrition This refers to both the practice of using food to heal people and using food to maintain optimal health. Nutritional supplements are often employed to further help people optimize nutritional intake for their particular needs.

What NDs Do Homeopathy Homeopathy is a form of medicine that uses extremely diluted preparations of substances to cure illness. As a medicine, it is unparalleled in its ability to effect people on a physical, mental and emotional level while at the same time having virtually no side effects or drug interactions.

What NDs Do Botanical Medicine Plant substances are safe and powerful tools in the treatment of many illnesses. Most modern pharmaceuticals are originally derived from plant compounds.

The Egg of Health

An Even Table

A Holographic Model  Bohm’s idea of a holographic Universe  A small fragment of a piece of holographic film contains all the information recorded in the whole

The Holographic Mind  This concept was first applied by Karl Pribam in an effort to understand how memories were stored in the brain.  Partial areas of a rat’s brain were removed, yet the animal could still recall learned tasks.  No matter which area was removed the rats could still remember the way

The Holographic Universe  Bohm believed the universe is composed of a similar holographic nature.  If this is the case, all things created embody all the information of the universe.

The Holographic Universe  This holographic model creates a seamless fabric between all the parts of the universe  All matter, energy and sub-atomic particles are intimately connected

The Holographic Model  Consciousness is a more subtle form of matter  Scientific experiments have shown the ability of consciousness to effect the behavior of sub-atomic particles like electrons

The Holographic Model  The holographic model postulates that consciousness and matter are not interacting as separate entities, but in fact are one in the same.

The Mind Body Connection  If our bodies are matter and our thoughts, emotions and consciousness are matter, is there any question that our mind and body are intimately connected  Every thing in our consciousness has the ability to effect our physical state

Homeopathy

Phsyconeuroimmunology  Candice Pert and the “Molecules of emotion”  The physiologic reactions to the mental state are clearly understood  Relations to stress, cortisol and immune function are clearly established  Laughter and endorphins are connected