Naturopathic nutrition
The essence of the Natural Healthcare College
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What is Naturopathic nutrition?
According to the Naturopathic Nutrition Association “Naturopathic nutrition is the practice of nutrition within the context of naturopathic medicine. It incorporates respect for the traditional naturopathic approach to nutritional therapy and recognition that individuals have a unique interaction with nutrients.”
How simple healing would be if we all had the same constitution, the same inherent strengths and weaknesses, and the same predispositions to particular diseases. We could hone our skills to a fine art. But, of course, we are not that boring, each of us having our unique characteristics. Ongoing research into the human genome reveals more and more about ourselves, and our individual inherent strengths and weaknesses.
So why does the Western approach treats us very much as if we were all the same?
Rather than the conventional approach of treating the disease or its symptoms, the naturopathic approach is to look for the causes. A naturopathic nutrition practitioner will take into account the presenting symptoms. But also they will look at the bigger picture, and consider influences to health from dietary, emotional, mental and structural (the muscles and skeletal system) factors.
This is the truly holistic approach to healing by treating everyone as an individual.
Metabolically we are all different and this explains why a diet that works well for one person may be inappropriate for another, even for a member of the same family. The ‘one-size fits all’ supposedly ‘healthy diet’ simply cannot work for everyone. The skill of the naturopathic nutrition therapist is to determine the appropriate nutrition for the individual client.
The naturopathic approach to nutrition is truly amazing. There’s nothing new about the concept and application of nutritional healing. Hippocrates (460-377 BC), the Father of Medicine, said ”Let food be your medicine and let medicine be your food”. In modern times, Dr Carl Pfeiffer, a pioneer in nutritional medicine, stated ”With an adequate intake of micronutrients most chronic diseases would not exist”.
We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that food is our source of energy. It promotes our well-being, and the balance of the mind and our general health. An ‘inappropriate’ diet doesn’t just disrupt the digestive system. It can also affect the brain, hormonal balance, the immune system, stress response, and skeletal and muscular systems. In short, all aspects of life.
Nutrition influences our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. Some foods profoundly enhance well-being, but others may have a detrimental influence. The course will help you understand how, more than 2000 years after Hippocrates, we can still make food a medicine. The skill of our graduates lies in being able to determine the appropriate therapeutic protocol for individual clients.
Nutrition advice in the media can be confusing and contradictory. Please click here to download our user-friendly free e-booklet to help demystify nutrition.
The Naturopathic way
What is the naturopathic approach?
Naturopathy is a holistic, natural, healthcare system that recognises the healing power of nature present in all living things. As a healing system it aims to promote health, and can help to prevent the onset of many disease processes by employing various natural therapeutic approaches. And nutrition is the cornerstone.
Over 2000 years ago, Plato said:
Holistic therapies embrace the belief that health is a balance. It takes into account physical and environmental factors, our emotional and psychological state, what we eat and how much we exercise.
The health benefits of the powerful combination of Nutritional Therapy with Naturopathic principles have been demonstrated since ancient times, having roots in traditional systems of healing such as Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Our Naturopathic Nutritional Therapy course integrates ancient wisdoms with modern evidence-based approaches to bring you a truly 21st century learning experience.
The naturopathic influence of this course incorporates skills such as basic Iridology, nail and tongue analysis. These allow a near-instant assessment of constitutional factors and predispositions that could be linked to the root causes of disease. Supporting the healing power of nature within us all and addressing the causes of disease is infinitely better than merely treating its symptoms.
In line with Naturopathic principles, students are encouraged to develop their own individual styles. Our training encourages students to use simple approaches when making therapeutic recommendations. After all, the easier we make things for clients, the greater their potential for recovery. A key naturopathic principle is that the practitioners should educate their clients. With that in mind, the naturopathic approach is to look for the root causes of presenting symptoms, more than the symptoms themselves.
Having made that assessment, we help each client to understand their unique biochemical individuality. This means that a diet that may seem ‘healthy’ for one person may be inappropriate for someone else, even a close family member. We explain how diet and lifestyle may have contributed to their health problems. And we give them guidance to help put them on the road to optimal health and well-being.
Dr Edward Bach, famous for the Bach Flower Remedies, showed he understood naturopathic approaches when he said:
Contact Us
If you’d like to find out more about naturopathic nutrition then please get in touch using this contact form. If you’re ready to start studying with us then you can contact us for an application form.
Download our Natural Healthcare College e-booklet