Naturopathy is a clinical specialty that emphasizes the use of natural products in both prevention and treatment of disease. It is founded on six basic principles:
1. Nature has the power to heal
2. Treat the whole person
3. Do not harm
4. Identify and treat the cause of the disease
5. Prevention is as important as cure
6. Doctors should be teachers
Naturopathic doctors use many forms of therapy including therapeutic diets, fasting, herbal supplements, hydrotherapy, psychotherapy, stress management, massage and other physical manipulation therapies, and homeopathy. In some place they can perform minor surgeries and prescribe specific conventional medicines such as antibiotics.
Naturopathy appears to be effective in treating the following:
• asthma
• osteoarthritis
• cardiovascular disease (CHD)
• hypertension
• benign prostatic hypertrophy
• diabetes mellitus
• irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
• vaginitis
• eczema
It is also effective for other chronic and acute conditions, and in promoting weight loss.
There are very few rigorous, placebo-controlled, clinical trials (RCTs) of naturopathy, and therefore the scientific basis for the clinical efficacy of naturopathy is weak..
Given this lack of general research in naturopathy and the fact that scientific journals generally publish fewer “negative outcome” studies (in which the intervention does not work), there is a virtual absence of any scientific documentation and research of what does not work in naturopathic medicine.
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