The Future of Naturopathy?

How to improve our overburdened Health Care System?

... long waiting lists, high costs and a limited budget causing a strain on our society.

Could a better Prevention System, better healthcare information, education and attitude be the answer?

Could this be the future for Holistic Preventative Naturopathy?

With the enormous advances in Science, Technology and Medicine, our Health System, within the next 10 years, will be seeing some dramatic changes.

Even so, this article is discussing prevention and the possibilities for a greater role of Naturopathy, it will also discuss conventional medicine and possible savings in our budget restrained Health System.

We have to reflect for a moment on our present Health System and it's possible short comings to understand the paradigm shift how Active Prevention and Naturopathy may be seen in the future.

Our Medical Health System is under severe budget threat. It may not be sustainable for much longer ... just locking at the statistics, a bleak future could lay ahead if no serious changes are made.

Our population is getting older, and our health conditions are becoming more serious. Chronic and Lifestyle Diseases are at an all time high.

We may be living longer, but we are certainly not getting any healthier.

Who is going to pay for the ever increasing health cost?

Time to concentrate on an Active Preventative - Restorative and Regenerative Health Care System.

5 reasons why Conventional Medicine has failed making people healthier:

NOTE: This should NOT to be seen as attacking the medical system. It is meant as a constructive criticism to possibly find better ways for a healthy lifestyle.

1. Doctors "DO NOT" as a rule practice "Active Prevention".- We have a disease management system, NOT a Health Improvement System.
   We will continue to have an ever-more expensive disease care, until we prioritise Active Prevention.
   

2. Doctors "DO NOT" generally treat patients holistically, or as individuals, their treatment is "Disease Specific".
   

3. Doctors "DO NOT" guide patients to take ACTIVE steps towards their own health.
   Conventional treatments tends to keep patients “PASSIVE”.
   It is not enough to suggest a better diet or lifestyle; ACTIVE STRATEGIES are needed to support a patient to achieve better health and compliance.

4. Doctors "DO NOT" or Can Not treat a patient if NO diagnosis has been established.
   If no disease is diagnosed, by appropriate tests, Doctors are limited to help a patient, and Patients may go home with the same symptoms they came with.
   Incidentally, 70 to 80% of patients who consult a Complementary Practitioner, do so because of not having had sufficient answers from their Doctor.

5. Doctors "DO NOT" generally treat patients for Prevention or treat to support/improve patients Wellbeing.
   

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Natural Therapies, like Naturopaths are the missing link to educate and support patient’s health.

Doctors are limited by time and costs, in fact, more money could be saved, by concentrating a GP’s work on essential medical tasks.

Naturopaths are educated to deliver Active Preventative Health Care Services for:

Active Preventative - Restorative & Regenerative Health

A Preventative - Restorative - Regenerative Health System is "labour intensive", it means to educate and take direct action with a patient to make sure treatment and recommendations are adhered to.

NOTE: To fulfil this preventative role, it may become essential to re-name the naturopathic profession, in some parts of our community if Naturopathy or Natural Therapies evoke a negative response. A possible new term could be; "Preventative Health Care Practitioner", or "Proactive Health Care Practitioner".

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure:

Preventive medicine or proactive healthcare is defined as the healthcare in which the practitioner, with the cooperation of the patient, initiates the effort to prevent illness through treatments, dietary advices, and recommendations about lifestyle changes the patient has to practice.

Naturopaths are specialists in Prevention, their "primary care of concern is to prevent disease", manage health to optimal levels, and for cases of chronic diseases, provide strategies that will help patients live life to the fullest.

Preventative health is the only future sustainable health care model.

Naturopaths are experts in prevention of disease by assessing risk factors, heredity and susceptibility to illness, practicing holistically, and recognising that our bodies are complex and that physical, emotional and mental well-being are interconnected with our internal and external environment.

We cannot compartmentalize ourselves into symptoms. We are affected by everything we consume, interact with and experience.

No two people are exactly alike.

Individualized preventative treatment strategies are necessary for optimal long-term health.

Proactive healthcare aims to prevent or slow down physical deterioration, hinder the onslaught of other symptoms, provide mind and emotional encouragement, and assist the patient in practicing an optimal healthy lifestyle.

What proactive Naturopaths will be concentrating on:

Preventative - Restorative - Regenerative, in addition to regular naturopathic works.

They will need to be "Health Support Facilitator" of "Support Groups", some groups may have a similar structure to the AAA, others are to specifically support and educate.

Every Naturopathic Clinic should have regularly group sessions for:

General health Improvement: Adopting an individual styled Diet - Weightloss and Diabetes

Physical Health Groups: Such as yoga classes, walking groups, Tai Chi and personal fitness.

Mind Management Groups: Stress Management - Relaxation and Meditation - attitudes and change techniques - Motivation

It is not enough to explain a diet to a patient, one needs to assure the patient is compliant with the recommendation up to the point the aspired outcome is achieved.

Group or class sessions have been proven successful.

Ongoing support must be assured, not just initial consultations and hoping for the best.

Without support groups, people are unlikely to reach their preventative treatment goals .. patients "fall of the wagon", they will need re-motivation and ongoing "affordable" support .

Could this be the Future of Naturopathy?

Article by: Dieter L. Editor of useNature

 

Read more:

1. The Future of Medicine - here already? 

2. The Future of Medicine - Preventative DNA Check Ups - will GPs become obsolete? 

3. Naturopathic Medicine Advantages - Health & Economical.

4. What is Naturopathy all about?

5. Why would you visit a Naturopath?

6. Prevention a Medical Dilemma

7. Naturopathy & Scientific Evidence

8. Natural Therapy - Code of Ethics & Conduct

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is intended for general use and for personal interest only. It should not be used or understood as suggestion or medical advice.