Any and all physical, mental, emotional and sometimes spiritual conditions can be helped or healed by natural and holistic treatment methods, however all naturopaths work differently and have different ‘tools in their toolbox’. The below are some common conditions that are frequently addressed by naturopaths, helping your body to heal. Usually there are no quick fixes, especially for long standing problems, however individuals usually start to feel better/ see improvements within a few weeks which motivates them to carry on working on their health. The longer the individual has suffered, it’s likely the longer the complete healing process will take, as often many body systems are involved. The aim is to achieve balance and homeostasis; the body is truly magical and it wants to heal, we just need to give it all the right tools. Establishing a true mind, body and spirit connection is key to health and happiness.
Digestive issues. Gut problems have many root causes. They can be food related, and/ or stress and lifestyle related. Rarely, there is an actual mechanical physical problem, like a blockage, which may need medical intervention ie surgery. Often systemic toxicity can result in an inability to process and absorb food effectively, so the health of the whole body often requires addressing. With digestive issues, it’s necessary to assess what the individual is eating; are sufficient nutrients being eaten, what is the quality like, how much processed food is eaten, how is the food prepared, in what environment is it eaten- rushed/ stressed or relaxed? What is the history of mealtimes? Eating quality food is great but if your body is not absorbing properly then nutrients are literally just being pooped out. It’s a vicious cycle; if nutrients are not being absorbed then the digestive tract will continue to work sub optimally. It’s important to assess the emotional state of the individual; how much stress is he/ she under- constantly living (and eating while stressed) in the sympathetic nervous system (fight/ flight) will mean that few nutrients are digested well. This is important to be corrected and there are many tools that can be used to get the individual into their parasympathetic system more frequently. It could also be a sleep problem; a lack of sleep means we are not repairing as we should and we may reach for high sugar foods for quick energy. Alcohol use can again put us into our sympathetic nervous system, raising cortisol and upsetting absorption as well as being a systemic toxin.
Allergies and asthma- if an individual is struggling with underlying toxicity issues these can often prevent themselves as allergies and asthma. An assessment and overhaul of food and lifestyle including environmental toxins and past use of drugs and vaccines is required for systemic cleansing and new food and lifestyle habits brought in.
Skin conditions like acne, eczema and psoriasis have many possible root causes. The two first places I assess first are digestion including liver and blood quality. Again there may be underlying toxicity and emotional stresses at play. Chlorine dioxide and DMSO along with herbs, as well as systemic cleansing are often very effective with these conditions.
Chronic Pain and Inflammation - the mainstream’s way of dealing with chronic pain and inflammation is NSAID pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs, like paracetomla or ibuprofen but these only mask the symptoms. Sometimes structural problems in the body are to blame and often it can be worth getting these checked out. Movement and postural insufficiencies may also cause injuries and pain. Ongoing niternal pain always indicates something is ‘wrong’. Reducing systemic toxicity, ensuring that a nutrient dense organic whole food diet is eaten and healthy lifestyle practices are implemented are the first step. Iridology can be a very useful tool to find out what the root causes of any problem are; the findings can highlight the organs and systems that need support, often with herbs or other naturopathic protocols. Sometimes learning how to move better can also be helpful to eliminate chronic pain in the long term.
Hormonal Imbalances -with hormone imbalances, it can be a chicken or egg situation; are the hormone insufficiencies causing the symptoms or is the systemic toxicity and/ or nutrient deficiencies causing the hormone problems? Ultimately it doesn’t really matter, there are likely to be a number of root causes, but the ‘treatment’ would be the same; cleansing the system, rebuilding and ensuring good diet and lifestyle practices throughout alongside hormone supporting herbs. For women in peri/ menopause, hormone boosting and balancing herbs can be as, if not more effective, than HRT with no side effects.
Stress and anxiety. Emotional and mental health issues can have a very real physical effect on the body. We are frequency based beings, if our ‘feelings’ are low or negative on a day to day basis, then that affects our water and our cells (see the works of Matsumoto Emoto and Veda Austin). Ultimately, the source of stress needs to be deleted from an individual’s life, however we cannot get rid of every stress and actually some stress is good for us (hormesis). Often, our feelings towards the stress need to be changed rather than the actual cause of the stress itself, and so putting things into perspective can really help. Physical exercise is key and putting good boundaries into place so that work or family doesn’t take over is essential. Self care practices are important as well as making sure that the individual is in their parasympathetic nervous system as much as possible.
Insomnia- lacking in sleep can have all types of root causes, but often it can be linked to stress and anxiety (as above) and so the treatment would be similar. Getting good sleep practices nailed are key; getting to bed earlier is important and also finding out what is your optimal sleep length (we often underestimate the length of sleep that we need).
Weight management- while calories in vs calories out and exercise levels are important, if your body is holding onto toxins (toxins are often stored in fat), then the toxins need to be got rid of first, so therefore a full cleanse is advised.. Sometimes holding onto fat can sometimes have an emotional or trauma root; about two thirds of all obese people have been sexually abused, sadly. Strength training can also go a long way to building confidence, building lean muscle tissue (which is often depleted when yo yo dieting). Emotional eating practices need to be addressed with a focus on eating healthy organic and whole foods.
I usually advocate herbs to support the systems and/or organs in question to relieve symptoms while the other parts of the individual’s lifestyle is assessed, cleansed and corrected. The areas that Western Mainstream Medicine ignores is that we are spiritual energetic beings (Medical schools don't teach this because they dissect cadavers!) Many concerns held in the spiritual and emotional body will manifest in the physical body. For us all to become truly healthy, we need our mind, body and spiritto be aligned.
If you'd like to schedule a free 20 min chat about whether naturopathy and natural medicine could help you, please drop me a line!
Ally van de Pol is a Naturopthic Practitioner, Healing Diets Coach, Iridologist,Naturopath and Herbalist in Training (graduating 2024)
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