Will naturopathy help cure

What is naturopathy

Naturopathy is a treatment with natural remedies. But more often it is called pseudoscientific teaching. His followers believe that the body can heal itself if directed in the right direction: eat right, protect yourself from stress, refuse operations and drugs, replacing them with vitamins and additives.

Naturopaths use many alternative methods such as the raw food diet, therapeutic fasting, herbal medicine, Ayurveda, aromatherapy, hirudotherapy (leech therapy), spiritual practices, yoga and many more other.

Why do people trust naturopaths

Young people laugh at their grandmothers, who "charged" the water in front of the TV, but willingly cleanses the body and eats kilograms of vitamins. There are several reasons why this is happening.

Naturopaths share "secret knowledge"

Understanding what is happening, a sense of security and community are important human needs. Especially in times of crisis and upheaval. Therefore people tend believeExplainer: Why do people believe in conspiracy theories? / University of Kent

in conspiracy theory. This is used by adherents of pseudoscientific teachings.

Naturopaths they sayNaturopathy: A Critical Appraisal / Medscape about knowledge that is not available to traditional doctors. For example, that the true healing power of nature has been compromised by modern medicine and pharmaceutical companies. In contrast, they “heal” a person completely with the help of natural remedies and “treat” the cause, rather than suppress the symptoms.

They offer the illusion of health control

Traditional medicine cannot always answer some questions: where did the disease come from? Why does treatment work for some and not for others? Why did one patient survive and the other not? Because of this, a person may feel his own helplessness. But the possession of secret information creates a sense of control.

Naturopaths offer specific solutions: if you do as they prescribe, then there will be such a result. At the same time, their methods do not give instant results and usually involve some kind of work on oneself. For example, they like to combine supplementation, certain exercise, a strict plant-based diet, and periodic hunger strikes to cleanse the body.

In this situation, you can always say if the method does not work, that the person is not trying hard enough. Therefore, the patient believes that a successful outcome is in his hands. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

They take advantage of the survivor's mistake

Many non-traditional healers give their recommendations through instant messengers and social networks. From the point of view of the law, it is much more difficult to fall under the article. "Criminal Code of the Russian Federation" dated June 13, 1996 N 63-FZ (ed. dated 03/25/2022) / Consultant Plus "Illegal conduct of medical activities or pharmaceutical activities." Everything is online, no records and documents - no responsibility.

If the treatment did help, then you can write about success on your page, attach thanks and a photo of the result. And if not, then no one will know about it.

During the pandemic, many naturopaths began to sell their "guidelines" for treatment with vitamins and supplements. On the pages of healers you can find many grateful reviews from those who have recovered even without complications.

Everything would be fine, but viral infections often go away without treatment. How to determine how much turmeric helped? And if there is no unbiased accounting, then how many people have recovered, and how many have started the disease and ended up on artificial lung ventilation?

They are aware of the problems of traditional medicine and can oppose it

If everything was perfect in medicine, then naturopaths would have fewer clients. But in reality, there are several problems.

First, doctors mayPhysician Burnout / Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality burn out. And if this happens, they are less involved in the patient's problems, less sympathetic and empathetic. In public clinics, this is superimposed by a lack of time. For example, according to standards, a therapist's appointment should last 12 minutes. How can you listen here?

Secondly, not all doctors adhere to evidence-based medicine, so they can prescribe drugs with unproven efficacy. No, they do not receive money for this, because the treatment is regulated by standards. But people may not have enough time or motivation to understand new research, and they will habitually prescribe this or that drug for more.

The reverse situation can also be: some diseases do not require any specific treatment. But the patient needs to do something for his own peace of mind, and the doctor lacks an understanding of this.

Due to lack of time, the doctor often does not explain at all what happened, why this or that treatment, what will happen next, and so on. So the patient is left alone with appointments and the Internet, where he can meet a naturopath. He will listen carefully, explain what happened and how to deal with it, will refer to studies of supplements, prescribe a multi-stage treatment, and so on.

They use scientific terms and sophistry

Naturopaths take completely scientific theories and greatly simplify them to fit their conclusions. It's called sophistry and gives rise to stories about slags and toxins, dysbacteriosis, parasites, deficiency of micro and macro elements.

So, in 2016, Yoshinori Osumi receivedPress Release / The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2016 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology "for their discovery of the mechanisms of autophagy". This work is often cited as evidence that the body destroys cancer cells during fasting. But the scientist himself repeatedly declaredOpen lecture "Autophagy and features of life-prolonging fasting" RU / Healthy Moscow Assembly / YouTubethat the work was by leaps and bounds and this cannot be transferred to humans and tumors.

They appeal to tradition

People often think that something is right just because practiced for centuries. But this is a mistake.

Before Semmelweis, for decades, doctors didn't wash their hands before giving birth. He was the first to suggest that "puerperal fever" was contagious, but his suggestion to wash hands with bleach before examinations perceivedN. Kadar, R. Romero, Z. papp. Ignaz Semmelweis: the "Savior of Mothers": On the 200 th anniversary of his birth / American journal of obstetrics and gynecology with hostility, because "they always did it - and nothing." Only years after his death did he receive recognition, and his discovery saved millions of lives.

Naturopaths refer to the experience of ancestors, ancient teachings and traditions. But until there is evidence, everything must be taken critically.

They created a subculture

Thanks to advertising and famous followers, naturopathy has become a fashion trend for the successful and conscious. People buy supplements from foreign sites not only because of their belief in miracles, but also in order to post them on social networks. In addition, alternative medicine is an expensive pleasure, so it is a kind of indicator of prosperity.

What scientists think about naturopathy

Part of naturopathic methods, for example phytotherapydoes indeed have a rationale. But they account for thousands of practices that have not been proven effective or even harmful: coffee enemas, cleaning from toxins, an exorbitant amount of vitamins, removing parasites with dubious additives, and many other.

Naturopaths like to call themselves doctors. But we must understand that even an accredited naturopathic university cannot be compared with any medical school - enough compareAccredited Naturopathic Medical Schools / AANMC their study programs. What can we say about the courses! Even those schools of thought that generally have nothing against alternative medicine as a supplement, they sayA. Homberg, C. Scheffer, b. Brinkhaus, U. Frohlich, R. Huber, S. Joos, P. Klose, K. Kramer, M. Ortiz, M. Rostock, J. Valentini, b. Stock-Schroer. Naturopathy, complementary and integrative medicine in medical education – position paper by the GMA Committee Integrative Medicine and Perspective Pluralism / GMS journal for medical education about the need for training standards that would link naturopathy and traditional medicine.

Can Naturopathy Benefit

Yes. Some practices such as yoga, breathing exercises, the rejection of fast carbohydrates in favor of vegetables and fruits - help people lead a healthier lifestyle.

In addition, naturopathy can be considered as part of a complementary, or complementary, therapy. Even the American Cancer Society recommendsWhich Complementary Methods Are Likely Safe? / American Cancer Society some methods, such as aromatherapy, massage, or tai chi. However, they warn that uncontrolled intake of supplements can harm.

How naturopaths can harm

Three things.

They urge not to get vaccinated

Naturopaths reject vaccination. Because of this, outbreaks of diseases that lead to disability and death are re-emerging in the world. For example, in 2019, measles incidence rates reachedMeasles death rates worldwide between 2016 and 2019 increased by 50% in 2019 this disease has claimed more than 207,500 lives / WHO a maximum in the last 23 years, and mortality increased by 50% compared to 2016.

A tragic story happened in 2020: diedSix-month-old son of anti-vaccine raw foodists caught whooping cough and died in St. Petersburg / Komsomolskaya Pravda six-month-old baby from complications of whooping cough. His parents, well-known naturopathic raw foodists on the Web who sell their treatment methods, refused to vaccinate their son.

Now the baby's mother is teaching a new course in which she teaches how to refuse from traditional medicine, because she believes that doctors killed her child.

They tell you to abandon the traditional treatment

It is very dangerous to treat any diseases with alternative methods. Especially if it comes from bloggers, they can literally kill with their advice.

So, 28 year old girl diedThe cancer patient refused treatment and followed the advice of a fashion blogger. The girl died out in a few months / 360 due to the fact that she refused the traditional treatment of cancer and followed the recommendations of a famous naturopath.

They're pumping money

For all these dubious techniques, people pay naturopaths. But that's not all. Patients leave tens of thousands in dietary supplement stores, and “healers” receive bonuses for purchases through referral links. In general, naturopaths have a much more financial interest in you than the "great and terrible" healthcare system.

Is it worth it to go to naturopaths

Until standards of training and independent research exist, naturopaths pose more of a danger than they save lives. In order not to fall for the bait charlatans, approach their advice critically, look for foreign clinical recommendations and consult with real doctors.

After all, traditional medicine is not only medicines and operations. It also uses natural remedies and the experience of the past. But reasonable.

For example, physiotherapists and rehabilitation therapists use baths, algae, mud, and a dozen other natural methods. Therapists and pediatricians prescribe medicinal herbs, give recommendations on proper nutrition and physical activity. Obstetricians offer to wait out contractions in the dark, in the pool and to music, and psychotherapists teach meditation practices and help to cope with negative emotions.

So you can always find a specialist who shares your beliefs and will give recommendations on how to improve your health in the most natural way. But in the event of a real danger, he will be able to intervene and save your life.