Naturopathic Doctors are guided by six basic principles:

 

• • First do no harm:

By using methods and medicines that minimize the risk of harmful side effects. The process of healing includes the generation of symptoms which are an expression of the life force attempting to heal itself.  Therefore, methods designed to suppress symptoms without removing the underlying causes are also considered harmful and to be avoided or minimized.

 

• • The healing power of nature:

The body has an inherent ability to establish, maintain, and restore health.  The healing process is ordered and intelligent;  nature heals through the response of the life force.  The physician’s role is to facilitate this process, to identify and remove obstacles to health and recovery.

 

• • Identify and treat the cause:

Illness does not occur without cause.  Underlying causes of disease must be discovered and removed or treated before a person can recover completely from illness.  Causes may occur on many levels including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.  The physician must evaluate fundamental underlying causes on all levels, directing treatment at root causes rather than at symptomatic expression.

 

• • Heal the whole person:

Individualized treatment: by understanding the unique physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental and social factors that contribute to illness, and customizing treatment protocols to the patient.

 

• • The physician as teacher:

The physician’s major role is to educate and encourage the patient to take responsibility for their own health.  The physician is a catalyst for healthful change, empowering and motivating the patient to assume responsibility.  It is the patient, not the doctor, who ultimately accomplishes healing.  Teaching with hope, knowledge, and understanding, the physician acts to enable patients to heal.

 

• • Prevention:

Prevention is the best cure! This is accomplished through education and promotion of life-habits that create good health.  Building health works better and more surely than fighting disease!

 

Yours in Health,

Dr. Negin Misaghi, ND