NATUROPATHIC PROTOCOL FOR OPTIMAL HEALTH STEP ONE- THE BASICS Naturopathic Health and Wellness Lori LeBlanc, Naturopathic Practitioner, Certified Nutritional Consultant, Registered Pharmacist, EFT Practitioner, and Peak Performance Coach www.naturopathichealthandwellness.com
NATUROPATHIC HEALTH- THE BASICS Naturopathic medicine or natural medicine utilizes the laws of nature to create and maintain optimal health. It is sometimes referred to as holistic medicine because it understands and respects all aspects of the whole person-body, mind and spirit. Natural medicine uses various safe and natural therapies that are so simple it is almost impossible to believe their power. There is no need to run expensive tests or obsess with diagnoses, treatments or cures. The laws of nature dictate that disease cannot survive in a healthy body. Illness is no longer a mystery or a random act of fate. Every adverse symptom, disorder or disease that plagues humans is caused by infractions against nature. These infractions usually involve malnutrition, toxicity or a combination of both. Obtaining adequate nutrition and providing whole body detoxification will allow the body to restore and heal itself. To create this state of wellness, the body must reach a state of homeostasis where all body fluids are in balance and all systems are functioning as they should without medication. When the body is healthy, it can withstand a large amount of injury and trauma. But when unnatural substances or toxic chemicals enter the body, it does not know what to do with them. As a protective
mechanism, the body makes complex molecules out of these toxins and stores them in various parts of the body. These toxins accumulate in the body causing various disease states such as allergies, arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, brain and muscular disorders and eventually death. A typical person is exposed to approximately 50,000 toxic chemicals every day. The majority of these toxins come from everyday activities and environmental factors such as eating processed foods, drinking water laden with chemicals, applying personal products with artificial and unnatural ingredients, eating foods grown with pesticides or processed with artificial preservatives and colors, drinking alcoholic or caffeinated beverages, smoking tobacco, using prescription, over-the-counter, or illegal drugs, and breathing polluted air, etc. The first step in the naturopathic protocol for optimal health is eliminating as many unnatural and toxic chemicals from entering the body as possible. The three basic areas to focus on are breathing pure air, drinking clean water, and using natural personal products. Pure Air Oxygen is needed by the body for all bodily functions. Unfortunately, outdoor air is polluted by exhaust fumes, factory pollution, cigarette smoke, agricultural runoff of fertilizers and pesticides, and many other substances. In addition, the air
contains approximately 50% of the oxygen it contained twenty years ago. Indoor air is even worse. Air conditioners circulate artificial air in sealed rooms. Couple this with toxic fumes from household objects such as furniture, carpet, paint, insulation, and various cleaning products, and indoor air has been found to be many times more polluted than even the worst outdoor air. One solution for indoor air is to keep a window in each room opened a bit to allow for circulation of air. Replacing toxic household cleaners with natural products and carpet with hardwood floors will also help improve indoor air quality. Indoor air can also be purified by placing houseplants in each room to filter toxins and pollution from the air and replace them with pure oxygen. A HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter is another very effective way to purify indoor air. Clean Water Drinking water is contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, excessive chlorine, heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, nitrates, fluoride, radioactive wastes, medical wastes, traces of prescription medications and many other chemicals. In addition, toxins are readily absorbed through the skin when bathing or showering with water that is chlorinated and contaminated with toxic chemicals.
Reverse-osmosis or UV filtration can be used to purify tap water for drinking. Carbon filtration can also be used for tap water purification, but the filters must be changed before they become saturated or they will release the chemicals back into the water at amounts much greater than were being removed. Bath and shower water can be filtered effectively with a carbon filter. Natural Personal Products Not only is water and its contaminants absorbed through the skin and scalp, but so are toxins and chemicals from all topical body products such as hair and skin products. Every product used on the body should be 100% natural with no synthetic additives. This includes cosmetics, hair and skin products, toothpaste, deodorant, body lotions, etc. Also, laundry detergents, dishwashing detergents and other cleaners should be all-natural. All of these products can be purchased from any reputable health food store and online. Taking the time and effort to ensure that as many unnatural substances are eliminated from one s surrounding environment will bring the body back to its most natural state and put it back in balance with the most basic essentials of nature. Before any treatment is sought for an adverse health condition such as herbal therapy, an over-the-counter or prescription medication, or a visit to a physician, these three basic fundamental steps to health must be accepted, adopted, and followed habitually without compromise.
Once these basic steps are followed, the next step for optimal health is detoxification and proper nutrition to counteract and offset the effect of these previously used and cumulative toxins on the body. For More Information This introduction to the basics of naturopathic medication is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. For more information about detoxification, nutrition or how naturopathic medicine can restore optimal health, contact your naturopathic practitioner, Lori LeBlanc at 713-705-8649 or thehopecoach@gmail.com. To order water or air filters or natural personal products and cleaners visit our website at www.naturopathichealthandwellness.com.