Dr. Jonathan Collin’s From the Publisher editorial in April resonated with me. He started off by mentioning the Spanish naturopathic doctor having failed to renew his long-time subscription to the journal because it had become too allopathic for his taste. This led Dr. Collin to comment about the change in standard of naturopathic care to rely heavily on evidence-based medicine.
I graduated with my N.D. degree in 1983, the second class at Bastyr. That means 35 years in practice. Dr. Bastyr is long gone, at least physically. I will always be grateful about having chosen to become an N.D., and of knowing, and being treated by, “Dr. B.” He was unforgettable… a wellspring of experience and conviction in naturopathic medicine. He was the true embodiment of a healer…. his voice, his hands, his presence, his calm demeanor, and his wealth of knowledge. But I keep going back to his profound belief in the healing power of nature.
Back then pretty much no one had even heard of “naturopathic doctor.” None of us were covered by insurance (a few of us were part of a Blue Cross pilot program in 1993). We all used handwritten, paper charts. No one used computers, much less telemedicine! We actually relied on books in print form! It was hands on natural medicine. Homeopathic medicine won my heart, and became the lifeblood of my career, since that first year at Bastyr when I read about homeopathic philosophy by James Tyler Kent. It just made perfect sense to me, and integrated my natural lifestyle, experience as a psychiatric social worker, and my deeply held spiritual beliefs. In fact, many of our naturopathic generation at that time fell upon our careers by way of yoga, meditation, and the like. I knew from that first meeting with the founders of Bastyr that it was my next career. I didn’t know then that it would be my dharma, or life’s work, for many decades. It has been a labor of love, and lots of hard work. When I embarked on that avant-garde, four-year program, a D.O. friend of mine warned me: “Why go for two second-rate degrees: an M.S.W. and an N.D.? Fortunately, his advice turned out to be extremely narrow-minded and shortsighted. My graduation as an N.D. was one of most pivotal moments of my life and I took the Hippocratic oath, of doing no harm and using the gentlest possible methods of healing, to heart.
Vis Medicatrix Naturae, which means “the healing power of nature” was not just an in-vogue slogan, but it permeated our naturopathic philosophy classes It is still is at the root of my homeopathic and naturopathic practice. I trust that, at the core, the vital force, of which the defense mechanism is a part, has an innate wisdom and healing ability if nudged in the direction of cure. Whether the therapy be hydrotherapy to break a fever (the trust cold, wet, sock therapy), homeopathy, herbs, hydrotherapy, diet, or other natural therapies, that fundamental knowing and healing power of the vital force. This means that the vital force exhibits an innate intelligence when it mounts a fever, increasing white blood cells and lymphatic activity in order to stimulate healing. A fever is certainly not a mistake that needs to be immediately countered with acetaminophen (Tylenol) or NSAIDs like ibuprofen or aspirin.
That fever is a manifestation of the fundamental inner knowing of the defense mechanism, and, even deeper, of the vital force. Dr. B was not the only shining example of this unquestioning conviction dating back to Hippocrates, 400BC. Dr. Bill Mitchell was another mentor and role model, for all of us students, of bringing to life the healing power of nature. From the memorable student backpacking trip in the Cascades, where we identified our materia medica hands on, to preceptoring with Bill in his office as he imparted wisdom and mixed herbs, he was the real deal. Tragically, he left us way too early.
But what we learned about the fundamental healing wisdom of the body remains with me with each and every patient that I see. When I am confronted by acute or chronic illness in my patients, or myself, I reflect on that same unquestionable knowing that the body, mind, and spirit are acting/responding intentionally. Not by accident.
Has “Modern” Naturopathic Medicine Lost Its Way?
So, what does all of this have to do with that Spanish N.D. who baled on his Townsend Letter subscription? Maybe not much, perhaps a great deal. It was when we N.D.s , 20 years or so ago, were offered the opportunity to do a weekend of pharmaceutical training in order to expand or scope of practice that I really began to ask myself “What is an ND?” Bob and I were two of the handful of licensed NDs who had no interest whatsoever in prescribing drugs. That is why I had become a homeopath—to use the least toxic, most natural, and, I believe, most powerful natural medicines. Why, I asked myself, were NDs so eager to prescribe Nystatin and antibiotics when we had so many effective natural alternatives? I feared that naturopathic medicine was selling out. Why would any ND opt first for potentially suppressive drugs when we have so many other effective natural therapies to use first?
I acknowledge that there is a time and place for conventional interventions. But I was taught and still believe that, in many or most cases, if begun early enough, wisely-prescribed natural therapies may make allopathic medicine unnecessary. As a two-time breast cancer survivor, I am not one to dis surgery, believe me. But, for the past 21 years I have continued to use natural supplements (I like that term far better than nutraceuticals) to remain healthy. And the only drugs I have taken in my 71 years, were Zometa and Tamoxifen, the latter for four years. I am grateful that Bob had immediate access to antibiotics and surgery when he suffered from appendicitis/peritonitis then, when he turned 50, a bilateral bacterial pneumonia. But, for me, these are exceptions.
Evidence-Based Medicine or Suppression?
I spoke earlier this week at a homeopathic conference offered by WAHA, the Washington Association of Homeopathic Practitioners, at Bastyr. I had the opportunity of speaking with Nancy Mercer, ND, who supervises students at the homeopathic clinic there. She assured me that there courses in naturopathic philosophy and the healing power of nature were still alive
and well. But, she acknowledged, there were a number of students who had a more allopathic approach.
Getting back to that Spanish fellow who canceled his TL subscription after years of loyalty… I would ask whether NDs here in the U.S. still recognize and honor the healing power of nature. What do they do when a patient comes with a fever? When a child or adult comes to me with a fever, of course I need to recognize whether it is a due to a serious infection such as
appendicitis or pneumonia, but usually that is not the case and my first recommendation is the cold, wet sock treatment along with the indicated homeopathic remedy. Have the patient drink hot sage or yarrow tea (or a tastier alternative if a young child), take a hot bath, put cold, wet socks on the feet wrapped in plastic bags, and bundle up in bed with blankets. The great majority of the time, (s)he will wake 4-8 hours later having sweated out the fever. Do they use non-allopathic interventions first? Do they recognize, and believe in, that deep and all-knowing healing process occurring except when the process is so far advanced that this is not effective?
Or, will they resort immediately to pharmaceutical medications? Do they believe that homeopathy can be effective in the hands of those who have mastered it? I asked this of Dr.Mercer and she replied that, in the case of a hypertensive crisis, clinicians would use conventional medication immediately. I asked myself, “What would Drs. Bastyr and Mitchell have done?” What about Crataegus (hawthorne) that we learned was a mainstay for hypertension. Or, of course, the homeopathic simillimum? And spinal manipulation and the many other hands-on physical therapies that we learned at Bastyr?
Call me a dinosaur, if you wish, but I must question, as did that Spanish doctor, what has become of naturopathic medicine? And what would Dr. B say? I do hope that this article, if read by NDs or ND students, stimulates discussion and proves me wrong. That the underlying healing principles of nature, and the philosophy of using natural therapies first, continues to be at the core of contemporary naturopathic medical practice in the U.S. That the trend towards co-medicine with allopathic practitioners, the use of conventional, as well as or along with, natural therapies, combines the best of both worlds. That naturopathic medicine has not at all sold out, but has expanded its scope only as an adjunct to the natural therapies that we know and love.
Judyth Reichenberg -Ullman and Robert Ullman are licensed naturopathic physicians, board certified in homeopathy. We have written eight books on homeopathy as well as Mystics, Masters, Saints and Sages—Stories of Enlightenment. We also have an app: Natural Travel
Doctor. Apple version and Android.
We are more passionate than ever about homeopathy.
We practice in Edmonds, WA and by Skype. Our practice is international and I, Judyth, am fluent in Spanish and French as well. The Edmonds office address has changed, as you will see on our website. We live on Whidbey Island, Washington and in Pucón, Chile. Visit our website
www.healthyhomeopathy.com.
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(425) 774-5599 or email us at Dr Reichenberg or Dr Bob Ullman
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