In naturopathic medicine, we are taught to treat the whole person. This is a basic foundation in naturopathic philosophy. NDs will give in-depth attention to a patient’s mental, emotional and physical states. Traditional Western medicine tends to take for granted the relationship between the mind/body relationship while Eastern medicine and its philosophy embraces this connection.
Mind/body medicine is an approach to healing that sees the mind, comprised of our thoughts, emotional and mental states, as well as our life experiences, as having an indispensable impact on the body’s health. Western medicine and its reluctance to validate the mind/body relationship began to change in the mid-1970’s. Studies were done to better understand the physiology of the mind/body connection and determine the feasible ways in which the mind and emotions could affect physical health. As more research studies and clinical trials were completed and made available to the scientific community, the mind/body relationship became a more medically-accepted fact.
This mind/body connection is a very empowering realization for both the doctor and the patient. From the perspective of the health care professional, it has opened up another modality of treatment plans. In the case of the patient, they become more directly involved in their own remedy and their ultimate recovery. Mind/body medicine is interactive and by paying attention to and exerting personal control over emotional and mental states we can better optimize our health and well-being.
Quantum physics, new research and recent studies all point to an irrefutable scientific validation for how and why mind/body medicine functions and what power this connection creates. For more information on the mind/body connection and to read the complete article, recently published in NDNR Naturopathic Doctor News & Review:
http://ndnr.com/web-articles/mindbody/science-and-mind-body-medicine/
- Dr. Jim ‘up to his neck’ at AANP
