Modalities of Facilitating Wellness Studied by Naturopaths

First of all, it is necessary to state that this is not a complete list, by any means, of the possible modalities studied by Naturopaths, nor do all Naturopaths use, or engage in, every one of these methods and practices.
 

Iridology Iridology is the study of the colored part of the eye (called the iris) to determine potential health problems. Iridologists believe that changing patterns and markings in the iris can be used to reveal emerging conditions in every part of the body and to identify inherited weaknesses that may lead to physical and emotional disorders.		Applied Kinesiology Applied Kinesiology (AK) was developed in 1964 by Dr. George Goodhart. AK utilizes Muscle Testing, also called Muscle Response Testing (MRT), to evaluate the well being of a client.  Responses to gentle pressure applied to an arm, or other extremity, is noted while touching specific body meridians.  The muscle response noted when touching each meridian aids in the practitioner's determinations regarding possible nutritional recommendations or therapies.
Reams Testing REAMS testing is called “Biological Ionization” by Dr. A.F. Beddoe, and “Health by the Numbers” by Dr. Wendell W. Whitman.  “RTBI - Reams Theory of Biological Ionization” or simply, “REAMS testing” after the founder of pH testing, Dr. Cary Reams. Dr. Reams dedicated his life to finding the perfect pH numbers for the human body. Without maintaining these numbers, it is believed the human body can not assimilate various minerals. Dr. Reams discovered what he believed were the perfect pH balances by analyzing all the fluids of the human body. Throughout his research, Dr. Reams discovered that only two bodily fluids were needed to ascertain these body chemistry levels - saliva and urine. Therefore, practioners believe that if a person can keep their numbers in the "Perfect Health" or "Healing Range" - then they will maintain health. If the human body is not kept in the "Perfect Health" or in the "Healing Range" - it is believed the body becomes diseased.		Herbology An "herb" is defined as organic life of seed plants which do not develop woody tissue as trees and shrubs, which are used for foods, medicines, scents, spices, and flavors. An "herbalist" is one who gathers and dispenses herbs for health giving, life enhancing, and life purifying properties. Many herbalists also, however, use the barks and fruits of trees as therapeutic agents as well.  For thousands of years medicinal plants have been at the core of alleviating human suffering and promoting health and well-being through the use of common herbaceous plants. The essence of this accumulated knowledge on medicinal plants is practiced in Europe under the name of Phytotherapy. No subject, perhaps, has produced larger, more curious, or more splendidly illustrated, literature than the world of plants. Greek medical men, Roman encyclopedists, Chinese herbalists, and medieval doctors compiled and recompiled herbals, generally taking special interest in those plants that were of medicinal and culinary value.
Enzyme Therapy Enzymes are essential for maintaining optimal health. They are the energy catalysts which support everyday life-sustaining functions from the digestive system and immune systems to making energy available to the entire body. By breaking down the various types of food into smaller compounds which can be readily absorbed by the body, enzymes help eliminate problems which can occur with fermented toxins in the digestive tract, such as gas, bloating, fatigue, headaches, constipation, heartburn, and other digestive disturbances.		Sclerology Sclerology is the study of the red lines in the white of the eyes (the sclera) and how they relate to stress-patterns in a person's health. The practitioner learns to interpret these lines, and believes that this information is the key to understanding how the body is struggling or adapting to maintain balance; and thus know how to apply natural therapies to prevent problems from occurring or help the body correct problems already occurring.
Parasitology Parasites are often described as occupying the third great environment, -aquatic, -terrestrial -parasitic, the body of another organism.  The term parasitism may be defined as a two-species association in which one species, the parasite, lives on, or in, a second species, the host, for a significant period of its life and obtains nourishment from it. Parasitology seeks to find, define, and remedy ill effects caused by parasites in a non-invasive fashion using nutritional therapies.		Aromatherapy Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils, extracted from plants, trees, and herbs, for therapeutic purposes. Although aromatic plant oils have been used to treat various conditions for thousands of years, the term aromatherapy wasn't coined until 1928, when Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, a French chemist, first used it. Gattefosse had earlier witnessed what he believed to be the curative capabilities of essential oils when he used them to treat wounds during World War I. After the war, he continued to experiment with various oils, and eventually classified them according to their "healing" properties: antitoxic, antiseptic, tonifying, stimulating, calming, and so on. In 1937, he published Aromatherapie, which remains a classic book on the subject (it is also available in English).
Bach Flowers Bach Flowers refers to the study of the work of Edwin Bach, M.D., and his research into flower remedies. Bach believed that there was an emotional component to most disease processes. His non-invasive approach discovered in the 20th century has many adherents around the world. Dr. Bach believed that the body would respond with healing by correcting the emotion component of disease.  His research led him to codify certain substances that would facilitate this process.		Orthomolecular Nutrition Orthomolecular is a synthetic term made up of ortho, which is Greek for "correct" or "right" and molecule which is the simplest structure that displays the characteristics of a compound. So it literally means the "right molecule." Dr. Linus Pauling coined the term in 1968 to help him express his belief that disease could be eradicated by giving the body the "right molecules" of nutrients through good nutrition.  Beneficial vitamins and supplements are used to reinforce the body and stimulate health.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a system of health care based on the late-twentieth-century standardization of medical practices that originated in China some 2500 years ago. Two classic medical texts, the Nei Jing (compiled from 100 B.C. to 100 A.D.) and the Nan Jing (written circa 100 to 200 A.D.) were important early documents that presented the core concepts of TCM, and they have informed generations of scholars and practitioners ever since. These core concepts suggest that disease is the result of imbalances in the flow of the body's vital energy, or qi (pronounced "chee"), and that the human body is a microcosm of the basic natural forces at work in the universe.		Ayurveda Ayurveda is an ancient Indian medical practice that encompasses a range of treatments including medicinal herbs, changes in diet, meditation, massage, and yoga to maintain or restore health. The word Ayurveda is Sanskrit, meaning "science (or knowledge) of life." Perhaps the oldest continually practiced health-care system in the world (the tradition has been handed down from masters to pupils in India for more than 5,000 years,) Ayurveda is rooted in the belief that health results from harmony between mind, body, and spirit. Ayurvedic practitioners in India receive state-recognized training on par with that of Western medical specialists.
Acupressure Acupressure is a type of bodywork that involves pressing specific points on the body with the fingers, knuckles, and palms (and sometimes the elbows and feet) to relieve pain, reduce stress, and promote general good health. Developed in China some 5,000 years ago, perhaps out of the natural human instinct to hold or rub a place on the body that hurts, acupressure is part of the holistic system of traditional chinese medicine (TCM) that also includes acupuncture. (Interestingly, the use of acupressure predates acupuncture by some 2,500 years.)		Dry Blood Cell Analysis Dry Blood Cell Analysis involves the study of human blood and the various drying patterns which may be evidence of nutritional or organ weakness. It is believed that one drop of blood can supply information useful to a health practitioner in confirming suspected health risk and enable a proper referral. Otherwise, the blood analysis, although not supplying information obtained in a hospital blood test, can reveal bodily conditions which can be corrected with nutrition.
Biofeedback Biofeedback is a mind-body technique in which a practitioner uses a special monitoring machine to teach people how to control bodily functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, skin temperature, and muscle tension, in order to improve their health and well-being.		Therapeutic Massage Massage is the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. It helps to ease stress and muscular tension, relieve pain from injuries, and speed healing from certain acute and chronic conditions. Today millions of people worldwide visit massage therapists as a form of regular health-care maintenance.