17. Care Plan for Tom Not applicable 6) Suppress pathology Botanicals 5) Address damaged organ systems and pathologies Not applicable 4) Correct structural problems Exercise, acupuncture 3) Stimulate body’s healing ability Stress management 2) Obstacles to healing (stress) Stress management, exercise, additions to diet 1) Diet and lifestyle Intervention Therapeutic Order
Its philosophy was first used in the Hippocratic School of Medicine of about 400 B.C.. Physicians in the time of Hippocrates believed that they should try to understand as much as possible about the laws of nature, and apply it to their practice in a practical way. They looked for the "cause" of disease. They often used the term "Vis Medicatrix Naturae", which is Latin for "the Healing Power of Nature," to note the body’s ability to heal itself. "Naturopathy" or "Nature Cure" is viewed by some as a way of life as well as a concept of healing that employs various natural means of preventing and treating human disease. Some of the earliest therapies used Hygienics and Hydrotherapy. The Eclectics that were the forefathers of modern "Naturopathic Medicine" tended to use any means to help their patients as long as it didn't harm them. Benedict Lust, a German doctor who emigrated to the U.S. in 1892, founded the health food store as we know it, and crystallized the focus of naturopathy on diet and nutrition as the chief route to health. During this period, health-food faddism rivaled that of the present day, with influential practitioners like Dr. Kellogg (of cereal-company fame) insisting that meat and other "unnatural" foodstuffs were wreaking untold havoc on human health. With the rise of increasingly sophisticated drugs and advanced medical technology after World War II, naturopathy fell from favour. It regained much of its lost appeal when the discovery of unsuspected side effects from DDT, thalidomide, and other high-tech wonders reminded people that “advanced care” sometimes had shortcomings of its own.
Tom is under stress at work and at home. His teenaged daughter has ADD and fights with her father regularly. Tom used to be physically active, but lately he has not been making the time to exercise. Lifestyle interventions for Tom could include special deep breathing exercises and meditation to help manage his stress as well as an exercise prescription like walking for 30 minutes a day. Tom’s diet is quite healthy but by increasing certain foods that have been shown through research trials to have a blood-pressure lowering effect, he may be able to reduce his systolic pressure by 10 – 30%. Chinese medicine sees high blood pressure as a consequence of a build up of “hot” energy in the body. Needling specific acupuncture points can help to reduce this heat and bring the energies of the body back into balance, resulting in a lower blood pressure.