HERBS

Naturopathy is the kindling, nurturing and increasing of an innate drive to heal that is present in all of us. This innate drive to heal is our vital force. Naturopathy emphasizes prevention of disease by healthy living. Naturopathy includes the teaching of new daily habits, lifestyles and thought patterns that are different from the rigid patterns that have helped to lower the vital force.

In naturopathy, a partnership is developed between practitioner and patient. Patients are encouraged to take responsibility for their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. The cause of the illness is treated, not the symptoms. Symptoms are viewed as ways in which the body is adapting to help itself heal. The origin of the illness is much deeper and must be addressed in order for the patient to heal. The difference between prevention and treatment for poor health is emphasis.

Conventional medicine often suppresses the vital force and impairs vital organs from detoxifying. This drives the inflammatory condition deeper into the body.

The human body is meant to be well at all times and within each person is a certain vital force that regulates health and strength. This has been called vis medicatrix naturae, or the healing power of nature.

According to Donald R. Yance, Master Herbalist, author, lecturer and creator of the Natura Heath line of herbal products, “Herbs are effective because plants, like all living organisms, are imbued with the same vital, intelligent life force that animates the human body. When the right herb is selected as a remedy by an experienced practitioner, its vital life force works synergistically with that of the patient, thus bringing about deep healing at all levels. Technology allows us to research plant life in ways never before imagined. Nevertheless, we may never fully understand in a fully scientific way how it is that herbs heal any more than we understand exactly how the human body “knows” how to carry out its autonomic functions.”

Herbs and Antiquity

Among ancient healers, knowledge and use of herbs and foods was a prerequisite. Herbs, unlike the synthetic chemicals of conventional medicine, promote the natural functions of the body, and help the body strengthen from within. They work together with important lifestyle changes, like eating healthy foods and finding ways to reduce stress.

There is a built-in safety factor in the herbs we use because humans and plants have evolved side by side, and our systems have had hundreds of thousands of years to accept the biochemistry of plants. In our conventional medicine today, scientists have removed seemingly less important components in plants that that buffer or make more readily available the plant’s active constituents. For example, Vitamin C rich plants also contain significant amounts of iron, which is much more efficiently absorbed by the body in the presence of vitamin C. Some plant constituents buffer the action of other potent plant chemicals, preventing possible harmful side effects.

Adaptogens

Basic to herbal treatment at Comprehensive Naturopathic Care is the use of adaptogens. These are a very unique group of herbs that help the body to cope with stress, adapt to challenges, changes and stressors. The main difference that distinguishes this group of herbs from other herbs is that all other herbs have very specific actions. We use herbs with specific actions, too, but the backbone of what we use is adaptogens.

For example, conventional medicine treats specific problems with specific medicine. Echinacea can treat colds. St Johns Wort helps reduce anxiety and depression. Kava Kava releases tension and helps you sleep better. Adaptogens, and only adaptogens, have non-specific, broad action. They have broad action. Specific herbs do not get to the root of the problem. If you only treat cold with Echinacea, you are treating your symptom, but you are not treating the root of problem, which is why you got the cold in the first place. Stress is the root. Stress suppressed your immune system and so you caught a cold. Adaptogens enhance your ability to cope with the stress.

The goal is to enhance overall vitality. Adaptogens do this well. In Chinese and Oriental Medicine, adaptogens were called kingly, or elite herbal supplements because they were the most effective. Adaptogens have been used for centuries. Adaptogenic herbs can help in time of challenges and changes. These herbs help elderly people keep their strength and stamina. Adaptogens reinforce and balance the whole body, and increase the vitality of your system.

Adaptogens increase our responsiveness. For example, when we are exposed to a pathogen, our immune system gets excited and deals with the pathogen. When we are exposed to both stress and a pathogen, our immune system is so busy dealing with the stress, there is no energy to deal with the pathogen, and so we get sick. Adaptogens build our responsive capacity so that we have the vitality to respond to pathogens and to stress. Adaptogens build responsiveness. If there is not enough energy in our body, our liver will not respond correctly. You can pump nutrients into the liver, but if there is not enough energy, the liver will not detoxify and the immune system will not respond properly. Stress affects us in non-specific ways, usually compromising our weakest areas. For some people, that’s headaches. For others, it’s depression and/or anxiety. We use adaptogens to normalize the body and respond to stress, also in non-specific ways. Plants have to adapt, too. Rhodeola, an adaptogenic plant, was discovered by recognizing how a plant was able to withstand cold temperatures and a harsh environment. The realization was that if a plant has adapted, maybe that plant can help humans adapt, too.

Vitamins are essential to our health. They do not, however, non-specifically enhance all aspects of human health. Vitamins have specific cellular activity or focus on a specific organ. Unlike plants, vitamins are not living beings, Vitamins and minerals are manufactured, or extracted. They are parts of food, and part of herbs. Rosehips, for example, is a nutritive herb that contains vitamins and minerals. Vitamins support the concept of adaptogens, but they are not in and of themselves adaptogens.

Plants are biochemically comprised of hundreds of compounds each, while a vitamin is one or two molecules. Not only are plants made up of hundreds and thousands of compounds, but because our body has used plants as both food and medicine from beginning of time, our body intuitively knows how to selectively extract the chemicals it needs.

We experience many different kinds of stress, short term and long term. Adaptogenic herbs become more useful during these time periods. They help normalize your body functions. Our body always needs to be in balance. This is called homeostasis.

Conventional medication treats symptoms, not the root of the problem. We have an innate healing ability to redirect homeostasis to cope with stress. As homeostasis reprioritizes itself, energy is redirected and something has to suffer. So the liver begins to inadequately deal with detoxification, the insulin system doesn’t work, our thyroid becomes sluggish, we gain weight and so on.

Measuring health tends to involve looking at how effective homeostatic balance is. Blood pressure, for example is body’s attempt to regulate the pressure at which the heart is pumping blood. The loss of the ability to regain homeostatic control is the basis of disease.

Herbs Build Vitality

In addition to adaptogens, we also use herbs that eliminate and detoxify, maintain and allow the body to heal itself, and build and tone our organs. It is often of great benefit to take several herbs to aid the major systems of the body. A mixture of several herbs provides a set of effects that no single herb provides alone.

At Comprehensive Naturopathic Care, we explore ways to build up your vitality. It’s important to do this even before symptoms begin to manifest, way before disease sets in. With plants, people can build and redirect homeostasis and inhibit disease and increase energy. Herbs can help prevent illness, offer vitality to those with chronic illness and also help the competitive athlete.

Ginseng