Treatment Protocol Comparison between Naturopathic Medicine and Consciousness Based Medicine
Consciousness Based Medicine (CBM) is “a term given to a form of medical treatment that works by direct appeal to the consciousness of the patient.”1 According to Gill Edwards, Conscious Medicine is “an approach to healthcare that recognizes the primacy of consciousness in health and sees the body-mind as an integrated energy system that is inseparable from the universal energy field; our connection to a greater power.”2
In this paper, the treatment protocol found in Naturopathic Medicine will be compared and contrasted with that of Consciousness Based Medicine through exploring the strengths and weaknesses of the two models of intervention.
Naturopathy, or Naturopathic Medicine, is a distinct, integrated system of primary health care offered by licensed Naturopathic Doctors (ND’s). It consists of the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of human disorders by the therapeutic use of natural methods and materials.
Naturopathic Medicine in practice considers the fundamental components of health as being biochemistry, biomechanics and the emotional predisposition of the individual in order to help a person restore the balance that we describe as good health. This philosophy empowers the individual, giving them greater control over their health and wellbeing. Naturopathy is considered to be a holistic system, meaning that the goal of ND is to find the cause of disease by understanding the body, mind, and spirit of the person.3
As a brief history, Naturopathic Medicine was first established as a distinct medical profession in North America in the early 1900’s by Benedict Lust, a German immigrant, at the turn of the 20th century. Lust had been a follower and student of Father Sebastian Kneipp’s health movement in Europe known as “Nature Cure”; a system of employing clean food, water, air, sun, and exercise with hydrotherapy as healing agents to restore health. Lust and his wife founded the Yungborn Nature Cure Health Resort in New York state where they incorporated other disciplines and therapies compatible with the basic principles of “Nature Cure.” In 1902, Lust began using the term “Naturopathy” to describe the mixture of disciplines and therapies he used to treat illness. Three years later he founded the first school of Naturopathic Medicine under the laws of the State of New York. [Lee]
Most Naturopathic Doctors use a variety of therapies and techniques which can include clinical nutrition, herbal medicine (supplementation/vitamins/nutraceuticals), homeopathy, intravenous therapy, detoxification, chelation, minor surgery and acupuncture to name a few. A Naturopath may utilize additional lab tests and examination procedures for further evaluation. Depending upon the State/Province, NDs may also be licensed to perform minor office procedures and surgery, administer vaccinations, and prescribe many prescriptive drugs.4
Naturopathic Medicine is based upon six fundamental principles:5
The Healing Power of Nature – Trust in the body’s inherent wisdom to heal itself.
Identify and Treat the Causes – Look beyond the symptoms to the underlying cause.
First Do No Harm – Utilize the most natural, least invasive and least toxic therapies.
Doctor as Teacher – Educate patients in the steps to achieving and maintaining health.
Treat the Whole Person – View the body as an integrated whole in all its physical and spiritual dimensions.
Prevention – Focus on overall health, wellness and disease prevention
NDs treat both acute and chronic conditions with their emphasis being on disease prevention and patient education. There are two areas of focus in Naturopathic Medicine. The first is to support the body’s own healing abilities, and the second is to empower patients to make the lifestyle changes necessary for the best possible health and healing outcome with individualized treatment protocols. NDs are trained as primary care physicians in four-year, accredited doctoral-level naturopathic medical schools. Licensure is required to be a naturopathic doctor.
“In a naturopathic approach to health, illness is viewed as a process of disturbance to health and subsequent recovery is in the context of natural systems. Many things can disturb optimal health such as poor nutrition, chronic stress, or toxic exposure. The goal of the ND is to restore health by identifying and minimizing these disturbances. In order to do this, the ND first recognizes the factors that determine health (Table 1). A determinant becomes a disturbance when it is compromised in some way.”6
Table 1 Determinants of Health
Inborn
Genetic Makeup (genotype)
Intrauterine/Congenital
Maternal Exposures
– Drugs
– Toxins
– Viruses
– Psychoemotional
Maternal Nutrition
Maternal Lifestyle
Constitution- determines susceptibility
Hygenic Factors/Lifestyle Factors – How We Live
Environment, Lifestyle, Psychoemotional, and Spiritual Health
– Spiritual life
– Self-assessment
– Relationship to larger universe
Exposure to Nature
– Fresh air
– Clean water
– Light
Diet, Nutrition, and Digestion
– Unadulterated food
– Toxemia
Rest and Exercise
– Rest
– Exercise
Socio-economic Factors
– Culture
– Loving and being loved
– Meaningful work
– Community
Stress (Physical, Emotional)
– Trauma (physical/emotional)
– Illnesses: pathobiography
– Medical interventions (or lack of)
– Surgeries
– Suppressions
– Physical and emotional exposures, stresses, and trauma
– Toxic and harmful substances
– Addictions
From Zeff J., Snider P, Pizzorno JE. Section I: Philosophy of Natural Medicine. The Textbook of Natural Medicine 3rd ed. 2006;1(1), with permission
“The ND, with the goal of restoring health, will follow the therapeutic order outlined in Table 1. It is a flexible plan which begins with minimal interventions and may proceed to higher levels of intervention as necessary.” [Pizzorno]
The treatment protocol found in Naturopathic Medicine should be viewed in conjunction with the Determinants of Health above (Table 1) in order to provide a more detailed view and understanding of the process.
Naturopathic Medical Treatment Protocol as proposed by Zeff, Snider & Pizzorno:
1. Establish the conditions for health • Identify and remove disturbing factors • Institute a more healthful regimen 2. Stimulate the healing power of nature (vis medicatrix naturae): the self-healing processes 3. Address weakened or damaged systems or organs • Strengthen the immune system • Decrease toxicity • Normalize inflammatory function • Optimize metabolic function • Balance regulatory systems • Enhance regeneration • Harmonize life force 4. Correct structural integrity 5. Address pathology: Use specific natural substances, modalities, or interventions 6. Address pathology: Use specific pharmacologic or synthetic substances 7. Suppress or surgically remove pathology
From Zeff J., Snider P, Pizzorno JE. Section I: Philosophy of Natural Medicine. The Textbook of Natural Medicine 3rd ed. 2006;1(1), with permission.
Mainstream Western medicine is based upon a simple and elegant model: the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Essentially, “the doctor is expected to determine the specific nature and name of the disease process (diagnosis), and then apply the various tools or weapons which science and experience have provided to eliminate the disease (treatment),”7 thus entering into battle with the illness.
Naturopathic Medicine places the emphasis on restoring health and not disease treatment. “The naturopathic physician does not do battle with a disease entity. Instead, we rely upon the healing wisdom, vital energies and intelligence of the organism to restore normal and healthy function. The work of the naturopathic physician is to elicit healing by helping the patients to create or recreate conditions for health to exist within them. Health will occur where the conditions for health exist. Disease is the product of conditions, which allow for it.”[Zeff]
The Consciousness Based Medical Model is proposed by Dr. Randy Fauver, PhD in “The Seven Layers of Healing”, and is a “top-down approach to treatment, bringing all dimensions of the human experience into active engagement for the maximum benefit of the patient.”8 Disease is not viewed from the materialist ideal, where the body is considered a machine with ‘parts’ that need fixing. The CBM model looks at illness in the body as an expression of the whole person in the context of their community, and that disease itself “is assumed to have meaning for the person that, when understood, may lead to greater capacity for the person to express their natural drive toward health and wholeness.”[Fauver]
The Seven Layers of Health are as follows:
Spirit
Generalists: Grace, prayer, spiritual community engagement, meditation, mindfulness practice, spiritual guidance
Specifics: Reiki, energy healing, shamanic healing, laying on of hands, tonglin, family constellation therapy
Mind
Generalists: Individual and group psychotherapy or psychoeducation, training in skillful communication, social engagement
Specifics: Visualization and guided imagery, Focusing-oriented psychotherapy, disease-specific support groups
Body
Generalists: Diet, exercise, yoga, tai chi, dance therapy
Specifics: Food as medicine, targeted movements, pranayama
Touch
Generalists: Osteopathy, chiropractic, massage therapy
Specifics: Lymphatic massage, cranio-sacral therapy, acupuncture
Herbs and supplements
Generalists: Vitamin D, Omega-3 EFAs, spirulina
Specifics: Kale, kelp, black cohosh
Pharmacological agents
Generalists: Placebos, NSAIDs, Valium
Specifics: Beta-blockers, Narcan, Lipitor
Surgery
Generalists: None
Specifics: Hip replacement, biopsies, blepharoplasty
While there are similarities between the two models in wanting to keep treatments as ‘natural’ as possible in their progression of use, it immediately becomes apparent that the CBM approach places a greater emphasis on the “unfolding process within the life of the whole person, and of that person within the whole of a greater social and natural community” by “making spiritual and psychological interventions primary and physical interventions secondary”. [Fauver]
In Dr. Fauver’s model, the ‘spirit’ aspect, being grace, prayer, community engagement, meditation, mindfulness practice and spiritual guidance are key factors in the treatment protocol. “The goal throughout is to assist patients in developing increased connection with their divine nature, with their life purpose and motivation, with other people and their communities, and with the natural world in which they live and from which they gain sustenance.”[Fauver] The model is a complete and encompassing plan that involves a whole approach to addressing everything in an individuals life to see where they are giving away their ‘power’ or ‘energy’ and to help them heal all of those areas, in order to become fully realized.
We can find some references to the fundamentals of ‘whole body’ addressed in the Naturopathic model, however I find them to be addressed more systematically ‘one by one’ and less in a fully integrated whole person approach. Referring to Table 1 above, under the headings “Environment, Lifestyle, Psychoemotional, and Spiritual Health” and “Socioeconomic Factors”, elements such as spiritual life, self-assessment, relationship to the larger universe, culture, loving and being loved, meaningful work and community are noted, recognizing the importance of ‘spirit’ related components in the treatment process. However, they are split up, found in positions 1 and 5 respectively, giving the model a fragmented quality.
If we compare the “mind” component of both models, we find the Naturopathic model comes up short on identifying treatment protocols for psychological issues. While the model does place some importance on the emotional predisposition of the individual, the CBM model identifies the mind as key with a high level of importance placed on psychological assessment and intervention.
We see in the CBM model, that the role of the body is third, only after the spirit first, and mind second, have been acknowledged. In the Naturopathic model, when we look at the determinants of health, the protocol does recognize environment, lifestyle, psycho-emotional, and spiritual health at the top of the model, however there are no corresponding general or specific treatment interventions listed. As a patient who has utilized Naturopathic treatment, I find it is much more closely related to the allopathic model. Instead of using synthetic drugs, an ND will use ‘natural’ supplements – herbs, vitamins, amino acid therapy, homeopathy, etc. It is still a more ‘mechanical’ approach to the problem and it still addresses the body and symptomology as primary whereas the CBM model places consciousness as primary by addressing the needs of the spirit first. In my personal experience, spirituality was not addressed by any of the three naturopaths I attended. Socio-economic factors such as culture, loving and being loved, having meaningful work and community show up fifth on the naturopathic model. These factors are considered second in importance in the CBM model.
In levels four through seven in the CBM model, we find the broader categories of touch, herbs and supplements, pharmacological agents and surgery. Interventions in these four levels are identified first in general terms, and then by specific treatment modalities. It is a complete step by step process, in simple terms, leading each individual through a journey back to health. The protocol follows a logical and easy to follow progression. It is designed to utilize at least one intervention/treatment from each of the seven levels in order, until the disease condition or conditions are resolved. The model is created to allow use for continued growth and development past the disease state, if one so chooses. The true success of the CBM treatment protocol is in empowering the individual to make distinct and deliberate changes in their lives through addressing all of the aspects that make us human and not just a symptom-based approach.
The process of the treatment protocol in the Naturopathic model, while focused on treating aspects of spirit and mind, it is really designed to identify and resolve more specific ‘conditions’ or disease pathologies through the symptoms that brought the patient in. The model recognizes the need to identify the spirit and mind as essential but, fails to address those interventions necessary to correct underlying deficits. I feel the model lacks congruency in this way. Again, while the spirit, mind, emotional factors and community are identified in The Determinants of Health in the naturopathic model, they appear to be lost in translation when we look for the specifics as to how this is achieved in the Naturopathic model.
In addressing the factors of cultural sensitivity and flexibility to patient beliefs, I was unable to find any underlying protocol in the literature specifying how this would be addressed globally in naturopathic practice. As culture is placed in relation to socioeconomic factors, and beliefs listed under stress in the Determinants of Health, it appears specific protocol for addressing cultural sensitivity and flexibility to patient beliefs are not formally mandated as part of the treatment/intervention model, and rather left to each individual practitioner to address and implement within their own practice.
In summary, my observations suggest that the treatment model offered in Consciousness Based Medicine is a much more complete approach for ‘whole person’ healing. It addresses the individual through a sensitive, balanced approach that gives a greater importance first to the spirit, then to the mind in relation to spirit, and next to the body in relation to both spirit and mind. In doing so the individual benefits from the process of self-exploration that may lead them to a greater awareness and understanding of the manifestation of their illness or disease. The model is respectful of spiritual, cultural and social differences and allows the individual’s belief systems to be expressed and integrated in their treatment. General protocols are established, with more specific treatments chosen to meet the goal of complete health. Each step of the protocol progresses into the next step facilitating the highest level of healing along the path to regaining balance and health.
The Naturopathic model presents a critical path approach to the mechanics of the body, while trying to integrate psychological, social, spiritual and cultural aspects. However, the process is very disjointed and does not facilitate a smooth transition between the different protocol levels as successfully as we see achieved by the Consciousness Based Medicine model.
REFERENCES
Gill Edwards Consious Medicine. 2010 Piatkus. Foreward xxii
Søren Ventegodt and Joav Merrick. Clinical Holistic Medicine: Applied Consciousness-Based Medicine. The Scientific World JOURNAL (2004) 4, 96–99 http://scholar.google.ca/scholar_url?url=http://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2004/536890.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&scisig=AAGBfm090c-0V4Dv1u6GDkOh4SgUN7KFxA&nossl=1&oi=scholarr
Dr. Thomas S. Lee, NMD. NaturoDoc. The Naturo Blog http://www.naturodoc.com/blog/?page_id=881
Back to Wellness. What is Naturopathy? http://www.Naturopathyinmelbourne.com.au/what-is-Naturopathy/
Washington Association of Naturopathic Physicians [June 30, 2009]. Available at: http://www.wanp.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=58070&orgId=wanp
http://vitaeheal.com/naturopathic-medicine/
Jared L. Zeff, N.D. The Process of Healing: A Unifying Theory of Naturopathic Medicine. The Journal of Naturopathic Medicine. January 1997. Vol. 7, No. 1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291867092_The_process_of_healing_a_unifying_theory_of_naturopathic_medicine
Randy Fauver, PhD. The Seven Layers of Health. 2011. chrome-extension://gbkeegbaiigmenfmjfclcdgdpimamgkj/views/app.html