Governing Principles of Natural Therapies

Preamble:

NHMRC ruling; affecting negatively on 17 Natural Therapy Modalities.

The Review of the Australian Government Rebate on Private Health Insurance (2016) for Natural Therapies ruled that 17 Natural Therapy Modalities are not effective;
or in simple words; "Natural Therapy does not work".

Response:

The NHMRC ruling has been based on "Medical Principles", which are NOT applicable to Natural Therapies.

Explanation of Medical Principles:

1. Medical Principles, are CONTRARY to Natural Therapy Principles.

2. Medical Principles are based on fighting a disease with prescription drugs, which need evidence, such as double blind testing, to effectively treat a disease.

3. Medical Principles state that "microbes" cause diseases, (Louis Pasteur) and treatment is based on fighting and eradicating "microbes".

4. Medical Principles predominantly keep patients "Passive" in their own treatment.

5. Medical Principles are absolutely vital, and Natural Therapy Principles are not opposing Medical Principles, but CAN NOT be ruled by those opposing principles.

The NHMRC failed to address the real benefits of the Natural Therapy System

Explanation:

1. Natural Therapy Modalities are NOT treating 1 specific Disease with "1 specific therapeutic agent.

2. In Natural Therapy, the individual patient is always considered first.
   

3. Natural Therapy is treating an individual Patient with Active Preventative, Holistic and Natural means to achieve wellbeing and health.

4. Natural Therapies has to be assessed by "Clinical Evidence" of the "whole treatment", NOT just on the basis of one isolated therapeutic agent towards one disease.
   Using a single herb or nutrient does not reflect the whole Natural Therapy Practice, instead a holistic active preventative principle has proven effective.
   

5. We need better, more effective "Active Prevention", which is achieved with Natural Therapies, and has failed under the Medical System, with the evidence of increasing Lifestyle Diseases, and an epidemic like increase of weight problems.
   Prevention is better than cure.

6. All 17 modalities are important in the individual, holistic active preventative and treatment approach within Natural Therapy.
   They are significant, because of their different application towards the individual and their likely hood to respond to treatment.

Explanations to Governing Principles of Natural Therapies

7 points of explanation ...

1. Natural Therapy Principles are based on supporting complete physical, mental and social well-being.

2. Natural Therapy is an approach to health and healing that recognizes the integrity of the whole person. That is, it treats disease through Active Prevention, stimulation, increase, and support of the person's inherent healing capacity. 
   

3. Natural Therapy Principles are based on; "The Terrain is everything" (Claude Bernard - Antoine Bechamp).
   The "Terrain is everything" is seen as a guiding principle, of "Active Prevention" in it's widest holistic sense, including internal and external Terrains.
   The internal Terrain consists of Body and Mind, and specifically the digestive system.
   The external Terrain consist of the immediate environment, and the environment as food source.
   

4. Natural Therapy Principles are based on "Individuals", and their capability to heal themselves, if appropriate building blocks for complete physical, mental and social well-being are present or can be provided.

5. Natural Therapy Principles are based on "Holistic" principles, the body, mind and spirit as one, with support and treatment addressing all symptoms.

6. Natural Therapy Principles are based on the Patient becoming Active and responsible for their own health. Active Prevention is resulting in lifestyle changes.
   Support and treatment recommendation Compliance is achieved by frequent low cost check up consultations, as well as "Group or Class Sessions".

7. Natural Therapy - Active Prevention Principles include:
   Prevention for inherited Health issues, genetic or consisting of specific weaknesses.

   Prevention of contracting "LIFESTYLE DISEASES".
   Prevention of suspected health conditions, where "NO medical diagnosis could be established", therefore the medical Doctor is not prescribing a treatment. Prevention will assure that the suspected issue is less likely to develop.
   Prevention of "medical diagnosed health issue" from getting worse, by supporting general health and wellbeing to overcome a health issue.
   Prevention of Chronic Diseases from becoming worse ...

The Governing Principles of Natural Therapies:

The following principles make Natural Therapy - Active Holistic Prevention different from all other medical approaches:

1. Always the First Priority: Do no harm:
   Therapeutic actions are complementary to an individual patient's healing process. The practitioner's actions of Active Prevention, can only support this actions of the healing power of Nature.

2. Active Prevention - Prevention is the best cure:
   The ultimate goal and budget consideration of a functioning and sustainable Health Care System will always be "prevention of disease". 
   This is possible by Active Prevention, the process of activating a patient through education and promotion of life-habits that create good health. 
   Creating and building health works better and is less painful than fighting diseases.
   (Passive prevention is practiced by the medical system, with vaccination and medical tests for early detection of disease)

3. The healing power of nature:
   The body has an inherent ability to establish, maintain, and restore health if the vital parts are provided. 
   The practitioner's role is to support this process, and with Active Preventative Strategies identify and remove "negative issues*" to health and recovery, and to establish or restore a healthy internal and external environment.

4. Identify and treat the cause:
   Disease does not happen without cause.  Underlying possible causes must be addressed before a person can fully recover. The practitioner must evaluate underlying causes on all levels; physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual and directing treatment and support holistically.

5. Support the whole person:
   Health and disease are conditions of the whole individual person's organism. The balanced and unsuppressed functioning of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects are essential to the recovery or the active prevention of disease.
   

6. Support the Individual - Education and Activation of a patient's responsibility in his/hers own health:
   A cooperative practitioner-patient relationship has important therapeutic values. 
   The Natural Therapy Practitioner's main role is to educate and encourage the patient to take responsibility for their own health. 
   The Practitioner is the driver for healthful change, empowering and motivating as well as assuring compliance. 

   It is always the individual patient, not the practitioner, who ultimately achieves healing. 
   

Pro-active Code of Ethics and Conduct:

The "Code of Ethic/Conduct" applies to the provision of health services by:
Holistic Naturopathic practitioners, as well as other Natural Therapies, who are not subject to the government scheme for registration* under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law. - * deemed to be safe

Read > Code of Ethic and Conduct

Additional codes, considered to be Pro-Active, have been included to strengthen the "integrity" of the Natural Therapy Modalities.

Considerations of practitioners working in a retail environment:

Accredited Practitioners such as Naturopaths, in order to keep their integrity are bound by Codes of Ethics, Conduct, Scope of Practice and Governing Principles.

Clinic Environment:

Practicing Practitioners predominantly work in professional rooms, or clinics. The Code of Ethics dictates that the environment is suitable for consultations, and that the Code of Ethics together with a Complains Procedure is clearly visible to a patient.

Retail Environment:

Naturopath working in a retail environment, special consideration have to be made to the code of ethics and governing principles of Naturopathy.

The most likely retail environment would be a Health Food Store, or a Pharmacy.

If the Naturopath is consulting from a 'practice room', within that retail facility, all code of ethics and governing principles can be abided by.

If the Naturopath steps out of the practice room, to work as sales personal on the retail floor, code of ethics and governing principles CAN'T be abided by, and codes are violated, making complains possible.

NOTE: A Naturopath in order be called Naturopath has to abide by codes and principles. Anything else will diminish the credibility of Naturopathy.
There a no laws to forbid a Naturopath to work as a sales person, but it needs to be as a sales person only.
If a retail outlet uses a Naturopath as a marketing tool, to attract more business, codes are violated.

The following Codes and Principles could be in breach of conduct:

Naturopathic Principles Violations: ( non of the principles can be met within a short talk and giving advice)

1. Do no harm
2. Prevention is the best cure
3. Identify and treat the cause
4. Support the whole person
5. Treat the individual first, educate lifestyle changes

Code of Ethics/Conduct violation:

1. Health practitioners to provide services in safe and ethical manner,
   in the space of time provided, this is not possible.
2. Health practitioners to provide services in safe and ethical manner
3. Health practitioners not to financially exploit clients
   A health practitioner must not provide services and treatments to clients unless they are designed to maintain or improve the clients’ health or wellbeing.
4. Health practitioners required to have clinical basis for treatments
   A health practitioner must not diagnose or treat an illness or condition without an adequate clinical basis.
5. A health practitioner must not make claims, either directly or in advertising or promotional material, about the efficacy of treatment or services provided if those claims cannot be substantiated.
6. Health practitioners to keep appropriate insurance A health practitioner should ensure that appropriate indemnity insurance arrangements are in place in relation to his or her practice
7. A health practitioner must display a copy of each of the following documents at all premises where the health practitioner carries on his or her practice: (a) this
   code of conduct - complaints procedures.
   

Natural Therapy is a System, NOT a practitioner modality!

Natural Therapy is just a "General Term", not a treatment modality, it encompasses many different natural therapy modalities. But in itself it is not a treatment modality, and there are no accredited diplomas for a "Natural Therapist".

All Natural Therapies Modalities are vital in "Active Prevention", the individual is the most important aspect in Active Prevention, not the disease.

Any serious disease will most likely be treated by a medical Doctor, but once the disease is maintained, (it seldom is cured) Active Prevention has to be applied.

The patient is encouraged and educated to adopt health lifestyle choices to overcome a disease.

If no Active Prevention is in place, the patient most likely will stay on a "Diseases Maintenance Treatment, eventually attracting more health issues by pathways of drug side-effects and of not having changed underlying probable causes of the disease state.

Natural, Holistic, Active Prevention Health Care and Co-regulatory Strategies:

1. Create a co-regulatory system to be able for Natural Therapy to thrive and be active in the wider community.

2. Lobby the medical system to "refer" patients on medical maintenance treatments to consult "Active Preventative Holistic Natural Practitioners", to activate the patients ability to achieve a more healthier outcome.

3. Lobby the government to make Active Prevention a MediCare funded consultation, specifically to achieve better health.

4. Lobby the Private health Insurers to refund a number of Active Preventative Consultations per year.

5. Lobby Practitioners to have realistic consultation cost to enable patients to seek or ask for Active Preventative Holistic Natural Health Care.

6. Active Preventative Holistic Health Care Practitioners are encouraged to offer low cost Active Prevention Classes.
   

7. Active Prevention Classes will achieve 2 objectives:
   First: Patients will return regularly to the classes, which will deepen their commitment into their own health, plus they receive low cost support, and further more, it will be a main reason for recommendation compliance.
   Second: Low cost classes, will help the practitioner to cover their clinic cost and other outgoings, esp, if the practitioner has lowered their consultation fee to an acceptable lower first appointment entry level consultation.

8. Every Natural Therapy Active Prevention Clinic should have at least 3 different sets of classes:
   Weight loss Class - Meditation/Relaxation Class - Lifestyle Disease Prevention Class

9. Create a separate Natural Therapy government based ministry for developing a greater scope for research and practice of Active Preventative Natural Therapies.
   
   

Note:

1. Many patients who may want to seek Active Preventative Consultations simply can not afford the additional cost, esp not if they have been bulk billed by their GP.
2. 70 to 80 % of patients who consult a Natural Therapist do so, because their GP can't offer what they are asking for.
3. Practitioners in order to receive possible referral from medical practitioners, may have to set a fee affordable to the wider public.