Paper on Exploring Naturopathy: Uses, Evidence, and Benefits for the Elderly Population

Define and describe the modality you have selected

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Naturopathy is a type of alternative medicine that engaged a number of pseudoscientific practices branded as ‘natural,’ ‘non-invasive,’ or ‘self-healing’ (Dossey & Keegan, 2009). The modality was first used in Greek in the 1880s. The notion and techniques of naturopathy are grounded on vitalism and folk medicine, and this tries to refute the conceptual approach of evidence-based medicine (Dossey & Keegan, 2009). As such, naturopathic nurses are generally warned against the application of modern medical practices but may engage activities such as surgery and drugs (Dossey & Keegan, 2009). This modality is considered to be inefficient and harmful, and this impacts health practitioners to raise ethical issues about the approaches engaged.

What is this modality used for?

In most cases, people use naturopathic modality to improve their overall health. However, the modality is highly deployed in the treatment of chronic issues, such as asthma, muscle pain, arthritis, and much more. Other individuals visit naturopathic practitioners when there are suffering from disorders, such as depressions and stress, which affect their normal body function (Dossey & Keegan, 2009). For instance, when an individual is suffering from stress, they tend to experience a challenge in eating, and the behavior may influence a person to seek assistance from a naturopathic practitioner. Additionally, the modality is deployed in the treatment of colds, flu, and bronchitis (Dossey & Keegan, 2009). Based on the health state of a person, naturopathic physicians engage in natural childbirth and treatment of the premenstrual syndrome.

Describe the scholarly evidence supporting the efficacy of this modality, including benefits and contraindications.

Within the field of the healthcare system, naturopathy has become a crucial treatment approach. According to Dossey and Keegan (2009), the application of naturopathy relies on the healing power of nature. During the treatment, the physician treats the whole person regardless of the condition using the natural systems. Due to its natural settings, naturopathy does not cause any harm. As a way of reducing risks, practitioners are required to first use a natural approach before engaging modern techniques, such as drugs (Dossey & Keegan, 2009). Additionally, this modality is cheap as compared to other conventional treatments, and this makes it effective for most people. Despite the effectiveness of the system, the application of naturopathy has severally been associated with negative effects, especially when a person visits an untrained physician (Dossey & Keegan, 2009). In such a case, the physician experience challenges in identifying serious diseases, and therefore, they may engage wrong medicine leading to negative effects.

Which population is this modality most beneficial for?

Within the social group, the elders are the most beneficial population. Due to a change in lifestyle, most people above the age of 60 suffer from diverse chronic issues. This group highly benefits from the care services offered by naturopathic physicians (Dossey & Keegan, 2009). Additionally, the treatment program highly benefits young people, especially those suffering from disorders such as stress. For instance, young people who are suffering from drug disorder can effectively receive their treatment form a naturopathic physician.

Why did you choose this modality?

The selection of this modality is based on its benefit to human health. Learning about naturopathic is an integral aspect that may assist individuals in understanding how natural factors can improve their health (Dossey & Keegan, 2009). In this case, the modality formulates base on how people can overcome modern medical systems, which are associated with a lot of challenges.

Reference

Dossey, B., & Keegan, L. (2009). Holistic nursing: Scope and standards of practice. Holistic nursing: A handbook for practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.