A naturopath is a Natural Medicine practitioner who firstly conducts an examination of a client - this involves an in depth interview, whereby the practitioner attempts to determine the base cause of the health issue(s) affecting the client. It also involves a physical examination, such as iris analysis, blood pressure testing, fingernail analsysis, and even tongue analysis - depending upon the time available.
The practitioner will most likely then prescribe some natural therapies and methods that support the healing process. Such therapies and methods include a wide range of therapies, but most commonly basic nutritional counselling, plus nutritional supplementation when necessary (and it is quite often necessary), procedures for proper and safe detoxification, plus herbs, and even homeopathy and flower essences.Some naturopaths are also qualified in bodywork, such as massage, acupressure, acupuncture, and spinal manipulation. Furthermore, the very important modality of mind-body therapies , such as biofeedback, imagery and visualisation, can be extremely effective, in some cases being much more important than the typical basic naturopathic therapies of Nutrition and Herbs.
