Your Guide to Naturopathic Medicine
By Helene Pulnik | Published on August 12, 2010 | 0 Comments
Dr. Helene Pulnik, ND, LAc. has been a healthcare provider for more than 25 years. She is a licensed acupuncturist and board-certified naturopathic physician trained in one of the five accredited schools for naturopathic medicine in North America. As owner of Glastonbury Naturopathic Center & Wholistic Spa in Glastonury, CT, she answers wide-ranging questions here on everything from nutritional counseling to food allergy testing and natural ways to quit smoking.
What is Naturopathic Medicine?
The belief that the human body has the ability to heal itself is the basis of naturopathic medicine, which has five main principles. All used together, this method of healing provides a safe, natural way to have increased health, vitality and well-being.
Conditions treated with Naturopathic Medicine
All sorts of conditions can be treated successfully using naturopathic medicine, including anxiety, stress, depression and insomnia; arthritis of all kinds; joint pain, which includes back pain, knee pain and foot pain; digestive issues such as IBS; all sorts of colitis, constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating and Candida. We can also help boost your immune system.
Can Naturopathic Medicine Treat Depression?
Naturopathic medicine is very helpful in helping people with Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, and mild depression. If somebody has severe clinical depression, then he does need to be on conventional medication, as the natural remedies are usually not strong or fast-acting enough.
Treating Allergies with Naturopathic Medicine
We use a preventive approach, instead of just treating the symptoms when they develop. It involves identifying what people are allergic to, making environmental recommendations to decrease their exposure to those specific allergens, and then using homeopathic remedies to desensitize them to their allergies.
Testing for Food Allergies
Lab testing for food allergies is a really useful tool for people with symptoms that are not relieved by the basic treatments that we have, such as changing your diet. We find that certain foods can trigger mmune system responses that can, over time, can put strain on even a healthy person.
About Naturopathic Infertility Treatment
Naturopathic medicine is very helpful as a stand-alone treatment for infertility. We use it also in conjunction with the reproductive medicine that our infertile couples are going through, such as IVF or IUI. It’s a nice adjunct and works in part by relieving the symptoms of stress.
What is a Wholistic Spa?
A wholistic spa is one that treats the whole person, not just a specific condition. At Glastonbury, we provide a wide range of services with this in mind, including customized facials, body treatments, detoxification therapies and energy medicine.
Why Use Organic Products at Wholistic Spa?
As everything that you apply to your skin is absorbed, it’s important to use only the safest and most natural organic products, which is why that’s all we have at our facility. We want to use only the best for you, and also the best for our healthcare professionals as well.
Wholistic Ways to Quit Smoking
One of the principles of naturopathic medicine is to remove the obstacles to health. To help people quit smoking, we work on stress issues in particular. One of the most helpful treatments we use is ear acupuncture for smoking cessation.
Dealing with Menstrual Problems Wholistically
There are many ways to treat menstrual problems. One of our foundations is about changing the diet, which can really affect hormones and hormone regulations. We tailor it to individual needs, analyzing the diet to see if the food normally consumed is high in estrogen levels, which can throw the hormone balance way off.
How Acupuncture Works
Acupuncture works by stimulating all the energy systems in your body, and it balances your energy meridian. In Chinese medicine, illness is brought about by living or becoming out of balance with nature, so the treatment involves bringing everything back into balance.
Weight Loss and Ear Acupuncture
Recent studies show that ear acupuncture provides greater weight loss than just diet alone. So we have developed an acupuncture weight loss system with ear acupuncture. It works by using tiny ear needles that are inserted into the outer ear on the ear acupuncture points that regulate stress, hunger, digestion and metabolism.
Benefits of 21-Day Purification Program
Our 21-day purification program is a medically supervised detoxification and cleaning program. It is extremely effective and very safe for just about anybody. We individualize this program to suit every person’s own needs, and it is done in conjunction with various cleansing techniques.
Why Detoxify?
Many toxins in our environment are stored in the body and accumulate over time. Detoxification is like changing the oil in your car. You do not just do it once, but rather, it is a continuous thing that you need to do regularly to maintain optimal health.
What is a Therapeutic Diet Plan?
A therapeutic diet plan is based on an individual’s specific needs. This includes metabolic needs and nutritional needs, and incorporates any specialized adjustments for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or support for cancer patients.
About Nutritional Counseling
Nutritional counseling is really the foundation of naturopathic medicine. There are studies that show that people who eat inflammatory diets full of high fats and processed foods will suffer the consequences over time.
Benefits of Colon Hydrotherapy
Colon hydrotherapy is also a way of gently detoxifying the body by the elimination of bacteria, toxins, and other waste matter from the colon. Colon hydrotherapy cleanses the colon through the gentle infusions of warm, filtered water, which flows in through the rectum and then releases the waste. It might sound revolting, but it really works!
Benefits of Therapeutic Massage
Massage increases the circulation of blood and improves the skin overall. It also brings blood to more areas of the body, which can also facilitate healing. Massage has also been known to release the body’s own endorphins and can help increase the range of motion in the body.
Determining Herb and Drug Interactions
Many people believe that because herbs are not drugs, that means that they are completely safe. That is true to an extent, but there are some herbs that have side effects when used along with conventional medications without supervision. Naturopathic physicians are trained to know about interactions of all kinds, and advise what is safe.
HeartMath Techniques for Stress Reduction
HearthMath has been studied by cardiologists and neurologists, and there are scientific studies that prove it lowers stress hormones, boosts your immune systems, and boosts your own endorphins. The nice thing is that you can practice it alone, whenever you need to.
*Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.