WHAT IS NATUROPATHIC SKINCARE?
the natural sourceTM (tns) Naturopathic Skincare is a uniquely
natural approach to health and wellness that recognises the holistic integrity
of the person, rather than just a small part of them. Unlike many internationally
renowned chemical skincare products that require specific formulations for
differing skin types and conditions (ie dry, oily, combination skins, along
with seasonality, climate, indoors in air conditioning etc) tns naturopathic
skincare & hair care solutions do not differentiate between skin types or
ethnicity. The reason being that our active ingredients are readily recognized
by the body and therefore immediately work to supplement each individuals
existing needs and deficiencies and as such are effective for every skin type,
even the most sensitive. It is the body that determines absorption, not the
person that forces it on the body as is the case with almost all chemical
beauty products.
The result is
skin that is fast to improve and with superior ability to maintain itself and
exist in a state of heightened natural condition. That "condition" is
skin at it's most healthy & at its most youthful and beautiful.
Different
systems of skincare regimes work in different ways. Orthodox chemically based
skincare products work by suppressing a sign or symptom of the problem. For
example, when a person has cracked dry skin on the hands and feet conventional
skincare products use a silicone based emollient for the skin a chemical
anti-inflammatory to stop the inflammation. If someone has acne, they will use
a chemical drying and antifungal agent to kill the bacteria in the pimples.
Naturopathic
skincare uses a different principle. It usually help to stimulate recovery by
physically boosting some aspect of the body's recovery processes that may be
missing or insufficient within that persons make-up.
Naturopathic
beauty and wellness remedies promote recovery by gradually removing the body's
response to the original cause of the problem, and thereby removing the very
need for the body to develop those tell-tale symptoms.
Most chemically
based skincare products mask the symptoms without dealing with the cause of a
skin or health problem. A disease is not just symptoms. Symptoms are the body's
reaction to the cause of a health problem, and simply stopping the symptoms
does not make the disease go away, it just masks its presence.
Think of the
cockpit of a Jumbo Jet at 30,000 feet with all of its alarms screaming out,
alerting the pilots that their plane is about to nosedive. Merely stopping the
symptoms is a bit like simply pulling the circuit breaker and thereby silencing
the sirens. You've silenced the alarm but the plane is still about to plummet
to the ground! The Natural Source's knowledge base is anchored on Naturopathic
solutions which work with your body to deal with the cause of the problem so
that you no longer need to have the symptoms. Naturopathic remedies are made
from predominantly plant-active and natural substances and are processed in a
way that makes them both very powerful and highly unlikely to cause any
unwanted side effects. This is regrettably not the case with many chemically
derived beauty products.
Naturopathic
skincare treatments have been credited with correcting conditions that
previously had conventional medical experts baffled. Naturopathy is now highly
regarded and respected as a non-interfering protocol for human well-being and
is extensively taught at medical Institutions around the world.
THE FOUR PRINCIPLES OF NATUROPATHY
The actual practice of Naturopathic Treatment is primarily drawn from
four underlying principles of healing. These principles are based on the
objective observation of the nature & causes of health and disease, and are
continually re-examined in light of new scientific experience and discovery. It
is these very principles that most distinguish Naturopathic Treatment from
other chemically based approaches:
PRINCIPLE 1
The healing
power of Nature. vis medicatrix naturae
The body has an
inherent ability to establish, maintain, and restore health. The healing
process is ordered and intelligent; nature heals through the response of each
individual's vital force to combat physical setbacks and diseases. Naturopathic
medicine's role is to facilitate and augment this process, to help remove
obstacles to health and recovery, and by supplementing the body with more of
what it needs, to support the creation of a healthy internal and external
environment.
PRINCIPLE 2
Identify and
treat the cause. tolle causam
Illness or specific wellness problems do not occur without cause.
Underlying causes of disease must be discovered and removed or treated before a
person can hope to fully recover. Symptoms are expressions of the body's
attempt to heal, but are not the cause of the disease. Symptoms therefore
should not be suppressed by treatment. Causes may occur on many levels
including, physical, mental or emotional. Naturopathic treatments direct
solutions at root causes rather than symptomatic expression.
PRINCIPLE 3
First do no
harm. primum no nocere
Illness is a purposeful process of our body. The process of healing
includes the generation of symptoms which are an expression of each
individual's life force attempting to heal itself. Therapeutic actions should
be complimentary to, and synergistic with, this healing process. The
physician's actions can support or antagonize the activity of this vital force.
Therefore, methods designed to suppress symptoms without removing underlying
causes as is the case with many chemically bound programmes are considered
harmful and are either wholly avoided or severely minimised.
PRINCIPLE 4
Treat the whole
person. persona magna
Health and
disease are conditions of the whole organism, involving a complex interaction
of physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social and other
factors. Naturopathic medicine believes that the 'whole' person must be treated
by taking all these factors into account. The harmonious functioning of all
aspects of the individual is essential to "recovery from" and
"prevention of" disease, and requires a comprehensive approach to
diagnosis and treatment.
No better
commentary exists on the fallacy espoused so widely and so convincingly by all
of the large cosmetic houses, than that of famed American writer and beauty
commentator Paula Begoun in her book:-The Beauty Bible. She writes:
"Do not buy skin care products based on
your skin type. I know that statement sounds strange, but there are several
reasons for this rule. It is not necessarily because your skin type is not what
you think it is. It's even possible that your skin type has been created by the
very products you are already using. For instance soap can severely dry the
skin, overly emollient moisturizers can clog pores and cause blemishes, and alcohol
based toners can severely irritate the skin and cause dryness while doing
nothing to change oil production (that can create classic 'combination skin').
Treat the skin you have today, not the skin you
had last month or last week or yesterday! Skin type can and will fluctuate.
Skin-care routines based on a specific skin type don't take into consideration
the fact that your skin changes according to the season, your emotions, the
climate (humidity, dryness, cold, heat - all affect your skin), and of course
your menstrual cycle. Pay attention to what your skin tells you it needs at any
given time. This month you may need extra-moisturising sunscreen during the day
and more emollient night time moisturizer. Next month you may only need a
lightweight sunscreen with no moisturiser at night.
Does that mean you have two skins...of course
not! The same is true for oily skins - it just means adapting your routine
flexibly according to your skin's current needs. Indeed many skin-care problems
are caused by the very skin-care products sold to prevent them. Overly
emollient products sold for dry skins can clog pores, products designed to
control oily skins often actually contain ingredients that can in the long term
make skin oilier and many skin-care products contain chemical irritants that
can end up causing a whole range of problems. In conclusion, do not hold fast
to the idea that your skin fits squarely into and remains only one type - it
changes constantly!"
We at the natural sourceTM, from our in-depth experience
derived over thousands of consumer test cases, endorse this view. This is where naturopathic skincare excels.
It adds to your
skin exactly what it needs and furthermore already recognizes, and allows it to
absorb just the right quantity of product to help balance the inefficiency that
your skin is experiencing at that particular moment in time - bringing alive
into practical reality all four of the core principles of naturopathy that we
so espouse.
