Naturopathy's Essential Vitalism Commitment - NCNM's President & CEO Schleich, D.J. (PhD UT):

here, I quote from a "Naturopathic Doctor News & Review" [NDNR] article written by NCNM president & CEO Schleich regarding naturopathy's essential vitalism commitment:

001. the NDNR article "Towards an Epistemology of Naturopathic Medicine" [2009-04] by Schleich, D.J. (PhD UT) [who is not an ND, BTW, and whose article is rather 'without direction'] states:

"[that] the holistic [aka naturopathic] practitioner's spiritual and physical worlds are [quoting Boon] 'not separate, but manifestations of a single life force' [{naturo.'s requisite supernaturalism & vitalism belief amalgam'; and since a life force is an a priori figment and the physical world is a posteriori real, wow -- obviously, naturo.'s don't distinguish between either epistemic type, they conflate / blend them!!!; aka, naturo.'s knowledge claims are muddled nonsense / highly suspect}...and speaks of] the myth of the basic sciences [huh?] or 'physico-chemico-reductionism' [{they're not the same thing; their equation is WRONG}...and speaks of modern medicine as that of] the allopathic or biomedicine doctor [{modern medicine isn't allopathy};...who is supposedly of] a biomedical model which reduces all pathology to a cellular or molecular level [{is this even true, 'reduces'?}...whereby] the scientific method is the route to curing a disease [{that's horrible?}...per] the reductionism of a strictly biomedical perspective [{again, reductionism?}...and speaks of questioning] the unassailable position of science in health design and delivery, and also in the education of doctors [{are you nuts?}...] and a biomedical knowledge which the allopathic professions claim inappropriately as their own [huh?]."

Note: Schleich is described as "president and CEO of NCNM [...and] former CEO and president of CCNM." I call such knowledge-type blending "the epistemic conflation of a school of thought claiming to be scientific."

002. meanwhile, vitalism is science-ejected; supernaturalism is science-ejected -- yet, absurdly, NCNM claims that such survives scientific scrutiny.

002. NCNM's committment to vitalism:

002.a. NCNM states in "Principles of Healing":

"the practice of naturopathic medicine emerges from six principles of healing [...] these principles stand as the distinguishing marks of the profession [{!}...#1] the healing power of nature -- vis medicatrix naturae [...which is the] life force [...#3] the process of healing includes the generation of symptoms, which are, in fact, expressions of the life force attempting to heal itself [...overall, naturo. is] the practice of promoting health through stimulation of the vital force [...and we're told] these principles are based on the objective observation of the nature of health and disease and are examined continually in light of scientific analysis."

Note: again, science-ejected figmentation claimed as 'objective / in fact'.

002.b. and Schleich states in "Welcome to the National College of Natural Medicine: A Message From Our President, David J. Schleich, PhD":

"we will continue to advocate for the extraordinary presence of the vis medicatrix naturae, the healing power of nature, in patient care."

Note: naturo. is obviously STRONGLY committed to this sectarian belief, and, while antiscientific, claims a scientific status.

Extraordinarily wacko.

Naturopathy's 'Supernatural Cause of Disease' - Ian, H. (NMD SCNM), Pizzorno, J.E. (ND NCNM):

here, I principally quote from a Naturopathic Doctor News & Review [NDNR] article by an NMD that states that all disease is due to a "spiritual" / supernatural cause, first & foremost [see 001., below]; and from a similar position held by Pizzorno [see 002., below]:

001. Ian, H. (NMD SCNM) states in "The Nature of the Counseling Relationship: Within the Naturopathic Philosophy" [NDNR 2009-04, p.014-015]:

"the counseling relationship provides a vehicle to approach the symptoms of illness through recognition of and reverence for the blueprint of the human [{huh?}...] the physician will understand and address the cause of illness [...] act[ing] with the vis medicatrix naturae [VMN...per] the creator's purpose [{theism?}...] the architect of the human has created a complex design consisting of emotional, psychological and spiritual components [{theism?}...that are] inseparable [...] all disease originates from a basic crisis of spirit [...] all physical dysfunction being manifest by the body is a reflection of deeper, unresolved spiritual issues [...per] the crisis of spirit that preceded and accompanied the manifestation of disease [...per] the inner emotional and spiritual experience of the human precedes and, in fact, determines all that is experienced at the physical level of life [...this is apposed to] the current cultural attitude that disease originates from unseen forces that invade and take over the physical body [{huh?; what culture is that, paleolithic man?}...Shealy & Myss] identified eight dysfunctional patterns in people who become sick [...#2] negative belief patterns that have control over a person's reality."

Note: the irony is killing me -- in naturoland, nature is supernatural, superstition is elevated to the status of fact. There's nothing "in fact" about a BELIEF that disease is entirely of supernatural origin -- it is an article of faith. Calling such in fact is truly 'the negative belief pattern', because faith and fact are different, and conflating them is absurd. I hazard to guess that such righteousness plows over others' freedom of conscience.

Meanwhile, similarly,
SCNM -- Ian's alma mater -- claims that naturopathic figmentation survives scientific scrutiny.

002. this parallels Pizzorno, J.E. (ND NCNM 1975)'s claim that the 'purposeful life spirit' bioagency NDs call VMN is a 'physiological system' / spirit:

"[page three:] seven underlying, health-sustaining systems of our body must function effectively to ensure our well-being, prevent disease, and allow a full life: the immune system, the detoxification system, the inflammatory system, the metabolic system, the regulatory system, the regeneration system, and our life-force (or spirit). Weakness in any of these seven systems results in susceptibilities that allow most common diseases to develop [...page four:] live in harmony with your life-force [...] each of us needs to become more aware of the activity of the vis medicatrix naturae (life-force) deep within us."

Note: meanwhile, similarly,
NCNM -- Pizzorno's alma mater -- claims that such naturopathic figmentation survives scientific scrutiny.

NYU's LMC Drinks the AANP's Kool-Aid - "Medical Science" Nonscience, 2009:

here, I cite New York University's Lagone Medical Center Urology web page [NYULMC] for mislabeling naturopathic medicine "science" [see 001., below]; because, when you know what is essential to naturopathy, the label is WRONG [see 002., below]:

001. NYULMC states in "Naturopathic Medicine FAQs":

"naturopathic physicians cooperate with all other branches of medical science [...] an ND cooperates with all other branches of medical science."

002. but, since the essentially naturopathic is essentially nonscientific, the "science" label is WRONG.

Note: it's so wrong it isn't even wrong.

Naturopathy's Scientific Claim - Barker, J.E. (ND SCNM 2001):

here, I cite a recent article that quotes an ND stating that naturopathic is scientific:

the Highlands Ranch Herald's Lydick, R. (? ?) reports in "Is There A Naturopathic Doctor in the House?" [2009-04-14]:

"a licensed naturopathic doctor would have to graduate from one of the five residential schools in the United States that offer the degree [ND/NMD]: Bastyr University in Washington, National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Oregon, University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine in Connecticut, National University of Health Sciences in Illinois and Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences in Arizona [...] Dr. Jason Barker [...] has degrees from Colorado State University, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences and Oregon Health & Sciences University. He sees naturopathy as an evolving, scientific treatment method. 'We subscribe to the same science as M.D.s,' Barker said."

Yeah, right.

Decoding Naturopathy's Essential [often] Hidden Vitalistic Premise - Lisanti, F. (ND NCNM):

here, I quote from the web pages of Lisanti, F. (ND NCNM 2004) who: explains the underlying premise of naturopathy without actually stating the underlying premise explicitly [see 001., below]; claims naturopathy is science [see 002., below]; does state naturopathy's essential vitalism premise explicitly when discussing therapies [see 003., below]; and we can verify this premise at his alma mater, NCNM [see 004., below]:

001. Lisanti, F. (ND NCNM 2004) states in "Naturopathic Medicine: How It Works":

"the following principles are the foundation of naturopathic medical practice [...#1] the healing power of nature (vis medicatrix naturae) [HPN-VMN...an] inner wisdom [IW] that guides internal physical processes that lead to health and wellness. Naturopathic medicine calls this internal wisdom [IW] the healing power of nature, in Latin: the vis medicatrix naturae. Naturopathic medicine recognizes that this inherent self-healing process [ISHP] in the person is ordered and intelligent [!!!...] this inherent self-healing process [...#3] acknowledge, respect and work with the individual's self-healing process [ISHP]."

Note: so, we have HPN-VMN=IW=ISHP. But, we're not told with transparency what exactly all this means to NDs: the science-ejected premise of vitalism [see 004., below]. These terms are aliases: and therein, 'I decode'.

E.g., HPN also means BNIHI per this ND's "IMS Philosophy":

"we start with the premise that your body already knows what it needs [!!!]. Our job is to facilitate that information rising to the surface of your consciousness and to encourage the body's natural instinct to heal itself [BNIHI]. "

002. and this ND states in "Definition of Naturopathic Medicine":

"naturopathic medicine is distinguished by the principles upon which its practice is based. These principles are continually re-examined in the light of scientific advances [...it is a] science [...it is] scientific [...it is] the science of natural healthcare."

Note: science, science, science.

003. and this ND states in "Therapies":

"naturopathic medicine is distinguished by the principles that determine its practice [like vitalism...] naturopathic medicine encompasses a broad range of therapeutic systems [...including] acupuncture [...and] homeopathy [{both are vitalistic}...] acupuncture is a form of classical Chinese medicine that focuses on balancing the body's energetic flux [I've never heard qi / life force specifically called that - interesting!], called qi [...] when this flow is constrained, disharmony and illness can occur. By inserting fine, hair-thin needles into the skin and so redirecting the movement of energy, acupuncture can restore harmony and balance to mind, body, and spirit [{supernaturalism}...] according to the principles of classical Chinese medicine [CCM], a person's health is determined by having a balanced flow of energy circulate through the body [{actual energy, in science, actually exists measurably! -- qi doesn't}...] homeopathic medicines, when properly prescribed, affect the body's vitality [life force] and strengthen its innate ability to heal."

Note: vitalism is inherent to naturopathy and acupuncture, it's just more explicitly stated here. BTW, the CCM degree is labeled by NCNM a master's in science, just as naturopathy is claimed to be a branch of science.

004. this ND's alma mater, NCNM, states in "Principles of Healing":

"these principles stand as the distinguishing marks of the profession: the healing power of nature -- vis medicatrix naturae. The body has the inherent ability to establish, maintain, and restore health. The healing process is ordered and intelligent; nature heals through the response of the life force [...and of course] these principles are based on the objective observation of the nature of health and disease and are examined continually in light of scientific analysis."

Note: stating that vitalism survives scientific scrutiny is, simply, bull___.

005. the big question is:

why doesn't naturopathy often directly express its essential science-ejected vitalism when supposedly directly explaining its essential premise?

[What does this say about their regard for informed consent? And why does naturopathy label such nonscience science?]

Naturopathy's Superscience Claim - Wolfe, P. (ND CCNM 1987) BINM 2009:

here, I cite the numbers naturopaths use to imply that they have science-expertise:

Wolfe, P. (ND CCNM 1987) states in "An Eight Year Accredited Medical Degree Program":

"[per] the average number of hours of basic sciences studied by naturopathic (ND), allopathic (conventional MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical students [...] naturopathic [...] 1225 [...] allopathic [...] 1079 [...] osteopathic [...] 976 [...] there is today a considerable and growing body of evidence-based research validating naturopathic methods in peer-reviewed scientific journals [...] Patricia Wolfe, ND. President and Executive Director Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine."

Note: modern medicine is not allopathic, that is a false label. The biggest question I have is how come then, if so science-steeped, NDs still claim that the profoundly nonscientific is in fact science?

Because they're naturopaTHICK.

I Have Seen the Life Force:

Yes, I have seen the life force. Praise be to the life force. I BELIEVE!!!:

[A picture my sister took in New Jersey last year].

PalMD on Naturopathic HTN Tx. Claims - Simply False, Ban Them:

here [hear!], I cite a recent post by PalMD [Peter A. Lipson, M.D. of Science-Based Medicine and White Coat Underground] regarding naturopathy's underpinnings and lack of professional competence [see 001., below]; and I cite my own personal experience in ND school in support [see notes for 001., below]; plus, I 'go to the root of the problem', NDs' inability to distinguish the scientific from the a priori [see 002., below]:

001. Dr. Lipson writes in "Modern Shamanism - Naturopathy For Hypertension":

"the big difference between naturopaths and real primary care physicians (PCPs) is that naturopaths haven't gone to medical school, completed a post-graduate residency program, and taken their specialty boards [...] if a naturopath wants to be a PCP, then they must provide the same services as other PCPs. They do not [...] naturopaths have an incorrect understanding of human biology [see note 02., below] and do not understand how this is applied in a science-based fashion to prevent and treat human disease [...the NDs' AANP site states] 'prominent national studies have shown the DASH diet has been shown to be as effective as drugs at reducing blood pressure' [...Dr. L.:] the last sentence is simply false. DASH is not as effective as medication for many hypertensive patients [...all-in-all] there is no justification for allowing naturopaths to be primary care physicians, and if what they print is accurate, there is no justification for them to treat any patient for any condition. Naturopathy is modern shamanism, and should be banned [hear, hear!]."

Note 01.: speaking of essential naturopathic shamanism, when I was in ND school, they'd diagnose often with applied kinesiology and even pendulums. More specifically, at that school, there's a term they use called 'entheogenic' [even if they can't spell it right!]:

"[the naturopathy foundation course I've taken] Naturopathic Principles and Practice. Principles and Practice 511, Naturopathic History and Philosophy. This course is a survey and introduction to the history and philosophy of naturopathic medicine as a distinct healing art as well as its fundamental roots [its essential NATURE, not to pun]: botanical medicine, nature cure, physical medicine, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, energy medicine and ancient healing systems from around the globe. We will also explore [...] the philosophy of vitalism and mechanism, shamanic and entheogrenic [sp., entheogenic!!!] healing and encourage students to 'live their philosophy' incorporating the precepts of naturopathic medicine into their lifestyles [i.e., drink the cool-aide!!!]."

Wikipedia states, per "entheogen":

"an entheogen ('creates god within,' en- 'in, within,' theo- 'god, divine,' -gen 'creates, generates'), in the strictest sense, is a psychoactive substance used in a religious or shamanic context."

Ah, so what the University of Bridgeport is basically talking about is getting stoned and hallucinating 'the divine' / the essentially naturopathic [see note 02., below].

Note 02.: regarding 'god within' and Dr. L's comment on naturopathy's "incorrect understanding of human biology", it may be summed up in this handout I personally received from Sensenig, the founding dean of the school and first AANP president, in 511 per note 01:

"[life, healing & disease are due to the] vital force, innate, life principle, prana, bioplasmic energy, the god power within you [sectarian figmentations: vitalism, autoentheism, entheogenism & kind]."

002. the shamanistic entheogenic / autoentheistic as the scientific -- an important sign of naturopathy's 'epistemic conflation' / 'knowledge incompetence':

naturopathy does not distinguish between the merely mentalized / ideations that have no supporting empirical evidence, and a posteriori, particularly scientific, knowledge. I have written about this elsewhere.

Bastyr University, an ND-granting school, states it quite well:

"we educate future leaders in the natural health arts and sciences. Respecting the healing power of nature and recognizing that body, mind and spirit are intrinsically inseparable."

Note: the HPN is their vitalism premise, coded, while naturopathy claims itself to be a subset of science. But vitalism is extrascientific [outside of science], and so is supernaturalism. The naturopathic-supernatural [e.g., their beliefs of spiritism, entheogenism, autoentheism & kind] is stated as inseparable from science. So, in naturopathy, evidence and belief are commingled -- the a priori is inseparable from the a posteriori, roughly speaking -- and mislabeled as all science.

And UB and Bastyr are, of course, part of 'the health-robbers consortia' who snookered me with this document in 1997.

$ For Vitalism: Two Natural Therapist Student Papers per ANTA 2009:

here, I cite the academic vitalism of two winners of the $1000 [AU] Australian Natural Therapists Association's "ANTA National Student Bursaries" [see 001., below] -- Greta Leonard [see 002., below] & John Potter [see 003., below]:

001. ANTA states:

001.a. in "ANTA National Student Bursaries" [pdf]:

"to be eligible you must be a student currently enrolled in a course recognized by ANTA on a full time or part time basis in undergraduate or postgraduate studies [...] to apply for an ANTA Bursary of $1000 send us assignments you have completed as part of your studies."

Note: so, obviously, these winners are exemplars of natural therapy scholarship.

001.b. in "[2008] Bursary Winners":

"congratulations to all recipients of an ANTA Bursary Award of $1000. The quality of the submissions for the ANTA Bursary have been outstanding and confirms [that?] the future of the national [sp., natural?] therapy professional [sp., profession?] is in good hands [...the] 2008 ANTA National Bursary Winners [...include] Greta Leonard (VIC): 'Vitalism is a Central Concept of All Traditional Health Systems'."

Note: I'm not sure what school Leonard is from, but the paper is naturopathic.

001.c. in "Past Bursary Winners":

"[the] 2007 ANTA National Bursary Winners [...includes] John Potter (SITCM) [...] 'Compare and Contrast the Philosophy and History of WM and TCM'."

Note: SITCM is the The Sydney Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Obviously, both an N.D. and an L.Ac. [to use U.S. credentials] are considered to be "natural therapists." What makes such so interesting are the supernatural premises that are essential to both disciplines. How long ago in human thought was it when no distinction was made between the natural and the supernatural, 500 years?

002. the Leonard paper "Vitalism is a Central Concept of All Traditional Health Systems" [pdf] states:

"[instructor's assigned task] 'vitalism is a central concept of all traditional health systems. Discuss the value and relevance of this concept to modern naturopathy' [...student's argument, regarding naturopathy's] vitalism and the beliefs [!!!] it embodies [...per] a vitalistic approach to health is crucial for the efficacy of modern naturopathy as a healing modality [...its] an essential component of modern naturopathy [...we hold that] a person does not become ill simply because they have come into contact with a pathogen. Rather, disease results from an 'imbalance in the vital force' [...] naturopathy works at re-establishing this balance [...this] vitalistic approach [of naturopathy...] facilitate[s] the innate healing capacity of the body, the vis medicatrix naturae [...per] the energetic and spiritual side of health and healing [...per] 'life-supporting cosmic forces' [...] this idea of a vital force permeating and giving life to humans is neither foreign nor new in traditional health systems [...] in the philosophy of ayurvedic medicine it is believed that 'prana' gives life to the physical body, and connects the body with the mind and spirit. Traditional Chinese medicine also refer[s] to a life force they call 'qi', that flows through the body in particular channels, or meridians that serves to 'maintain the health and vitality of the individual' [...overall, vitalism] claims that living matter is [so] complex and [that it] cannot be adequately explained by a set of chemical and physical processes [that is, the laws of nature...something else is there that enspirits!!!...this is] a theory that sits outside of the current mechanistic world view [that is, science and its evidence...which the author calls] the narrow margins of scientific validation [...and admits] vitalism is currently immeasurable [...] it is precisely because of this inability to prove the existence of a 'vital force' that vitalism continues to be attacked and discredited [...so,] trying to validate naturopathic principles using methods from a completely different paradigm simply does not make sense [!!!...] it does not matter that the theory cannot be scientifically validated [!!!...] vitalism cannot be measured within the scientific paradigm. This essay accepts that fact [...but, we still stubbornly believe -- without evidence -- that] healing is a mysterious force."

Note: this drips with absurdity. If naturopathy is so different in 'paradigm' than science, why do they continue to trade on the lie that they are science-based and not a belief system? Hmmm, this is junk thought, minimally.

003. the Potter paper "Compare and Contrast the Philosophy and History of WM and TCM" [pdf] states:

"the vitalists like Galen, Paracelsus, Bichat and Stahl imitated Plato by believing [!!!] in the concept of 'pneuma', 'anima' or [a] vital integrating 'life force' of living creatures which distinguishes them from non-living and/inert matter, and they opposed mechanistic principles [...per] Platonic idealist spiritualism [...] Galen [...] saw a dynamic functional activity or controlling life force directing [per a 'goal directed entelechy'] a body process toward a specific end [a 'telos'] which he called 'faculty'. Like Hippocrates he believed in concepts of the harmony of the four humors, elements and life force [...] even though Western medicine has been built on both idealistic and vitalist principles [that is, used to contain!], today it is primarily materialistic [it uses rigorous knowledge achieved through the scientific method, not archaic woo -- because it isn't mired in antiquated dogma]. It looks at structure, form and anatomy and relies on technology, hard data, and clear and definite etiology [that's horrible?!?!?...and we get that old canard] science was the new 'religion' [...while] meridians are intangible [they don't exist] and unexplainable by Western science [{a lot more religious than evidence & reason!}...TCM] emphasizes the spiritual and philosophical aspects of disease [...] explain[ing] the relationships between individuals['] body, mind and spirit [...yet, even with all this TCM supernaturalism, we're told] nearly four thousand years ago the Yellow Emperor Huang-Di broke through thousands of years of belief in supernatural healing by introducing science and other arts of civilization [per establishing TCM]."

Note: truly hilariously absurd. Science didn't exist then, and that's an historical fact. "Qi" shows up 27 times in this essay, "spirit" 5 times.

004. this is the antiscience & antiintellectualism -- in claiming that nonsense is in fact sense -- that such [AU] 'natural therapist' schools teach students in this year 2009, e.g. such vitalism is completely scientifically-ejected.