CAND & CASS: Naturopathic Medicine Week is May 3-9

here, I cite from CAND first, then CASS regarding NMW:

001. the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors [CAND] states:

001.a. in "Naturopathic Medicine Week May 3-9" [vsc 2010-04-23]:

"naturopathic doctors (NDs) will be hanging up their lab coats [how sciencey!] during Naturopathic Medicine Week [NMW...happening] across Canada May 3-9 [...] to teach members of the community about natural medicine [...] and the benefits of  naturopathic medicine [...see] British Columbia Naturopathic Association, www.bcna.ca; Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, www.binm.org; Alberta Association of Naturopathic Practitioners, www.naturopathic-alberta.com; Saskatchewan Association of Naturopathic Practitioners, www.sanp.ca; Manitoba Naturopathic Association, www.mbnd.ca; Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors, www.oand.org; Nova Scotia Association of Naturopathic Doctors, www.nsand.ca."

Note: naturopathic, naturopathic, naturopathic.

 001.b. in  "What is Naturopathic Medicine?" [vsc 2010-04-23]:

"naturopathic medicine is a distinct primary health care system that blends [etc....] the naturopathic philosophy is to stimulate the healing power of the body [HPB, coded vitalism] naturopathic treatments are chosen based on the individual patient – their physiological, structural, psychological, social, spiritual [supernaturalism], environment and lifestyle factors [...] natural therapies including botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, hydrotherapy, homeopathy [!!! etc....] the naturopathic medical profession’s infrastructure includes accredited educational institutions, professional licensing, national standards of practice, participation in many federal health committee initiatives, and a commitment to state-of-the-art scientific research."

Note: so, we get the nonsense of the blended distinct, and we get coded vitalism which is business-as-usual, supernaturalism, homeopathy, and the label of professionalism and a supposed science committment.

001.c. in "What Can It Do For You?" [vsc 2010-04-23]:

"the naturopathic philosophy is to stimulate the healing power of the body [HPB] and to treat the root cause of disease."

Note: and that's all you are told.  Coded vitalism again.

001.d. in "History of Naturopathic Medicine" [vsc 2010-04-23]:

"Hippocrates, a Greek physician who lived 2400 years ago, first formulated the concept of 'the healing power of nature' [HPN]. This concept has long been at the core of medicine around the world and remains one of the central principles of naturopathic medicine."

Note: codes, codes, codes.  Hijacking the Big H.

001.e. in "Guiding Principles" [vsc 2010-04-23]:

"naturopathic doctors are guided by six principles [...a] set of principles emphasized throughout a naturopathic doctor's training [which] outlines the naturopathic approach to health and healing and forms the foundation of this distinct form of health care [...from #1] acknowledge and respect the individual's healing process [coded vitalism...#2] the healing power of nature (vis medicatrix naturae) [...] this ordered and intelligent healing ability [coded vitalism]."

Note: so, the CAND's actual definition page for the principles of naturopathy veil naturopathy's actual vitalistic context in naturalistic language.  This is typical.

001.f. digging deeper, a global google.com search with the parameters  >cand.ca "vital force"< results in the CAND page "Natural Therapies" [vsc 2010-04-23] which states:

"homeopathic medicine [...a] powerful [!!!] system of medicine [...] when carefully matched to the patient they are able to affect the body's 'vital force' [vitalism] and to stimulate the body's innate healing forces [vitalistic healing...] traditional Chinese medicine / acupuncture.  The key principle that defines and connects all of Chinese medicine is that of chi, or vital energy [vitalism]. The chi of all organs must be in balance, neither too active nor too dormant, for a person to be healthy. The chi of the body's organs and systems are all connected in meridians or channels that lie just under the skin. A naturopathic doctor will use Eastern herbs and acupuncture to assist the body in regulating the chi and achieving balance."

Note: the same is roughly said here by CAND [vsc 2010-04-23].  Notice that the explanation of naturopathy's primary premise of HPN there does not transparently communicate naturopathy's essential vitalistic science-ejected context.  But, from the above, we have vitalism as the core of naturopathy's homeopathy and naturopathy's acupuncture, two of naturopathy's flagship therapeutics, and overall that is the core of the 'naturopathic natural.'  

Here's naturopathy's central textbook all about that vitalistic context, if you have any doubts: "the vis medicatrix naturae, the vital force, the
healing power of nature [p.034]."

Here is that concept on science's junk pile.   

Here is CAND talking up 'science, science, science' [vsc 2010-04-23].

 Here is CAND on Youtube with the label "science based natural medicine" [vsc 2008-04-06] overarching naturopathy.

002. the Center for Inquiry's Committee for the Advancement of Scientific Skepticism [CASS] states in "Center for Inquiry: Homeopathy Week a Skeptical Success":

"WHAW has gone [...] homeopathy is part of a scope of practice used by naturopaths, embracing a theory of 'vitalism' based upon an incorporeal spirit. Naturopathic Medicine Week will be celebrated May 3rd to 9th. CASS will be ready to confront more bad science [...] World Homeopathy Awareness Week (WHAW), organized as a celebration of homeopathy, was successfully hijacked by the skeptical community and critical appraisals of homeopathy dominated the internet. CASS engages with scientific, technological and medical claims made in public discourse, addressing misinformation by promoting evidence-based science. CFI - which runs CASS - is a registered educational charity promoting science and secularism."

Note: I totally agree.  In sum, I'd characterize the vitalism of naturopathy, their often disguised healing context, as a belief in a 'purposeful life spirit.'  Now, if I really want to inflict big philosophical words on the reader I'd state it as an amalgam of: vitalism, spiritism, teleology and autoentheism.