Naturopathic Microcosms: NJANP Support of Reflexology Absurdity on Facebook

here, some musings on naturopathy's knowledge permissiveness:

001. so:

001.a. at Facebook, on the account for the New Jersey Association of Naturopathic Physicians, this was posted 2017-03-30:
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the picture says "this is why you need to massage your feet every night before going to bed" and we're shown reflexology's homunculus foot chart that they theorize is on the bottom of the feet.

001.b. at mayoclinic.org, in "What is Reflexology? Can It Relieve Stress?" by MD Bauer we're told:

"reflexology is the application of pressure to areas on the feet, hands and ears [...] the theory behind reflexology is that these areas correspond to organs and systems of the body. Proponents believe that pressure applied to these areas affects the organs and benefits the person's health.  Reflexologists use foot charts to guide them [...] reflexologists claim that reflexology also can treat a wide variety of medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes and cancer [...] scientific evidence is lacking to support these claims [...]";

now, what isn't commented upon is the fact that the organ mappings on the soles have no scientific support either.  Quackwatch has the page "Reflexology: A Close Look" which states: "reflexology is based on an absurd theory and has not been demonstrated to influence the course of any illness. Done gently, reflexology is a form of foot massage that may help people relax temporarily. Whether that is worth $35 to $100 per session or is more effective than ordinary [...] foot massage is a matter of individual choice."

002. now:

002.a. at the AANP, the page "State Affiliates" tells us:

"New Jersey Association of Naturopathic Physicians.  Contact: Leat Kuzniar, ND.  14 Ellsworth Street, Clifton, NJ  07012. Email: drkuzniar@njnaturopath.com.  Phone: (201) 757-5558. www.njanp.org";

002.b. and at NJANP, we get a site that's down, and not much is at archive.org.

003. so lets go to ND Kuzniar, a CCNM grad., whose site is njnaturopath.com:

003.a. there's the page "Naturopathic Principles" which states:

"the healing power of nature, vis mediatrix naturae: our bodies have an innate mechanism for maintaining and re-establishing health through a system which is structured and intelligent. Naturopathic medicine aims to support this healing process through identifying and eliminating barriers to health and recovery, and by restoring health to the interior and exterior environments of the individual. The naturopathic physician treats disease by stimulating and supporting the individual’s inherent healing capacity [...] naturopathic medicine works synergistically with the healing power of nature (the vis mediatrix naturae) [...]"; 

ah, coded vitalism.  Because we don't deserve to clearly know.  And it's really REALLY sad when a naturopath can't spell MEDICATRIX right. 

003.b. there's the page "About Naturopathic Medicine" which says, regarding science:

"naturopathic Medicine is a system of healing which is both an art and a science. It integrates long-standing traditional systems of healing with the most current scientific advances in modern medicine [...]";

and there's that 'epistemic conflation' at the heart of naturopathy.  This explains the coded vitalism, as knowledge that is "traditional" in the sense of prescientific, and this explains something like reflexology being supported, also in the sense of science-exterior.  In other words, 'anything goes' medicine.

003.c. that's why we're told in "Services Offered":

"the naturopathic modalities which Dr. Kuzniar uses in her practice focus on mind, body, and spirit [...] Dr. Kuzniar blends the art of naturopathic medicine with modern medical science, drawing on current research and age-old treatments  [...] homeopathic medicine: this powerful system of medicine is more than 200 years old and is widely accepted in many countries [...] educated in classical homeopathy, Dr. Kuzniar is skilled in selecting the specific homeopathic remedy which is unique to the individual [...] homeopathic medicines work on a subtle, energetic level to activate the body's innate healing mechanism [...]"; 

well, I'm all for freedom of belief and liberty of thought and conscience BUT: prove to me, in a medical sense, that you KNOW anything about "spirit".  Show me how you KNOW the supernatural, in the sense of focusing on it in some kind of reliable way that is not within what psychology covers quite effectively and mundanely.  And we have the admission of "blends", and homeopathy absurdly stated as powerful and energetic, and more coded vitalism.  So, actually, reflexology is quite LIKE so much other absurdity within naturopathy and it all comes down to their 'anything goes' knowledge base.