Naturopathy's "Firmly Science-Based" Bullshit: Roxas, M. (ND NCNM) 2009:

here, I cite the words of an ND who claims that naturopathy is firmly scientific [see 001., below]; while naturopathy, as defined by that ND's own alma mater, is clearly based upon vitalism, teleology, and supernaturalism [see 002., below]; which ALL are PROFOUNDLY NOT SCIENCE [see 003., below]; and I give the Irish salute to all these rogues [see 004., below]:

001. Roxas, M. (ND NCNM) states in "What is Naturopathic Medicine?":

"while firmly science-based, modern naturopathic medicine [etc.]."

Note: the claim is that 'the naturopathic' is quite science-established.

002. National College of Natural Medicine [NCNM] states in "Principles of Healing":

"the practice of naturopathic medicine emerges from six principles of healing. These principles are based on the objective observation of the nature of health and disease and are examined continually in light of scientific analysis [{science claim}...] these principles stand as the distinguishing marks of the profession: [professions claim; #1] 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 [{teleology claim}]; nature heals through the response of the life force [{vitalism}]. The physician’s role is to facilitate and augment this process [...#3] first do no harm -- primum no nocere. The process of healing includes the generation of symptoms, which are, in fact [fact claim], expressions of the life force [vitalism claim] attempting to heal itself. Therapeutic actions should be complementary to and synergistic with this healing process. The physician’s actions can support or antagonize the actions of vis medicatrix naturae [vitalism...#2] causes may occur on many levels, including physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual [supernatural claim...#4] health and disease are conditions of the whole organism, involving a complex interaction of physical, spiritual [supernatural claim...#5] the physician must also make a commitment to her/his personal and spiritual development [supernatural claim...] homeopathic medicine [...] promote[s] healing on the physical, mental, and spiritual levels [supernatural claim]."

Note: NDs claim that within 'objective scientific fact' is the teleological, vitalistic, and supernatural - obviously!

003. what science says:

003.a. teleology is HUGELY science-ejected, and so is vitalism [see 003., here].

003.b. supernaturalism is HUGELY science-ejected.

004. when is a 'firmly scientific fact' simultaneously HUGELY science-ejected...

naturopathy. Beware. They are the education robbers. When is a profession completely absurd...

naturopathy [therefore not a profession at all].

I want to thank all those involved for visiting this upon me as a consumer and citizen of the modern era:

the AANMC ND colleges and universities, the State oversight apparati [particularly CT], the Federal Dept.s of Education and of Trade.

As this whole consortia demand $ from me I answer:

pogue mahone.

Naturopathy's Essential Superstitious Teleological Vitalism - Sensenig 2007 in UE:

here, I quote from a 2007 Unified Energetics [UE] article that reveals the teleological vitalism that is essential to naturopathy [see 001., below]; while naturopathy labels itself science [see 002., below]; while teleology and vitalism are PROFOUNDLY science-ejected [see 003, below]:



001. the Foundations of Naturopathic Medicine Project [I consider this 'of the preponderant naturopathic'] states in "The Heart of Naturopathic Medicine":

"[per ND Sensenig] there are words or phrases that we have borrowed from our predecessors that we use interchangeably: vis medicatrix naturae [VMN], vitality [V], simple substance [SS...] dynamis [D...] qi [Q...] energy [E...] vis medicatrix naturae [VMN...] vis is this tendency in nature towards organization, order and purpose [P...] towards the ideal [I] or perfection [P...a.k.a.] homeostasis [H...] the direction of order [DO...] this vis [VS...] the organizational tendency in nature [OT...] vitalism [VT]."

Note: so, we have -- at the heart of naturopathic medicine, a.k.a. 'the essentially naturopathic' BY THEIR OWN DEFINING -- VMN = V = SS = D = Q = E = VMN = VS = VT in terms of vitalism, and P = I = P = H = DO = OT in terms of teleology [with the two intertwined {inseparable in naturo.}; for science's position on these two DEFUNCT ideas, see 003. below]. Here's an important note on ND luminary Sensenig: he was my instructor at UB in 1998 and spewed similar 'cultic mystical weirdness' [a label I'd applied to my UB naturopathy experience in a sworn deposition], and here is a handout from that course. Sensenig is second from right in this Foundation's group picture.

002. for naturopathy's self-labeling of "science", click here.

003. and here's my favorite science quote regarding teleology and vitalism:

"[per biologist Ernst Mayr in "What Makes Biology Unique?: Considerations on the Autonomy of a Scientific Discipline"(2004; ISBN 0521841143)] I did not want to fall into a trap like vitalism or become a teleologist [...] the biology for which I wanted to find a philosophy had to qualify as a genuine, bona fide science [p.002...] occult forces (vitalism and teleology) [...] vitalism was an invalid approach [p.017...] the refutation of certain erroneous basic assumptions [...] certain basic ontological principles that later were shown to be erroneous [...] certain basic explanatory principles not supported by the laws of physical sciences and eventually found to be invalid. The two major principles here involved are vitalism and a belief in cosmic teleology [...] an invisible force, lebenskraft or vis vitalis. Those who believed in such a force were called vitalists. Vitalism was popular from the early seventeenth century to the early twentieth century [p.022...] generations of vitalists labored in vain to find a scientific explanation for the lebenskraft until it finally became quite clear that such a force simply does not exist. That was the end of vitalism [p.023...] biologists [...by 1866] now rejected vitalism and cosmic teleology [p.025...] after vitalism had become obsolete [p.069...] genetic programs occur only in living organisms [...] naturalists [...] have been aware of this fundamental difference for thousands of years, but their explanation for it was invalid. They tried to attribute life to the occult force of vitalism, as vis vitalis, but eventually is was determined that such a force does not exist [...] this was finally made possible in the twentieth century by the discoveries in cytology, genetics, and molecular biology. The sciences finally provided us with a naturalistic explanation of life [p.090...] glossary [...] vitalism: the now thoroughly refuted belief in the existence of an occult invisible force in living organisms responsible for the manifestations of life in any living organism [p.225]."

004. so, when is the HUGELY science-ejected [teleological vitalism] falsely labeled science?

Naturopathy. There ain't nothing so CONTINUALLY stupid and false.

E.g: at UB, where I believe Sensenig still teaches, they still label their naturopathy science, while vitalistic and teleological.

I think the Federal Trade Commission has a word for this.

Naturopathy's Essential Vitalism & Spiritism - In Their Own Words (2001; SCNM's Kim, Poorman, Mittman) per ISSN 1533-2101:

so, here we have -- published in a CAM journal, ISSN 1533-2101, currently edited by Susan A. Gaylord, PhD -- naturopathy's luminaries stating their vitalistic, spiritistic, teleological science-ejected obligation / premise that is 'the essentially naturopathic' {falsely labeled as scientific}:

01. in "Naturopathic Medical Education: Where Conventional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine Meet" {here's the abstract; Complementary Health Practice Review, vol. 7, no. 2, 99-109 (2001)}, authors Kim (ND ?), Mittman (ND NCNM, DHANP AANP), and Poorman (PhD ?) -- all, at the time at least, of AANP-FNPLA-AANMC's Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences -- state:

01.a. naturopathy's essential vitalism:

"[naturopathy is] based on a philosophy which acknowledges and encourages patients to actively participate in their health care [...] using a holistic approach [...our] principles of naturopathic medicine [...are] emphasized through a naturopathic physician's training [...and are] the foundation of this distinct health care practice [p.101...#1] first do no harm [...] illness is a purposeful [teleological!] process [...] the process of healing includes the generation of symptoms that are, in fact, expressions of the life force [...] the physician's actions can support or antagonize the actions of [this] vis medicatrix naturae, the healing power of nature [...] naturopathic physician's respect and and work with the vis medicatrix naturae in diagnosis, treatment, and counseling [...the] self-healing process [...#2] the healing power of nature (vis medicatrix naturae) [...] the healing process is ordered and intelligent [teleological]; nature heals through the response of the life force [...] naturopathic medicine recognizes this healing process [...] the naturopathic physician's role is to facilitate and augment this process [p.102...] the philosophy and principles of naturopathic medicine, introduced in the first week of school, are embedded and interwoven throughout the entire fabric of the program [p.108]";

01.b. naturopathy's essential spiritism-supernaturalism:

"causes may occur on many levels including [...the] spiritual [p.102...] health and disease are conditions of the whole organism [...including the] spiritual [...] since total health also includes spiritual health, naturopathic physician's encourage individuals to pursue their personal spiritual development [...] the physician must also make a commitment to his/her personal and spiritual development [p.103]";

01.c. naturopathy's false overarching 'science claim':

"graduates take national board examinations in both basic and clinical sciences to become licensed as general practice naturopathic doctors [p.100...] naturopathic medicine is a [...] science [...] as primary care practitioners, naturopathic physicians [...] as in other medical schools, [have] a solid foundation [...in] conventional medical sciences [p.101...] the degree of doctor of naturopathic medicine requires four years of graduate level study in the medical sciences at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences [p.104]";

02. meanwhile, upon the preponderance: science does not support vitalism; science does not support supernaturalism; science does not support teleology.

what to take away from all this: they are science-illiterate, and deceptive. And, labeling something what it PROFOUNDLY isn't -- is absurd.

Naturopathic Medicine: A "Career Choice" Obligated to A Belief System Centered Upon Vitalism (Snider; TLDP, 1992 & 2005):

here are two citations from a CAM journal [TLDP] regarding naturopathy's essential vitalism belief [a science-ejected concept, see 02. below], as expressed in articles that include [see 01.a. below] or are center around [see 01.b. below] a key architect of the current AANP iteration of naturopathy's belief system, Dr. Pamela Snider ND:

01. the Townsend Letter For Doctors and Patients states naturopathy's essential vitalism per:

01.a. "1991 AANP Convention - Into The Light," a report on the 1991 AANP Convention, {per Kane, E. (ND Bastyr 1992); Townsend Letter #105, April 1992, p.260-2}:

"[quoting Snider, P. (ND Bastyr 1982)] we believe in the vital force, which has inherent organization, in intelligent [teleological] and intelligible [...] we have vis medicatrix naturae. Our way is to research the mystery and beauty of the life force, in which we have faith. Our power and our responsibility is to bring the life force into the light."

01.b. "Naturopathic Physician on Her Career Choice: 'No Regrets'," an interview of Snider, {per Zablocki, E. (? ?); web published date 2005-05-01; archived here}:

"naturopathic medicine relies on the vital life force within human beings."

02. what science says:

02.a. the New York Academy of Sciences states in "The Autonomy of Biology" (click here):

"[per Ernst Mayr] biology could not be recognized as a science of the same rank as physics as long as most biologists accepted certain basic explanatory principles not supported by the laws of the physical sciences and eventually found to be invalid. The two major principles here involved are vitalism and a belief in cosmic teleology. As soon as it had been demonstrated that these two principles are invalid and, more broadly, that none of the phenomena of the living world is in conflict with the natural laws of the physicalists, there was no longer any reason for not recognizing biology as a legitimate autonomous science equivalent to physics."