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Episode 4: Naturopathic Medicine vs. Conventional Medicine image

Episode 4: Naturopathic Medicine vs. Conventional Medicine

S1 E4 · Healing Insights
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13 Plays5 months ago

In this eye-opening episode of **Healing Insights**, hosted by Dr. Tara Coppola of Rising Phoenix Naturopathy, we dive into a compelling exploration of two contrasting medical philosophies: **Naturopathic Medicine** and **Conventional Medicine**. As healthcare options continue to evolve, understanding the differences—and potential synergies—between these two approaches becomes increasingly crucial for individuals navigating their health journeys.

Throughout the episode, Dr. Coppola begins by outlining the foundational principles of naturopathic medicine. Rooted in holistic practices, naturopathy focuses on treating the whole person—including physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions—rather than merely addressing symptoms. Listeners will learn about the vitalistic philosophy underlying naturopathic care and how it emphasizes the body’s innate ability to heal itself through natural remedies, nutrition, and lifestyle adjustments.

Conversely, the episode shifts to a discussion of conventional medicine, often referred to as allopathy. Dr. Coppola explains how this approach views health through a mechanistic lens, prioritizing symptom relief and disease management. With a focus on pharmaceuticals, advanced diagnostics, and surgical interventions, conventional medicine excels in acute care and emergency situations. However, it may sometimes overlook underlying causes and the importance of patient empowerment.

A key aspect of this episode is the historical context surrounding the dominance of conventional medicine. Dr. Coppola delves into the significant impact of the **Flexner Report** of 1910, which transformed medical education and practice in the United States. The report’s influence drastically sidelined many alternative therapies, including naturopathy, leading to a healthcare landscape predominantly focused on pharmacology and technology.

Throughout their engaging discussion, Dr. Coppola highlights the strengths and limitations of both practices. She explores how naturopathic medicine can benefit individuals suffering from chronic conditions, preventive care, and those looking for a more holistic approach to health, while conventional medicine is often best suited for acute situations and serious medical interventions. This nuanced conversation provides listeners with valuable insights into which approach might be most beneficial for their individual needs.

Moreover, Dr. Coppola encourages a collaborative mindset, suggesting that integrating both naturopathic and conventional principles may present the most effective path to achieving optimal health. By recognizing the strengths of each approach, patients can create a comprehensive and personalized healthcare plan that considers both immediate and long-term wellness goals.

Whether you’re new to naturopathy or have a background in conventional medicine, this episode is designed to empower you with knowledge that can help inform your health decisions. Don’t miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding of **Naturopathic Medicine vs. Conventional Medicine** and discover how to take an active role in your health journey.

Tune in to **Healing Insights** and join Dr. Tara Coppola as she guides you through the intricacies of these two medical philosophies—ultimately helping you embrace the best path toward achieving and maintaining vibrant health.

Remember, the content provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. For any health concerns or questions, please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional. Take care and stay well!

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Transcript

Introduction by Dr. Tara Coppola

00:00:01
Tara Coppola
Hi, and welcome to episode four of Healing Insights by Rising Phoenix Natureopathy. I am Dr. Tara Kapola, and today we're gonna dive into a topic that sparks a lot of lively conversations.

Naturopathic vs. Conventional Medicine

00:00:22
Tara Coppola
The differences between naturopathic medicine and conventional medicine, also known as allopathy.
00:00:31
Tara Coppola
Before we dive into this episode, please note that the information in this podcast and in any other podcast I'm creating is not intended to diagnose or treat illness. It is for educational purposes only. The information is very general. We're only having conversations for about 16 to 20 minutes. So I can't cover every single nuance that it will inherently affect every individual out there. The content is very general in nature.
00:01:06
Tara Coppola
just like most of the content out on the internet. It should not be considered medical advice. Its purpose is to educate and empower you to dive deeper into your health journey. Always consult a licensed medical practitioner before you get your personalized guidance regarding your health and medical conditions. So we're about to embark on a very loaded subject.
00:01:36
Tara Coppola
Please grab your coffee, grab your tea, let's sit back and unravel the dynamics between naturopathy and allopathy.

Principles of Naturopathic Medicine

00:01:50
Tara Coppola
First off, we're gonna clarify, I'm gonna clarify what it's meant by naturopathic medicine and conventional medicine. Naturopathic medicine at its core is a holistic approach that emphasizes treating the whole person. Physical, emotional, and spiritual, utilizing the least invasive means possible on the therapeutic order. Its focus is to support the body's innate ability to heal. That's right.
00:02:24
Tara Coppola
your body has an innate ability to heal. The signs and symptoms that you experience are actually your body doing its dangest to try to get you to heal. Conventional medicine is also known as allopathy. It focuses primarily on diagnosing and treating diseases, utilizing evidence-based methods, often involving pharmaceuticals or surgical interventions.
00:02:54
Tara Coppola
Now we can have a discussion on the research environment in our world another day because that is a very, very heated topic as well. So let's get into our fundamentals of the differences between naturopathy and allopathy. With regards to treatment philosophy, naturopathy aims to uncover and treat the root cause of illness.
00:03:24
Tara Coppola
It's promoting long-term healing. Allopathy, on the other hand, targets symptoms, sometimes neglecting underlying factors. There's another difference in the approach to healing. Natureopathy emphasizes prevention, lifestyle, and natural therapies, while allopathy, or conventional medicine, frequently relies on medications and surgery as primary treatments.
00:03:51
Tara Coppola
Now, as I've said before, pharmaceuticals and surgery have a place in the therapeutic order. It just depends where you are as an individual and what is most efficacious for you to build your vital force and help your body heal itself.

History and Influence of Conventional Medicine

00:04:12
Tara Coppola
Let's explore how conventional medicine became the dominant force in our healthcare. care This did not happen by accident.
00:04:21
Tara Coppola
This historical content is critical to understanding the landscape of medicine that we have today. So, one thing we're going to talk about is something called the Flexner Report. This report was created in about 1910. It was commissioned by the American Medical Association. This report critiqued medical education in the United States and created profound changes in medical training.
00:04:50
Tara Coppola
There's a key finding to this. The report emphasized the need for rigorous science-based training for medical professionals. Now, this sounds amazing. Who doesn't want their medical treatment backed by science? However, what happened was it effectively sidelined all alternative therapies, including naturopathy, and then There's the whole dynamic of what's going on in our research environment today, which is a completely different topic for a podcast another day. Interesting, the shift in the medical industry was influenced by industrial interests, particularly the oil tycoons.
00:05:35
Tara Coppola
Many major pharmaceutical companies invested in medical schools shaping the future of medicine aligned with their economic interests.
00:05:48
Tara Coppola
ah Now, with this financial backing, conventional medicine was able to become enriched in the nation's psyche of medical uses, often at the expense of holistic approaches.
00:06:06
Tara Coppola
Then we could also jump into the dynamic of funding in the medical industry. We know it has historical in oil tycoons, funding conventional medicine, funding pharmaceuticals. However, there's a whole new dynamic today, which I'm not going to touch on in this podcast right now. We will touch on it another day. So let's talk about healing strategies.
00:06:37
Tara Coppola
How do these two approaches, allopathy or naturopathy, help the body heal?

Approaches to Healing: Naturopathy vs. Allopathy

00:06:43
Tara Coppola
Naturopathic healing focuses on supporting the body's natural healing processes. Practitioners use botanical medicine utilizing the curative properties of plants to help the body heal itself. We also utilize nutrition, emphasizing whole food nutrient dense diets specific to that individual's need to nourish the body.
00:07:07
Tara Coppola
Your body is built of the food you put in it. Your body cannot create any cell from things that are not put in it. So if you are eating a standard American diet, a diet full of fast food, trans fats, loaded with carbohydrates, that's the junk that your body is trying to build from.
00:07:29
Tara Coppola
and your body is going to do its damnedest to keep you alive because your vital force always wants to push towards healing. However, I'm getting jumping on the nutrition bandwagon a little too early. It's definitely a very, very important topic for me. So I digress. Some of the other healing strategies used by naturopaths are mind body techniques. It's important to incorporate connecting the mind to the body to help facilitate healing within. Nothing in the body or the mind or the spirit happens in i isolation. We then come to our lifestyle modifications. Nature paths encourage exercise, sleep hygiene, and other modalities that help to promote healing within the body. In this way, natureopathy often leads to long lasting health improvements by promoting self resilience and self-reliance.
00:08:30
Tara Coppola
Conventional medicine, otherwise known as allopathy, often treats symptoms and diseases through pharmaceuticals, medications that are designed to relieve so symptoms quickly. They need pain relievers or antibiotics, antidepressants. They also utilize surgical interventions. These surgical interventions can address physical ailments, but sometimes they overlook, they overlook the underlying health factors.
00:08:56
Tara Coppola
They also utilize advanced medical technologies for diagnostics. Conventional practitioners are able can quickly identify ailments, however, they may miss holistic contributions contributions to those ailments. While allopathic medicine can provide swift relief in emergencies and serious illnesses, it often leaves the deeper issues unresolved.
00:09:20
Tara Coppola
This being said, I've talked in the past about the therapeutic order. There is a time and a place for everything. And pharmaceuticals and surgery have their place depending on what that individual needs. Also, elopathy and naturopathy can work together. If you are seeing your primary care medical doctor and you want to see a naturopath, the healing that you get with your naturopath can help you in the long run, even if you are sea still seeing and utilize medications from your regular physician. Now, let's discuss the type of patient that is best suited for each modality.

Patient Benefits and Ideal Scenarios

00:10:08
Tara Coppola
The ideal naturopathic patient has
00:10:14
Tara Coppola
are typically dealing with longstanding issues such as chronic illnesses, allergies, digestive disorders, chronic fatigue. Also, patients that benefit really well from naturopathic medicine are prevention seekers. They are individuals looking to enhance their overall health to prevent disease and harness the power of healing within them. These are patients who desire to engage actively in their healing journey.
00:10:43
Tara Coppola
and thrive under naturopathic guidance. Now, what kind of patients are best suited for conventional or allopathic medicine? Typically, it is best in acute care situations. Emergency situations regarding immediate intervention and conventional practices can be life-saving in those moments. If you need an immediate intervention, call 911, go to the hospital,
00:11:12
Tara Coppola
Sometimes there are conditions that require surgical needs, such as appendicitis or a bone fracture. Those are best handled in the allopathic setting. There is a time and a place for every type of modality. Now, it's important to consider how and when naturopathic doctors actually incorporate allopathic medicine into their practices.

Integrative Practices in Naturopathy

00:11:42
Tara Coppola
Many trained naturopaths recognize that there are times and places when conventional medicine complements naturopathic therapies. As I've been saying this whole time, for example, in instances of severe pain or infection,
00:12:01
Tara Coppola
Some nature paths can resort to utilizing pharmaceuticals to come in and help depending on the state if they are licensed to prescribe. Sometimes we will refer out if a pharmaceutical is needed. Nature paths often work alongside conventional medical practitioners to create integrated plans of care, combining strengths of both fields for optimum patient outcomes. We do this often in the office when we have our oncology patients come in.
00:12:31
Tara Coppola
We coordinate care with the oncology care team and work together for our patient for the best patient outcomes.

Post-Treatment Recovery and Support

00:12:41
Tara Coppola
Then there's the detoxification and recovery. After undergoing some allopathic treatments, the body needs to detox from the toxins that have been put in. Naturopaths can assist in this pathway for the patients to recover through nutritional guidance and lifestyle report ah support.
00:13:01
Tara Coppola
These approaches foster a comprehensive healing environment, one that respects and utilizes the best of both worlds. Now, each patient is individual. Each patient will be best treated by a different level in the therapeutic order. Ultimately, nature paths want to come in and facilitate the body to heal itself.

Strengths and Patient Needs

00:13:28
Tara Coppola
So as we wrap up our exploration of naturopathic medicine versus conventional medicine, again, it's been very, very quick. This could be an hours long discussion. It is most important to note that both approaches have unique strengths and serve different patient needs. Understanding these differences can help you make informed decision about your healthcare.

Consultation and Professional Advice

00:13:53
Tara Coppola
If you are intrigued about how naturopathic medicine can help support your health journey, consider reaching out to me for a consultation. You can visit my website at www.risingphoenixnaturopathy.com for more information and to learn how I can help you on your healing journey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining me today in this quick episode about naturopathic medicine versus conventional medicine. If you enjoyed today's episode, please like, subscribe, and share with anyone who might benefit. Remember, the content provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. For any health concerns or questions, please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare practitioner. Take care and stay well.