Biotherapeutic Drainage Incorporates the following six principles of Natural Medicine which makes it an incredible additional therapeutic and philosophical adjunct to the practice of Complimentary/Alternative/Biological Medicine.
- The Healing Power of Nature: During the 5th century BC, Hippocrates stated that the body has the inherent ability – the vitality, to not only heal itself and restore health but also to ward off disease. Natural Medicine recognizes this inherent self-healing process to be ordered and intelligent. Symptoms are not caused by the invasion of external germs. Instead it is caused by a manifestation of the body’s attempt to defend and heal itself. It creates symptoms to push out the virus, toxin, pathogen, etc out of the body in an attempt to maintain homeostasis. Our role/your practitioners role is to identify and remove the agent/stressors that block the healing process and to increase our healing capacity by supporting a healthy internal and external environment.
- Treat The Whole Person: The harmonious functioning of our physical, mental, emotional, genetic, spiritual, environmental, and social health are all essential to maintaining health and deterring disease. There are different systems within the body that are intimately connected and delicately balanced. “Dis-ease” or imbalance in one part of the body will likely create an imbalance in another part of the body. there is rarely a single cause for disease. All the pieces must be examined and understood to create the necessary balance for healing to occur. Treating the whole person is crucial and is directed at both underlying and immediate causative factors. The multifactorial nature of health and disease requires a personalized and comprehensive approach to diagnosis and treatment. IN order to truly manage any issue, we must treat the whole person, taking all of these factors into consideration.
- First Do No Harm: When you work with a natural medicine practitioner, they follow 3 guidelines to ensure they avoid harming the patient/client. 1) They utilize methods and remedies that minimize the risk of harmful side effects and using the least force necessary to diagnose illness and restore health. The gentler and more non-invasive the therapy, the less disruptive it will be to the patient’s integral whole. 2) Avoid the suppression of symptoms whenever possible (except during the end stages of life) since suppression interferes with the healing process. 3) Work with the patients inherent self-healing process. Our bodies are intelligent and know how to heal itself when provided with the right tools!
- Identify and Treat the Cause, NOT the symptom: Illness does not occur without a cause and symptoms (rash, fever, nausea, vomiting, etc) are not the cause of the illness, therefor we don’t treat the symptoms. Symptoms are the body’s indication that something is wrong/out of balance. They are also an expression of the body’s attempt to defend itself, to adapt and recover, to heal itself. The cause originates on many different levels but is often found in the patient’s lifestyle, diet, habits or emotional state and especially from an imbalanced terrain. When only the symptoms are treated (through palliation), the underlying causes remain untreated/unmanaged and the person will often develop a more serious, chronic condition.
- Prevention Is the Best Cure: Natural medicine focuses on the study of health as well as disease. Preventing disease and attaining optimal health in the patient is the primary objective of Natural medicine. Health is a reflection of how we choose to live. Natural medicine practitioners assess risk factors, heredity, and susceptibility to disease, and make appropriate intervention to prevent illness. A patient cannot achieve an optimal level of health in an unhealthy environment, eating the wrong foods, not getting enough exercise or sleep, etc. It is the responsibility of the practitioner to make the person aware of these factors. It is then the persons responsibility to create a world around them that is most conducive to their best health and well-being.
- Doctor As Teacher: Doctor is derived from the Latin word “docere” meaning to teach or educate. Natural doctors/practitioners serve as facilitators for a patient. Therefore, one of the primary responsibilities is to educate the patient and encourage self-responsibility for health. Each person is unique so it is the practitioners job to help them shape their environment and lifestyle to that which is important to them. A co-operative practitioner-patient relationship is essential for full healing as it will require the arduous task of balancing the terrain. This could take several years to to achieve which is then followed by a lifetime of maintenance to remain at a place of optimal performance, potentially the highest level of wellness, having achieved an understanding of their true purpose in life. Have optimal health does not mean you will never get ill again, but rather based on the terrain (miasm, temperament, constitution), they will be in a place to recover (if possible) in as short a time as possible. Those who are out of balance do not recover easily and often lead to chronic, progressive disease. Dr. Thom ND states: “It is important to understand that there are no incurable diseases, but unfortunately there are incurable patients, and this is often determined when intervention is started. As such, prevention is the key to maintaining one’s optimal performance.”
Medical evolution overtime has always been attempting to help patients feel better and to reverse the causes of disease. However, the current allopathic approach to medicine opposes the original goals of medicine and instead promotes the relief (palliation) of suppression of symptoms with surgery, chemical medications or radiation. If you have asthma, take a puffer instead of removing the asthmatic triggers. if you have a rash, take steroids or antibiotics instead of eliminating the trigger for the rash. If you have a headache, they give you Tylenol to stop the pain rather than figure out what is causing the headache…. you get the picture.
This model of illness (aka the disease model) is based on the precept that a symptom is the problem and a therapy should be given that will eliminate the symptom(s). This model does not allow the patient to return to an optimum state of health because it often does not address the true underlying causes(s). It prevents the the persons body from removing accumulated toxicity. So while the person may feel temporarily better, they are never able to fully express their vitality. The longer the root cause if left to worsen the condition, the worse and more deep rooted the condition becomes.
Biotherapeutic drainage (a form of homeopathy) uses powerful remedies to help “drain” the organs of elimination and the cells and tissues in the body to re-establish homeostasis and reverse health conditions. it can be used for every condition under the sun and yield great results! Biotherapeutic Drainage is a philosophy and treatment framework that has been used in Europe for over 100 years. Within this framework, lifestyle elements, single homeopathic remedies, the Unda numbered compounds, plant based remedies and nutrients are all used to rid the body of accumulated toxicity. Toxicity, in conjunction with one’s habits and predispositions can be found at the root of most modern diseases. The goal of treatment with Biotherapeutic drainage is always to get the body to react, self-regulate, and return to normal, healthy physiologic functioning. To learn more about BTD, head to the resources section! Also read part 3 of this series!