A person who feels ill and sees an allopathic physician will typically be given a diagnosis to name the disease and then a prescription for medication to kill the germs that cause the illness. Once the symptoms have disappeared, the person is considered healthy. The allopathic approach to healing is to find the agent of disease – such as, bacteria or virus - and then to kill it.

Vis medicatrix naturae, or the healing power of nature, is central to traditional naturopathic philosophy. This philosophy holds that disease occurs when toxins which have accumulated internally - usually due to incorrect lifestyle, a poor diet, and improper care of the body -weakens the body. Bacteria and viruses, which are always present, seldom cause problems in a healthy body. While allopathic methods of treatment may get rid of symptoms, these treatments alone do not bring healing. The human body is designed to heal itself. Traditional naturopathic modalities stimulate the body's inner forces to get rid of accumulated toxins and thereby allow intrinsic healing to take place. Rather than trying to attack specific diseases, traditional naturopaths focus on cleansing and strengthening the body.

Traditional Naturopaths avoid procedures that are common to medical care - diagnosing disease, treating disease, prescribing drugs and pharmaceuticals, and performing invasive procedures. Instead, traditional naturopaths focus on health and education, teaching their clients how to create internal and external environments that are conducive to good health. This is how naturopathy was meant to be practiced as described by Benedict Lust's obituary reported in The New York Times, "The members of the American Naturopathic Association do not believe in drug treatments, medicinal remedies or vivisection." 

Traditional naturopathy is simply NOT the practice of medicine. Diagnosing and treating disease, prescribing drugs and pharmaceuticals, performing major and minor surgery, giving injections and drawing blood, and performing other invasive procedures, are medical practices that are outside the scope of traditional naturopathy. Anyone who performs these procedures without a license is illegally practicing medicine and, under existing laws, can be and should be prosecuted for doing so without a license.

Taken from an article written by Boyd J. Landry