Naturopathy: The missing ingredient in your daily productivity

"Naturopathy has the possibility of reducing rising health costs and lowering the disease burden because its fundamental tenet is dis-ease prevention."
– Eta Brand, President, Australasian Integrative Medicine Association (ANPA)

In today’s fast-paced business world, many corporates rely upon stimulants like caffeine and sugar to stay alert throughout the day, with little time to exercise or eat a wholesome meal for lunch or dinner — especially when working overtime and juggling family responsibilities, as is the case for many of us.

Rather than relieving stress, these quick fix habits exacerbate the problem. Although caffeine and sugar provide a momentary high, this high is quickly followed by a crash — a plummet in energy, concentration and motivation — and therefore daily productivity. Cravings for another caffeine/sugar hit are then triggered in the brain, perpetuating the cycle.

Without a balanced diet, regular breaks and exercise during our work day, the body is missing out on fundamental vitamins, minerals and movement needed for sustained energy release. Opportunities for stress management and fitness-boosting activities are also missed, like yoga, jogging or a gym work-out. These activities lower our risk of developing obesity and chronic diseases.

Naturopaths have identified that poor eating habits and limited physical activity — two factors which result from long hours sitting down in the office — increase our risk of developing obesity and chronic illness such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, reducing productivity and increasing absenteeism.

With stress and obesity on the rise in Australian workplaces, we need to find new ways of achieving a work–life balance, treating stress, weight problems and chronic illness as interrelated health concerns. Naturopathy is a holistic health care discipline that looks at the whole picture — the missing ingredient in your daily productivity.

What is Naturopathy?

Naturopathy is a form of integrative health care that’s grounded in a mixture of Eastern and Western medicine, science, philosophy and spirituality. Naturopaths practice according to the following fundamental principles:

• Harness the power of nature. The belief that the body, mind and spirit have the inherent ability to self-balance and achieve homeostasis.
• First do no harm. Aim at all times to nurture and guide people on a restorative path to balanced health and wellbeing — never to do harm.
• Find and treat the cause where possible. Seek to identify and treat the underlying cause(s) of the problem, not just the symptoms.
• Treat the whole person. Treat an individual according to their specific needs, taking into account health, dietary, lifestyle, genetic, emotional, environmental and spiritual factors.
• Education is key. The belief that Naturopaths are teachers and facilitators who inform, empower and guide people towards leading happier and healthier lives, by taking health into their own hands.
• Prevention, not quick fixes. Unlike conventional medicine, Naturopaths look at the whole picture, with the aim of treating a person’s dis-ease before it becomes a diagnosable illness. Naturopaths are prevention medicine specialists.

Benefits of Naturopathy for corporates

Naturopathy can be tailored to suit people of all ages and backgrounds and achieve beneficial results. It’s an ideal form of healing for busy corporates, who often suffer from a range of mental and emotional stresses as well as physical symptoms.

Naturopathy is growing in popularity as an alternative to conventional medicine, as it aims to treat the root cause of the problem, and looks at the individual as a complete
whole, as opposed to separate parts. Naturopaths take a detailed patient history, spending up to an hour with you, and often conduct a series of tests. Naturopathy aims to restore the body’s ability to heal itself through the use of food as medicine primarily, as well as supplements, herbal medicines and other complementary therapies.

Naturopathic treatments are safe and gentle, without the side effects associated with many conventional medicines. Naturopaths create personalised treatment plans that suit the specific needs of corporates.

Naturopaths also have a distinct focus upon educating the patient to make healthy lifestyle choices – an approach that will filter through the employee and into the workplace, lifting both individual and team productivity.

Another benefit is that you don’t necessarily need to be unwell to visit a Naturopath. Corporates can visit a Naturopath to gain the full picture, using a variety of non-invasive tests for a general health assessment. This will determine any areas that need improvement. Naturopaths then provide expert advice and recommendations to help restore balance to your health and wellbeing, reducing mental and physical stress in the long term.