The Vital-Force-Spirit 'Animatistic New Age Pantheism' of Naturopathic Medicine.

2006-11-24T19:43:00.000-08:00

[click here to return to the main document, >http://standtoyourduty.blogspot.com/<]

04. Journals:

Acupuncture Today states:

[in “The Heart of Healing: Restoring Our Original Program”{Starwynn, D. (OMD ?, Lac ?)}]

“Chinese medicine teaches that pain is the experience of blockage in the flow of qi, or vital life force, through the meridians of the body”;

(click here,

http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=28358&MERCURYSID=6967e83a6dbec927dc211568199aca03)

the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine states:

[in “Homeopathy and Naturopathy” {per Lee, A.C. (BSE ?), Kemper, K.J. (MD ?); Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2000; 154: 75-80}]

"homeopaths believe the preparation of the solution imparts an energetic imprint, enabling the patient’s own body and vital energy to fight the original cause of disease […] naturopathic doctors (NDs) believe that the body [p.075...] has a strong, vital and innate power to heal itself [p.076…] acupuncture, chiropractic medicine, and particularly homeopathy are therapies that rely on vitalistic energy and are often used by naturopaths to stimulate the body’s natural healing processes";

(click here,

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/154/1/75)

the Better Health Channel states:

"naturopathy […wherein] homeopathic treatments are used to stimulate the immune system […] naturopathy maintains that the body can heal itself […] treatments are noninvasive and are designed to stimulate the body’s own healing powers […] the importance of homeostasis […] this power to self-heal is called ‘the vital force’ […] this page has been produced in consultation with, and approved by, the Australian Naturopathic Practitioners Association";

(click here,

http://www.hawaii.edu/hivandaids/Naturopathy%20%20OZ.pdf )

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20030902015616/http://www.hawaii.edu/hivandaids/Naturopathy++OZ.pdf)

Billings Gazette states:

[in "Naturopathic Medicine: Acupuncture Balances Body"{2006-10-18}]

[Burpee, K. (LAc ?), the author, states "Kara Burpee is a licensed acupuncturist in Montana. She received her M.S. in acupuncture from Bastyr University in 2001. She practices at the Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic"]

"'qi' (pronounced chee) is one of the fundamental aspects of Chinese medicine. It has been translated to mean 'energy,' 'material force,' 'matter,' 'ether,' matter-energy,' 'vital force,' 'life force,' 'vital power' or 'moving power' [...] qi can be anything; it can assume any form [...] qi is the energy behind every process in our body. If it is blocked, we can have many different symptoms, including pain, fatigue, allergies, digestive problems and emotional disorders [...] these three types combine to form the qi that circulates in our body. We have 12 major energy pathways that carry qi throughout the body. If we think of these pathways as irrigation canals, we can look at the acupuncture points as the gateways that direct the qi. In acupuncture, we use the needles to open and close these energetic pathways. By directing qi [...] qi has five basic functions in the body [...] the regulation and promotion of the physiological activities of the internal organs, the meridians, the circulation of blood and the distribution of body fluids [...] maintaining homeostasis (normal body temperature) of the body [...] the wei qi will prevent invasion from external pathogens [...] qi is a component of the blood. It is the force that pushes the blood through the vessels. Qi regulates blood circulation, sweating, urination and seminal emissions [...] the process of mutual transformation among essence, qi, body fluids and blood [...] if any of these processes is interrupted, an imbalance occurs in the body and we have an illness [...] the ancient Chinese thought of qi as the foundation of the universe, and believed the movement and interaction of qi produced all things. They developed a system of medicine that treated disharmony or imbalances of the patient's qi";

(click here,

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/10/18/features/health/35-naturopathic.txt)[rb][vsc 2008-09-20]

(archived here,

)

(for the archive.org history of this page, click here,

)

the British Naturopathic Journal states:

[per Turner, R.N. (? ?) "Naturopathy -- The Idenity Crisis", vol. 13 #1 Jan./March 1990 ]

"the main objective of naturopathic medicine [...] central to all these is the concept of a life force or energy, which is the basis of all living matter [p.003...] fundamental theory [...is] vitalism [...] naturopathic diagnosis [...] addressing the vitality [p.004]";

(click here,

http://www.naturopaths.org.uk/downloads/journals/v13n1-01.pdf )

the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) states:

[per Mainfort, D. (? ?), in “The Roots of Qi - Ancient Texts Reveal the Origins of Qigong” {Skeptical Briefs, vol. 10 #1 March 2000}]

"vitalism is the belief in an invisible, intangible, unique form of energy that is supposedly responsible for all of the activities of a living organism […] the vital force in Chinese traditional medicine [TCM] is called qi, [and is] the concept upon which acupuncture is based. The word qi means air in English […] qi was [is] believed to exist everywhere in the universe -- a life force such as that referred to in pre-scientific Western medicine as élan vital [+/-…] according to ancient Chinese medicine dating back at least 3,000 years, illnesses were viewed as an imbalance of qi, or vital energy, in the body […] in traditional Chinese medicine, qi travels throughout the body by way of fourteen channels called meridians. Insertion of needles into points along these channels is supposed to adjust the positive (yang), or negative (yin) aspects of the qi, so as to maintain a balance, or harmony […and] qigong is said to allow practitioners to direct the alleged effects of qi just by using their minds […] the term qigong is a relatively new invention […per] 1955 […] the idea of qi as the basis for the Chinese concept of health comes from ancient times-long before the advent of modern science […] both ancient qigong wizards and modern masters draw from primitive traditions of nature worship […and] they all claim to possess unlimited power that can cure any and all diseases […] qi (air). They [the ancient Chinese] believed that our bodies were inflated and nourished by this special air and that the arteries and veins were simply part of the respiratory system […] as in most major religions, the ‘breath of life’ concept and air hold a special significance. When a person stops breathing, they die. If respiration is difficult, there is an obvious health problem. According to ancient medical beliefs (not only in China), the breath was said to be the soul of the individual, born with -- yet separate from -- the body and that it would leave the body prior to death […yet, qigong wizards,] although claiming to be scientific, they shun genuine scientific scrutiny. [E.g.,] their theories contain confusing and mystical concepts and they commonly cite ‘lack of faith’ on the part of their patients as a way of excusing their failures […such] belief in the supernatural [as curative, per medical vitalism] creates great confusion that causes theology to become mistaken for science";

(click here,

http://www.csicop.org/sb/2000-03/qi.html )

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20000815195319/http:/www.csicop.org/sb/2000-03/qi.html )

Complementary Health Practice Review states:

[in "Naturopathic Medical Education: Where Conventional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Meet"(per SCNM president and CEO Mittman {ND}, SCNM Chief Academic Officer Poorman {PhD}, SCNM graduate and Southwest College Research Institute Medical Director Kim {ND}; Winter 2001 vol. 7 no. 2, ISSN 1533-2101)]

"naturopathic physicians are guided by six principles [p.101...] first do no harm [...] illness is a purposeful [teleological] process of the organism. The process of healing includes the generation of symptoms that are, in fact, expressions of the life force 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 the vis medicatrix naturae, the healing power of nature [...] 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 [teleological]; nature heals through the response of the life force [...] naturopathic physicians respect and work with the vis medicatrix naturae in diagnosis, treatment and counseling. If this self-healing process is not respected, the patient may be harmed [p.102]";

Evidence-Based [supposed] Complementary and Alternative Medicine states:

['quantum flapdoodle' alert!!!]

[per Hankey, A. (? ?), "CAM Modalities Can Stimulate Advances in Theoretical{not even hypothetical!} Biology", eCAM 2005; 2(1)5-12]

"naturopathy, where rest restores health by allowing the life force to regain its required energy level [...] the life force is equated with quantized instability fluctuations[!?!?...] the naturally occurring life force [...] one key idea in chronic disease is that the life force has become weak […] modern biophysical theories of organism regulation based on quantum theory [ha!] and critical phenomena [huh?] yield a self-consistent theory [huh?] of the life force and how its deformation results in the maladaptive reactions leading to pathological states [p.009...] ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, and other forms of energy medicine including vibrational medicine and homeopathy are all working on the same basis [...] restore the regulatory system to its state of healthy functioning in which the life force maintains its 'state of balance' and is able to provide full regulation [...] the life force and how its deformation results in the maladaptive reactions leading to pathological states [p.010]”;

(click here,

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=1062166&blobtype=pdf )

Herbalgram: The Journal of the American Botanical Council states:

[in “The Role of Botanical Medicine in 100 Years of American Naturopathy”{1998; 42: 49-59}]

“contemporary and complementary to the establishment of naturopathy, an elaborate explanation of the principles of natural healing, the philosophy of physiomedicalism by Dr. J. M. Thurston, was published in 1900. The enhancement of vitality was paramount for physiomedicalists, and herbs were only used to draw out potential vitality, not produce it. The human organism was perceived as essentially a realm dominated by vital force expressed as functional actions. In disease conditions its nature is inherently resistive, eliminative, and restorative […]by the mid-19th century the movement became known as eclectic medicine, and its motto was ‘sustain the vital forces’”;

(click here,

http://www.herbalgram.org/youngliving/herbalgram/articleview.asp?a=561)

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20051208060809/http://www.herbalgram.org/youngliving/herbalgram/articleview.asp?a=561)

Homeopathy Online: A Journal of Homeopathic Medicine states:

[in “Taking Homeopathy into the Shadows: A Sequential Causal Approach to Treating Chronic Disease”{per Verspoor, R. (homeopath BIH), “Currently President of the Canadian national homeopathic professional association, NUPATH, which he helped to found in 1994}{October-December 1996, vol. 1, no. 3}]

“what is disease? Dis-ease, as the name suggests, is first and foremost an energy disturbance, a derangement of the vital force's normal harmonious vibratory frequency. Something must cause this derangement. The true origins of chronic illness, as identified by Hahnemann, lie in two factors. The first factor is the miasms, which constitute the fundamental cause of a state of dis-ease (in that they represent a kind of genetically acquired weakness or over-susceptibility to pathogenic forces). The second factor is the various shocks the vital force may receive during one's lifetime (which can be accidents, viral infections, drugs, or mental/emotional stresses). This perspective on the origins of chronic illness is set out in Hahnemann's Chronic Diseases and is generally agreed among homeopaths […] if the symptoms reflect disturbances in the vital force, then each particular incident of disturbance will contribute to the symptom picture to the extent that the vital force is unable to re-establish balance afterward. Miasms are like weak radio signals that can fade in and out, and the various shocks to our vital force during our lifetime are like static that interferes with the healthful signals necessary to our organism's functioning […] if the symptoms are removed, we now need to be certain that the underlying state is also improved over time, otherwise we have simply strengthened the vital force to the point that the underlying state is latent and producing no symptoms at the present time, but with significant stress, the original disease situation is likely to return, with the same symptoms or with a different symptom picture […] the vital force, once stimulated, begins a process of chronological retracing. Hering's Law of Cure tells us this, and it is observed in practice daily. We know that the vital force can encounter blockages on its way, and the more severe the case and the more severe the traumas, the more likely this will be the case. We also know that these blockages must be cleared for the process of cure to proceed. It is logical then, and would indeed seem necessary, to treat the blockages in the order in which the vital force will encounter them. Happily, it is also relatively simple to treat this way. In essence, the process of disease and the symptoms that a person comes to a homeopath with are really the outward reflection of a healing process. They are the efforts, albeit unsuccessful, of the vital force to overcome the most recent destabilization or exciting cause. The vital force is unsuccessful because it is encumbered by all the causes, including the miasms, preceding this event. Addressing each cause as the vital force approaches and tackles it helps the vital force to overcome the blockage and to proceed along the path of cure. Such an approach to homeopathic treatment would be a sequential, causally-based one”;

(click here,

http://www.lyghtforce.com/HomeopathyOnline/Issue3/sequence.html)

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20050314013423/http://www.lyghtforce.com/HomeopathyOnline/Issue3/sequence.html)

“lastly, the deeper a shock has penetrated the energy field of the vital force, the higher the potency needed to remove the disturbance caused (the principle of ascending potency) […] the time-line provides, in effect, a map of the dis-ease as well as a map of the process of cure. It locates the blockages that the vital force will attempt to remove if it is stimulated to cure. The time-line is individual to the person […] the disease really represents the efforts of the vital force to re-establish order in the system. Chronic disease exists when the vital force is unable to overcome the disturbance, and is struggling against one or more blockages. Whatever you may use to start the process of cure, the effect is to stimulate and strengthen the vital force […] I explained that the earlier symptoms and the current ones represented unsuccessful attempts by the vital force to heal the disturbance it was suffering from, starting with the first, most recent trauma. The constitutional remedy had strengthened the vital force and stimulated this healing process, temporarily removing the symptoms, but the vital force then returned to its efforts to remove the blockages, starting with the most recent […] another example will illustrate how a remedy based on symptomatology will assist the vital force and improve the overall state, without necessarily touching the underlying trauma […] it is not possible to know in advance whether a particular event has left a mark on the vital force; however, experience provides a guide to the likely events that one should address in treatment. If there is no remaining trauma, then there is no response to the remedy. Also, the vital force contains a memory of each trauma and will bring it to the surface to be treated at the appropriate point in the timeline […] the vital force typically will bring to the surface traumas that are there but not remembered […] the stronger the disturbance of the vital force left by a trauma, the greater is the likelihood of a healing reaction (return of old symptoms and an aggravation of existing symptoms) […] events the patient could not remember return to the awareness as the vital force strengthens (often there is a reason for the loss of memory). If this does not happen, then the struggle of the vital force with the blockage left by the trauma will throw up a symptom picture that will suggest its existence […] in most cases of physical trauma, 10M is sufficient to clear the trauma from the vital force […] this reflects the fact that emotional traumas penetrate more deeply into the vital force and are the greatest cause of chronic disease in Western societies”;

(click here,

http://www.lyghtforce.com/HomeopathyOnline/Issue3/sequence1.html)

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20050318000621/http://www.lyghtforce.com/HomeopathyOnline/Issue3/sequence1.html)

“why not treat all the shocks to the vital force? […] the sequential causal approach further argues, consistent with Hering's Law of Cure, that we should treat the identified causes in the reverse of their chronological order, because that is the direction in which the vital force is trying to go in its efforts to heal […] the concept of the need for ascending potencies to treat ever deeper, higher levels of the vital force is also not new […] this is based on the theory, validated by experience, that the ascending scale is necessary to remove the traumas completely from the deeper reaches of the vital force […] the use of a series of ascending potencies is based also on the need to prepare the vital force for the power of the highest potency and on the need to directly address the blockage, much like the concentration of light on a specific point which gives lasers their power […] if only one of the remedies is given, it either doesn't seem to work or can lead to an apparent aggravation which is really the symptoms of the vital force unsuccessfully tackling the remaining traumas not yet treated […] the constitutional remedy is given during treatment sometimes to boost the vital force through healing reactions […] cases are not uncommonly begun with constitutional treatment to boost the vital force to a point that it can undertake a deeper healing process”;

(click here,

http://www.lyghtforce.com/HomeopathyOnline/Issue3/sequence2.html)

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20001012070628/http://www.lyghtforce.com/HomeopathyOnline/Issue3/sequence2.html)

Homeopathy Today states:

[in “Homeopathy is ‘Awesome’ for Flu”{per Rouhani, S. (ND-student SCNM); Nov. – Dec. 2004}]

“homeopathy is awesome […] last week I had a dip in my vital force that presented like a flu”;

(click here,

http://homeopathic.org/flu_pdfs/Rouhani_Nov04.pdf)

(also archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20050210030839/www.scnm.edu/diaries/article_371.php)

Homoeopathy For All states:

[in “Professional Terms”]

“the higher the potency, the stronger the stimulation of the vital force [...] dynamis - life energy, vital force [...] Hahnemann divides the symptoms we see into two different types: those which result from the first encounter between the vital force and the external agent, and the ones which are a result of the vital force's reaction to the symptoms of that primary encounter-counter action [...] lebenskraft — life force or life power [...] mesmerism — healing force by which a well-intentioned man exerts his strong will over a patient with or without touching him, or even at some distance, in such a way that the vital force of the healthy mesmerizer gifted with this power dynamically flows into the patient [...]

primary effects — every power that acts on life, every medicine, alters the vital force more or less and brings about in human health certain modifications of greater or lesser duration [...] secondary effects — our vital force strives to oppose its energy to this influence. This, its life-preserving reaction, is an automatic activity called secondary effects [...] vigor vitae — life force. Vis medicatrix naturae — The healing power of nature. Vital force — the energy that maintains life in the individual. See aphorisms 9-12 of the Organon”;

(click here,

http://www.homoeopathyforall.com/glossary/terms.php)

the Institute for Complementary Medicine Journal states:

[remember, homeopathy is required in naturopathy education; 'homoeopathy' is the UK spelling]

[in “Homoeopathy - The Complete Healing System”{Sept. 2004}]

“homoeopathy has been practiced worldwide for over 200 years. It is founded on the principle that all living things possess a unique, powerful life force energy and capacity for self-healing. In essence homoeopathy works by understanding the nature of the individual’s life force energy and its capacity to regulate and maintain balance and harmony throughout the organism, and his or her susceptibility or power of reaction, resistance and receptivity to disease-causing influences […] the self-healing response of the life force energy is triggered by selecting and administering the remedy and potency that best matches the strong/weak state of the individual’s life force energy. The microdose of a homoeopathically prepared remedy kick-starts into action the body’s self-curative survival mechanism and, in response to the medicine, the life force energy restores balance and harmony throughout the individual […] homoeopaths do not diagnose or treat specific diseases. Homoeopathy focuses on the life force energy of the suffering individual and views mental, emotional and physical symptoms as a single state of suffering caused by the individual’s life force energy struggling on all levels to defend itself and preserve life by throwing off the disturbing influence and restoring health and balance. In observing and perceiving the whole person in varying degrees of distress and struggle, through administration of the symptom-similar medicine, homoeopathy harmonizes the unique state of each individual’s life force energy […] systematically identifying and evaluating each person’s individualizing signs of suffering, the homoeopath selects from the drug-proving databank the single remedy that is most symptom-similar to the sick person’s total spirit, mind, body state of imbalance and recommends that remedy in the single, smallest dose required to achieve a curative response from the life force energy […] Hahnemann’s fixed principles: 1. recognition of the individual’s unique, innate, spirit-like, self-preserving life force energy”;

(click here,

http://www.i-c-m.org.uk/journal/2004/sep/a02.htm)

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20060531200126/http://www.i-c-m.org.uk/journal/2004/sep/a02.htm)

ii.

[in "Homotoxicology: Biological Medicine For The 21st Century"{Dec. 2003}]

"although the theory of chi life-energy (called the vital force in European natural medicine) may seem very abstract to logical Western thinking, European researchers have validated the existence of these acupuncture points by electrical conductivity readings [...] Hahnemann had come to the conclusion that there was a balancing mechanism or vital force that would continually strive to keep a person in optimum health in spite of all the negative influences, whether biological, environmental, or psychological, to which they were exposed [...] or the defense mechanism too weak, then signs and symptoms unique to the individual would follow. The theory was that the appropriate homoeopathic program would strengthen the vital force and support dramatically the process of healing already in progress, so that health could be restored quickly and naturally";

(click here,

http://www.i-c-m.org.uk/journal/2003/dec03/001.htm)

the Journal of the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians states:

[in “A Reply To Andre Saine’s ‘Homeopathy vs. Speculative Medicine”{per Mathieu, B. (? ?){Simillimum: Winter 2001, vol. XIV no. 4 p. 6-14}]

“our diplomats graduate from naturopathic medical schools where they are trained to integrate homeopathy with other therapies that respect and work with the vital force […] our understanding of vital force, susceptibility, miasms […] the vitalistic rhetoric of naturopathy was largely borrowed from homeopathy in the first place”;

(click here,

http://www.grundlagen-praxis.de/debatte/englisch/reply_as.pdf)

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20041126193334/http://www.grundlagen-praxis.de/debatte/englisch/reply_as.pdf)

the Journal of the Mindshift Institute states:

[per Mannion, M. (? ?), "The New American Medicine"]

"the diverse medical techniques previously referred to as 'holistic' or 'alternative' medicine are now variously called 'complementary' or 'integrative' medicine. In the medical profession, the acronym CAM (for Complementary-Alternative Medicine) has become increasingly popular to describe a wide range of modalities outside conventional medicine [...] in Ayurveda, the ancient medical system of India, the balanced functioning of the life force is essential to health. In traditional Chinese medicine, harmony and balance of qi energy are evident in the well-known yin-yang symbol [...] the divergent approaches to health that comprise what we call complementary medicine are not analogous to the many specialties that exist in Western bioscientific medicine. Seen from a new perspective, it becomes clear that complementary care involves an entirely different view of health than Western medicine [...] at the center of the labyrinth of complementary care is the physical life energy, which has been called by many names over the millennia [...] energy medicine is the least acceptable today and the most controversial in many ways. Yet acupuncture, Ayurveda, biofeedback, color light therapies, herbal remedies, homeopathy, therapeutic touch, yoga—in fact, practically all forms of complementary medicine--involve working with human bioenergy. The concept of bioenergy or life energy is as old as human thought (to the ancient Greeks it was pneuma, to the Hindus, prana) and is familiar around the world as chi in China; baraka in North Africa, and po-wa-ha or orenda to Native Americans. However, it causes great consternation to those who adhere to the mechanistic scientific model. To such individuals, the concepts of bioenergy or life energy smack of mysticism";

(click here,

http://www.mindshiftinstitute.org/Article_New_American_Medicine.htm)

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20031018014104/http://mindshiftinstitute.org/Article_New_American_Medicine.htm)

Medscape states:

[per Atwood, K.C. IV. (MD ?), "Naturopathy: A Critical Appraisal", Medscape General Medicine 5(4), 2003]

"naturopathic beliefs -- including those of 'naturopathic physicians' -- are rooted in vitalism, the pre-20th-century assertion that biological processes do not conform to universal physical and chemical principles. Naturopaths describe a 'healing power of nature,' which is compromised by modern medicine";

(click here,

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/465994_print)

(archived here, [-ish; archived CAM proponent website]

http://web.archive.org/web/20050305092905/http://www.gordonresearch.com/answers/critical_appraisal_for_naturopathic_medicine.html)

Naturopath and Herald of Health states:

[this is 'father of naturopathy' Lust as editor and publisher]

[in its masthead, vol. 42 no. 04 c. 04-1937]

"Naturopath and Herald of Health. Official Journal of the American Naturopathic Association and the American School of Naturopathy. Naturopathy employs physiological, mechanical, and psychological sciences to rebuild, purify, and normalize the vital forces of the body";

(ISBN 1425495354)

(for a youtube.com slideshow of this, click here {entire},

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWOHGPimt9I)

(for an amazon.com short review of this, click here,

http://www.amazon.com/review/R1DR8X4RZ9TPC4/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm)

Naturopathic Doctor News and Review states:

["for practicing naturopathic physicians"]

i.[2006]

[in "Vis Medicatrix Naturae: Constitutional Hydrotherapy Utilized to Treat Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue"(2006-04, vol. 02 issue 04}]

"[Watrous, L.M. (ND NCNM) writes] vis medicatrix naturae. Constitutional hydrotherapy utilized to treat fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue [cover...diagnostics for the fatigue included] iris diagnosis [...and therapy included] a homeopathic combination remedy [p.06...her fibromyalgia was attributed to] toxemia [...treatment therefore included] detoxifying the body with constitutional hydrotherapy [...and diagnostics included] iris diagnosis [...and some form of] food intolerance test [AK?...patient also had a] painful heel spur [...with pain attributed to the VFS per] present on occasion but mild. The vis [VFS, when you're really hip!] as now brought out an acute response with the current heel spur [p.07...] via constitutional hydrotherapy and nature cure, these patients are not 'managed' in a disease state, but rather the vis is stimulated to heal and it will carry the body as far as it can in the healing process. This is our body's inner wisdom [...] improving the basic, fundamental mechanics of the human body increases the power of the blood. The healing power is in the blood [...] constitutional hydrotherapy remakes the blood -- simply stated. Once the blood is vitalized, normal metabolism follows [p.08]";

ii.[2006]

.
[in “Tolle Causam - Abnormal Cell Growth in Light of Naturopathic Philosophy” (2006-02, vol. 02 issue 02)]

“[Cage, A. (ND SCNM writes] this concept of the energetic anatomical structures and the energy conducted by them is entirely harmonious with a third naturopathic principle – the vis medicatrix naturae – the healing power of nature, often referred to as the vital force […] vitalism […] the term vital force appears to be the European translation of qi or prana […] qi, prana, and the vital force […] qi / energy [p.007]”;

(click here,

http://www.southbaytotalhealth.com/Abnormalcellgrowth.pdf)

iii.[2006]

[in "Vis Medicatrix Naturae: Viral Disease and Naturopathic Medicine" (2006-01, vol.02 issue 01}]

"[Ancharski, M. (ND NCNM) writes] showing additional promise is the role of immune enhancing strategies, ranging from general and specific nutrient substances to complete alternative medical systems, which center on cleansing and detoxification, restoring balance and boosting the vital force [p.005]";

iv.[2006]

[in “Drop Dosing and the Vital Force” (2006-11, vol. 02 issue 11}]

“[Spaulding, K. (ND Bastyr) writes] I had been seeing Sharon for anxiety, fatigue and hypoglycemic episodes for more than a year […] she was only 50% better[…] last fall, I started practicing drop dosing in earnest as a blend of physical and energetic prescribing […] the concept of drop dosing is known and used in the naturopathic community, but not commonly, and rarely do I see articles regarding the technique. It is odd: the same people that may use Aurum 1M to bring somebody out of a depressive funk feel a need to use Hydrastis in a high-dose, concentrated form as an antimicrobial for an intestinal virus […] as doctors, what are we trying to do? […] Mathew Wood has probably done more than anybody in modem times to popularize the power of drop dosing. Flower essences and low-dose homeopathic prescribing (3X, 6X) respond on a similar level (of course, flower essences affect the mental / emotional level) and fall into this category […] drop dosing straddles physiologic and homeopathic dosing […] affecting the vital force […] I believe in it strongly […] the vital force […] nearly impossible to measure and difficult to easily affect or, ideally, strengthen. Yet we see that the vital force of people is slowly decaying. At a recent Gaia herb conference in Black Mountain, N.C., a panel included NDs Bill Mitchell, Jill Stansbury and Debra Francis. They were asked how to increase the vital force. The panelists agreed that hydrotherapy, sweat lodges, herbs and homeopathy can move the vital force in their own way […] the appropriately chosen remedy can create subtle repercussions that spread throughout the organism like an intelligent Mr. Fix-It, who knows in which places to go to resolve the problems [p.015]”;

v.[2006]

[in “Naturopathic Perspective: Reprogramming Patients With Naturopathic Philosophy” (2006-12, vol. 02 issue 12}]

“[Cage, A. (ND SCNM) writes] the healing power of nature […] stress and the constellation of symptoms it produces is really a new, modern miasm in our culture. Traditional homeopathy teaches that miasms are primarily due to infectious illnesses, but given our holistic structure as energetic human beings, and that infectious organisms can't colonize healthy tissues but only invade hosts with abnormal internal environments, we need to rethink this notion […] energetic miasms […] old naturopathic authors such as Lust and Lindlahr often spoke of ‘nerve energy.’ In my analysis, this nerve energy is clearly qi, or the vital force. Since we all have auras and energy fields that interact with each other and the planet, we can start to see how the notion of an energetic miasm [...] a fear-based miasm”;

vi.[2007]

[in “Vis Medicatrix Naturae: The Healing Crisis [...]” (2007-05, vol. 03 issue 05)]

“[Deroin, C. (NMD NCNM) writes] understanding the important role that the endocrine system, nervous system and general vital force of the body play in a healing crisis allows the physician to use the appropriate medicines not only to promote a healing crisis but also to assist the patient in further alleviation of symptoms [...] experiencing a healing crisis does not guarantee a person will be cured of cancer or any other condition, but its significance lies in a better understanding of the person's vital force. It also allows the body to move through layers of disturbed metabolism and realign itself with its innate cellular memory. Generally, a person's quality of life is improved and the immune system is strengthened on many levels. A healing crisis enables the body to remove the obstacles to cure. It is an example of vis medicatrix naturae at work [p.019]”;

[the issue's index](click here,

http://ndnr.com/ndnr-issues/may-2007-oncology/)[vsc 2011-11-23]

vii.[2008]

[in “News Briefs: 2008 Naturopathic Gathering” (2008-11, vol. 04 issue 11)]

""this year's Naturopathic Gathering [...] will be held at SCNM in Tempe Nov. 14-16. The Gathering's goal is to bring the elders of naturopathic medicine together with the new generations for conversations about vitalistic medicine in theory and practice [...] guest speakers for the conference include NDs Andre Saine, Jared Zeff, Letitia Watrous, Charlie Cropley, Debra Frances, Paul Mittman and Stephen Bailey, and Alan Goldhamer, DC. The master of ceremonies will be Jim Sensenig, ND [p.021]";

viii.[2009]

[in "The Healing Effects of the Exposure to Nature" (2009-06-10)]

"[Beil, K. (ND NCNM 2006) writes] the naturopathic profession holds the concept of vis medicatrix naturae as one of its highest ideals. We define ourselves by an adherence to the philosophy that some power inherent within nature moderates the healing process [...] the naturopathic principle of vis medicatrix naturae [...] the healing powers of the immune system [...] the healing powers of nature [...] as NDs, it is our duty to utilize the healing power of nature to benefit those who have placed their trust and care in our hands [...] he enjoys getting out into the healing power of nature whenever he can [...] when Father Kneipp was teaching Benedict Lust the ways of the (vital) force";

(click here,

http://ndnr.com/web-articles/nature-cure/natural-medicine-the-healing-effects-of-the-exposure-to-nature/)[vsc 2011-11-23]

ix.[2011]

[in "Functional Medicine, Allopathic Medicine, and Naturopathic Medicine" (2011-10-11)]

"[ND Kruzel and ND DeGrandpre write] we began thinking: what is functional medicine and how might functional medical practitioners potentially be working toward clarifying or developing a more vitalist approach? (Vitalism is 'the theory that the origin and phenomena of life are dependent on a force or principle distinct from purely chemical or physical forces' [http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/vitalism]) [...] functional medicine includes some of the important concepts of the vitalist approach including [...] the crucial interplay of the mind, body, and spirit [...] vitalism also takes this view although it is more broadly defined and applied within naturopathic practice [...] where do functional medicine and naturopathic medicine meet at the crossroads of reductionist and vitalist medical approaches? [...] there has been a long and somewhat arduous debate about the roles that vitalism and reductionism have in medicine [...] a more vitalist approach [...] naturopathic medicine -- while clearly having roots in both the vitalist and reductionist traditions [...] the presentations at the April 2011 conference did not account for the premise of vitalist medicine [...] the vitalist approach [...] in the vitalist view [x2...] vitalism is a philosophy positing that the totality of an individual organism cannot be explained solely by the interplay of biochemistry but that there is an additional 'spark,' an expression of energy that is essential to life [...] vitalism posits [...] it is not wishful thinking to believe that epigenetics will ultimately lend support to the vitalist view of health and disease [...] this article is less of an argument that functional medicine is not adequately approaching vitalism [...] vitalism [...] the vitalist-reductionist debate";

(click here,

http://ndnr.com/web-articles/cardiopulmonary-medicine/functional-medicine-allopathic-medicine-and-naturopathic-medicine/)[vsc 2012-01-21]

[Tweeted 2012-01-21:

]

.
.

Naturopathy Digest Online states:

[“a 24-page monthly print and online publication dedicated to providing accurate, authoritative information for the advancement of the naturopathic profession”]

[in “Defining a Profession”{Beychok, T. (? ?) -- associate editor}(2007-03)]

“the six fundamental aspects of naturopathic medicine: the healing power of nature (vis medicatrix naturae). Support, facilitate, and augment the inherent ability of the body to heal itself by identifying and removing obstacles to health and recovery and by gently stimulating the body's vital force [...] based on these principles, the researchers then developed a set of five treatment components that could be applied to all treatments for all conditions [...] stimulating the vis medicatrix naturae”;

(click here,

http://www.naturopathydigest.com/archives/2007/mar/profession.php)[vsc 2010-08-06]

(archived here,

)

(for the archive.org history of this page, click here,

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.naturopathydigest.com/archives/2007/mar/profession.php)

[defunct] (for a youtube.com slideshow of this, click here {00.02.16-00.03.01},

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvi3tXBzIRs)

ii.

[in "Reactive Oxygen Species and the Regulation of Gene Expression, Part One" {Bishop, N.E. (ND Bastyr)(2006-07)

(for her CV, click here,

http://www.nwnp-global.com/docs/curriculumvitae.html)]

"vis medicatrix naturae is the cornerstone of naturopathic medicine. It is the 'life force' and represents a natural yin-yang balance to life which must be delicately maneuvered";

(click here,

http://www.naturopathydigest.com/archives/2006/jul/bishop.php)

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20060906092130/http://www.naturopathydigest.com/archives/2006/jul/bishop.php)

(for the archive.org history of this page, click here,

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.naturopathydigest.com/archives/2006/jul/bishop.php)

(click here,

http://www.nwnp-global.com/docs/ND_Page_06-07%20July.pdf)

iii.

[in "The Many Hats of NAC"{Schor, J. (ND NCNM)}(2006-08)]

"in the good old days, naturopaths could simply stimulate the vital force and rely on nature to sort things out. Today, as we immerse ourselves in this new world of complex interventional biochemistry, we can still model our protocols so they mirror the natural processes invoked by the vital force, or at least we can try to. Once we step beyond the simple elements of our tradition, seemingly simple interventional therapies force the practitioner to make decisions we wish might be better left to the vital force";

(click here,

http://www.naturopathydigest.com/archives/2006/aug/schor.php)

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20060824063553/http://www.naturopathydigest.com/archives/2006/aug/schor.php)

(for the archive.org history of this page, click here,

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.naturopathydigest.com/archives/2006/aug/schor.php)

Nexus – Colorado's Holistic Journal states:

[in “Homeopathy: A Balanced Approach to Health”{O'Brien, C. (? ?)}{Sept/Oct 2004}]

“'a homeopathic remedy works by bringing the body into awareness of a condition, and encouraging it to react and heal,' says Richard Pitt, RSHom (NA), CCH, executive director of the Pacific Academy of Homeopathy in San Francisco and board member of the Council for Homeopathic Certification, Council for Homeopathic Education and California Homeopathic Medical Association. 'Homeopathy believes that the body contains a vital force, or energetic principle, similar to chi or prana, responsible for maintaining balance and harmony. Homeopathic remedies work with this force on an energetic level rather than a physiological level'”;

(click here,

http://www.nexuspub.com/journeys/homeopathy.htm)

the Noetic Journal states:

[in “A Theoretical[!] Alzheimer’s Etiology Predicting Psychogenic Initiation” {Amorosa, R.L. (? ?){vol. 2 no. 2, April 1999}]

“figure 4. Conceptual representation of the noumenon of consciousness illustrating the domain of the noetic effect – a psychotaxic response of the life force or elan vital on quantum biological processes [!]”;

(click here,

http://www.mindspring.com/~noetic.advanced.studies/Amoroso6.pdf)

Positive Health: Integrated Medicine for the 21st Century states:

[in “Naturopathic Medicine”{per Williamson, A. (? ?)}{May 1998}]

“naturopathic medicine […] the most important principles of naturopathic medicine are: that the body has the power to heal itself, that disease is a manifestation of the body's effort to remove obstructions to normal functioning and that disease effects the whole person, body, mind and spirit. The implications of this philosophy take naturopathy out of the realms of strictly mechanical […] the [naturopathic] doctor must therefore be self-aware, spiritually and emotionally […] in the Green Lodge Centre diagnosis involves a range of techniques that include: a lifestyle assessment, a detailed medical history and medical and nutritional tests if they are indicated, traditional Chinese pulse diagnosis and iridology. The patterns of treatment are as diverse as the means of diagnosis and are addressed to the many levels of disease. Mechanical aspects of disease are treated with massage, hydrotherapy, and gentle manipulation as well as with homoeopathy and acupuncture. The physiological aspects are addressed with herbal medicine and dietary changes as well as with homoeopathy and acupuncture. The emotional and spiritual sides of disease are only resolved through the freeing of the vital spirit. Bach flower remedies, higher potency homoeopathy and hydrotherapy are useful catalysts to this process. Working in warm water is not only useful in rehabilitation but it also allows the natural mind to unfold and the spirit to heal. Such a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic methods allows naturopathic medicine to match the needs of the patient [...] naturopathic medicine as we know it today originated in Germany and was heavily reliant on hydrotherapy, diet and natural regimens. When it arrived in the United States at the beginning of the century, it became a natural heir to the vitalist school which also had a strong belief in a vital force permeating the body and responsible for both health and disease according to its purity or corruption […] the philosophy of naturopathic medicine is based upon three principles […] the first principle is that the body possesses the power to heal itself through its internal vitality and intelligence […] the second principle is that disease is a manifestation of the vital force applying itself to the removal of obstructions to the normal functioning of organs and tissues […] emotional/spiritual. As we saw above, the true root cause of our ills and upsets have a non-physical origin. Understanding how we press ourselves into narrow channels helps to free us from stressful situations and allow free flow of the vital force to bathe all the cells in our bodies, leaving us feeling rejuvenated and ready for action";

(click here,

http://www.positivehealth.com/test/articles.asp?i=587)

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20050313160657/http://www.positivehealth.com/test/articles.asp?i=587)

Psychology Today states:

[in "Homeopathy Basics"]

"homeopaths believe that illness is often the result of a disruption of the body's vital force -- the energy necessary to maintain a healthy body and defend against disease. Treatment therefore addresses disruptions in one's vital force [...] homeopathic remedies speed up recovery by stimulating the vital force";

(click here,

http://www.psychologytoday.com/mind-body/homeopathy_overview.html)

Skeptical Inquirer states:

[per Stephens, P. (? ?), “Magical Thinking in Complementary and Alternative Medicine” {November / December 2001}]

"homeopathy and other magical belief systems […] Hahnemann insisted that a ‘vital force’ was present both in the human body and in the medications. He recognized that his successive dilutions (‘potentizations’) of the allegedly active substance in water inevitably reduced the amount of the original substance to none; but the water carried the essence of the active substance, with which it had been in contact; and that essence worked on the vital force of the patient […] in some belief systems, ‘forces’ [as in life force, vital force] and ‘power’ [as in healing power of nature] may seem to merge; e.g., in the concept of ‘vital force’ that exists in so many forms: Polynesian and Melanesian mana, Iroquois orenda, Algonqian manitou, Sioux wakan, Malay kramat, Indian brahma, Greek dynamis, Chinese qi, ashé among the Yoruba of West Africa and its Caribbean derivatives (aché, axé), ‘karma’ and ‘chakras’ in Hindu and Buddhist healing systems, the alleged ‘energies’ in therapeutic touch and reiki, etc.; and ideas of flowing streams of power in Earth, like ‘leylines’ in Britain and Europe and earth energies addressed in the Chinese geomantic system of feng shui";

(click here,

http://www.csicop.org/si/2001-11/alternative.html)

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20050305034714/http:/www.csicop.org/si/2001-11/alternative.html)

ii.

[per De Robertis, M. (? ?), “A University's Struggle With Chiropractic”, Skeptical Inquirer vol. 26 #01 Jan. / Feb. 2002]

“chiropractic has remained on the margins by choice, refusing even today to reject vitalism in all its guises. And there is considerable doubt that a four-year university program culminating in a D.C. degree is necessary to treat musculoskeletal conditions, something conventional therapists do with comparable effectiveness but without the vitalistic baggage […] even if some alternative therapies are eventually found to be effective and safe, until colleges adopt contemporary biomedical paradigms instead of millennia-old vitalistic notions -- i.e., get rid of the nonsense in their curricula and make an attempt to educate its practitioners -- no university should contemplate an affiliation”;

(click here,

http://www.csicop.org/si/2002-01/u-struggle.html)

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20021108142651/http:/www.csicop.org/si/2002-01/u-struggle.html)

the South African Journal of Natural Medicine states:

[per Bhikha, R. (PhD ?, BSc ?)]

"an enduring feature of many systems of medicine worldwide is the concept of the body’s vitality, or its innate power to heal from within. This is known variously as prana (in ayurveda), ch’i (in Chinese medicine), and dynamis (in homeopathy). Hippocrates labeled it the vis medicatrix naturae (through the healing power of nature). In early Western medicine the equivalent term was the etheric body, and more recently it has been given various names such as the vital force, natura, odic force and orgone energy";

(click here,

http://www.naturalmedicine.co.za/sajnm_main/article.php?story=20051220132245922)

the Student Naturopath states:

[in "A Quiet Revolution"{Bogden, K. (NDstudent NCNM?)}{Fall 2006}]

"an inner intuition to assess a plant's vital force";

(click here,

http://www.thestudentnaturopath.org/pdf/Fall06final.pdf)

the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients states:

[in "Quantum Medicine Update: Restoring Immunity, the Autonomic Nervous System, and Bioenergetic Reciprocity for a Fuller Expression of Innate Healing in Naturopathic Medicine"{Yanick, P. (ND ?, PhD ?)}{02 to 03-2007}]

"naturopathic medicine recognizes that health and healing depend on the integrity of the whole person. As such, doctors of naturopathic medicine emphasize the treatment of disease through the stimulation, enhancement, and support of the inherent healing capacity of the person. Qi, or the body's vital life force, is under the control of innate intelligence and is expressed in negative and positive polarities (different from the yin-yang coordinates of Oriental medicine). Maximizing innate healing requires a greater recognition of the reciprocal polarities of this energetic phenomena in nature";

(click here,

http://www.townsendletter.com/FebMarch2007/quantum0207.htm)

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20070505192256/http://www.townsendletter.com/FebMarch2007/quantum0207.htm)

(for the archive.org history of this page, click here,

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.townsendletter.com/FebMarch2007/quantum0207.htm)

ii.

[in "Naturopathic Physician {Snider P. (ND ?} on Her Career Choice: 'No Regrets' {Zablocki, E. (? ?)}{February/March 2005}]

"naturopathic medicine relies on the vital life force within human beings and the healing power of nature";

(click here,

http://www.townsendletter.com/FebMarch2005/pathways0205.htm)

(archived here,

http://web.archive.org/web/20060518193830/http://www.townsendletter.com/FebMarch2005/pathways0205.htm)

(for the archive.org history of this page, click here,

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.townsendletter.com/FebMarch2005/pathways0205.htm)

(for a digg.com social bookmark of this, click here,

http://digg.com/general_sciences/Naturopathy_s_Essential_Vitalism_Snider_P_ND_TLDP_2005)

iii.

[in “Naturopathic Medicine, Integrative Medicine and Women's Health.”{per Hudson, T. (ND ?); 11-01-01}]

“naturopathic physicians are trained in what is called the ‘eclectic’ tradition. We have a broad range of therapies and tend to use a selected mixture of these therapies when treating our patients. Naturopathic therapies include clinical nutrition (nutritional supplementation), botanical medicine (herbs), homeopathy, Chinese medicine and acupuncture, hydrotherapy, manipulation, physical therapies, psychotherapy and minor surgery […] a vitalistic holistic healing art […] our vitalistic philosophy”;

(click here,

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-79757263.html)

iv.

[in"Plans to Minimize the Risk of Viral Infections It's All a Matter of Susceptibility part II: SARS, West Nile, and Monkeypox"(Barker, J.E. (ND SCNM); Meletis, C.D. (ND NCNM 1992); Aug.-Sept. 2003)]

"other than this approach, complete healing and recovery from this illness are left to the vital force of the body";

(click here,

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_241-242/ai_107201215/pg_2)

[in "Naturopathic Medicine, Vitalism, and Homeopathy"(1997;Townsend Letter For Doctors and Patients, #165, p.122-3){Mittman, P. (ND NCNM 1985, DHANP AANP)}]

"how we define the core and essence of naturopathy to ourselves [...] Hahnemann's homeopathy linked the disturbed vital force to the diseased body, and D.D. Palmer's chiropractic saw the spine as a conduit for the 'innate wisdom' [...] alternative medical practices stepped in and linked the healing power of nature with the human spirit [p.122...] what forms the heart of our healing art [...we have] more than a belief in the healing power of nature [...we] directly stimulate the vis medicatrix naturae [...per] working directly with chi, prana or the vital force [...] science and medicine have spent the last 500 years divorced from religion and spirituality. [Appositely] as naturopaths, we must openly acknowledge and unabashedly embrace our partnership with a higher power. The only way to accomplish this is to establish energetic therapies like homeopathy, Chinese and ayurvedic medicine and hydrotherapy at the center of our definition of naturopathy [...per] energy medicines, the practice of homeopathy [...] there is no philosophical conflict between homeopathy and naturopathic medicine. In fact, homeopathy is probably the clearest example of the healing power of nature [...] the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians gave us a clear definition of naturopathic medicine [...] patients get well because their healing begins at the deepest level of being - at the point where the body and its animating spirit meet [...per] the highest ideal of cure [p.123]";

Yoga Journal states:

[in "The Role of Homeopathy in Holistic Health Practice"{per Gray, B. (MD Stanford)}(1976-11)]

"holistic health [...per] encompassing such disciplines as nutrition, naturopathy, herbs, homeopathy, acupuncture, shiatsu, reflexology, polarity, massage, hatha yoga, tai chi, body awareness, rolfing, chiropractics, osteopathy, meditation, hypnosis, some psychotherapics, psychic and spiritual healing, and many others [...] the holistic approach is usually opposite to that of standard medicine [...which is based on] modern science [!!!...while] holistic health [...is based on] mystery [!!!...not] clinical logic [!!!...and believes] every living organism is infused with a force, an influence, an energy that has been called by many names in various disciplines -- the life force, the vital force, dynamism, chi, prana or spirit [...while modern science] considers the concepts of life force a useless metaphysical concept [!!!...] when the 'life force' is withdrawn, the body becomes inanimate [...] holistic health is an approach which recognizes the life force as the central concept in health and disease. The holistic practitioner evaluates [...] the strength and weakness of the life force. The various healing disciplines then remove obstacles to the life force [...] it is then the life force which does the healing [...] nutrition [...] providing the proper soil for the life force [...] chiropractics frees up [...] the central pathway through which the life force flows. Acupuncture, shiatsu, and polarity balance the flow of life force through their meridians [...] yoga also harmonizes the flow of life force through asanas. Pranayama and meditation tend to draw life force from the universe into the body [...] herbs [...] tend to stimulate the life force [p.044...] nurturing and balancing the life force [...] homeopathy is a very systematic method of prescribing single substances which powerfully stimulate the life force to heal whatever is wrong with a person [...] homeopathy is a pure empirical science [!!!...] astrology is another pure empirical science [!!! p.045...] what are we giving? Some kind of energy, life force itself? Nobody knows [!!! p.046]";

ii.

[in "Books: Planet Medicine"{per Lee, V. (? ?)}(1983-09/10)]

"the vitalists believed in a vital life force governing the functioning of all living things, and saw the proper balance of that life force. These beliefs can be seen in the practice of polarity, acupuncture, do-in, etc. [p.060]";

Appendix B.04.b. - Naturo. VFS - Journals.

The Vital-Force-Spirit 'Animatistic New Age Pantheism' of Naturopathic Medicine.