Can Your Body Heal Itself?

The human body is capable of incredible feats that are often taken for granted. Deep within a person’s veins and arteries lies an intricate, complex, and advanced system for fighting off pathogens and repairing damage to cells, tissues, and organs.

Practitioners of orthopathy believe that this demonstrates that the human body is capable of repelling invaders, keeping itself healthy, and healing itself, reported StrongHealth. But what does that entail?

What is Orthopathy?
Orthopathy is a school of thought that was invented by American doctor Herbert Shelton in the 20th century. Shelton attributed different health problems to a build-up of toxins in the body. He believed that if these toxins could be removed, the body would heal itself. Shelton worked alongside medical professionals like John Tilden, who developed methods of natural hygiene, as well as Bernard Macfadden who promoted physical fitness and healthy habits. 

Orthopathy is a holistic approach to health that falls under the alternative medicine umbrella. Although it seems similar to homeopathy, homeopathy, according to WebMD, focuses on providing remedies for specific health conditions and chronic illnesses. 

By contrast, orthopathy doesn’t focus on specific conditions, but rather on the body’s ability to heal itself from most conditions, if given the chance and supported via osteopathic methods.

Orthopathy Practices
Orthopathy proponents think that the immune system needs to be healthy in order to work. With a healthy immune system, the body can heal itself from most conditions or illnesses. However, when toxins flood and damage the immune system, people become susceptible to illness. Healthy immune functioning can be restored via lifestyle changes including detoxing, healthy eating, and staying stress-free. 

Detoxing : Orthopathy practitioners believe that there are harmful substances that can build up in the body and prevent its natural healing. To detox the body, orthopathy advocates for activities like fasting, colon cleansing, and other practices intended to flush toxins from the body. Supplements like milk thistle or probiotics can also support the body in detoxing naturally

Healthy eating: Orthopathy promotes eating a healthy and balanced diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other unprocessed foods. These foods are high in nutrients and, orthopathy believes, they therefore support immune health. Individuals should stay away from processed foods, refined foods, and those high in sugar, salt, or other additives, which expose the body to inflammation and other health conditions.

The brain-body connection: Orthopathy also recognizes that mental and physical health are linked. It advocates for mindfulness, meditation, aromatherapy, and other activities that can reduce stress and improve emotional well being.

Orthopathy vs Modern Medicine
Orthopathy differs completely from modern medicine, in its approach. That’s because orthopathy  believes that the main role of medical professionals is to support the body’s natural healing processes, so that the body can keep itself strong and in good health.

However, Forbes reported that, natural and modern medical techniques don’t always have to be at odds with each other. Many physicians today will treat conditions using both holistic and clinically-proven methods. Additionally, nearly half of the states in the United States have a means for licensing naturopathic practitioners to carry out certain medical activities, including prescribing supplements and advising on diet. 

And while orthopathy doesn’t necessarily see eye-to-eye with modern medicine on the limits of the body’s ability to heal itself or the impact of toxins, modern medicine agrees with orthopathy that a diet high in processed foods is likely to be unhealthy.  

It turns out modern medicine and holistic, alternative approaches agree on a lot of fundamentals. That being said, those who want to pursue orthopathic treatment or other alternative medicinal approaches should clear it with their doctors first to make sure the treatment is safe for them.