What makes a therapy part of the naturopathic scope of practice is the way it is applied, i.e., on the basis of the six naturopathic principles of healing. Many medical conditions can be treated more effectively with foods and nutritional supplements than they can by other means, with fewer complications and side effects. NDs use diet, natural hygiene, fasting, and nutritional supplementation in their practice. Where single chemically derived drugs may address only a single problem, botanical medicines are able to address a variety of problems simultaneously. NDs use ultrasound, diathermy, exercise, massage, water, heat and cold, and gentle electrical therapies.
Oriental medicine is a healing philosophy that is complementary to naturopathic medicine.
Meridian theory offers an important understanding of the unity of the body and mind and adds to the Western understanding of physiology. Acupuncture provides a method of treatment that can unify and harmonize the imbalances present in disease conditions, which in turn stimulates the immune system and the healing response. Counseling, nutritional balancing, stress management, hypnotherapy, biofeedback and other therapies are used to help patients heal psychologically. Clinical observation indicates that it works on a subtle, yet powerful, energetic level, gently acting to strengthen the body's healing and immune response and triggering a healing process. Naturopathic practice also includes the use of any medical substances that contain elements that are components of bodily tissues or can be employed by the body for the maintenance of life and the repair of tissues as well as all methods of diagnostic testing and imaging, including X-ray and ultrasound.