Over the weekend I attended the OAND (Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors) spring conference where I had the pleasure to hear Dr. Alex Vasquez lecturing about his treatment approach to psoriasis. Dr. Vasquez holds designations in chiropractic, naturopathy, and osteopathy and has published papers in JAMA, BMJ, and The Lancet. Dr. Vasquez relayed a remarkable case he had of an 18 year-old woman who had suffered with psoriasis since birth and had tried and failed conventional medical approaches. After applying his standard protocol for one month the woman returned in complete remission and has remained so provided she maintains her treatment plan. After hearing this miraculous case the obvious question is: “What did he do?”
 
This is the part of the story that is the most interesting. Dr. Vasquez didn't use a constitutional homeopathic, a novel nutrient or exotic herbal remedy. His treatment plan was as basic to naturopathic medicine as you can get. He prescribed a health promoting diet which he calls a “Paleo-Mediterranean diet”, a multivitamin-mineral, fish oil, vitamin D, and probiotics. That's it!
 
A reductionist would look at this case and suppose that there is something about the intervention that is therapeutic for psoriasis. As psoriasis is known to improve with sun exposure perhaps the patient was deficient in vitamin D? Or perhaps the fish oils helped with modulation of inflammatory cytokines? Or maybe the probiotics improved the barrier function in the gut? Despite the value of these theories, this case is not about therapeutics or mechanisms; it is about the first principle of naturopathy: the healing power of nature.
 
Any naturopath will tell you that this prescription is a pretty standard set of recommendations that would benefit most, if not all, people regardless of their level of illness or health. There is nothing really specific in this prescription for psoriasis; rather it is a prescription aimed at compensating for the negative influences of “modern living”. What is so amazing is the response the patient had to such a simple intervention. It begs the question: “If these nutrients are likely deficient in the majority of the population, why don‘t we all have psoriasis?”
 
The answer to this question clearly lies in the realm of genetics, epigenetics and biochemical individuality. I think this patient could have come in with any number of clinical presentations. The fact that she had psoriasis is an indicator of her constitutional susceptibility. The intervention, instead of targeting specific etiological factors, simply provided the support for the body to regain control over its homeostatic functions and re-establish a healthy balance through the healing power of nature.