The more individuals are educated about the benefits of gluten-free options, the effects of pesticides, organic alternatives, and ingesting chemically laced foods, the more they're returning to natural ways of living. One avenue of doing so is with naturopathic medicine, which embodiments this ideology of returning to the habits and practices of our ancestors.

"Naturopathic care is based on the belief that the human body has an innate healing ability," said Dr. Andrew Iverson, N.D., and owner of Trilium Health in Tacoma. "It uses traditional and natural medical approaches to treat disease and restore health - working with the body and not opposed to it as with conventional drugs."

Naturopathic care treats the holistic individual by paying attention to the emotional and physical body, and the symptoms that it may cause through daily stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and pain. Trilium health treats medical ailments such as arthritis, asthma, autoimmune disorders, chronic fatigue, diabetes, high blood pressure, fibromyalgia, allergies, migraine headaches, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and thyroid imbalance, among others.

"I'm currently treating several Servicemembers for various conditions," Iverson said. "In fact, this week I shipped packages to troops in Afghanistan. Once my military patients reap the benefits of naturopathic care they never look back."

The author of Nature's Diet (2010), Iverson specializes in unique metabolic nutrition testing, herbal cleansing, and detoxification. He uses specially formulated cleansing programs based on his background in medical botany, herbology, and classical naturopathy. He believes the healing power of nature mends and regenerates the body when given what it lacks such as wholesome foods, movement exercise, hydrotherapy, and other non-harmful homeopathic methods.

"The body isn't a list of symptoms to be treated with drugs that mask its natural signals of distress," he said. "This doesn't address the underlying problem or rebuild health. Health is restored by strengthening the whole body through the principles of nature."

One way the naturopathic physician treats the body is by testing an individual's personal chemistry and pH balance (to determine if tissues may be too acid or too alkaline). Often, this and a combination of harmful foods (some specific to the individual) have damaging effects on the body.

 "A skin condition is a tell-tale sign that something's wrong," Iverson said. "A child who has dairy sensitivities will end up with asthma or autoimmune problems. These are reflections of the internal going-ons of the body that can be caused by environmental chemicals or hormonal deficiencies."

Dr. Iverson's military patients have lost weight, and eliminated chronic pain and digestive problems; they've learned how to read food labels and change what they eat when dining out.

"These Soldiers have taken control of their lives," he said. "Individuals need to ask more questions - why am I taking this medication, for how long, what are the side-effects, and are there more natural alternatives. I believe preventative care will save us in the long run, and understanding your options and how it affects you is a great start."

 [Trilium Health: 5609 S. Lawrence St., Tacoma, (253) 752-7377, www.triliumhealth.com]