Naturopathic medicine often uses techniques of physical medicine in which the bones and muscles of the body are manipulated to provide therapeutic effects. As part of a treatment plan, the naturopathic physician will often provide patients with physical medicine therapies such as massage, hydrotherapy, gentle electrical therapies, ultrasound, the application of heat and cold, or prescription of therapeutic exercises for the patient to perform.
Ortho-Bionomy, also known as Somatic Re-education, is another physical medicine technique often employed in treatment. This very gentle, non-invasive, osteopathically-based form of body therapy is very effective in working with chronic stress, pain and injuries, or other issues related to posture or structural imbalances. During treatment with Ortho-Bionomy, the practitioner uses very gentle movements, placing the body into positions which can then help to facilitate the change of stress and pain patterns which have become habitual. Ortho-Bionomy can be highly effective in helping to alleviate both acute and chronic pain and stress patterns by reducing chronic muscle tension, soothing the joints, increasing flexibility, improving blood circulation, and helping the entire body to relax. The treatment also encourages the development of inner awareness within the individual and helps to confer a sense of balance and well-being, on both the physical and emotional level. As the inner wisdom of the body is recognized and affirmed, self healing can be hastened as the person remembers and experiences their natural ability to move away from pain and toward ease.