Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic Medicine In this essay I will give you my personal opinion and thoughts on naturopathic medicine but before I begin I would like to first give you the definition of naturopathic medicine according to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia : “Naturopathic medicine (also known as naturopathy) is a school of medical philosophy and practice that seeks to improve health and treat disease chiefly by assisting the body's innate capacity to recover from illness and injury. Naturopathic practice may include a broad array of different modalities, including manual therapy, hydrotherapy, herbalism, acupuncture, counseling, environmental medicine, aromatherapy, nutritional counseling, homeopathy, and so on. Practitioners tend to emphasize a holistic approach to patient care”. Hippocrates a Greek Physician that lived over 2000 years ago was accredited with the concept of “healing through nature”. He believed that through diet therapy and herbal therapies one can heal its own body. The doctors who practice naturopathic medicine can play different roles. Some may act as general practitioners; others may focus on particular areas of health such as acupuncture, detoxification, herbal medicine or homeopathy support. But in reality Naturopathic medicine began with Sebastian Kneipp in the 1800s. According to www.cancer.org, Kneipp was a German priest who opened a water cure center and developed herbal treatments. Later, a student of Kneipp's, Benedict Lust opened a water cure institute in New York which used Kneipp's drugless therapies. Lust went on to acquire degrees in osteopathy, and chiropractic, homeopathic, and eclectic medicine. In 1902, Lust purchased the rights to naturopathic medicine from another Kneipp student and opened the American Institute of Naturopathy. Naturopathic medicine can help and benefit people who prefer a natural approach to their health issues. According to the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians currently only 14