Naturopathy

History

The word ‘Naturopathy’ was minted in 1895 by a man named John Scheel and later made popular by Benedict Lust of America. Benedict Lust is also considered the Father of naturopathy medicine in the US. Naturopathy comes from the Latin word ‘Natura’ and the Greek word ‘Pathos’. The word natura means nature, and patho implies pain. In ancient Greece, natural healers were called the ‘fathers of medicine’. The roots of naturopathy have also been seen in 19th-century Europe. Even in the 18th century, many countries promoted naturopathy by adopting a natural lifestyle.

Principles

Like ancient systems of medicine like Siddha and Ayurveda, Naturopathy also has its own principles and rules according to which it works. According to the natural medicine system, some primary principles help treat any disease or keep the body healthy. Some of the essential naturopathy principles are as follows:

• Doesn't harm the body: Like all other ancient systems of medicine, naturopathy also gives importance to medication and therapies that don't harm the body. Naturopathy also contains drugs that are the least toxic to the body and includes exercises that have less impact on the body.
• The healing power of nature: The help of nature is necessary to cure any disease or physical problem. Naturopathy not only uses substances derived from nature but also creates a unique natural environment that helps to heal human health. Naturopathic doctors recognize the body's inner taseer, guiding them in detecting widespread health problems.
• Identification of the cause: In naturopathic medicine, the cause of any disease is first pinpointed and then treated. Treating the infection and removing its symptoms are two different. However, overcoming the symptoms and internal causes is often necessary to treat the problems, and this is what naturopathy does.
• Medicine and Education: A naturopathic doctor not only treats the patient's diseases but also provides him with health-related knowledge. Acquiring knowledge related to health helps the person to understand the ways to stay healthy. In addition, education in naturopathy increases the trust between the patient and the doctor and helps the patient follow the rules of staying healthy.
• Treatment of the patient: In allopathic medicine, medicines are given to relieve the disease. But in naturopathy, the healing process is slightly different. The naturopathic doctor explores the patient's body, environment and lifestyle inter-relationship.
• Prevention: Like many ancient treatment methods, naturopathy also gives more importance to preventing diseases before treating them. In Naturopathy, possible unbalanced parts of the body are examined with the help of all the principles and rules. According to naturopathy, prevention is the most important rule, which helps one avoid diseases.

Benefits

The benefits of natural remedies may mainly include the following:

• Mental benefits: Naturopathy is an ancient medical method that helps patients eliminate diseases and other health problems and stimulates positive emotions. Positive emotions help reduce stress, anxiety and depression and improve overall health.
• Treats individually: Naturopathy works individually, which can be considered a vital feature of this treatment system. This means that treatment is customised for individuals with the same disease. While treating a person's disease, the doctor first understands the illness, overall health of the patient and other physical needs.
• Treatment of both disease and patient: In naturopathy, the patient's health condition is improved along with treating the disorders. Like many ancient healing systems, naturopathy also focuses on treating the disease and the patient. The treatment is prepared only after considering all aspects of the disease and the patient.
• Beneficial with allopathic medicines: Many ancient therapeutic methods cannot be taken with allopathic or any other medical system. In contrast, many of the drugs of naturopathy work even more effectively in combination with allopathic medications. For example, if allopathic medicines are being taken to fight a disease, then naturopathic treatments can increase the body's ability to fight against infections.
• Cheaper option: As its name suggests, most of the treatments are done in a natural way, which mainly includes lifestyle and dietary changes. This is definitely cheaper than other systems of medicine.

Risks

• Naturopathy has been considered a safe healing system and treatment is based mainly on healthy food and proper exercise. However, even then, the treatment given by a licensed naturopathic doctor is not considered safe, and there is no guarantee of its safety. In addition, there have been very few studies on naturopathy so far, and there is a lack of scientific evidence.
• The World Health Organization, 2013, released a publication placing naturopathy in the category of traditional therapies. Those methods are put in conventional medicine, which requires several tests before it is considered to be safe.
• In naturopathy, extreme gluten-free diets are often started, due to which other damages begin to occur to the body. For example, if the person does not make the diet changes correctly, he or she may face nutritional deficiencies.

Treatment

• This medical system prepares a treatment plan according to the person's health and other physical needs, which means that treatment may also vary for different individuals for the same disease.
• In most diseases, naturopathic treatment is based only on diet and nutrients. Therefore, naturopathic doctors make changes to the diet plan according to the diseases and health conditions of the person so that the body can get enough of all the nutrients it needs. The diet here usually includes fruits, vegetables, low-fat meat, whole grains, etc.
• Apart from this, to increase the number of nutrients in the body, you may be advised to eat seasonal and local unique fruits, vegetables and other foods. Some experts in naturopathic medicine also believe that eating food raw can provide more nutrients.