What are the important terms involved in Naturopathic Medicine in which a student should know along with its respective definitions? Can you share the complete history of Naturopathic Medicine in summative way yet understandable context? Through a bullet form, how can you explain the principles of Naturopathic Medicine and what are its significance?

 

Naturopathic medicine is defined as a drugless, noninvasive, rational and evidence-based system of medicine imparting treatments with natural elements based on the theories of vitality, toxemia and the self-healing capacity of the body, as well as the principles of healthy living.

Naturopathic medicine has always encompassed a wide range of treatment approaches. These approaches are based on the principles described above and are often used concurrently in a treatment plan. The main therapies/definition used by naturopathic doctors include:

•clinical nutrition

•botanical medicine

•homeopathic medicine

•Chinese medicine and acupuncture

•physical medicine including soft tissue work, therapeutic massage, naturopathic manipulation of muscle, bone or the spine, hydrotherapy techniques, gentle electrical impulses, ultrasound, diathermy, and exercise therapy

•prevention and lifestyle counseling

•psychological support

•intravenous and chelation therapy

•minor surgery

•colon therapy.

•The roots of naturopathic medicine go back thousands of years, drawing on the healing wisdom of many cultures including Indian (Ayurvedic), Chinese (Taoist), Greek (Hippocratic), Arabian, Egyptian, and European (monastic medicine) traditions. With the age of scientific inquiry, medicine took on exciting dimensions and developed new tools for fighting disease. In fact, many older time-tested healing and health maintenance methods were discarded at a rapid rate as doctors began treating disease almost solely with surgery and drugs. Some practitioners in Europe and America, however, perceived that valuable, empirically proven natural therapies were being lost, and struggled to retain the practice of promoting health through stimulation of the vital force and the rational use of natural agents. Learn more about naturopathic modalities.

As a distinct American health care profession, naturopathic medicine is 100 years old, tracing its origins to Dr. Benedict Lust. Dr. Lust came to the United States from Germany to practice and teach the hydrotherapy techniques popularized by Sebastian Kneipp in Europe.

A committee of Kneipp practitioners met in 1900 and determined that the practice should be expanded to incorporate all natural methods of healing, including botanical medicines, nutritional therapy, physiotherapy, psychology (mind-body connection), homeopathy and the manipulative therapies. They called their profession "Naturopathy." The first school of naturopathy was founded by Dr. Lust in New York City and graduated its first class in 1902.

Naturopathic medical conventions in the 1920s attracted more than 10,000 naturopathic physicians. There were more than 20 naturopathic medical colleges, and NDs were licensed in a majority of states. Naturopathic medicine experienced a decline in the 1940s and '50s with the rise of pharmaceutical drugs, technological medicine, and the idea that drugs could eliminate all disease. As one after another ND degree program closed down, National University of Naturopathic Medicine was founded to keep the medicine alive. The drop-off in popularity was so steep that during its first 20 years, National University of Naturopathic Medicine graduated only 70 students. From its founding in 1956 until 1979, when three of its alumni founded John Bastyr University (now Bastyr University) in Seattle, it was the only naturopathic college in the U.S.

While naturopathic medicine has been present in the United States for a century, National University of Natural Medicine, the oldest accredited naturopathic medical school in North America, celebrated its 50-year anniversary in 2006. 

•Principles of Naturopathic Medicine

1- First, Do No Harm (Primum non nocere)

Naturopathic physicians choose the most non-invasive and least toxic treatments necessary for each patient.

2- The Healing Power of Nature (Vis medicatrix naturae)

Naturopathic doctors recognize the body's inherent ability to heal itself.

3- Identify and Treat the Causes (Tolle causam)

Naturopathic doctors identify, address and remove the underlying causes of disease.

4- Doctor as Teacher (Docere)

Educating and supporting patients on personal health management is an important role for naturopathic doctors. They empower patients to take responsibility for their own health. They also acknowledge the therapeutic value inherent in the doctor-patient relationship.

5- Treat the Whole Person (Tolle totum)

This is a holistic concept that recognizes the body as an integrated whole. Naturopathic doctors treat the patient, not the disease. A naturopathic assessment addresses the nutritional status, lifestyle, family history, physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental and social factors in a person's life.

6- Prevention (Praevenic)

Naturopathic doctors promote a focus on overall health, wellness and disease prevention.

-->Naturopathy aims to educate the person to look after their own health and the health of their family, minimising symptoms of any illness, supporting the body's capacity to heal, and balancing the body so that illness is less likely to occur in the future. A range of therapies are used to support the person.