What Is Naturopathy

Although the term “naturopathy” originated in the late 19th century, the art can be traced back through Germany into Greece, to Hippocrates himself, and even beyond. There have always been people who understand that healing will occur naturally in the human body, if it is given what it truly needs, the proper diet, pure water, fresh air, sunlight, exercise and rest. For these people, the emphasis has not been on finding a disease and killing it, but rather on helping the body establish its own state of good health. Today, these people are known as naturopaths.

While naturopaths recognize that allopathic medical care is, at times, necessary, they understand that many accepted allopathic treatments can be harmful. Allopathic philosophy holds that disease is caused by external agents, chiefly by bacteria and viruses. According to this belief system, a cure will result when these offending agents are eliminated. Also, the allopathic belief also tends to look at the symptom and the disease as one and the same, so that when the symptom has been eliminated, it is presumed that the disease is cured. The Naturopath, however, sees the symptom as nothing more than a signal that something is wrong. According to naturopathic belief, when a symptom alone is eliminated, it is most likely being suppressed. Unless the original cause has been eliminated, the symptom may return later in a chronic form.