Unit 13
Naturopathy

Naturopathy is the medicine of natural therapeutics and natural cures. Naturopath practitioners believe that the body has an ability to heal itself, that the best cures come from within, and that the practitioner aims to assist nature in effecting a cure. Naturopathy embraces the concept of prevention rather than focusing on attempting to seek cures. In that respect it in some ways resembles the trend towards health promotion today.

Objectives

When you have completed this unit, you should be able to

1. define “naturopathy,” and understand the concepts of this therapy.
2. identify situations where naturopathy is commonly used.
3. determine the effectiveness of naturopathic medicine by analysing the available research.
4. identify trends and issues related to naturopathic medicine.