Naturopathy

Naturopathy, which draws on practices from many cultures, began as a formal health care system in the United States in the early 1900s. Founded on the notion of the healing power of nature, naturopathy emphasizes the following:

• Prevention and treatment of disease through a healthy lifestyle

• Treatment of the whole person

• Use of the body’s innate healing abilities

Naturopathy also focuses on finding the cause of the disease rather than merely treating symptoms. Some of this system’s principles are not that different from those of traditional healing systems such as Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine. Naturopathy involves a whole-system, whole-person philosophy that may benefit people with heart disease, pain, type 2 diabetes, and mental health and chronic health conditions.

Naturopathy uses a combination of therapies, including the following:

• Diet

• Nutritional supplementation, often through infusion

• Medicinal herbs

• Acupuncture

• Physical therapies (such as heat or cold therapy, ultrasonography, and massage)

• Mind-body therapies

• Exercise therapy

• Hydrotherapy (agitated warm water or cold water applications)

Some naturopathic practitioners advocate practices that are not supported by scientific evidence. Hydrotherapy is an example. Also, some practitioners discourage childhood vaccinations despite studies having proven that vaccinations prevent disorders and death and that benefits of vaccination greatly outweigh risks. However, the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC) encourages using vaccinations according to guidelines from authoritative sources (including the United States Public Health Service), including the COVID vaccine (see AANMC Statement on COVID-19 Immunization).

Few well-designed studies of naturopathic therapies have been done.

(See also Overview of Integrative, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine.)