Modern medicine persists in the belief that ill health is due to external entities. A few hundred years ago these external entities were thought to be demons, now they have been identified as microbes. The belief in demons or microbes have one thing in common, and that is the idea that the body is made ill through external forces beyond its control.

Yet bacteria, viruses and germs of an astonishing variety are around us all the time and clearly not everyone is susceptible to their influence. Naturopaths believe that this is because these microbes will only gain purchase in someone's body when they are already ill. That disease arises from an internal imbalance which weakens the body's defence system.

As with most other forms of alternative medicine, a belief in the natural ability of the body to heal itself is fundamental to the practice of Naturopathy. The desired goal of the naturopathic approach to ill health is to use the least invasive intervention that will have the desired therapeutic response. Disease is looked at as an effect and the cause is looked for in the lifestyle of the patient

History.

The earliest mechanisms of healing associated with naturopathy involved a combination of diet, hygiene and hydrotherapy. The term Naturopathy was first coined in 1885 by Dr John Scheel of New York to describe his methods of healing. It gained favour, and thanks to the pioneering work of Benedict Lust, who brought the teachings of his German predecessors to America, naturopathic medicine grew and flourished in both the United States and Europe in the early part of the nineteenth century. Modern day Naturopaths may use different combinations of alternative medicines in their practice, but nutritional therapy, diet, exercise and hydrotherapy are still the forms of treatment most commonly included under the banner of naturopathy.

Diet

Hippocrates said, “food should be our medicine and our medicine food”. The principle is to eat well, i.e. a healthy diet, or not at all (a short fast can encourage the release of healing hormones).

A Healthy diet, naturopathically speaking, could be said to be low in animal proteins and high in fresh fruits, salad, vegetables, nuts and grains, from an organic source whenever possible. It is also advised that tea, coffee and alcohol should be avoided along with foods which are very high in fats or salt. A short fast is often encouraged when a person is suffering from a cold or flu. Naturopaths believe that far from weakening the body, a short fast will actually speed up the healing process. A fast does not mean becoming thirsty; liquids must always be taken regularly during any fast. Naturopaths recommend fasting for one or two days every month on a regular basis; this is thought to cleanse the system of accumulated toxins, give the digestive system a much needed rest as well as encouraging healing.

Hydrotherapy.

Naturopaths have always praised the healing power of water. Water cures originated in the form of spas, many European spas were established during the time of the Roman occupation and some are still in use today. Other forms of water cure include baths, douches and compresses. The water used may be hot or cold. Hot water is at first stimulating then relaxing; cold water has an invigorating effect. Alternating applications of hot and cold water helps to stimulate the circulation of the blood and the lymphatic fluid and relieve congestion. A commonly used technique is a “sitz” bath; two small baths or bowls, one filled with hot water the other filled with cold water. The patient sits in the bowl of cold water and bathes their feet in the hot water and vice versa. The purpose of this is to relieve congestion in the abdomen and improve the circulation. This technique could be used to treat a variety of complaints, including cystitis, constipation or piles. Compresses are usually large pieces of absorbent cotton soaked in either hot or cold water and applied to painful or inflamed areas of the body. The treatment of an arthritic joint for example could entail covering the joint with a cold compress, then covering the compress with a heavier drier cloth and leave overnight. This helps to draw out heat from the joint and relieve inflammation.

Naturopaths also tend to borrow from other natural healing techniques like homeopathy, herbs and osteopathy as many of these are based on a similar philosophy which respects the body's own healing ability.