Naturopathy

What is naturopathy?

Naturopathy blends traditional and natural forms of medicine with modern scientific knowledge. It is based on the healing power of nature and how it can support and stimulate our body’s ability to heal itself. 

Naturopathic medicine uses natural therapies including:

• dietetics
• botanical medicine
• hydrotherapy
• clinical nutrition
• homoeopathy
• naturopathic manipulation
• fasting
• traditional Chinese medicine
• exercise

Other approaches may include lifestyle counselling, spiritual healing and environmental adjustment. It is both an art and science of disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

 Naturopathy is a system of healthcare that promotes the body’s own self-healing mechanism. It uses natural therapies such as nutrition, herbal medicine, acupuncture and homeopathy.

- Association of Naturopathic Practitioners (ANP)

What do naturopaths do?

Naturopathic health practitioners (naturopaths) strive to provide personal care to their patients. They believe that every individual is unique and people are genetically, biochemically, structurally and emotionally different from one another. 

A naturopath will assess your condition before prescribing treatment. They may use natural healing methods such as homeopathy, acupuncture or herbal medicine. Naturopaths can also offer nutrition advice and physical therapy among other things.

Using a range of alternative methods for diagnosis, a naturopath can often pinpoint a predisposition in the body before the onset of acute disease. This allows them to treat the patient with specific therapies and changes in the patient’s lifestyle. 

What are the benefits of naturopathy? 

Known for promoting and maintaining your body’s health, there are many different ways naturopathy can benefit you. These include:

Preventing disease

This is often done in combination with nutritional guidance, to help maintain or achieve a healthier body and boost your immune system.

Aiding or treating common ailments

These can include but are not limited to helping with digestive issues, headaches, allergies, and common skin conditions.

Improving sleep

Herbal treatments frequently offered through naturopathy combined with nutritional suggestions can help to create better, more sustainable sleeping habits.

Increased self-awareness

Helping you connect with your inner self, naturopathy can help you better understand your body and what it needs. By learning to understand what your body is trying to tell you with a variety of different symptoms or issues, you can begin listening to what it’s telling you. 

What are the naturopathic principles?

The system of naturopathy is described by six core principles that practitioners adhere to at all times. There are many versions and re-phrasings of the six values but essentially they all have the same meaning. These include:

1. The healing power of nature

This essentially means that we should recognise, respect and promote our body's healing power and self-correcting mechanisms. We should avoid any treatments which might contradict this by working against them.

2. Identify and treat the cause

It is important that the underlying cause, whether physical or emotional, is identified and removed as opposed to just simply suppressing the symptoms.

3. Do no harm

A naturopath will provide the most effective healthcare system with the least risk to the patient. They will never use treatments that may create other conditions.

4. Treat the whole person

Every aspect of a person's being must be taken into account when preparing a treatment plan. This includes the physical, mental and emotional aspects, as well as individual health factors and influences.

5. The physician as teacher

A naturopath must encourage their patient to gain control and take responsibility for their own health by teaching them self-care methods.

6. Prevention is better than cure

This value really speaks for itself. Your naturopath will work with you to hopefully not only rid you of your current ailment but also to remove any substances and situations to prevent the onset of further disease in the future.

The origins of naturopathy

Greek philosopher Hippocrates believed that to find the cause of a disease a person would have to be viewed as a whole before being cured using the laws of nature.

It is this principle on which the foundations of naturopathy are built, though technically naturopathy originated in the nature cure movement of Europe.

The actual term 'naturopathy' was coined in 1895 by a man named John Scheel. It was then put into the spotlight by Benedict Lust who is now referred to as the father of American naturopathy.

Lust had spent several years in Germany learning the skill of hydrotherapy and other natural health practices from his father Sebastian Kneipp.

To raise awareness of their drug-free methods, Lust was sent by his father to America. Whilst there, Lust began to use the term naturopathy to describe a broad range of practices including hydrotherapy, herbal medicine, homeopathy and the elimination of overeating.

In 1901, Lust founded both the American School of Naturopathy and the American Naturopathic Association.

After experiencing a period of rapid growth, the introduction of penicillin and other hospital-based medicine at the turn of the 20th century meant that naturopathy went into decline. It was only in the 1970s that there was a revival of interest in conjunction with the holistic health movement.

What should I expect during naturopathy treatment?

Initial consultation and diagnosis

Typically you will have an initial consultation which lasts for around one hour. The consultation will allow your naturopath to ask questions regarding your lifestyle, medical history, diet and general well-being. They may also carry out a physical examination which could include anything from iridology (a study of the iris) to a diagnosis of the tongue.

The more information your practitioner has, the more accurate their diagnosis, recommendations and prescription will be. Once they feel they have gathered enough information a treatment plan will be formulated. This will incorporate all aspects of an individual's life as opposed to just the area that is affected, this way the body has the best chance to heal itself.

The treatment plan may include advice on diet, lifestyle, exercise, herbal medicine, homeopathic treatments, or other suitable remedies. A naturopath may also refer the client to other practitioners as part of an integrated healthcare approach.

How many sessions will I need?

The number of sessions you will need will be highly dependent on what is wrong. For long-standing issues that have been present for years, you might need more sessions than you would for something recent. However, most people begin to see results within about five to six sessions.

It's important to remember that naturopathic medicine is not an instant treatment. If results aren't seen immediately, it doesn't mean that treatment isn't working.

How often is naturopathy needed?

Again this depends on the condition of the patient. Someone who has a serious ailment, may require frequent support and attend sessions once a week or once every fortnight. Other patients may only require one session per month. This is something you can discuss with your practitioner during the initial consultation.

What types of treatment might I be offered?

Because naturopathy is an overall approach to healthcare it uses a variety of treatments chosen by the practitioner based on what they feel will be most efficient. Each treatment will be applied in a way that works with your body's ability to heal itself.

A large number of naturopaths are additionally qualified in other therapies such as acupuncture, homeopathy and iridology, allowing them to be directly involved in the treatment. However, they might select a treatment that is not one of their specialist areas and in this case, they will refer you for treatment elsewhere.

There are many treatments your naturopath might recommend but here is a selection to give you an idea of what to expect:

• kinesiology
• botanical medicine
• brainwave entrainment
• chelation therapy
• colonic enemas
• colour therapy
• cranial osteopathy
• hair analysis
• hydrotherapy
• ozone therapy
• physical therapy (such as osteopathy or soft tissue massage)
• psychological counselling (such as meditation or talk therapy)
• reflexology
• rolfing
• traditional Chinese medicine

Education

Learning from your practitioner about elements of healthy living will play a key role in your treatment. It is the responsibility of your practitioner to offer guidance on a number of areas, ensuring that you can uphold what you have learnt once treatment ends. 

Expect to learn about the principles of health and disease and why a person becomes ill in the first place. You may also learn about diet, nutrition, exercise, breathing exercises and stress management among other things. All of this will help you as a patient gain a better understanding of the totality of body, mind and spirit.

Nutrition

The food we choose to eat influences the way our bodies behave. In naturopathy, the importance of nutrition is stressed every step of the way. Naturopaths believe that the best fuel for our bodies is whole, organic and chemical-free and that adjusting our diets is a simple way of preventing health complaints. 

Naturopathy FAQs

Who do naturopaths help?

Helping people with all different kinds of health concerns across all ages, naturopaths can offer help with long-standing (chronic) illnesses, as well as more recent onset issues. They can help with both physical and psychological issues, providing support for many different patients, including:

• Those looking to prevent disease or start undertaking health promotion strategies.
• People with symptoms that they have been unable to address on their own or with the assistance of other medical practitioners.
• Those who have been diagnosed with an ongoing issue and are seeking complementary treatment options that may improve their quality of life.
• People hoping to combine conventional and naturopathic medicine (often to minimise the likelihood of side effects from drugs, surgery, or medical treatment).   

How is naturopathic medicine different from conventional medicine?

Naturopaths treat each patient as an individual. This means they address not only physical, but emotional, attitudinal, lifestyle, and environmental aspects that may be affecting their health. This allows them to identify and treat the cause at the root. This is done using a variety of therapies, rather than focusing on pharmaceutical options as conventional medicine often does.

What training and qualifications does a naturopath need?

There are no laws currently in place to regulate the practice of naturopathy in the UK.  Various professional associations have therefore been established in a bid to protect the public from practitioners who have not received the proper training.

The organisations ensure professional standards and fitness to practice in all members. This offers a safe resource for members of the public who are in search of a practitioner. 

They also require potential members to agree to comply with their code of ethics and complaints procedure as well as checking they hold the appropriate insurance.

How do I find a naturopath?

On Therapy Directory we only list professionals who have relevant qualifications and insurance and/or are a member of a professional body.

If you are ready to work with a naturopath, you can use our search tool to find one today. Browse their profiles to learn more about the way they work and reach out to those of interest. Here you can enquire about a consultation and start your natural healing journey.