Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathy is an integrated approach to health that emphasises prevention, lifestyle and the use of natural methods and materials to support the body's capacity to recover.
Principles and methods
Naturopathic practice looks at the whole person, including diet, activity, sleep, stress and environment, and aims to address the underlying causes of ill health rather than symptoms alone.
Its methods may include clinical nutrition, herbal medicine, hydrotherapy, lifestyle and hygiene counselling, physical therapies, and elements of traditional medical systems such as those of China and India.
A brief history
Naturopathic treatment grew from the use of herbs and food as medicine, fresh air and sunlight, and hydrotherapy: the application of hot and cold water, steam and sauna.
As a distinct profession, naturopathy was established in North America at the turn of the twentieth century by Benedict Lust, a German immigrant. Lust had studied with Father Sebastian Kneipp, known in Europe for the "Nature Cure" movement, which used clean food, water, air, sunlight and exercise, together with hydrotherapy, to restore health.
In 1902, Lust began using the term "naturopathy" to describe the combination of disciplines he practised, and he went on to found the first school of naturopathic medicine in New York. More than twenty such schools opened across North America in the early 1900s, and several Canadian provinces and US states recognised the profession by law in the decades that followed.
After the Second World War, the rise of antibiotics and advanced surgery led to a decline in naturopathy. Growing public interest in prevention, diet and lifestyle brought a renewal from the late 1970s onwards.
Regulation differs between countries
In parts of the United States and Canada, naturopathic doctors (NDs) are licensed health professionals who complete a four-year, campus-based doctoral programme and pass licensing examinations. A list of accredited North American programmes is available on our naturopathic medicine schools page.
In the United Kingdom, naturopathy is not a statutorily regulated profession.
CAMBMS courses teach naturopathic principles and wellbeing approaches. They do not qualify anyone as a licensed naturopathic doctor, and they are not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment.