History of Naturopathic Medicine

History of Naturopathic Medicine

As a distinct American health care profession naturopathic medicine is almost 100 years old. Its roots go back through medical history to the healing wisdom of many cultures and times. At the turn of the century, practitioners of a variety of medical disciplines combined natural therapeutics in a way they hadn’t been combined before, and joined together to form the first naturopathic professional medical societies. Naturopathic medical conventions in the 1920’s attracted more than 10,000 practitioners. Earlier in the century there were more than 20 naturopathic medical colleges, and naturopathic physicians were licensed in a majority of the states.

Naturopathic Medicine experienced a decline in the 1940s and 50s with the rise and popularity of pharmaceutical drugs, technological medicine, and the idea that drugs could eliminate all disease. It has experienced a resurgence in the last two decades, as a health conscious public began to seek out alternatives to conventional medicine. As a body of knowledge, naturopathic medicine continues to grow and evolve. It incorporates those elements of scientific modern medicine that forward the knowledge of the mechanisms of natural healing and therapeutics, especially in the fields of diagnosis, immunology, clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, and other clinical sciences. As an organized profession, naturopathic medicine is committed to on-going research and development of its science.

Source: American Association of Naturopathic Physicians