Medicina Tradicional y Naturopatía Clínica

Abstracto

A Brief History of Naturopathy

Chin Sun Gwan

Naturopathy or naturopathic medicine may be a form of practice of drugs that employs an array of pseudoscientific practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing". The ideology and methods of naturopathy are supported by vitalism and folk medicine, rather than evidence-based medicine (EBM). Naturopathic practice relies on unscientific notions, often leading naturopaths to diagnoses and coverings that do not have any factual merit. The term naturopathy was coined in 1895 by John Scheel, and purchased by Benedict Lust, whom naturopaths bear in mind to be the "Father of U.S. Naturopathy". Lust had been schooled in hydrotherapy and other natural health practices in Germany by Father Sebastian Kneipp; Kneipp sent Lust to us to spread his drugless methods. Lust defined naturopathy as a broad discipline rather than a particular method, and included such techniques as hydrotherapy, herbal medicine, and homeopathy, also as eliminating overeating, tea, coffee, and alcohol. He described the body in spiritual and vitalistic terms with "absolute reliance upon the cosmic forces of man's nature". In step with the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the first known use of "naturopathy" in print is from 1901. After a period of rise, naturopathy went into decline for several decades after the 1930s. In 1910, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching published the Flexner Report, which criticized many aspects of medical education, especially quality and lack of scientific rigour. The looks of penicillin and other "miracle drugs" and thus the ensuing popularity of up to date medicine also contributed to naturopathy's decline. Within the 1940s and 1950s, a broadening in scope of practice laws led many chiropractic schools to drop their ND degrees, though many chiropractors continued to practice naturopathy. From 1940 to 1963, the American Medical Association campaigned against heterodox medical systems. By 1958, practice of naturopathy was licensed in only five states. In 1968, the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare issued a report on naturopathy concluding that naturopathy wasn't grounded in natural science which naturopathic education was inadequate to prepare graduates to make appropriate diagnosis and provide treatment; the report recommends against expanding Medicare coverage to include naturopathic treatments. In 1977 an Australian committee of inquiry reached similar conclusions; it didn't recommend licensure for naturopaths. Beginning within the 1970s, there was a revival of interest within the U.S and Canada, in conjunction with the "holistic health" movement. As of 2009, fifteen U.S. states, Puerto Rico, the US Island and also the District of Columbia licensed naturopathic doctors, and so the State of Washington requires insurance companies to provide reimbursement for services provided by naturopathic physicians. On the other hand, some states like South Carolina and Tennessee prohibit the practice of naturopathy. In 2015, a former naturopathic doctor, Britt Marie Hermes, began writing critically about her experience being trained in and practicing naturopathic medicine. The IHS (Indian Health Service) began accepting naturopathic doctors in their clinics and practice in 2013, also making loan repayment available to ND's