NATUROPATHY OR CAM
NATUROPATHY
Naturopathy has different meanings to different people. In
the old traditional sense, used up to and in the earlier half of the last
century the term naturopathy was generally considered to cover healing systems
based on fasting, resting, water baths, the ‘Natural Hygiene’ system, gentle
massage and other similar therapies. This, as a total healing regime, had a
relevance in the less polluted world of that time and it produced results. It
was also appropriate in a time when, compared to our knowledge of to-day, there
was limited knowledge of the biochemistry of the body and of foods, herbs and
other remedies and when considerations of the electromagnetic fields and other
subtle aspects of the body had not been researched as they have to-day. In some
centres and in some countries this relatively limited meaning of the term
‘naturopathy’ is still used.
However in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and
many parts of the United States, where modern naturopathy is making huge
strides, is growing in acceptance and is producing significant health benefits,
the term has grown to encompass a much larger view of health care. Recognition
and understanding of the term are growing in the UK but only slowly and it is
generally still necessary to explain the term when talking to people.
In more recent times and in general the term ‘Naturopathy’
has grown to include a much wider concept of health and healing. In Australia,
for instance, where I trained, taught and practiced, from 1973 to 1996 the term
Naturopathy included
- Nutrition with a full
understanding of metabolic biochemistry and the biochemical interactions of
nutrients and cellular metabolism
- Herbal medicine
including studies and knowledge of the chemistry of the active ingredients
and their roles in health and healing.
- Homoeopathy both
classical [ping] and combinations, plus flower remedies, tissue salts and
related substances
- Reflexology for both
diagnosis and treatment
- Various diagnostic tools such as iridology, the
use of dark field microscopy a range of blood tests and many others.
- Massage and related therapies
- Post-graduate training
generally included Psychotherapy, various
personal growth techniques, Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and similar
therapies.
CAM
The term ‘Complimentary and Alternative Medicine’ (CAM) is
sometimes used interchangeably with the term ‘Naturopathy’. It is also used to
indicate the possibility that naturopathy and other natural therapies can be
used in combination with modern drug medicine as well as an alternative to it. Throughout
this website the term ‘Naturopathy’ will be used as the umbrella term to cover
classical naturopathy, CAM and a range of other ‘alternative’ or ‘natural’
therapies. |
