Naturopathy
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Although naturopathy has most of its modern roots in Europe (and can, in a sense, trace its roots to ancient [[Greece]] and the original Hippocratic Oath) it is most prominent in North America. Fourteen of the [[United States]], and every province in [[Canada]], license naturopathic physicians.<ref>http://www.naturopathyworks.com/</ref> | Although naturopathy has most of its modern roots in Europe (and can, in a sense, trace its roots to ancient [[Greece]] and the original Hippocratic Oath) it is most prominent in North America. Fourteen of the [[United States]], and every province in [[Canada]], license naturopathic physicians.<ref>http://www.naturopathyworks.com/</ref> | ||
| − | There are currently seven colleges and universities that offer a "ND" ([[Doctor of Naturopathy|Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine]]) degree in North America.<ref>http://www.aanmc.org/</ref> | + | There are currently seven colleges and universities that offer a "ND" (<s>Not Doctor</s> [[Doctor of Naturopathy|Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine]]) degree in North America.<ref>http://www.aanmc.org/</ref> |
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 21:04, 25 February 2015
| Against allopathy |
| Alternative articles |
“”Naturopathy is a cornucopia of almost every quackery you can think of. Be it homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, applied kinesiology, anthroposophical medicine, reflexology, craniosacral therapy, Bowen Technique, and pretty much any other form of unscientific or prescientific medicine that you can imagine, it’s hard to think of a single form of pseudoscientific medicine and quackery that naturopathy doesn’t embrace or at least tolerate.
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| —David Gorski, Here we go again: A bill licensing naturopaths rears its ugly head in Michigan |
Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a field of practice in healing and maintaining health wherein practitioners use various "natural" remedies to treat their patients. The main idea behind naturopathy is that it supposedly helps the body's own self-healing process; this is based on the pre- and pseudo-scientific theory of vitalism, in which the body has some sort of "energy" that is necessary for one's health. Naturopathic medicine disfavours surgery and drugs, preferring more friendly and fuzzy treatments like herbal medicine or outright woo such as "natural energy fields".
Naturopathy doesn't have any real standards; what therapies one can expect from naturopathic care can vary wildly from practitioner to practitioner,[1] but in most cases include homeopathy and herbal supplements. Naturopaths also very frequently claim to be holistic, meaning that they listen to their patients and sympathize with them, rather than just coldly treating them without any regard for their feelings (which doesn't really make up for the fact that most of their treatments are useless). Naturopaths, like nutritionists, may give quite good advice ("eat fruits and vegetables"), mixed with things that have no basis in reality, such as homeopathy, Reiki, unproven supplements, or whatever fad diet they happen to believe in. (It may be noted that the practice of naturopaths themselves selling their patients supplements is widespread and in fact encouraged by naturopathic organizations.[2] No conflict of interest there at all.) But while some their dietary advice may often be sound, the treatments they recommend are probably almost always ineffective.
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Definition
As has been noted, naturopathy doesn't really entail anything very specific, and practitioners can run the gamut from slightly dubious lifestyle counselors to completely crazy germ theory denialists.[3] Nevertheless, there are some positions which can be considered to be quite common among naturopaths as a whole. There is the appeal to nature, which is ubiquitous (and in the name); a distrust of vaccines and other "synthetic" products; use of herbs and vitamins; a tendency to prefer exotic, Eastern medicine (the more expensive and obscure, the better!) such as Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine; and the belief that our bodies are full of toxins like lead and mercury, which need to be purged by means of detoxing or chelation therapy. Ironically, Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) actually consider mercury, lead, arsenic, and asbestos to be legitimate medical remedies, even as naturopaths wholeheartedly recommend these systems of "medicine". In addition, the American Textbook of Natural Medicine lists Unani (in addition to Ayurveda and TCM) as an acceptable form of naturopathic treatment,[4] even though bloodletting and leeching are integral parts of it (even more so than in Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine).
Licensing
Although naturopathy has most of its modern roots in Europe (and can, in a sense, trace its roots to ancient Greece and the original Hippocratic Oath) it is most prominent in North America. Fourteen of the United States, and every province in Canada, license naturopathic physicians.[5]
There are currently seven colleges and universities that offer a "ND" (Not Doctor Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine) degree in North America.[6]
See also
External links
- Naturopathic Medical Doctors of Arizona, LLC is an example of a naturopathic clinic.
- Naturowatch, the naturopathy-related arm of Quackwatch
- Repertorium Online is an example in the German language.
Footnotes
- ↑ "The practices we encountered in our survey of the occupation ranged from the generally supportable to the improbable to the disproved. The list includes: [...] Some naturopaths we interviewed laughed at certain items in the list but embraced others that had even less credibility." Naturopathy: A Critical Analysis, Barry L. Beyerstein, PhD, Susan Downie, Quackwatch.
- ↑ Your Questions Answered, Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges.
- ↑ Germ theory denialism: A major strain in “alt-med” thought, David Gorski, Science-Based Medicine, August 9 2010.
- ↑ Naturopathy Embraces the Four Humors, Jann Bellamy, Science-Based Medicine.
- ↑ http://www.naturopathyworks.com/
- ↑ http://www.aanmc.org/