As the stress and strain of today’s fast paced life drains people of their natural vitality, more and more people succumb to different disorders of the body and the mind. Since allopathic medicines are known to treat symptomatic disorders
and provide temporary relief without addressing the root cause of the problem, people are looking for a more holistic approach. Naturopathy is a system of alternative medicine based on the theory that diseases can be successfully treated or
prevented without the use of drugs, by techniques such as control of diet, exercise and massage.
Naturopathy is practiced through a combination of natural diet supplements and massage therapies. The diet supplements are meant to cleanse the body from within, thereby facilitating self healing in its fullest capacity. Massage therapies
stimulate the body from outside, with particular attention to the energy points. The naturopathy system of treatment claims that an individual is made of three different entities, the ‘Atman’ or the soul, the non-physical person or the mind
and the physical person or the body. The treatment claims to treat all three as a single unit, adopting a holistic approach of cleansing and rejuvenating the mind, body and soul.
Many naturopathy clinics have sprung up in recent times, inviting people to have a tryst with nature and wake up to a more rejuvenating and healthy lifestyle. A consultation typically begins with a lengthy patient interview focusing on
lifestyle, medical history, emotional tone, and physical features, as well as physical examination. The traditional naturopath focuses on lifestyle changes and approaches that support the body’s innate healing potential. Traditional
naturopaths do not undertake to diagnose or treat diseases but concentrates on whole body wellness and facilitating the body healing itself.
These claims seem to be quite attractive in terms of the promise of wholesome upliftment for a person, with no harmful chemicals or radiation or surgeries involved. However, they have also given rise to a raging debate about their
authenticity as it also lacks adequate scientific basis. This is because there are many practitioners of the system who make tall claims but fall woefully short, leaving unsuspecting patients high and dry. They sow the seeds of doubt in
people’s minds about the efficacy of this system of treatment.
There are, however, growing collaborative efforts between naturopaths and practitioners of other forms of medicine such as Allopathy, Homeopathy and Ayurveda to evaluate the safety and efficacy of naturopathic medicine in prevention and
management of a broad range of common ailments, and to decide whether accessibility of naturopathic services will enhance patient health in a cost-effective way.
Despite the doubts about this system of cure however, a lot of patients, are turning towards naturopathy. As naturopathic philosophy favors a holistic approach and seeks to find the least invasive measures necessary for symptom improvement
or resolution, many people who have tried other forms of treatment don’t mind giving it a try as this system encourages minimal use of surgery and unnecessary drugs.
In the early 20th century, after the second World War, people of the West became highly disillusioned by the materialistic life and started looking East for a spiritual satisfaction for their inner search. In the same way, today, more and
more people are losing faith in the chemical based allopathic medicine to keep them in the pink of health and are looking towards nature to bless them with good health and happiness. This should not be surprising, because nature has been
the provider of good health, for both body and mind, ever since time immemorial. Right from pre-historic times, man has always turned to nature to provide him with medicinal herbs and fruits for curing various ailments. He has always
trusted the Sun, Water and Air to provide him with sound health and strength. In fact, the life expectancy of the yogis and rishis of the yore was believed to be hundreds of years, since they lived solely on natural products.
This harmony with nature was sadly forsaken in the course of history, and substituted with artificial chemicals, invented through man’s study of the natural cures. However, these chemicals, as effective as they may be, carry the risk of
side-effects with them, since man has probably not completely understood nature. Therefore, naturopathy, like all other forms of alternative medicine, is in a way going back to the basics, and instilling in ourselves once more, trust and
faith in the Mother Nature. The more the people are realizing this, the more they are embracing the world of Naturopathy.
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