Naturopathic medicine is a form of medicine that attempts to improve the health of an individual by applying natural remedies. It should be noted that naturopathy is at the most of times used to complement, nor supplement conventional medicine.
Naturopathy was first heard talked about around 1900 by Benedict Lust. Schooled in hydrotherapy and other natural practices in Germanty, Lust was sent to the United States to share the practices in which him and his father Sebastio Kneipp has discovered. Shortly there after in 1905, Lust started and was the founder of the American School of Naturopathy in new York, which was the first naturopathic college in all of the United States.
Lust has great success in the early years, however after the 1930’s naturopathy medicine. went into a recession with the discovery of penicillin. With it most other natural health professions declined as well. The post war era brought about several new drugs such as antibiotics and corticosteroids which changed the way we looked at medicine.
Although greatly reduced in the post war era, naturopathic medicine never completely stopped. One of the greatest modern steps back toward the practice was in 1956 when the National College of naturopathic Medicine was opened in Portland, Oregon. This school was the first modern school of the practice, and offered 4 year medical training in naturopathy, with the goal of integrating naturopthic practices back into the mainstream system.
