File:Hepar.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
naturopathy
Also known as naturopathic medicine
Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturopaths. These treatments range from the pseudoscientific and thoroughly discredited, such as homeopathy, to the widely accepted, such as certain forms of psychotherapy. The ideology and methods of naturopathy are based on vitalism and folk medicine rather than evidence-based medicine, although practitioners may use techniques supported by evidence. The ethics of naturopathy
Key facts
- Alternative medicine.claims
- Diseases are cured through the body's "natural healing" ability which is primarily aided by practices labelled as "natural" (and not primarily by pharmaceutical drugs, surgery, and other treatments within evidence-based medicine, not seen as "natural"), comprising widely ranging "nature cures" and any form of alternative medicine that may be labelled as "natural"
- Alternative medicine.topics
- Alternative medicine
- Alternative medicine.orig date
- early 20th century
- Alternative medicine.origprop
- Benedict Lust; Sebastian Kneipp
- Alternative medicine.seealso
- Humorism, heroic medicine, vitalism
- Alternative medicine.MeshID
- D009324
- Alternative medicine.name
- Naturopathy
- Alternative medicine.image
- Hepar.jpg
- Alternative medicine.image_size
- 200
- Alternative medicine.alt
- Old homeopathic remedy, Hepar sulph.
~32 min read
Article
22 sectionsContents
- History
- Practice
- Methods
- Evidence basis
- Safety of natural treatments
- Vaccination
- Practitioners
- Licensed naturopaths
- Education
- Political activity in the United States
- Traditional naturopaths
- Regulation
- Australia
- India
- North America
- Canada
- United States
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- See also
- References
- External links
Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturopaths. These treatments range from the pseudoscientific and thoroughly discredited, such as homeopathy, to the widely accepted, such as certain forms of psychotherapy. The ideology and methods of naturopathy are based on vitalism and folk medicine rather than evidence-based medicine, although practitioners may use techniques supported by evidence. The ethics of naturopathy have been called into question by medical professionals and its practice has been characterized as quackery.
Naturopathic practitioners commonly encourage alternative treatments that are rejected by conventional medicine, including resistance to surgery or vaccines for some patients. The diagnoses made by naturopaths often have no basis in science and are often not accepted by mainstream medicine.