Naturopathic Medicine History & Guide in Australia
What is naturopathy?
Naturopathy endeavours to find out and treat the underlying cause of an illness, not just the symptoms. Naturopathic medicine aims to improve your sense of wellbeing in all areas.
Introduction and History.
Hippocrates is credited with saying ‘let your food be your medicine’. Over 2,000 years later, it’s quite possible your naturopath will be following his advice and change your diet to improve your health. With 1 in 5 Australians visiting an alternative health practitioner, and 1 in 2 taking some complementary medicine (supplements, herbs etc) natural medicine is becoming mainstream.
Naturopathy in Australia draws from several healing traditions including Chinese, Indigenous America, European and Indian. However, possibly the biggest influence was from mid to late 19th Century United States of America where people such as Sylvester Graham and John Harvey Kellogg promoted eating whole grains instead of white processed flour products. Thought of as crackpots at that time, it has taken over 100 years for ‘science’ to prove that whole grains contain more fibre, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals and are better for your health. Another American, Benarr McFadden, in the early 20th century recommended exercise for health. McFadden founded ‘physical culture’ and promoted hiking, swimming and jogging. Criticised in his day, now aerobic fitness has proven to help as preventative and treatment for conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
While today’s naturopaths embrace traditional methods of healing, they are also aware and trained in modern scientific advances. For instance St. John’s Wort, the European herb used for nervous system complaints for hundreds of years, has been found to be as effective as SSRI antidepressants in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. More and more, science is proving that ancient natural remedies have a lot to offer in the 21st century, often with fewer side effects.
 Dr. Benedict Lust 1872-1945
Founder of Naturopathy
Research In Naturopathy The CAMELOT research study at Monash University |
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 Jacques Castel
Ph: 07 4094 1523
Mob: 04 07 815950   |
Naturopathic Medicine |