Naturopathy began as a formal health care discipline in the United States during the early 1900s. Founded on the healing power of nature, naturopathy emphasizes
Prevention and treatment of disease through a healthy lifestyle
Treatment of the whole patient
Use of the body’s natural healing abilities
Some of this system’s principles are similar to those of traditional healing systems such as Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine.
Naturopathy uses a combination of therapies, including acupuncture, counseling, exercise therapy, botanicals, hydrotherapy, nutrition, physical therapies (eg, heat or cold therapy, ultrasound, massage), guided imagery, and stress management.
The Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC) encourages using vaccinations according to guidelines from authoritative sources (eg, United States Public Health Service) when contraindications are lacking, including the COVID vaccine (see AANMC Statement on COVID-19 Immunization).
Evidence for Naturopathy
Many naturopathic diagnostic and treatment methods have limited or low-quality evidence. Intravenous vitamin C infusions are commonly given by naturopathic providers despite lack of high-quality evidence for efficacy (1), although the therapy appears to be safe (2). Some of the studies of the naturopathic approach to the management of certain clinical scenarios (eg, pain from arthritis) are small but have demonstrated noninferiority to conventional medicine approaches and cost-effectiveness at times (3).
References
1. Fritz H, Flower G, Weeks L. Intravenous vitamin C and cancer: a systematic review. Integr Cancer Ther. 13(4):280-300, 2014. doi: 10.1177/1534735414534463
2. van Gorkom GNY, Lookermans EL, Van Elssen CHMJ, et al. The effect of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in the treatment of patients with cancer: A systematic review. . The effect of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in the treatment of patients with cancer: A systematic review.Nutrients. 11(5):977, 2019. doi: 10.3390/nu11050977
3. Mondal H, Komarraju S, D S, Muralidharan S. Naturopathic Interventions for Reduction of Perceived Pain in Patients Suffering from Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cureus. 2024;16(2):e54589. Published 2024 Feb 20. doi:10.7759/cureus.54589
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