History of Naturopathy

Some proponents of the practice claim that the history of naturopathy dates all the way back to ancient Greece and Hippocrates. While it's true that cultures dating far earlier than even Ancient Greece have practiced natural medicine for centuries, what we know as modern naturopathy is actually a much newer concept.

The naturopathy definition, which is a combination of Greek and Latin words and literally translates into "nature disease", was coined in 1895 by John Scheel during the Nature Cure movement in Europe. The term was later purchased by Benedict Lust, a German natural doctor who later popularized the practice in America.

He then came to the United States to spread his practice of drugless, natural medicine and soon became known as "the father of US naturopathy". His broad discipline offered many different techniques that were constantly expanding, making the practice extremely popular with people who were looking for alternative medicine. He later founded the American School of Naturopathy in New York in 1901, and then later formed the American Naturopathic Association in 1919.

The history of naturopathy continued to progress through the early 1900s, eventually waning. However, it saw a boom during the holistic health movement of the 1970s and has only grown in popularity since then into present day.