Profile of a Profession: Naturopathic Practice - Center for the Health ...

UCSF Center for the Health Professions
Appendix D: Brief History of Naturopathy
The Coalition for Natural Health has offered the following brief history of Naturopathy:
The profession of naturopathy—and its name—originated in the late 19th century; its roots,
however, may be traced back through Europe into Greece, to Hippocrates himself, and beyond. Its
theorists widely maintained that all disease was the result of incorrect lifestyle, a poor diet, and
improper care of the body. Germs are not the reason for disease (after all they’re present in a healthy
body). Rather, disease is produced by the weakened body’s inability to rid itself, naturally, of these
accumulated toxins.
Naturopathy in America was founded and named by Benedict Lust (pronounced Loost). German
born, Lust moved the America in 1892. He returned to Germany shortly thereafter, dying of tubercu-
losis. In 1896, he returned to America, cured, and ready to share the reason why. Lust pioneered many
aspects of natural health in America.
Lust opposed many activities deemed dangerous today: the processing of foods, the administration of
drugs and narcotics, and legislation restricting personal choice of healthcare. In 1901 he founded Lust’s
American School of Naturopathy, offering degrees, through both classroom education and home study.
Traditional naturopathy has been practiced in this country steadily since the time of Lust following the
principles he set down, although this practice, for a time, was largely overshadowed by the scientific
breakthroughs that catapulted conventional medicine into the forefront. Today’s economic challenges
facing the medical industry, combined with other evident limitations of the allopathic medical model
(e.g. numerous strains of bacteria developing an immunity to a variety of antibiotics) have many par-
ticipants giving traditional naturopathy a serious second look.
110 Appendix D