History of Natural Cure

Nature cure is an ancient science of healing by using the elements of nature to cure. This is a philosophy, which encompasses a view of life, a model for living a full life. The word naturopathy is a Latin-Greek hybrid, which can be defined as 'being close to or benefiting from nature.' It is a drugless system devised by our ancestors who lived close to nature and in harmony with nature. It was known to our ancestors as far back as 460 to 357 BC. It was practiced by ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Many ancient Indian texts and sacred books have mentioned the extensive use of nature’s healing agents like air, earth, water and sun. When the Mohenjodaro in Sind was discovered, the archeologists found Great Baths in the Indus Valley, thus testifying the curative use of water.

Although the term "Naturopathy" originated in the late 19th century, the art can be traced back through Germany into Greece, to Hippocrates himself, and even beyond. There have always been people who understood that healing occurs naturally in the human body, if it is given what it truly needs -- proper diet, pure water, fresh air, sunlight, exercise, and rest. All these people did not lay emphasis on finding a disease and killing it, but rather on helping the body establish its own state of good health. Today, these people are known as Traditional Naturopaths. Traditional Naturopaths recognize that allopathic health care is, at times, necessary. They also know that many people can maintain good health through the use of naturopathy.

The modern methods of nature cure began in Germany in 1822. Vincent Priessnitz started the first hydropathic establishment. This became a great success and the idea of drugless cure spread throughout the world. This encouraged many medical practitioners from America and other countries who learnt this technique and subsequently enlarged and developed other methods of natural healing in their own way. This whole mass of knowledge became known as Naturopathy, the term coined by Dr. Benedict Lust (1872-1945) and hence became known as the Father of Naturopathy.

When you look at the natural healers and naturopaths of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they had many common points. They believed in healing by bringing strength to the individual rather than by curing specific diseases. All had a reverence for nature, and most of them could point to specific observations which helped in the formation of theories and practices. Personal experience of illness and recovery often led them to practice natural healing. They frequently learned from each other or studied on their own, instead of, or in addition to, receiving a formal education. They faced persecution from the medical establishment. The successful amongst them brought good health to many people.