History and significance of Naturopathy: National Naturopathy Day 2022

National Naturopathy Day is observed in India every year on November 18th, to promote positive mental and physical health through drug-free therapy.

Hyderabad: National Naturopathy Day is observed in India every year on November 18th, to promote positive mental and physical health through drug-free therapy. National Naturopathy Day was established on November 18th 2018 by the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy), Government of India.

Naturopathy is the oldest healthcare system that combines modern scientific knowledge with traditional and natural medicine. Relying on nature's healing powers, naturopathy stimulates the human body's ability to heal itself. It is the science of diagnosis, treatment and healing using natural therapies including dietetics, botanical medicine, homoeopathy, fasting, exercise, lifestyle counselling, detoxification and chelation, clinical nutrition, hydrotherapy, naturopathic manipulation, spiritual healing, environmental assessment, and health.

On November 18th 1945, Mahatma Gandhi became the Chairman of the All India Nature Cure Foundation Trust and signed the agreement aimed at making the benefits of Nature Cure available to all classes of people, therefore, this day was chosen to be observed as National Naturopathy Day.

Naturopathy techniques were brought to the United States from Germany in the 1800s. The term naturopathy was coined by John Schell in 1895 and popularized by Benedict Lust, also referred to as the 'Father of Modern Naturopathy'. He was also credited for spreading the knowledge of naturopathy in the United States in 1992. The naturopathy movement started in Germany and other western countries with the 'Water Cure System', also called 'Hydrotherapy'.

It was Vincenz Preissnitz, an Austrian Physician, who made the water cure system popular in the world and later several other personalities contributed to his work. Louis Kuhne, a German nutritionist, deserves special mention in this regard because he developed the principle of the unity of disease and treatment and also provided a theoretical basis for this approach.

Naturopathy in India:The revival of naturopathy in India took place through the translation of German nutritionist Louis Kuhne's book 'The New Science of Healing', which was translated into Telugu by Dronamraju Venkatachalapathy Sarma in 1894. It was later translated into Hindi and Urdu in 1904 by Shri Shroti Kishan Swaroop in order to promote naturopathy.

The Indian naturopathy movement initially started in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, where people worked hard and contributed significantly to the science.

Naturopathy and its benefits:By educating people about the root cause of their health problems, naturopathy always aims to make people aware of the healthy changes they can make to get better. From advising on dietary and lifestyle changes to guiding you to achieve mental wellness; Naturopathy has a prominent place in the medical world.

If we take a broader look at today's scenario, naturopathy is widely known for its benefits and appreciated for its various forms of therapy. It has been adopted as an independent medical system and currently has colleges offering four-to-five year degree courses in Bachelor of Naturopathy and Yogic Science.