History of Naturopathy
Dr. Benedict Lust-Founder of Naturopathy in America
Naturopathic Medicine was developed in the late 1890s in North America under the direction of Benedict Lust, a German immigrant. Lust came to New York City from Germany in the late 1800’s. Lust’s passion for health came when he was a youth suffering from tuberculosis. He sought treatment through the renowned water-curist Father Sebastian Kneipp, a Bavarian priest and gifted healer, at his institution near Munich. Father Kneipp published My Water Cure in 1882. The message of the book was “how to lead a healthy life with special consideration to diet, dwellings, sleep, clothing, exercise and care of the body and soul.” He realized that a return to nature was necessary to restore health in those with degenerative, acutely impaired or chronic illnesses. Lust would return to Germany many years later to study with Father Kneipp and learn the many therapies that were earlier used on him as a child suffering with tuberculosis.
After Lust journeyed back to New York City he began Kneipp’s methods with the addition of dietetics, herbs, massage, electrotherapy, sun baths, and other elements of the German nature cure tradition. Soon, the musculoskeletal manipulations of early osteopaths, chiropractors and naprapaths were adopted as well, and by 1901 Lust had decided upon a name for his broad offering of therapies—naturopathy. He opened that same year The American School of Naturopathy in New York, and the following year launched the Naturopathic Society of America; he would serve as the organization’s only president until his death in 1945.
Dr. Lust not only shared his discoveries in the study of natural health, he also opened hospitals, a school, and a health food store—all the first of their kind. He founded the American Naturopathic Association, which includes over several thousand members today. Naturopathic medicine was popular and widely available throughout the United States well into the early part of the 20th century. In 1920, there were many naturopathic medical schools, thousands of naturopathic physicians, and thousands of patients using naturopathic therapies around the country. But by mid-century the rise of “technological medicine” and the discovery and increased use of “miracle drugs” like antibiotics were associated with the temporary decline of naturopathic medicine and most other methods of natural healing.
But by the 1970’s American’s were becoming increasingly frustrated with what had become “conventional medicine.” The clinical limitations and its out-of-control costs were becoming painful, so the American public began to look for options and alternatives. Naturopathy, and other natural therapies, began to enter an era of rejuvenation and is continuing to grow stronger each year. Among the most influential forces nurturing the concept of complementary or integrative medicine in America in recent years has been the system of naturopathic medicine.
