Naturopathy and Nutritional Medicine

In this essay I will olfactory sensation at nutritional medicine and naturopathy, and discuss how they have evolved into their present status. I will describe similarities and differences and address how history, culture and philosophy have do them. Nutritional medicine is the use of aliment and nutritional supplements to prevent and apportion indisposition. It is based on the scientific study of nutrition, researching the nutritional content of food and how it con-tributes to optimal health. Nutrition is fundamental to health as it promotes wellbeing and decreases the encounter of developing acute and chronic illnesses (Sardesai 2012, p. ). Naturopathy is a holistic better system, nidus on natural agents (i. e. air, water, heat, food, herbs) and therapies (i. e. electrotherapy, physiotherapy, psychotherapy) and excluding the use of drugs and surgery. The core principle is that all beings have got a Vital Force, the self-regulatory ability to heal which is supported and enha nced by naturopathic medicine (Sherwood 2005, pp. 156-158). From those descriptions it is obvious that nutritional medicine is an integral part of naturopathy.In fact, naturopathy considers proper nutrition and dietary routines important building blocks to health which argon the foundations to prevention of sickness and promotion of health (Lloyd 2009, p. 46). Appendix, table 1 identifies come along similarities and differences between these two modalities. Principles for nutritional medicine and naturopathy can be traced impale to ancient practices. Refer-ences for the use of food as medicine can be found in ancient medical texts of Egypt that describe the use of animal, veggie and mineral substances as medicine to treat diseases (Di Stefano 2006, p. 5).Although the term naturopathy stems from the late nineteenth century, its philosophical beginnings can also be found in Egypt with the soonest written records of healing practices. The supernatural approach to medicine and the belief that disease is caused by angered gods, evil spirits or demons was characteristic for this period. Patients were inured holistically, both on a spiritual level including religious ritual, and on an empirical level by using food and medicinal plants with healing power (Seaton 2012, p. 2). Appendix, table 2 describes how this view on medicine, health and disease developed over time.