Nature Cure and Modern Science

The germ theory of modern medicine states that disease follows the entry of a micro organism into the body. Remove the organism and you get rid of the disease. But Naturopathy believes that germs do not cause the disease. They are the result of the disease. It must be remembered that germs are present in both healthy bodies and in unhealthy bodies. There are millions of bacteria on our skin and in our digestive tracts but they do not harm us. So to suppose that the presence of a germ will cause disease is wrong. 

Let us not forget that all of us come in contact with polluted water, open cases of tuberculosis and leprosy. How is it that only some people end up with diarrhea, food poisoning, tuberculosis and leprosy, when all of us are exposed to the same conditions? Surely the germs did not arbitrarily choose to produce disease in some unfortunate people and not in others.

In naturopathy it is believed that germs do not cause the disease, but are the result of disease, the presence of germ and their effects are the later stages of primary disease. It is the primary disease, which creates condition that promotes the growth of germs.

A clean body does not support the growth of germs. But in an unclean body choked with toxins and dirt, a medium is created for the germ to proliferate. The germs proliferate and they produce some morbid condition like boils, fever, rash etc. Modern medicine will simply kill the germs and cure the patient. But in naturopathy the question will be asked why did the germ proliferate in the patient in the first place? The problem to be tackled is the unhealthy body with dirt and toxins and not the germs.

If there is poor hygiene on the roads and there are piles of garbage all around, there are bound to be flies in the area which will spread diseases. Rather than just buying flytraps and killing the flies, we must deal with the primary condition that attracts the flies the garbage dumps and the choked sewage pipes that promote their breeding. Special attention must be given to the environment, which should be a maintained in a clean state, in line with good housekeeping practices.

"Healthy mind in a healthy body is only possible in a healthy atmosphere."

While doctors are obsessed with killing germs, they forget to repair the damaged body, which just might attract more germs in the future, manifesting relapses of the disease. It is here that naturopathy helps. Naturopathy attempts to clean the body and remove all dirt and toxins, so that no germs damage the body and this there is no need for antibiotics or their side effects

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. For these people, the emphasis has not been on finding a disease and killing it, but rather on helping the body establish its own state of good health.

Although the term naturopathy was first used at the turn of the century, the philosophical basis and many of the methods of naturopathic medicine are ancient, some dating back at least to 400 B.C, when Hippocrates became famous for his treatment of disease in accordance with natural laws. In fact, although Hippocrates is called the Father of Medicine, modern medical science completely ignores the self-evident laws of health laid down by him, which state:

Only nature heals, providing it is given the opportunity to do so;
Let food be your medicine and let medicine be your food;
Disease is an expression of purification;
All disease is one.