Naturopathy is the practice of following natural principles to support health. In the western world its tradition harks back to Hippocratic medicine, c.400BC, behind the successful practice of which was the applied philosophy that a person’s state of health was a product of their physical, mental and environment state and that improving all of these would offer the desired balance in body and mind.
This preventive approach to health was not restricted to Hippocrates. As far back as the 2nd century BC, Chinese physicians were judged on their skill to prevent disease; inability to do so was considered incompetence: “A superior doctor prevents sickness; A mediocre doctor attends to impending sickness; An inferior doctor treats sickness.” – Chinese proverb. And ‘hygge’, the popular Danish philosophy, evokes a similar attitude of contentment, wellbeing and natural lifestyle.