Diploma in Naturopathy

Naturopathic Medicine is a health care system based on natural therapies, underpinned by the fundamental belief that given the right conditions, the body has an innate ability to heal itself. Naturopathic physicians are trained to diagnose, treat and manage acute and chronic conditions. Rather than focusing on a collection of individual symptoms a naturopath looks at a person as a whole – body, mind and spirit.

Naturopaths seek to identify and treat the root cause of any symptoms. They believe in the principle ‘First do no harm’, which means they will select the most gentle and non-invasive treatment possible to restore the body to balance. This could include changes to diet, appropriate exercise, exposure to natural daylight, gentle tissue manipulation, hydrotherapy or non-toxic natural remedies such as herbs, flower essences and homeopathic preparations. Emotional issues may also be addressed using counselling or relaxation techniques such as meditation.

A naturopath also aims to educate the patient – empowering them to take responsibility for their own health, so that they may prevent future disease and enjoy optimal vitality.

Naturopathic medicine is based on a set of 6 fundamental principles:

1. The Healing Power of Nature:
Naturopaths believe that nature has an innate ability to heal.

2. Identify and Treat the Causes
Treating symptoms does not stop those symptoms reappearing. Naturopaths seek to find the underlying cause, which may be physical or emotional.

3. First Do No Harm
A Naturopath will always choose the most natural, least invasive and least toxic treatment, to avoid creating other imbalances or side effects.

4. Doctor as Teacher
Part of the Naturopath’s role is in educating the patient to take responsibility for their own healing and maintenance of health.

5. Treat the Whole Person

The body is seen as an integrated whole – all aspects of a person are taken into account and the treatment plan encompasses mind, body and spirit.

6. Prevention
Avoidance of toxins and changes to diet and lifestyle are recommended to prevent the onset of future disease.

History

The roots of Naturopathy can be traced back to the Greek philosopher Hippocrates, and the Hippocratic School of Medicine in 400 BC. Hippocrates valued the principles of Eastern medicine. He believed in viewing a person as a whole, seeking the underlying cause of a disease and using the laws of nature to stimulate healing.

The term naturopathy was first used by Dr John Scheel in the late 19th century in New York, to describe his methods of healthcare. The term was later purchased by Benedict Lust, a German born naturopath who was sent as a missionary to bring hydrotherapy to America. Lust was a student of Sebastian Kneipp, who is famous for his work on the healing properties of water. Lust is widely considered to be the “Father of Naturopathy”.

In 1902, Lust founded the American School of Naturopathy in New York, and in 1919 he founded the American Naturopathic Association, allowing Naturopaths to become licensed for the first time.

By the early 1920s the naturopathic movement had gained a lot of public interest. Conventions were well attended and naturopathic journals provided valuable lessons in disease prevention and promotion of health. But in the late 1930s naturopathy started to become suppressed by the dominance of allopathic medicine – helped by the financial backing of the drug industry, with naturopaths being written off as ‘quacks’. This continued until the 1960s, when a growing public awareness of the importance of nutrition resulted in increasing respect for alternative medicine.

For the naturopathic profession to gain credibility in the mainstream, there was a need for credible research and training. In 1978 the first new naturopathy medical school was opened, and within a decade the first accredited courses were on offer.

Opposition by conventional medical practitioners still existed, but in the 1990s much of the dietary advice found in the early naturopathic journals was validated by the National Institute of Health and the National Cancer institute, who started advocating dietary principles such as increasing fibre and reducing red meat consumption for the prevention of degenerative disease.

The future
Naturopathy is becoming more popular and of greater importance in today’s society, with the stresses of modern life taking a toll on health. Some of the issues affecting modern society include:

chemical and environmental pollutants
high intake of processed or ‘convenience’ foods
multiple conflicting responsibilities
lack of good quality sleep
insufficient fresh air and sunlight
long commutes to work becoming the norm
many hours sitting in the same position
excessive screen use
minor health problems treated with drugs that cause side effects

The internet has given the public access to information that they did not previously have, and consumers are researching their conditions and alternatives to conventional treatment. Where an illness is not life-threatening, many people are choosing to start with natural, non-toxic and non-invasive techniques.

We are now seeing a paradigm shift in healthcare. Today there are a small number of NHS funded hospitals specialising in integrated medicine, with consultations that consider the emotional causes of disease and treatments on offer including diet and lifestyle modification, homeopathy, acupuncture, meditation and mindfulness. Conventional medical professionals, who previously shunned the ideas of naturopathy, are now starting to recommend naturopathic techniques including stress reduction, avoidance of pollutants, exercise and dietary modification. While some patients would still rather pop a pill than take responsibility for their own healing, more and more people are now enjoying the benefits of natural healing.

For anyone who is interested in learning about natural healing and in educating others to promote optimal health, the study of naturopathy will be truly rewarding.

The course encompasses an in-depth study of Naturopathy and Eastern medicine philosophy, and because of this unique blending approach is the only course of its type.

You will study a range of Eastern medicine models, the underpinning naturopathic principles, and be given full training in naturopathic diagnostic and treatment techniques. You will learn to undertake a full client consultation – gaining medical details, observations, diet, lifestyle and emotional factors, and use this information to consider the client in their entirety when devising a treatment plan. The training includes a module on the all-important psychosocial skills – including theories, personality types, psychotherapeutic interventions and the role of both the therapist and the patient in the healing process. On graduation you will be fully competent not only in diagnosing and offering suitable treatment, but in supporting and monitoring patients until healing is complete.

You will also learn relevant physiology to fully understand how the body reacts to stress on a biological level, and help to understand the impact on the body organs and systems.

The course is designed to be completed within 1 year, but as much of the learning is completed online with flexible deadlines, you can opt to study at a slower pace and complete the training over 2 years. In order to complete within 1 year the average student should expect to study for 14-16 hours per week. Towards the end of the course there will be a Clinical Summer School where you will advance your learning, meet other students and be able to put your knowledge into practice.

This course is written in line with the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for the practise of Naturopathy.

In order to become a fully registered Naturopath, you will also need to have studied medical science (Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology) Bodywork, plus a naturopathic discipline as a specialism, such as Nutrition, Homeopathy, Acupuncture or Herbal Medicine. We offer courses in Homeopathy (level 6 equivalent) or Nutritional Therapy (level 5 equivalent) which make an ideal accompaniment to this course. We also have medical science courses in Anatomy & Physiology (level 3 equivalent) and Pathology & Disease (level 4 equivalent).

Graduates and therapists that meet the requirements as listed above with the required face-to-face clinical training are eligable to join the GNC if they are a member of one of a GNC recognised professional register, if you are not a member of one of these associations then you would need to join one before you apply to the GNC. If you do not wish to become a registered Naturopath, you can legally practice without registration.

Most naturopaths will be self-employed. Some may work from a dedicated room in their home while others may rent rooms in a clinic or natural healthcare centre. In order to practice professionally, naturopaths must hold professional insurance, maintain strict client confidentiality and comply with the data protection legislation.

A Naturopath works in Natural Healthcare and on a one-to-one basis with their clients – all advice is tailored specifically for that person health issues. An initial consultation typically lasts between 1 and 2 hours, depending on the techniques used, and during this the naturopath will:
1. Identify the main issues that the client wants to address.
2. Take a full medical history, plus details of diet, lifestyle, and emotional factors such as stress or anxiety.
3. Take details of family medical history, to give a full picture of any possible genetic traits or familial patterns.
4. Make observations of the client’s skin, hair and nails.
5. Use any other diagnostic techniques they are trained in, such as tongue diagnosis, iridology or kinesiology.
6. If required, pathology tests like blood tests or stool analysis, may be recommended to gain further information.

If the naturopath feels they are not the best person to help the client, they may refer the client on to another practitioner. The naturopath may also write to the client’s GP to explain the treatment being offered. This is often the case if a client is on medication and needs a GP approval before following some of the Naturopath’s advice.
Some advice may be given to a client on the spot, but is usually followed up with an email or letter outlining their recommendations. This will include specific advice on diet, exercise, rest and relaxation as well as particular herbal or homoeopathic remedies that the naturopath thinks would benefit the client. The naturopath must consider how easy or difficult it will be for the client to make changes, and tailor their advice to be achievable for that particular person.

A follow-up consultation is usually recommended a few weeks later, to check for any changes to the symptoms and adjust the treatment plan if necessary. This is also a good time to find out how much of the advice the patient has managed to follow, and provide additional motivation where necessary.
Naturopathic treatment is about long-term changes to encourage optimal health, so it is common for a patient to return for a number of consultations over a period of months or even years, adjusting the treatment plan little by little until the body is back in a state of balance.

A fun guide to some of the methods and principles found in Naturopathy. If you would like more information about the subject and content of our Naturopathy Course please contact us.
A is for Agni
Agni is an important component of Ayurvedic medicine, relating to the element of fire. Strong Agni signifies good health, whereas weak Agni leads to disease. There are many different types of Agni but the most important is Jathara Agni, which controls the digestion. This is essential because partially digested food creates Ama, which Ayurvedic medicine views as the cause of all disease within the body.
B is for Benedict Lust
The ‘Father of Naturopathy’! German-born Benedict Lust discovered the healing powers of nature over 100 years ago, after being cured of a severe case of tuberculosis using hydrotherapy. Lust founded both the American School of Naturopathy and the American Naturopathic Association, allowing naturopaths to train and become licensed for the first time. His legacy is maintained today by the Lust family, who continue to share his natural healing practices.
C is for Cleansing
A cleansing regime is often the first step in a naturopathic treatment programme, and may include certain foods and fluids, herbs, special nutrients, colon hydrotherapy or enemas. The term cleansing is often confused with detoxification – but detoxification relates to a normal bodily process whereas a cleanse is a specific programme or regime that is followed for a set period of time.
D is for Detoxification
Detoxification is a natural bodily process whereby the body deals with potentially harmful substances. The organs of detoxification include the lungs, skin and colon, but the key organs are the liver and the kidneys. In the liver, toxins are bound to other substances to render them harmless before being eliminated from the body. A naturopath may support the organs of detoxification with natural methods in order to make this process more efficient.
E is for Emotions
A naturopath always considers possible emotional causes to ill health, and seeks to address these in tandem with physical symptoms. Often the onset of disease can be traced back to a significant traumatic or emotional event in a client’s history, such as the loss of a loved one, a move to an unfamiliar place, or a traumatic accident. In the case of chronic pain caused by whiplash, the tissue damage seen on scans does not correlate to the level of pain experienced. Pain often continues long after the physical tissue has healed and it is only when the emotional trigger is addressed that the pain diminishes.
F is for First do no harm
‘First do no harm’ is a key principle of naturopathic medicine, and implies that any treatments used should be non-toxic, use the least amount on intervention possible, support and promote the body’s own healing ability and minimise the risk of harmful side effects. It is quite opposite to many drug-based treatments, which can cause uncomfortable side effects that often require further medication.
G is for Gerson
Dr Max Gerson (1881 – 1959) was a German-born American physician who developed the Gerson Therapy for treatment of chronic and degenerative diseases, including migraine, cancer and arthritis. The treatment is a specialised form of dietary therapy involving large quantities of organic fruit and vegetables, raw juices, natural supplements and regular coffee enemas to support the liver, remove toxins and strengthen the immune system. After Dr Gerson’s death in 1959 his daughter, Charlotte, founded the Gerson Institute – a non-profit organization which continues to teach his methods today.
H is for Hering’s Law of Cure
Constantine Hering was an early pioneer of Homeopathy. His law defines the order in which symptoms will be cured during a program of treatment, stating: “All cure starts from within out, from the head down and in reverse order as the symptoms have appeared or been suppressed”. What this means is that the body must be allowed to eliminate toxins without suppression (from within out); mental symptoms will disappear but may manifest as physical symptoms (from the head down); and the most recent symptom to arise will be the first to disappear (in reverse order).
I is for Identifying the cause
One of the fundamental principles of Naturopathy is to identify and treat the cause, rather than focusing only on symptoms. It is for this reason that a Naturopath takes a detailed case history from a client, including information as far back as childhood. If symptoms are treated without addressing the cause, then those symptoms will simply return once treatment stops. To take a simple example, using astringent lotions for acne may temporarily stop the symptoms but if the underlying cause is a hormonal imbalance, the acne will reappear unless that imbalance is corrected.
J is for John Scheel
John Scheel was a German Homeopath practising in New York at the end of the 19th century. He is credited as the first person to use of the term ‘Naturopathy’ in 1895. The word ‘Naturopathy’ is derived from Greek and Latin, and Scheel used the word to refer to health care that used natural methods and focused on the whole person. He sold the rights to the term to Benedict Lust in 1902, who popularised it across the globe.
K is for Kneipp
Father Sebastian Kneipp was a Bavarian Priest who worked extensively with the healing powers of water, and developed the famous ‘Water Cure’ method. Although he is best known for hydrotherapy, Kneipp also used botanical medicine, exercise and nutrition in his healing programmes. It was Kneipp who sent Benedict Lust over to America as a missionary to spread knowledge of hydrotherapy and natural healing. Following his death in 1897, Kneipp’s methods became part of mainstream medical practise in Germany and continue to be used to this day.
L is for Lindlahr
Dr Henry Lindlahr (1862-1924) was a German naturopath and one of the great pioneers of Nature Cure. He was the founder of the Lindlahr Sanitarium, which promised no drugs or surgery but instead used diet, breathing, hydrotherapy, exercise, rest, sunlight, and manipulation therapy to promote health. Lindlahr also opened a college in Chicago to train physicians in the various methods of Nature Cure and published a series of books titled Philosophy of Natural Therapeutics detailing his methods.
M is for Meridians
The meridian system is a key concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The meridians are a series of interconnected energy channels which transport Qi or Chi through the body. Meridians exist in pairs, and each meridian has a number of acupuncture points along its length. Ill health occurs when energy flow through the meridians becomes stagnant or blocked, and stimulation of the correct location can release the energy and return the body to a state of health. The meridian system differs from the circulatory system in the sense that it is an energy medicine concept, and so cannot be seen with scans or imaging.
N is for Nature Cure
Nature cure is a general term used to describe a number of methods of natural healing including diet, exercise, rest and hydrotherapy. It is based on the principle of the healing power of nature, and seeks to stimulate the body’s innate ability to heal itself without the use of toxic drugs or invasive surgery.
O is for Organic food
Organic farming prohibits the use of synthetic pesticides and herbicides such as glyphosate, which has been linked to many health concerns. Instead, natural methods such as crop rotation are used, along with natural insect repellents such as citronella. Animal welfare is at the heart of organic farming and follows the naturopathic principle that prevention is better than cure – animals are not routinely treated with drugs, antibiotics or wormers. The Soil Association is the leading organic certification body in the UK, and products that meet their standards display their logo.
P is for Prevention
Prevention of disease is one of the underlying principles of naturopathy. Most patients who visit a naturopath will already be suffering from some kind of disease – but as well as addressing the current symptoms the naturopath will also aim to prevent future disease through changes to diet, exercise and lifestyle. This differs from orthodox medical practice which focuses primarily on relief of symptoms.
Q is for Qi
Qi (also known as Chi) is the Traditional Chinese Medicine concept of vital energy. We commonly think of Qi as energy within body but Qi is actually larger than this – it is considered to be a universal energy – a force that makes up and binds all things in the universe. It embraces all types of energy, including heat, light, nerve impulses, thoughts and emotions.
R is for Relaxation
One of the key principles of Nature Cure is relaxation, and is something that even the most orthodox of medics would not disagree with. When the body and mind relax, tension is released from muscles, the body softens, blood pressure and other functions can return to normal. During deep relaxation the channels of healing are opened.
S is for Stress management
Physical or emotional stress causes release of hormones to help the body to cope. This is natural and necessary; however, being in a constant state of stress means these hormones are triggered repeatedly, creating imbalance and subsequent ill health. It’s impossible to avoid stress altogether, but learning to manage it is key to restoring the body and mind to a state of equilibrium. A naturopath may suggest a range of stress-management techniques including meditation, mindfulness, exercise, massage, time management, or the use of music.
T is for Tongue diagnosis
Tongue diagnosis is a non-invasive diagnostic tool used in Chinese medicine by acupuncturists and herbalists, as well as many other practitioners of natural medicine. The practitioner examines the shape, colour, and coating of the tongue to detect imbalances in a patient’s Qi (vital energy). Specific areas of the tongue relate to specific organs, giving further clues about the root cause of the imbalance.
U is for Unani
Unani or ‘Unani Tibb’ is an Arabic term meaning ‘Greek Medicine’. It is a system of medicine which is popular in the Middle East, thought to be derived from physicians in Ancient Greece and with roots in the teachings of Hippocrates, Aristotle and Galen. Unani is based on the balancing of the four humours (blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile), with any imbalance between them seen as the cause of disease. Unani methods are similar to other naturopathic therapies – using clean water, pure air and fresh food to prevent disease and seeking a balance between body and mind.
V is for Vitalism
Vitalism is central to Naturopathy, and relates to the invisible life force that might be described as a person’s essence, spirit or soul. The principle of vitalism teaches that life cannot be fully explained in physical and chemical terms, but that there is an energetic force within any living organism enabling it to grow, develop and heal.
W is for Water cure
Water cure, or hydrotherapy, is one of the oldest forms of treatment and has been documented as far back as ancient Rome, but was made prominent by Father Sebastian Kneipp. Application of water at specific temperatures constricts the blood vessels and promotes circulation throughout the body. Regular hydrotherapy can be used to stimulate the body’s self-healing capabilities, invigorating the system and giving positive benefits to the nervous system and metabolism.
X is for X-ray
Although naturopaths will use non-invasive diagnostic techniques wherever possible, many are trained in modern methods such as x-ray and other forms of imaging. There are times when x-ray may be necessary, in particular in holistic dentistry, as it gives vital information that cannot be obtained by other methods. The naturopath must use their skill and discretion to determine when an x-ray needs to be performed, and will aim to keep exposure to a minimum.
Y is for Yin and Yang
The concept of Yin and Yang has been integral to Chinese culture for thousands of years. Although some view Yin and Yang as opposites, they are really complementary forces that exist in everything in the universe. There is a constant dynamic flow between the two forces and one can also transform into the other, in the same way that seasons come and go and morning turns to night. Chinese medicine seeks harmony and balance between these two forces, and the complex interconnections of yin and yang are used to diagnose and treat ill health.
Z is for Zirconium
Zirconium is a non-metal alternative that may be used by holistic dentists for crowns and implants. Metal, although strong, can corrode and react with other metals in the mouth. Zirconium shows good acceptance by the bone and gum and is strong enough for general dental work. As a relatively new treatment option, there is no long term evidence relating to its safety and effectiveness.

who want to begin their careers as Naturopath.
who are looking for an up-gradation as well as a review of the Naturopathy methods and tactics
who want to be an effective Naturopath at home for their patients.
who are looking to take up a job that will help in maintaining the work-home balance
who want a shift in their career
who are interested in opening Naturopathy center.

• Diploma course is of 80 hours duration.

• Maximum duration of the course is 12 months.

• Course can also be completed in fast track mode.

• Flexible course which can be pursued from any corner of the globe.

 

10+2 is the minimum entry requirement

• Course is available in both online and distance modes

• Course can be availed at a reasonable price

• Easy installment payment options

• Scholarship available for meritorious students

Diploma in Naturopathy can be availed at a reasonable course fee of Rs 18,000 for online course and Rs 19,500 for distance mode.( Inclusive of All Taxes ). Candidates with basic computer skills and an internet connection can take up online course and the candidates who wish to receive hard copy study materials can opt for distance mode.

Module 1: Fundamentals of Naturopathy & Health/ Nutrition
Module 2: Method of Nature Care
Module 3: Disease and Treatment by Naturopathy
Module 4: Anatomy of Human Body
Module 5: Viva
Module 6: Internal Assessment