A Bit of History

Naturopathic Medicine is often seen as a new "alternative" health care option. This is not, however, a new profession at all; naturopathic medicine is now just over 100 years old in North America with a long and respectable history in Europe and other parts of the world. In the 1920's there were hundreds of Naturopathic Physicians practicing in Canada and the U.S.

In the late 1940's with the surge in western medicine, it lost much of its support and following, and the numbers of Naturopaths dwindled. It was probably then that it started to carry a stigma of "quackery". However, since the 1970's, the Naturopathic Profession, thanks to some pioneering and determined doctors, has been making itself noticed again, and is once more taking its legitimate and necessary place in our health care system and the world of medicine.

There are now close to 300 N.D.'s in BC alone, and this number is growing. Naturopathic Physicians today are well-educated in both the sciences and the arts of healing. They provide safe, non-invasive, intelligent care to every individual and, as N.D.'s are thoroughly trained in pathologies and diagnosis, are able to recognize conditions which require more than Naturopathic therapeutics.