Naturopathy, also called naturopathic medicine, is a system of care that grew out of traditional practices and health approaches popular in 19th-century Europe. It aims to prevent and treat disease by addressing its underlying cause, using diet, exercise, stress management, herbs and supplements, and other methods (NCCIH). Its guiding ideas are six principles set out by the profession. The evidence is mixed: some studies of naturopathic care report benefits, but many are weak, and some common therapies, such as homeopathy and detox cleanses, are not supported by good evidence.
This page covers the practice. If you want to know about the practitioners, their training and what they're allowed to do, see what a naturopathic doctor is.
Where naturopathy comes from
In the United States, Benedict Lust is generally credited with bringing the term naturopathy into use, which he adopted in 1902 (Naturopathic Medicine review), and with opening a naturopathic school in New York in the early 1900s (see famous naturopathic doctors). The modern accrediting agency for naturopathic schools, the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education, was established in 1978 (NCCIH).
The field is small but growing. Licensed practitioners grew from about 2,000 in North America in 2000 to an estimated 5,000 in the US and more than 2,000 in Canada by 2016. National surveys show 0.2% of US adults used naturopathy in 2002 and 1.3% in 2022 (NCCIH).
The six principles of naturopathy
The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) describes six principles as the foundation of naturopathic practice; the summaries below follow its principles page. The Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges publishes the same list of six (AANMC). These are the profession's stated philosophy. They describe how NDs aim to work; they are not research findings.
- The healing power of nature (vis medicatrix naturae). The body has its own self-healing process, and the practitioner's job is to remove obstacles to it and support it.
- Identify and treat the cause (tolle causam). Look for and remove the underlying causes of illness rather than only suppressing symptoms.
- First, do no harm (primum non nocere). Use the least forceful methods needed, choose substances that limit side effects, and avoid suppressing symptoms where possible.
- Doctor as teacher (docere). Educate patients and encourage them to take responsibility for their health.
- Treat the whole person. Take physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental and social factors into account.
- Prevention. Assess risk factors and family history, and work with patients to prevent illness.
Some of these ideas overlap with mainstream care, such as prevention and patient education. Others, such as the belief in an ordered self-healing process, are matters of philosophy that research can't easily test.
Common naturopathic therapies
NCCIH lists these as examples of what naturopathic practitioners use; some practitioners use other methods too, or refer patients to conventional care when appropriate (NCCIH).
| Therapy | What it involves | What our sources say |
|---|---|---|
| Diet and lifestyle changes | Changes to eating, sleep, activity and habits | Evidence depends on the specific change; not rated as a naturopathic therapy in our sources |
| Stress reduction | Relaxation and stress-management methods | Not rated in our sources |
| Herbs and other supplements | Botanical products, vitamins, minerals and other supplements | Strong evidence for supplement claims is often lacking, and "natural" does not always mean safe (NCCIH) |
| Homeopathy | Homeopathic remedies | A review of naturopathic clinic websites found homeopathy among treatments with no evidence beyond placebo (Caulfield and Rachul, 2011) |
| Manipulative therapies | Hands-on techniques | Not rated in our sources |
| Exercise therapy | Prescribed physical activity | Not rated in our sources |
| Practitioner-guided detoxification | "Detox" and cleanse programs, including colon cleansing | Limited evidence; colon cleansing can cause serious side effects (NCCIH) |
| Psychotherapy and counseling | Talk-based support | Not rated in our sources |
What the evidence says
Research on naturopathy is harder to read than research on a single drug, because naturopathic care usually combines several therapies tailored to each patient. Here is what the main reviews and agencies say.
- NCCIH, the federal research center for complementary health, describes naturopathy but does not judge whether it works as a whole. It notes that a license or certificate does not guarantee safe, effective treatment (NCCIH).
- A 2019 scoping review found 33 studies with 9,859 participants, mostly on chronic conditions. The authors concluded naturopathic care was effective for heart disease, musculoskeletal pain, type 2 diabetes, PCOS, depression, anxiety and complex chronic conditions. But the review counted case series with as few as five patients, which weakens that conclusion (Myers and Vigar, 2019).
- A 2012 conference abstract reported a systematic review in progress that had identified 12 studies of whole-practice naturopathic care, six of them randomized trials. It said the findings merit further investigation (Calabrese et al., 2012). This is an abstract, not a full paper. The full review, published in 2015, reported benefit in its included studies but noted the limits of their observational designs (Oberg et al., 2015).
- The Merck Manual says few well-designed studies exist, and that some naturopaths promote unsupported practices and discourage childhood vaccination (Merck Manual).
- Colon cleansing, offered by some practitioners, has limited evidence and carries risks including dehydration and electrolyte problems.
In short:
- The evidence supports the idea that some patients in studies of whole-practice naturopathic care improved, especially with chronic conditions. Most of those studies were not designed to prove cause and effect.
- The evidence does not support homeopathy, detox and colon cleansing, or broad claims that naturopathy treats the root cause of disease better than conventional care.
- Still unknown: how naturopathic care compares with standard care in well-controlled trials for most conditions, and how often it causes harm. We found no systematic review of adverse events for naturopathic care as a whole.
Organized medicine is skeptical. The American Academy of Family Physicians opposes ND licensure and scope expansion (AAFP), and the AMA opposes expanding what NDs may prescribe (AMA). For both sides of that debate, see why many doctors are skeptical of naturopaths, and for a direct answer on legitimacy, is naturopathy real?
The benefits people look for
People turn to naturopathy for primary care, general well-being and treatment of illness (NCCIH). What many value is the format: longer visits, often 60 to 90 minutes for a first appointment (Fullscript vendor benchmark), and attention to diet, sleep and stress. Those are real differences in how care is delivered. They are not proof that the therapies themselves work, so judge each recommended treatment on its own evidence.
Safety basics
- Tell all your providers about every treatment and supplement you use, so they can make decisions together.
- "Natural" does not mean safe. Kava supplements, for example, can cause liver disease (NCCIH).
- Many supplements haven't been tested in pregnant or nursing women or in children. Check with a clinician before using them in those situations (NCCIH).
- Be cautious with cleanses. Laxative-driven diarrhea can lead to dehydration and poor nutrient absorption, and people with kidney, heart or bowel disease face higher risk (NCCIH).
- Don't stop a prescribed treatment or skip recommended vaccines without talking to the clinician who prescribed or recommended them.
Who practices naturopathy
Three groups offer naturopathic care: licensed naturopathic doctors trained at accredited schools, traditional naturopaths trained in non-accredited programs who can't be licensed, and other licensed providers who use some of the same methods (NCCIH). Only about 23 states license or register naturopathic doctors, and New York is not one of them. See what a naturopathic doctor is and what they can do and which states license naturopathic doctors.
Next steps
- If you're considering a practitioner, read how to find and vet a naturopathic doctor.
- Compare practices in our naturopathic doctor directory, including naturopathic doctors in New York.
- See a medical doctor first for emergencies, new or severe symptoms, or any condition that needs prescription treatment.
Last reviewed: October 2026