Background
Naturopathy is a traditional system of medicine that believes in the body's innate capacity to heal itself. In India, the philosophy and practice of naturopathy differs from that of other countries. Yet little is known about the practice and regulatory affairs of naturopathy in India.
Objectives
To explore the Indian perspective of naturopathy in terms of philosophy, practice, regulatory issues, challenges and future directions.
Methods
An online literature search was carried out in PubMed and Google Scholar using the keywords ‘naturopathic medicine’, ‘AYUSH systems’, ‘naturopathy’ and ‘CAM in India’. Websites of universities and government bodies were also searched for details regarding regulation and registration. Unstructured interviews were conducted with eminent experts and local physicians via telephone and in person to understand the challenges in practice and their views on the standardisation of naturopathy.
Results
Naturopathic medicine in India is a purely drugless approach. Naturopathic physicians use diet therapy, mud, hydrotherapy, massage, acupuncture, chromotherapy, magnet therapy, acupressure and yoga therapy as their main interventions. Lack of appropriate regulatory bodies, research, uniformity in practice and adequate support from the government are the main issues facing the naturopathic community in India.
Conclusion
Naturopathy, as practised in India, is a drugless system that believes in the body's self‐healing capability. The lack of solid evidence for many of its modalities indicates the need to offer adequate research training to professionals to assist them in building an evidence‐based practice. The standardisation of naturopathy can only happen by forming a central regulatory council and by calibrating its educational standards with respect to traditional philosophies.