The naturopath is the operator of holistic well-being according to nature, a professional who deals with active prevention and the dissemination of information, techniques and methods to preserve well – being.

• What does the  naturopath do
• How to become a  naturopath
• Laws in Italy and Europe
• Who turns to the Naturopath
• Useful resources for the profession of  naturopath

What does the  naturopath do

The figure of the naturopath moves in the field of well-being and prevention  through the use of multidisciplinary methods and methods that promote the protection of the condition of physical, mental and hormonal balance. 

The activity of the naturopath starts from a global, holistic observation of the subject who turns to him: physical, environmental, behavioral, emotional. The naturopathic interview can last up to an hour during which present and past conditions, lifestyle, nutrition, physical activity, family relationships, emotional reactions, and all the aspects that the subject will want through a multi-level conversation are taken into consideration. supply.  

This allows you to create an extremely personalized rebalancing process , with shared approach times and techniques to achieve the result more easily. Among the practices studied by naturopaths we find: 

• Shiatsu
• Tuina
• Foot Reflexology
• Applied Kinesiology
• Cranio-sacral massage
• Aromatherapy
• Herbal medicine
• Reiki

to offer an ever more complete and complementary range of treatments.

The naturopath is not a doctor, he does not make a nosographic diagnosis, he does not cure diseases , but he helps the patient to take the path of restoring well-being, or to be able to deal with the disease to the best of his conditions, allowing him to find the mental and physical energy to tackle the fight against disease. 

Naturopathy does not act as a substitute for allopathic medicine  (classical Western medicine), but as a complementary, integrative tool that can help pharmacological treatment to be more effective more quickly.  

Vis Medicatrix Naturae is the principle that Hippocrates has identified in the healing forces of nature: the seasonality of food, circadian rhythms, the concept of “soil” , or rather the constitutional predispositions and environmental conditions, positive or negative, which influence the vital energy: supporting the immune system, strengthening it, activating the body’s natural defenses and “cleaning” the environment in which we live.

Becoming a naturopath

The training course to become a naturopath basically lasts three years , but they must necessarily follow specializations that may require at least another two years of training, plus the internship.

The study plan includes preparatory subjects such as Anatomy, Physiology, Biology, Herbalism and specific courses such as psychosomatics, massage techniques, energy gymnastics, breathing techniques, mindfulness, relaxation techniques.

In Italy there are various private training schools which, in compliance with regional laws 2/2005, are included in the Regional Register of Training Bodies in DBN – Bio-Natural Disciplines.

The naturopath can practice freelance in his professional office or work as a scientific informant, commercial agent, consultant in doctors’ offices, pharmacies, herbalists, wellness centers.

The naturopath in Italy and abroad

While in Germany, France, Switzerland naturopathy and naturopath are also recognized by the national health system (actually naturopathy is regulated in 26 of the 27 European countries), in Italy there is still no regulation of the profession of naturopath. 

Despite the (unsuccessful) efforts of regional legislators, the EU institutions and the Italian government have not yet defined a regulatory framework capable of conferring legal recognition at national level to bio-natural disciplines and guaranteeing adequate protection for the consumer who benefits from them. .

The main reason is that, according to the Constitutional Court, operators in bio-natural disciplines would not limit themselves to activities of an auxiliary nature to those of health professionals, but would practice, directly and with a certain autonomy, curative activities, for the which university training and passing state exams are required by law with relative registration in the professional order (Order of doctors, psychologists).

Find out where the Italian legislation on naturopathy is

Who turns to the naturopath

More and more people are approaching personal care in a natural way, documenting themselves on how to prepare for the changes of the season, how to protect themselves in time from allergies, flu. Stress , anxiety , psychosomatic conditions of malaise, difficulty sleeping and resting are generally the inputs that lead to consult a naturopath and to draw up with this professional a path to improve one’s condition in imbalance.

Useful resources on the profession of naturopath

• FENNAP  (National Federation of Professional Naturopaths)
• Deontology of the naturopath , by the FNNHP (National Federation of professional naturopaths Heilpraktiker)
• The obsession to see the title of naturopath recognized