The Association of Naturopathic Practitioners
“We are living in challenging and fast changing times”
The health and well being of many people are being compromised and the Naturopathic practitioner is increasingly in demand by the general public, to help effect real changes in their health.
The acceptance of Naturopathy by the community means also that the practitioners themselves need to be seen as closely allied.
Become a Member of the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners - the benefits are:
- Contact and clients referral as a practitioner
- Reduced premiums for Public Indemnity Insurance through the ANP insurance scheme
- Legal advice for any practice related problems
- Further education through Continual Professional Development courses
- Preferential admission rates for seminars and lectures
- Entitled to use the abbreviation MANP, “Member of the ANP”
- You will be part of the association that represents the future of the profession, protecting the interests of its members in matters of government legislation and promoting the virtues of Naturopathic Medicine
You will also be informed of the developments in Naturopathic medicine and ANP affairs through regular newsletter/journal.
Our Aims
- To enlighten the public upon Naturopathic practice, occupation and treatment
- To act in the best interests of our members
- To further educate practitioners and students of Naturopathy and to inform lay persons by way of lectures and courses
- To advocate, encourage and promote free development of the Naturopath according to individual abilities
- To educate about, encourage, and promote development of Naturopathy
- To co-operate with like-minded individuals, groups and associations
Naturopathic Principles
Nature Heals or The Healing Power of Nature: there is a Life Force that, given the right conditions, will self-heal or self-correct. This Life Force is stimulated by factors which promote health and is suppressed by excesses and deficiencies.
- Prevention is preferable to Cure
- The underlying cause is identified and not the disease
- The whole person is treated - physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually
- The person is treated, not the disease
- The individual is unique; each person responds in a different way
- Ill health is a result of the internal disorder of the body, rather than external influences of the environment or “disease causing agents”
- A Naturopath is an educator/teacher, empowering the patient to take responsibility for his/her own health
Naturopathy Defined
“An eclectic system of healthcare, which promotes the body’s self-healing mechanism.”
The word Naturopathy stems from the 19th Century European “Nature Cures” using treatments incorporating water, air, light, massage and diet. The early Naturopaths were also called the hygiene school of practitioners, advocating moderation in eating and drinking and cleanliness of living. Often fasting was used as treatment.
The advent of the antibiotic and drug era and the introduction of hospital-based medicine at the turn of the 20th Century saw a decline in all natural therapeutic practice.
Naturopathy, along with what is now called Complementary and Alternative Medicine, experienced resurgence in the latter half of last century. The Naturopath now stands amongst all therapies as the most widely trained and skilled practitioner of natural medicine.
An eclectic practitioner is defined as one who freely uses various treatments to restore health in the patient, according to the patient’s needs. The practitioner may use the specialised disciplines of homeopathy, herbalism, and acupuncture (Traditional Chinese Medicine), in addition to a variety of physical therapies.