Orthopathy (from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

ὀρθός ''orthos'' 'right' and πάθος ''pathos'' 'suffering') or natural hygiene (NH) is a set of alternative medical beliefs and practices originating from the ''Nature Cure'' movement. Proponents claim that

fasting Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see " Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after ...

, dieting, and other lifestyle measures are all that is necessary to prevent and treat disease. Natural hygiene is an offshoot of

naturopathy Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of pseudoscientific practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturo ...

that advocates a philosophy of 'natural living' that was developed in the early nineteenth century. Natural hygienists oppose drugs,

fluoridation Water fluoridation is the controlled adjustment of fluoride to a public water supply solely to reduce tooth decay. Fluoridated water contains fluoride at a level that is effective for preventing cavities; this can occur naturally or by addin ...

immunization Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an infectious agent (known as the immunogen). When this system is exposed to molecules that are foreign to the body, called ''non-s ...

, most medical treatments and endorse fasting, food combining and raw food or vegetarian diets.

History and practice

19th century

The orthopathy movement originated with Isaac Jennings in the 1820s, who practiced conventional medicine for many years but became discouraged with its results.Orcutt, Samuel; Beardsley, Ambrose (1880)
''The History of the Old Town of Derby, Connecticut, 1642–1880. With Biographies and Genealogies''
Press of Springfield Printing Company. pp. 601–603Lelieveld, H. L. M; Holah, John; Mostert, M. A. (2005). ''Handbook of Hygiene Control in the Food Industry''. Woodhead Publishing Limited. pp. 3–4. Jennings' system was firmly opposed to all medicine and was known as the 'no-medicine plan'.Whorton, James C. (2016 edition). ''Crusaders for Fitness: The History of American Health Reformers''. Princeton University Press. pp. 135–136. He prescribed bathing, rest and a vegetarian diet as part of his system. In 1837, Colonel John Benson,

Sylvester Graham Sylvester Graham (July 5, 1794 – September 11, 1851) was an American Presbyterian minister and dietary reformer known for his emphasis on vegetarianism, the temperance movement, and eating whole-grain bread. His preaching inspired the grah ...

and

William Alcott William Andrus Alcott (August 6, 1798 – March 29, 1859), also known as William Alexander Alcott, was an American educator, educational reformer, physician, vegetarian and author of 108 books. His works, which include a wide range of topics in ...

founded the American Physiological Society (APS) in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to promote Grahamism, which lasted just three years.Iacobbo, Karen; Iacobbo, Michael (2004). ''Vegetarian America: A History''. Praeger Publishing. pp. 36–38. The APS was the first natural hygiene organization in the United States. Mary Gove Nichols lectured for the Ladies Physiological Society, an off-shoot of the APS. In the 1840s, Joel Shew was influenced by the dieting ideas of Sylvester Graham and promoted natural hygiene practices such as bathing, exercise and massage as well as the elimination of

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

.Engs, Ruth Clifford (2000). ''Clean Living Movements: American Cycles of Health Reform''. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 96. Isaac Jennings in his 1867 book ''The Tree of Life'', defined orthopathy as 'from orthos, right, true, erect; and pathos, affection. Nature is always upright—moving in the right direction'. George H. Taylor who introduced

Swedish massage Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In Eu ...

to the United States in the 1860s was known to promote natural hygiene and physical culture. Taylor believed that correct breathing and diet,

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

and mechanical massage could replace medical intervention and restore health. Natural hygiene was often associated with

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianis ...

during the nineteenth century. However, not all natural hygienists are vegetarians. Russell T. Trall was a notable early proponent of natural hygiene and vegetarianism. Trall established his own version called 'hygeiotherapy', a mixture of

hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...

with diet and exercise treatment regimes. In 1887, Susanna Way Dodds and her sister Mary established the Hygienic College of Physicians and Surgeons in St. Louis, Missouri.Fisher, Carol (2008). ''Pot Roast, Politics, and Ants in the Pantry: Missouri's Cookbook Heritage''. University Of Missouri Press. pp. 19–20. They focused on 'natural methods of treatment: diet, exercise, massage, electricity and hydrotherapy in all of its manifold applications'. During the 1880s, Thomas Allinson developed his theory of medicine, which he called 'Hygienic Medicine'.

20th century

Natural hygienist George S. Weger managed Weger Health School in

Redlands, California Redlands ( ) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 73,168, up from 68,747 at the 2010 census. The city is located approximately west of Palm Springs and east of ...

(1923–1935).

Herbert M. Shelton Herbert McGolfin Shelton (October 6, 1895 – January 1, 1985)Oswald, Jean A. (1989). ''Yours for Health: The Life and Times of Herbert M. Shelton''. Franklin Books. was an American naturopath, alternative medicine advocate, author, pacif ...

who has been described as 'the twentieth century's premier natural hygienist', was influenced by Sylvester Graham and Russell T. Trall. Shelton wrote much on the topic, beginning with ''The Hygienic System: Orthopathy''Herbert M Shelton, 'The Hygienic System' vol. VI: ''Orthopathy'', Dr. Shelton's Health School: San Antonio, Texas, 1941 in 1939, which renamed orthopathy as 'Natural Hygiene'. Consumption of 'incompatible' foods in one meal is said to lead to ill health, and consumption of 'compatible' foods is said to maintain it: Shelton defined food combining and seven groups of food, sorted by function as: supplying energy (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) needed to build the body (proteins, salts, and water) and regulating bodily processes (minerals, vitamins, and water). White supremacist Ben Klassen was influenced by Shelton and natural hygienic principles and promoted his own 'racial health' regimen known as Salubrious Living.Love, Nancy S. (2016). ''Trendy Fascism: White Power Music and the Future of Democracy''. State University of New York Press. pp. 112–114. Berry, Damon T. (2017). ''Blood and Faith: Christianity in American White Nationalism''. Syracuse University Press. pp. 92–93. However, Klassen emphasised there were differences between his doctrine and the natural hygiene movement as the latter did not focus on perpetuating the white race like his regimen did. Klassen co-authored the book ''Salubrious Living'' with Arnold DeVries in 1982. Interest in natural hygiene was renewed in the 1980s following publication of '' Fit for Life'' and ''Living Health'' by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond.

Organizations

In 1948, the American Natural Hygiene Society (ANHS) was founded by Herbert Shelton, William Esser, Gerald Benesh, Christopher Gian-Cursio, Jesse Mercer Gehman, Irving Davidson, Jack Dunn Trop and

Symon Gould Symon Gould (1894 – November 24, 1963) was an American politician and vegetarianism activist. He was the co-founder of the American Vegetarian Party, formed in 1948. Biography Gould was a bibliophile, rare book dealer, and director of the A ...

. In 1998, the ANHS became the National Health Association. In 1956, Keki Sidhwa established the British Natural Hygiene Society (BNHS). The International Association of Hygienic Physicians was founded in 1978.

Criticism

Medical experts consider natural hygiene practices such as anti-vaccination, fasting and food combining to be

quackery Quackery, often synonymous with health fraud, is the promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices. A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, ...

.Pepper, Claude (1984)
''Quackery: A $10 Billion Dollar Scandal''
U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 94 There is no scientific evidence that prolonged fasting provides any significant health benefits.Barrett, Stephen; Jarvis, William T. (1993). ''The Health Robbers: A Close Look at Quackery in America''. Prometheus Books. p. 114. A prolonged fast may cause 'anemia, impairment of liver function, kidney stones, postural hypotension, mineral imbalances, and other undesirable side effects'. Claims from natural hygienists about fasting curing

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

are not supported by scientific evidence. According to the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than ...

, 'available scientific evidence does not support claims that fasting is effective for preventing or treating cancer in humans'.Russell J, Rovere A, eds. (2009). 'Fasting'. ''American Cancer Society Complete Guide to Complementary and Alternative Cancer Therapies'' (2nd ed.). American Cancer Society. .

Founders

Isaac Jennings.png, Isaac Jennings Sylvester Graham LCCN99406591.jpg,

Joel Shew.png, Joel Shew George H. Taylor physician.png, George H. Taylor Mary Gove Nichols.png, Mary Gove Nichols Susanna Way Dodds 1893.png, Susanna Way Dodds George S. Weger 1903.png, George S. Weger

References

{{Veganism and vegetarianism, state=collapsed Alternative detoxification Alternative medical systems Fad diets Fasting History of vegetarianism Holism Lifestyles