Unity of Disease and Unity of Cure: An Evidence-based Perspective.

Abstract

Context: One of the governing principles of naturopathic medicine is the concept of Unity of Disease and Unity of Cure (UDUC). Many naturopathic physicians and students find it challenging to provide a scientific basis for UDUC because conventionally every disease has varying etiologies.

Objective: The review intended to explore the basis of UDUC, examining the available theoretical evidence around this fundamental tenet of naturopathic medicine, to promote its effective use when consulting new patients and planning the subsequent treatment.

Design: The research team performed a narrative review by searching PubMed, PubMed central, Scopus, Google scholar databases, textbooks on naturopathy and websites of professional bodies representing naturopathic medicine. The search used the keywords 'Naturopathic Medicine', 'Naturopathy', 'Holism', 'Self-healing', 'Pyschosocial determinants and health', 'unity of disease and unity of cure', 'health and disease', 'Multi-model approach', 'whole-system practice' and 'Global naturopathic practice'.

Setting: The review took place at Sant Hirdaram Medical College of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences for women in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Results: The present review provides a comprehensive overview of the scientific evidence behind UDUC under four layers: psychological factors, lifestyle factors, physiological alterations, and disease manifestation. The data presented in this review substantiate the presence of these four layers in the manifestation of various clinical conditions like musculoskeletal disorders, obstetric and gynecological disorders, cardiometabolic disorders, infectious disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders.

Conclusions: It's very evident that the global naturopathic profession embraces traditional philosophies as the core of their practices. However, the field needs measures, such as the formulation of international working groups and the organization of continuous medical-education programs, congresses, and exchange programs, to facilitate crosstalk among practitioners from different parts of the world, which may assert the importance of philosophical tenets such as UDUC in clinical practice.