NATUROPATHIC PRIEST- AHEAD OF HIS TIME

 

FATHER SEBASTIAN KNEIPP was a Bavarian priest and one of the forefathers of the naturopathic medicine movement. He is most commonly associated with the "Kneipp Cure" form of hydrotherapy, the application of water through various methods, temperatures and pressures which he claimed to have therapeutic or healing effects, thus building several hospitals in Bad Wörishofen (often called "Kneipp therapy").

Although most commonly associated with one area of Nature Cure, Father Kneipp was the proponent of an entire system of healing which rested on five main tenets:

Hydrotherapy – The use of water to treat ailments

Phytotherapy – The use of botanical medicines

Exercise – Promoting health of the body through movement

Nutrition – A wholesome diet of whole grains, fruits & vegetables with limited meat.

Balance –A healthy mind begot a healthy person

Sound familiar?  Today  this is all we hear and read about. But 200 years ago this would have been anathema to the medical practice of the day.  Who was this innovator of good health practices?

He was born in 1821 in Bavaria.  His father was a weaver, and Sebastian trained as a weaver until he was 23 when he began training for the priesthood.

Matthias Merkle, a priest in Grönenback, began instructing him, but Sebastian fell ill with tuberculosis in 1847.He was so ill that he was visited by a physician around 100 times in each of his last two years of study. While ill, he began reading many books and found his illness described in a book about water cures.

 In 1850, he met a student in the Georgianum seminary in Munich that was also ill and shared water cures with him. Both young men recovered from their illnesses and with his renewed health Sebastian was able to complete his studies. He was ordained priest in 1852.

Father Sebastian  began working with the cures developed by Vincenz Priessnitz but developed a more complicated and gentle method. His gentle cures contrast the earlier water cures that he referred to as horse cures for their strenuous nature. His treatment of patients also contrasted to that of hospital medicine because it was personalized and took into account the patient's individual strengths and weaknesses.

 

Father Sebastian's approach to medicine was not independent of his Catholic faith. His focus on water and herbs stems from the idea that remedies are naturally provided by God. His emphasis on plain food, drink, and clothing comes from the theory that humans should live in accord with nature. He used scripture as well as references to Roman practice to support the reasoning behind his cure and admitted that his treatments did not fall in line with current scientific understanding. 

The fact that his treatments were not based in scientific theory did not bother him because they were seen as able to succeed where scientific medicine could not.

Father Sebastian had a particular dedication to helping the poor and those whom physicians could not help. His suffering early in life caused him to develop a deep sympathy for those less fortunate than him. He turned down many patients that could feasibly recover on their own, but claims to have never refused to treat a patient that was poor or untreatable by other methods.

In 1855, he moved to Bad Wörishofen where he caused even more of a sensation: Using his water applications, he cured an entire herd of cattle of foot and mouth disease. As an agricultural advisor, he deepened his knowledge and recorded it in specialized agricultural books.

Father Sebastian recorded his observations and findings in his book "Meine Wasserkur" (My Water Cure). In addition to details about his water applications, the book contains a chapter on herbal medicine. This results in a growing demand for treatment by him. Soon, up to 150 patients came to see him every day.

In 1893, Father Sebastian was accorded a very special honor: Pope Leo XIII appointed him to be a papal chamberlain and bestowed upon him the title of "Monsignor.

Father Sebastian Kneipp died on June 17, 1897 at the age of 76. To this day, his knowledge and the therapeutic concept derived from it continue to have an effect and are considered to be milestones in medicine. His knowledge still forms the foundation of the Kneipp brand.