Louisa Lust
Dr. Louisa Lust (1868 - 1925)
"Do not under any circumstances; shut the air and sunshine from your home. Do not mind if the furniture, curtains, draperies, etc. will fade. It is better to let them fade than you should." Louisa Lust
Louisa Lust is considered the matriarch of naturopathy. She studied the nature cure methods of Rikli and Kuhne in London prior to coming to America where she met and married Benedict Lust. She was a successful naturopathic physician specializing in the treatment of women. Louisa Lust was the leading financial partner in establishing the sanatoriums in New Jersey and in Florida and she provided the financial wherewithal for the establishment of the first naturopathic college. She was also instrumental in paying for most of the legal defences for her husband. Although Louisa studiously avoided the limelight, she was a powerful presence in the early formation of the naturopathic profession.
She was an accomplished writer, especially with respect to living a healthy vegetarian lifestyle. She believed firmly in the life force within as the great healing agent of the body. For her the successful practice of naturopathy rested on three factors: freedom from fear, mastery of hygiene and never forgetting to treat the individual by modifying and adjusting to each person.
Dr. Louisa Lust was a strong believer in the healing power of food. "We can lengthen our life," she wrote, "or shorten it by eating." In sickness she recommended the lightest possible diet. "One of the greatest evils to be avoided by those who are nursing the sick is that of over eating." She was a staunch advocate of hydrotherapy. "If all people understood how to use water one half of all the afflictions from disease would be removed."
References
- Kirchfeld Friedhelm and Boyle Wade 1994 Nature Doctors: Pioneers in Naturopathic Medicine NCNM Press, Portland, Oregon
- Lloyd Iva 2009 The History of Naturopathic Medicine, a Canadian perspective McArthur & Company, Toronto
