Development of ‚Ordnungstherapie‚ due to Bircher-Benner in the
Naturopathy of the 20th Century
Background: The German term ‚Ordnungstherapie‚ is one of the five
therapeutics which defines naturopathy in German-speaking countries.
Objective: Who formed the term Ordnungstherapie in naturopathy and
what does it mean? Material and Methods: Heuristics and criticism of literature
of the 20th century as well as database research. Results: Nowadays
in German-language medical books Ordnungstherpie belongs to
the five therapeutics which define European naturopathy. Yet, the interpretation
ranges from health education to body-orientated forms of psychotherapy.
The term Ordnungstherapie is often related with the German
priest and hydropath Sebastian Kneipp, however, term and definition
have been founded by the Swiss physician Maximillian Bircher-Benner.
In 1937 he defined Ordnungstherapie as a complex concept of
natural healing. It is based upon the rather nosological idea that health
is order/harmony in the human body (physically, psychologically), the
environment and the daily course. Illness occurs if disorder appears in
one of these fields. The therapeutic setting of Ordnungstherapy is defined
by 9 rules of conduct to maintain order, which include nutrition,
the skin as an organ (exposure to light, air, water), breathing, movement,
rhythm of life, and psyche. For all these aspects Bircher-Benner
himself uses the terms somatotherapy (dietotherapy, sun and light therapy,
hydrotherapy, exercise therapy, breathing technique, order of the
rhythm of live) and psychotherapy. He chose these complementary
methods subjectively after learning them from 1897 onwards in an
eclectic manner and after gaining therapeutic empiricism. Nevertheless
his ideas of the Ordnungstherapie correlate with the socio-political context
of the 1940ies. Conclusions: The term Ordnungstherapie was introduced
by Bircher-Benner as an umbrella term in 1937 to describe a complex
concept of naturopathic therapies. It comprises, with certain limitations
for phytotherapy, the therapies which nowadays define European
naturopathy. Yet, in European naturopathy today Ordnungstherapie is
mostly considered as one out of 5 constituents of naturopathy (dietotherapy,
hydrotherapy, exercise therapy, phytotherapy, Ordnungstherapie).
The classification of Ordnungstherapie as one of the 5 pillars
of the Kneipp therapy was only done by Kneipp physicians in the middle
of the 20th century and needs to be thought over.
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