Steven Bailey

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Reluctant Healer

Before the mid-1930s, health care in America was composed of many approaches. There coexisted a diversity of medical schools, each addressing a different facet of the healing arts. Doctors could be trained in osteopathy, herbology, homoeopathy, chiropractic and naturopathy—the drugless sciences. For the vast majority of people, the choice of a practitioner was a matter of personal preference. It was in the late 1930s that young Ralph Weiss was trained at the American School of Naturopathy in Manhattan, New York, under the guidance of Dr. Benedict Lust, the father of naturopathy. Dr. Weiss was a quiet, unassuming individual with a healing gift and a unique story to tell. Now in his mid-nineties, he continues to work, but the account of his life and his practice as a drugless doctor is the history of modern naturopathy. His path has crossed many of the pioneers of the naturopathic movement, including Kellogg, Pfeiffer, Shelton, Lee, Bragg, Walker and Howell, to mention just a few. Among the many patients he worked with was Edgar Cayce, the Sleeping Prophet. It was he who named Weiss his “reluctant healer.” If it were not for an accidental meeting between the author and Dr. Weiss, perhaps this story would never have been told. Whether by accident or fate, here is a personal look at a life dedicated to helping others in the gentle art of using nature to heal.