What is confirmed in Kneipp therapy? The perspective of internal medicine

Abstract

Kneipp therapy comprises the five naturopathic elements of water, exercise, nutrition, medicinal herbs and order of life. As atraditional method, it has been proven in self-treatment at home, but as aholistic therapy concept it is also used in many medical practices both for the prevention and therapy of functional disorders and in the treatment of organic diseases and ailments. While naturopathic and complementary medical procedures are highly accepted by the population and the medical profession, and exercise and nutrition therapy in particular are already largely integrated into conventional medicine, the implementation of evidence-based medicine (EbM) in internal medicine practice represents amajor challenge for Kneipp therapy. This is especially true for Kneipp hydrotherapy. Unlike in the 1980s and 1990s, when Kneipp therapy was scientifically recognized due to numerous preclinical, human physiological and some clinical studies, the change of perspective in medicine towards EbM has resulted in aresearch deficit in the field of clinical trials. The demand for scientific evidence is contrasted by alack of reliable data and an overall heterogeneous study situation or study quality; however, existing studies point to positive or significant effects, so that further research activities are urgently necessary. Some of these studies are presented in this article.