The Reluctant Healer

Before 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. 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. Bendict Lust, the father of naturopathy. Dr. Weiss' 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." 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.