Schools of Natural Health Today

Today, schools of natural health offer a variety of educational programs. Natural health colleges and schools provide training options from graduate degree courses to community outreach programs, to continuing education, and more.

Which course is right for you? Since you've already decided to pursue a career in natural healing, the next course of action should be to explore potential schools of natural health to determine which career-training program will best suit your professional goals. For example, if you would like to become a holistic wellness counselor, there are academic programs that offer certificates and/or diplomas upon completion of your studies in this field.

Schools of natural health are also very popular in offering unique training options in hypnotherapy, spiritual and emotional healing, energy therapies, reflexology, massage therapy, holistic nutrition, herbalism, and iridology, among others.

If you prefer working with your hands, a great number of specialty schools of natural health provide certification (and even associate degree) programs in therapeutic massage. While each academic course may vary from one to the next, basic studies entail anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology; but the greater variation presents itself in the specific modalities that are taught in each program. For instance, if you would like to learn Eastern bodywork modalities, there are schools of natural health that offer basic somatic training in Swedish massage, sports massage, and deep tissue massage, as well as Tuina, acupressure, and/or Shiatsu.

Additionally, natural healing schools that offer massage therapy as part of the curriculum typically entail 300 to 500 training hours; and depending on the level of education you would like to achieve, may well exceed 1,000 training hours.

Schools of natural health that provide herbology courses may integrate other alternative medicine modalities like iridology, flower essences, and essential oils into the overall curriculum. Though many Chinese medicine, naturopathic, and homeopathic programs include herbal medicine training; there are many schools of natural health that offer concentrated studies in master herbalism, botanical medicine, and even degrees in applied sciences in nutrition and herbal medicine.