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About Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Medicine
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1. Medicinal chemistry  

   Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemistry is a discipline at the intersection of chemistry and pharmacology involved with designing, synthesizing and developing pharmaceutical drugs. Medicinal chemistry involves the identification, synthesis and development of new chemical entities suitable for therapeutic use. It also includes the study of existing drugs, their biological properties, and their quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR). Pharmaceutical chemistry is focused on quality aspects of medicines and aims to assure fitness for the purpose of medicinal products.
   Compounds used as medicines are overwhelmingly organic compounds including small organic molecules and biopolymers. However, inorganic compounds and metal-containing compounds have been found to be useful as drugs. For example, the cis-platin series of platinium-containing complexes have found use as anti-cancer agents.
   Medicinal chemistry is a highly interdisciplinary science combining organic chemistry with biochemistry, computational chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacognosy, molecular biology, statistics, and physical chemistry.

2. Natural medicine

   Naturopathy (also known as naturopathic medicine or natural medicine) is an eclectic alternative medical system that focuses on natural remedies and the body's vital ability to heal and maintain itself. Naturopathic philosophy favors a holistic approach and minimal use of surgery and drugs. Naturopathy comprises many different treatment modalities of varying degrees of acceptance by the medical community; diet and lifestyle advice may be substantially similar to that offered by non-naturopaths, and acupuncture may help reduce pain in some cases, while homeopathy is often characterized as pseudoscience or quackery.[1][2][3][4][5]
   Naturopathy has its origins in the Nature Cure movement of Europe.[6][7] The term was coined in 1895 by John Scheel and popularized by Benedict Lust,[8] the "father of U.S. naturopathy".[9]
   Naturopathy is practiced in many countries, especially the United States and Canada, and is subject to different standards of regulation and levels of acceptance. The level of medical education among naturopaths also varies, though no naturopathic training program reaches the same level of training as an MD or DO.[10] In the United States and Canada, the designation of Naturopathic Doctor (ND) may be awarded after completion of a four year program of study at an accredited Naturopathic medical school that includes the study of basic medical sciences as well as natural remedies and medical care.[11][12] The scope of practice varies widely between jurisdictions, and naturopaths in unregulated jurisdictions may use the Naturopathic Doctor designation or other titles regardless of level of education.[13]

References:

[1]Frey, Rebecca J (March 2009). "Naturopathic Medicine". Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Gale (Cengage). http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2601/is_0009/ai_2601000954. Retrieved 2009-03-21. 
[2]"Handbook of accreditation for Naturopathic Programs" (PDF). Council on Naturopathic Medical Education. 2008. p. 51. http://www.cnme.org/resources/2007_hoa.pdf
[3]Barrett S. "A close look at naturopathy". http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Naturopathy/naturopathy.html
[4]Atwood KC (26 March 2004). "Naturopathy, pseudoscience, and medicine: myths and fallacies vs truth". Medscape Gen Med 6 (1): 33. 
[5]"Naturopathic medicine". American Cancer Society. 2007-03-26. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Naturopathic_Medicine.asp. Retrieved 2009-03-21. 
[6]P S Brown (April 1988). "Nineteenth-century American health reformers and the early nature cure movement in Britain". Medical History 32 (2): 174–194. PMID 3287059. 
[7]"History of Naturopathy". 2007. http://www.naturopathy-uk.com/library/2007/03/12/history-of-naturopathy/
[8]"Report 12 of the Council on Scientific Affairs (A-97)". American Medical Association. 1997. http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/no-index/about-ama/13638.shtml
[9]Baer, H.A (2001). "The sociopolitical status of US naturopathy at the dawn of the 21st century". Medical Anthropology Quarterly 15 (3): 329–346. doi:10.1525/maq.2001.15.3.329. 
[10]Atwood KC (2003). Naturopathy: a critical appraisal.. 5. p. 39. PMID 14745386. 
[11]"Handbook of Accreditation for Naturopathic Medicine Programs" (PDF). Council on Naturopathic Medical Education. p. 45. http://www.cnme.org/resources/2007_hoa.pdf
[12]"Academic Curriculum". 2008. http://www.aanmc.org/education/academic-curriculum.php.
[13]"A Policy Statement on Naturopathy". http://medicalboard.iowa.gov/Naturopathy.html

(From:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_medicine#cite_ref-Gale_Frey_0-1)

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