Clayton College of Natural Health: A History of Natural Health Education
Clayton College of Natural Health was a distance-learning college that offered programs in various forms of alternative medicine. Founded in 1980 by Lloyd Clayton Jr., the college aimed to provide education in natural health modalities.
Founding and Early Years
The institution now known as Clayton College of Natural Health has roots in two distinct entities: The Clayton School of Natural Healing, established in 1980, and the American Holistic College of Nutrition, founded in 1985. The Clayton School of Natural Healing initially offered degrees such as Doctor of Naturopathy, Doctor of Science, and Doctor of Holistic Health. Later, the American Holistic College of Nutrition was launched, focusing on holistic nutrition with Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees. In 1997, the two schools merged under the single banner of Clayton College of Natural Health.
Academic Programs
Clayton College of Natural Health offered a range of degree and certificate programs. The degree programs included Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Natural Health and Holistic Nutrition. It also granted Doctor of Education degrees in Holistic Health and Wellness, and Doctor of Naturopathy degrees. Certificate programs were available in areas such as Iridology, Herbalism, Companion Animal Studies, Practitioner Education Studies, and Natural Wellness Studies.
Accreditation Status and Controversy
Clayton College of Natural Health was not accredited by any agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The college relied upon American Naturopathic Medical Accreditation Board (ANMAB). It's listed in List of unrecognized accreditation associations of higher learning. The lack of accreditation from recognized bodies was a significant point of contention and contributed to the controversies surrounding the institution.
Divergence from Mainstream Naturopathic Medicine
The college offered Doctor of Naturopathy degrees, a practice that diverged from the standards upheld by accredited Naturopathic Medicine entities in North America, such as the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME) and the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP). These accredited institutions require rigorous training and adhere to specific educational standards.
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Closure and Reimbursement
Clayton College of Natural Health ceased operations in 2010. In November 2011, it was announced that approximately 14,000 former students would receive a total of $2.31 million in tuition reimbursement. Lloyd Clayton Jr. contributed to the settlement, with the remainder covered by RSUI Indemnity Co.
Notable Graduates
Several individuals who attended Clayton College of Natural Health have gained public recognition. These include television nutrition personality Gillian McKeith, naturopath Hulda Regehr Clark, and author Robert O. Young.
Clayton State University: A Separate Institution
Clayton State University is a liberal arts college with a main campus in Morrow, Georgia. Sister campuses across the state are Clayton State East, Peachtree City, McDonough, and Jonesboro. CSU is split into four schools: Arts & Sciences, Business, Health, Information & Mathematical Sciences, as well as a graduate school. CSU is also home to Spivey Hall, which is regarded as one of the best small music halls in the nation, thanks to both it’s excellent acoustics and beautiful surroundings. Athletics are a core element of life and study at CSU, with five men’s and five women’s teams competing in varsity sports under the team name Lakers. In 2011 the women’s basketball team won the NCAA Division II Championship, the first such title for a team from the American southeast. There is an active international exchange programme at CSU, including an established partnership with Daejeon University in South Korea, welcoming students for a semester of study from both their Business and Nursing Colleges.
Student reviews of Clayton State University highlight several positive aspects of the institution. Students appreciate the affordable tuition and the excellent academic programs offered. The university is noted for its diversity, encompassing a wide range of ages and ethnicities among its student body. The student-to-professor ratio is considered average, allowing for adequate interaction and support. Housing options are available, including apartments and dorm-style accommodations.
Many reviewers emphasize the quality and accessibility of the faculty. Professors are described as caring and dedicated, willing to provide assistance with course registration and campus navigation. The curriculum is designed to promote independent learning and prepare students for real-world working environments, often through internship programs. The psychology and human services programs are particularly praised for their ability to expose students to diverse backgrounds, further enhancing their readiness for professional settings.
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Several alumni highlight the strong sense of community and the opportunities for networking within their departments. The history department, in particular, is commended for its hands-on approach and the support provided to students in navigating their career paths. The campus environment is described as mid-sized, making it easy to navigate and fostering close interactions between students and staff.
While most reviews are overwhelmingly positive, some students have noted areas for improvement. One recurring concern is the need for more robust career support services. Additionally, some alumni in healthcare management felt that the program could benefit from greater professional representation with organizations such as AHIMA and ACHE.
Overall, Clayton State University is generally viewed as a supportive and enriching academic environment. The university's commitment to student success, coupled with its diverse and welcoming atmosphere, makes it a popular choice for students seeking a well-rounded educational experience.
CAM in South Africa
A huge growth in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) took place in South Africa in the 1960s which paralleled what was happening in other parts of the western world. Naturopathy has been practised in South Africa for over 60 years, and the history of naturopathy is entwined with the broader history of CAM. No laws existed at that stage to regulate the curriculum, education and training of CAM practitioners. With the passage of time, various statutes were introduced which eventually led to changes in legislation and the establishment of a recognised training programme. The emerging trend is to use the term ‘traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM)’ as it encompasses the practices, practitioners and products of both traditional and complementary medicine. The last few decades have seen exponential growth in the use of CAM products and therapies, with Fischer et al. (2014) suggesting that CAM will play an important role in addressing the rise in chronic diseases because of ageing in Europe. The reasons for this shift towards CAM have been proposed as growing disillusionment with the biomedical model of medicine, over-prescription of drugs and the impersonal approach to patients within western medicine, together with the inability of the mainstream biomedical model to successfully treat chronic diseases. South Africa has also experienced a growth in the use of CAM. In 1999 it was estimated that turnover from the use of CAM products was R1.29 billion (Caldis, Mcleod & Smith 2001). The history of CAM in South Africa goes back centuries. The early Dutch settlers brought their traditional medicines with them. By the 19th century, there was a small number of CAM practitioners (Gower 2013), but after World War II, South Africa experienced an increase in immigrants, and among them were CAM practitioners. Medical practitioners began to campaign against the growing number of CAM practitioners, and this resulted in the Medical Association of South Africa declaring CAM to be ‘illegal and unscientific’ in 1953 and any cooperation between allopathic and CAM practitioners was prohibited in their medical code. This meant that CAM practitioners could not share premises with biomedical practitioners, nor refer patients to them. CAM practitioners were therefore excluded from the public health care system. Thus, all CAM modalities were forced into a private health care setting. As a system of CAM, the history of naturopathy is reflected in the history of CAM in South Africa. Dr Lilley immigrated to South Africa from the United Kingdom and in 1951 started training the first group of homeopaths. He was instrumental in establishing Lindlahr College which trained homeopaths, naturopaths and osteopaths. Naturopathy in South Africa is defined as a ‘system of healing based on promoting health and treating disease using the body’s inherent biological healing mechanisms to self-heal through the application of non-toxic methods’. Naturopathic medicine is viewed as a system of primary health care based on the philosophy and principles of naturopathy. These principles are the healing power of nature, the naturopathic doctor as teacher, finding the root cause of an illness, treating the patient holistically, health promotion and prevention of disease, and encouraging overall wellness. As a system of medicine, it is well suited to address the disease challenges of the 21st century as it focuses on preventative medicine through the use of education. By empowering patients to understand the cause of their illness, it encourages a change in lifestyle. Treatment is non-invasive and can be low cost. Naturopaths are well placed to participate in and contribute to the public health care system on a primary health care level. However, at present, the small number of registered naturopathic practitioners, together with the legislature, present a challenge for integration. To understand the current situation, it is necessary to trace the history of naturopathy in South Africa to comprehend how a once burgeoning CAM profession was prevented from training new practitioners for close to 30 years owing to legislative enactments.
Act 52 of 1974 was promulgated in Parliament on 16 October 1974. Section 3(a) of this Act required practitioners to register within a 6-month period from the date of publication of the gazette with the Department of Health. It allowed for the registration of CAM practitioners who were already in practice, provided that they could show proof of their training in the form of a certificate issued by a training institution. Students who were still studying and provided proof of the institution they were studying at were registered as students. Foreign practitioners were in addition required to submit proof of permanent residency or proof that they were ‘capable of acquiring South African citizenship’ (Act 52 0f 1974 3[b i]). The registration process divided applicants into two groups: practitioners and students. The data available indicate that the majority of the practitioners who were registered in 1974 were South African, confirming the presence of training institutions in South Africa for each of these professions at the time. It must be noted that multiple registrations predominated, with practitioners registered for homoeopathy and naturopathy being the most common combination (26.9%), followed by homeopathy, naturopathy and osteopathy (23.9%). The various combinations with naturopathy account for 53.2% of registrations, whereas registration for naturopathy alone accounts for only 2.9%. The number of homeopaths who registered only for homoeopathy was 37.4%. The Chiropractors, Homeopaths and Allied Health Service Professions Council became the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa in 2000. The Chiropractors, Homeopaths and Allied Health Service Professions Amendment Bill was first published in Government Gazette No. 21825 of 2000 and later promulgated as the Allied Health Professions Act 63 (South Africa) R127 2001 No. 22052. This provided for the establishment of professional boards which enabled naturopaths and other diagnostic and therapeutic professions to be registered with their respective professional boards. One of the major issues which appeared most on the agendas of the PBHNP meetings was the registration of naturopaths and phytotherapists. At one PBHNP meeting in 2002, the list of registered naturopaths was tabled. The registration list contained the names, colleges trained at, year of completion of studies and year of first registration as naturopaths. From the minutes of PBHNP meetings held in May 2003, the outcome of applications from naturopaths for registration was tabled. Of the 76 applications, 3 were approved to sit the Council Regulated Examinations (CRE) and 73 were conditionally approved to sit the examination - on condition of submission of proof of a certificate that the naturopathic studies were completed. Not all documents indicated the place of study of the applicants. Of this list of applicants who were conditionally approved to write the CRE, no further minutes were found relating to the number who finally wrote the examination or the outcome of these examinations.
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The period from the 1950s to 1974 showed rapid growth and training of CAM practitioners in the areas of chiropractic, homeopathy, naturopathy and osteopathy. Private training colleges flourished as there was no control over the registration of these colleges or the curriculum taught. Of the more highly regarded training facilities at the time was the Lindlahr College in Johannesburg. The college offered training in homeopathy, naturopathy and osteopathy. Naturopaths trained at the Lindlahr College, and records indicate that by 1957, naturopaths were graduating from the college. By the 1960s, many training schools of varying quality were flourishing all over the country. Interviewees report that many practitioners were trained through ‘apprenticeships’ with other practitioners. Evidence also suggests that there were a number of practitioners from England who either came over for periods of time to teach or settled in the country. In the Cape Town area, Dr Oliver Lawrence, who was a British naturopath, set up a practice at his home, where he taught his students after hours and over weekends. He taught the same curriculum as at Lindlahr College which included subjects such as anatomy, physiology, hygiene theory and homeopathy, among others. Dr Stanley Dean was a herbalist who had a practice on the Foreshore in Cape Town in the late 1960s and he taught the herbal component of the course. All the interviewees agree that there was an abundance of training facilities available at the time. There was a considerable degree of overlap in the training of students in homeopathy, naturopathy, herbal medicine as well as osteopathy; this explains why the early practitioners had a broad range of modalities which they used in practice, and it is the reason for such a high number of dual or multiple registrations. With the introduction of Act 52 of 1974, all CAM training facilities were to be phased out and shut down. Practitioners were given a period of 6 months to register with the Department of Health. Students who were still training also had to register as students and were allowed to register on completion of their studies. Absence of registration did not stop people from practising, and interviewees confirm that, with the appointment of the first chairperson of the Chiropractors and Homeopaths Association, a serious effort was made to clamp down on unregistered practitioners in practice. If any practitioner was reported to the chairperson, the chairperson reported to the police to follow up. If practitioners were caught in the act, they were arrested and charged with practising unlawfully.
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