Herbert M. Shelton and Natural Hygiene

Herbert M. Shelton (1895–1985) was one of the most influential—though also controversial—figures in the 20th-century natural health and alternative medicine movement. Trained in chiropractic, naturopathy, and osteopathy, he became best known as the leading voice of the “Natural Hygiene” movement, which emphasized fasting, raw foods, fresh air, sunlight, and a rejection of most conventional medical treatments. Shelton’s central belief was that the body has innate healing powers that can be activated through proper diet and rest, rather than through drugs or surgery.

Books and Writings

Shelton was a prolific author, writing more than 40 books and countless pamphlets. Among his most widely read works were Human Life: Its Philosophy and Laws, The Hygienic System, Orthotrophy, and Fasting Can Save Your Life. His multi-volume series The Hygienic System (published over several decades) became the cornerstone of Natural Hygiene philosophy, covering diet, fasting, rest, sexual health, and disease. In particular, he popularized the concept of therapeutic fasting as a powerful healing tool, inspiring later advocates of juice fasting and raw food diets.

Mentors and Influences

Shelton built on ideas from earlier natural health pioneers such as Sylvester Graham (advocate of whole grains and vegetarianism), Russell Trall (a 19th-century hydropath and health reformer), and Bernarr Macfadden (the early 20th-century physical culture guru). He also drew from European naturopaths like Louis Kuhne and the fasting experiments of Dr. Henry S. Tanner. Shelton synthesized these influences into a comprehensive system, which he presented as both a philosophy of life and a practical health regimen.

Influence and Legacy

Shelton’s ideas spread widely, particularly during the health food explosion of the 1960s and 1970s, when back-to-the-land movements and countercultural communities embraced fasting, vegetarianism, and natural healing. Many later raw food and vegan advocates—such as T.C. Fry and early leaders of the American Natural Hygiene Society—considered Shelton a central mentor. Today, his work is still cited by raw foodists, fasting clinics, and some integrative health practitioners. Although critics in mainstream medicine often dismissed him as unscientific, his advocacy for plant-based diets, the dangers of processed foods, and the healing potential of fasting anticipated trends now being studied with renewed seriousness.

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