Stanley Lief

Stanley Lief (9 October 1892 – 12 January 1963) was a British naturopath, osteopath and owner of Champneys nature cure resort. He was the founder of the British Naturopathic Association and the British College of Naturopathy and Osteopathy.

Biography

Lief was born in Ludza on 9 October 1892. He was one of five children of Isaac and Riva Lief whose Jewish surname was shortened. During his childhood, Lief was described as "ridden with illness" and suffered from a weak heart. He became Macfadden's "star pupil".

In 1921, Lief and James Thompson founded the Nature Cure Association. In 1925, he purchased Champneys in Tring and converted it into a nature cure resort where he had many years practice. Lief's son Peter was also a naturopath and worked at Enton Hall Clinic in Surrey.

Naturopathy

Lief argued that all disease was caused by toxaemia from excessive food consumption and the wrong foods. He promoted extreme orange juice fasts up to 93 days. He ate meat several times a fortnight. His dietary advice was extreme as his patients at Champneys were given only fruit juices, grapes, whole wheat bread and butter. Some of his patients were living on only water up to 21 days and were known locally as "Lief's loonies".

Lief developed Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT) with his cousin Boris Chaitow. Neuromuscular Therapy is a manual therapy that involves applying pressure to soft tissues to address muscle and nerve related issues. The therapy took influence from ayurveda, chiropractic and naturopathy techniques.

Lawsuit

In 1933, Eleanor May Walton sued Lief, seeking damages for facial disfigurement which she alleged had been caused by negligence on the part of Lief's treatment he guaranteed would cure her lupus erythematosus.

Selected publications