What is Naturopathic Medicine?

Naturopathic medicine is based on a holistic philosophy and combines safe and effective traditional therapies with the most current advances in modern medicine. Naturopathic medicine is an appropriate and effective treatment for a broad range of health conditions affecting people of all ages.

Naturopathic Medicine is defined primarily by its fundamental principles (see Principles of Naturopathic Medicine to the right). Methods and modalities are selected and applied based upon these principles in relationship to the individual needs of the patient.

Naturopathic Practices

Naturopathic medical practice utilizes all methods of clinical and laboratory diagnostic testing including diagnostic radiology and standard lab tests. Naturopathic physicians are primary care physicians and will refer patients to specialists when indicated.

Naturopathic medical treatment utilizes a variety of modalities including:

• Nutrition
• Botanical Medicine
• Homeopathy
• Counseling
• Lifestyle Management
• Naturopathic Physical Medicine
• Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

Naturopathic Education

A licensed Naturopathic physician (ND) attends one of the six accredited naturopathic medical schools in the U.S. and Canada. The four-year doctorate-level education parallels the conventional medical school (MD, DO) curriculum. Naturopaths and Medical doctors receive a comparable number of training hours in the basic sciences including anatomy, physiology, diagnosis, biochemistry, and pathology. In addition to a standard medical training, NDs receive extensive training in holistic modalities such as clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathic medicine, naturopathic manipulation technique, and counseling. In total NDs receive over 3000 hours of classroom and practical training in medical and naturopathic curriculum. Click here to see a Medical Institution Comparative Curricula Chart.

In addition to the above, Naturopathic education includes over 1500 hours of supervised clinical training during which students manage patient care. Specific clinical requirements must be met in order to graduate including learning how to draw blood, proficiency in physical exams, and prescribing treatment protocols utilizing various modalities. Each clinic shift is supervised by a trained and licensed Naturopathic physician.

After the second year of training, Naturopaths take the basic science board exams. Clinical board exams are taken after the fourth year of training. Naturopathic physicians must take and pass the professional board exams in order to be licensed by a state or jurisdiction as a primary care, general practice physician. The North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners (NABNE) oversees the national licensing exams.

The primary difference bewteen NDs and MDs rests on the utilization by NDs of holistic and nontoxic approaches to therapy, with a strong emphasis on disease prevention and optimizing whole body wellness. NDs successfully treat many of the same ailments as MDs using natural substances with fewer side effects. In addition, NDs treat you as a whole person rather than specializing in, and focusing on, one area of the body. With this broad perspective NDs connect the dots between many symptoms and treat the underlying causes of seemingly unrelated ailments.

Licensed States

Currently 14 states, the District of Columbia, and the US territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands have licensing laws for Naturopathic physicians.

Licensed Naturopathic physicians must pass board exams and fulfill state mandated continuing education requirements annually in order to retain their license.

Each state has a unique and specific scope of practice and formulary. The level of pharmaceutical prescribing varies with each state.

The current licensed states are:

• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Connecticut
• Washington DC
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Kansas
• Maine
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• Oregon
• Utah
• Vermont
• Washington