Naturopathic Medicine is a distinct profession which has roots in many different methods of healing. It draws from the traditions of herbalists, midwives, shamans, and other traditional healers; yet modern naturopathic medicine also incorporates allopathic methods of diagnosis and treatment, which is our "traditional" form of health care today. Naturopathic doctors are truly trained in complementary medicine.
Training
There are currently only 5 Naturopathic medical schools in the U.S. (including National University of Health Sciences, where I teach) that are accredited naturopathic schools or candidates for accreditation. These naturopathic medical schools have similar requirements for admission to allopathic medical schools. They provide rigorous training in the first two years in the basic sciences, such as anatomy and pathology, along with some introductory courses in naturopathic theory and therapeutics. The last two years are focused on clinical training and clinical sciences, such as gynecology and pediatrics. In addition, students learn advanced naturopathic theory and therapeutics. Upon graduation, naturopathic physicians take board exams in order to be licensed.
Licensure
Naturopathic doctors are currently able to be licensed as physicians in 14 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
Naturopathic Practice in Illinois
In Illinois, as in other states that do not license naturopathic medicine, there is no regulation on the terms naturopath or naturopathic doctor. That means that a practitioner with training from a clinically-based naturopathic medical school, like I who attended Bastyr University, is no different legally from a practitioner who received training from a non-resident, non-clinical program, offered from schools like Clayton College. There are vast differences in the level of schooling and training for these two types of practitioners, even though the title of naturopath or naturopathic doctor can be used by both and the philosophy of medicine is similar. The most important issue for potential patients is to be aware of the type of training of your practitioner. For clinically-trained naturopathic doctors, degrees can be verified through the schools attended, and the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians provides a listing of all members on their website.
As with all services, consumers want to make sure they are working with highly-qualified, well-trained professionals, and health care should be no exception. All conventional or complementary providers, of all disciplines, have a responsibility to be forthcoming about their backgrounds, so that consumers can make the most informed decision possible about their health care.
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