Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (ND, or in Arizona also Naturopathic Medical Doctor, or NMD), in sixteen U.S. States and six Canadian provinces, refers exclusively to a medical degree granted by an accredited naturopathic medical school. While these degrees may be held by people outside of these states and provinces, in most other jurisdictions, the terms are unprotected and may be used by anyone, regardless of their educational level. Practitioners who hold such a degree may also use the term 'Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine' as a legally protected professional title in certain jurisdictions, although the use of the term "doctor" is restricted to medical doctors in other ones. Equivalent professional titles may be reserved for NDs in other jurisdictions (Naturopathic Doctor, Naturopathic Physician, Naturopath, and Doctor of Naturopathy), or there may be no legally protected title. This article discusses the accredited North American degree.

Those holding the accredited North America degrees generally practice as primary care providers of naturopathic medicine. Naturopathic medicine is a complementary and alternative medicine which emphasizes the body's intrinsic ability to heal and maintain itself. Naturopaths prefer to use natural remedies such as herbs and foods rather than surgery or synthetic drugs. Naturopathic practice includes many different modalities. Practitioners emphasize a holistic approach to patient care, and may recommend patients use conventional medicine alongside their treatments.

History of the naturopathic degree

The 19th century: the nature doctor and drugless therapy.
The lineage of the naturopathic medical tradition is traced back to the hydrotherapy tradition of Eastern Europe, and particularly the influence of Vincent Priessnitz. As the treatments of these practitioners grew to encompass diet & lifestyle counseling, and botanical medicine, Bavarian physician Lorenz Gleich (1798-1865) first advocated for the use of the term “naturarzt”, or nature doctor.

This tradition first became well known globally in the late 19th century through the successes of Bavarian priest Sebastian Kneipp. Kneipp influenced Benedict Lust to open the American School of Naturopathy in New York City, in 1901, the first naturopathic medical school in the world. Lust also founded the American Naturopathic Association, the first naturopathic professional organization. Other early American schools granting the ND degree were the Naturopathic College of California and the Lindlahr College of Nature Cure and Osteopathy, which also granted a DDT (Doctor of Drugless Therapy) degree^[1].

Many chiropractic schools began offering ND programs in addition to the chiropractic degree. There were as many as a dozen or two institutions granting the ND in the 1920s and 1930s, and during their heyday, naturopaths were licensed to practice under naturopathic or drugless practitioner laws in 25 states.

Decline after 1945
After Lust’s death in 1945, the profession splintered philosophically and regionally, and the American Naturopathic Association itself fractionated into 6 different professional organizations. During the 1940s and 1950s, chiropractic schools started dropping their ND programs. From 1940 to 1963, the American Medical Association lobbied effectively against heterodox medical systems, including naturopathy, and Tennessee and Texas legislated against the practice of naturopathy^[2].

A 1927 AMA study listed 12 naturopathic schools with fewer than 200 students among them. During the 1920s and 1930s, about half the states passed laws under which naturopaths and/or "drugless healers" could practice. However, as modern medicine developed, many of these laws were repealed and all but a few mail-order schools ceased operations. The doctor of naturopathy (N.D.) degree was still available at several chiropractic colleges, but in 1955, Western States Chiropractic College, the last remaining institution granting the ND degree, ended its naturopathic program. The National College of Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM) was founded in 1956 in Portland, Oregon, but, until the mid-1970s, had very few students. From 1960 through 1968, the average enrollment was eight and the total number of graduates was 16.

Modern renewal
In order to keep the profession alive, Dr. Frank Spaulding toured the United States in 1955 and raised pledges totaling $100,000 (in monthly installments) from naturopaths to start a naturopathic college^[3], which was chartered in 1956 as the National College of Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM).

Today, in North America, a "doctor of naturopathic medicine" (N.D. or N.M.D.) credential is available from six accredited full-time schools of naturopathic medicine. The accrediting agency for naturopathic medical schools, the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education was first recognized by the the U.S. Secretary of Education in 1987. The CNME lost this recognition in 2001 following difficulties at one of its member schools, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. Recognition of the CNME was restored in 2003.

The naturopathic medical curriculum at the full-time CNME accredited schools follows a pattern similar to that of medical and osteopathic schools: two years of basic science courses and two or more years of clinical work.^{[citation needed]} Three years of premedical college prerequisites are required for admission. Approximately 950 students were enrolled in the six accredited schools in 2007.

The traditional naturopath
One of the factions into which the naturopathic profession split after Benedict Lust’s death was a group that believed naturopathic education should be de-medicalized. This group has their own organization, the American Naturopathic Medical Association, for individuals who have been granted diplomas by correspondence schools.^[4] The professional organizations formed by traditional naturopaths are not recognized by the Canadian or U.S. Government, and these individuals are not legally entitled to practice medicine or call themselves NDs in jurisdictions which protect the title. The curriculum of the non-accredited schools varies. One correspondence school, the Progressive Universal Life Church, offers a "Ph.D. in Naturopathy" for $250 plus "life experience with no coursework". Another non-accredited school offers a "Naturopathic Practitioner" diploma to eligible individuals who complete a 15-month program of home-study plus a dozen weekend seminars. Many of these courses are offered not in person but online. [1],[2],[3]

Professional titles used by NDs in North America

Although all graduates from accredited naturopathic medical schools may use the academic title "Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine" and the abbreviation "ND", there is no standardized professional title in use in North America. Jurisdictions that regulate the practice of naturopathic medicine legally require the use of various professional titles. All of the following may be used in regulated jurisdictions to signify an ND who has received a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree from a four year CNME accredited school:^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]}

• Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine - Arizona, New Hampshire, Utah, Washington, Minnesota, British Columbia.
• Doctor of Naturopathy - Oregon, Manitoba.
• Naturopathic Doctor - Alaska, California, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia.
• Naturopathic Physician - District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, British Columbia, Saskatchewan.
• Naturopath - Connecticut.
• Doctor in Naturopathy - Puerto Rico^[12]
• Doctor en Naturopatia - Puerto Rico^[13]

In some unregulated jurisdictions anyone may call themselves an ND or use any of the titles above, regardless of training. In other unregulated regions, no one may use these professional titles, especially if the word 'Doctor' is strictly controlled, or if naturopathic medicine itself is illegal (as it is in South Carolina^[14], and Tennessee^[15]).

The Naturopathic diploma in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, a related degree, the Naturopathic Diploma is granted to a healthcare professional (Medical Doctor, Osteopath, Chiropractor, Nurse) who has completed a two year post-graduate Naturopathic Diploma, or to a graduate of one of the two osteopathic colleges that grants the Naturopathic Diploma, the British College of Osteopathic Medicine and The College of Osteopaths Educational Trust. Naturopaths are registered by the General Council and Register of Naturopaths.^[16] Naturopaths in the UK do not perform minor surgery or have prescribing rights.

References

See also

• List of naturopathic medical schools in North America
• Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges

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