Founded upon a holistic philosophy, naturopathic medicine combines safe and effective traditional therapies with the most current advances in modern medicine. Naturopathic medicine is appropriate for the management of a broad range of health conditions affecting people of all ages.

Qualifications

A naturopathic doctor (ND) attends a four-year medical school and is educated in all of the same basic and clinical sciences as a medical doctor and also studies holistic nontoxic approaches to therapy with a strong emphasis on disease prevention and optimizing wellness.

In addition to a standard medical curriculum, the naturopathic doctor is required to complete additional training in clinical nutrition, homeopathy, botanical medicine, hydrotherapy and counseling. A naturopathic doctor takes rigorous professional basic science and clinical board exams so that he or she may be licensed by a state or jurisdiction as a primary care general practice physician in states that license naturopathic doctors. There are 16 states and the District of Columbia that license naturopathic doctors to practice medicine. In those licensed states only can naturopathic doctors diagnose and treat disease, perform physical exams, as well as prescribe pharmaceutical medications and prescribe laboratory tests.

Licensing

Please note that in the State of New York: under New York Education Law 8211, the practitioners of InnerSource Natural Health and Acupuncture practice as licensed acupuncturists and advises each patient as to the importance of consulting with a licensed physician for appropriate diagnosis and treatment. In the State of Washington: InnerSource Natural Health and Acupuncture practitioners are licensed naturopathic physicians.

There is legislation in the New York State Assembly and Senate supported by close to 100 New York State legislators, and it is projected that licensure of naturopathic doctors may occur in the next two years. Please visit http://www.nyanp.org/licensure.php to support these licensure efforts.