What is a Naturopathic Doctor? Doctors that care.... doctors that listen.
A naturopathic doctor is a doctor who is granted this title by an accredited naturopathic medical school. They are designated by the letter ND or NMD in Arizona. In the United States there are 16 states that license naturopathic doctors to practice medicine. This license varies in scope depending on the state granting the license.
States outside of these 16 may have professionals with the same title but without the legal protection of the title. Once a state designates a title, you must meet the qualifications to call yourself by this title. In other words, if you call yourself a doctor and you don't meet the qualifications, you will be practicing medicine without a license to do so. For states that do not license naturopathic doctors, there is a wide variety of education among the people that call themselves a naturopathic doctor. Some literally get their degree from taking an online coarse. This is a lot different from naturopathic doctors that have education background similar to medical doctors, chiropractors, and osteopathic doctors. So what separates a naturopathic doctor from other types of doctors?
Philosophy is probably the most notable difference. There are many principals that guide the practice of naturopathic medicine but one seems to be more notable than others. That principal is the belief that the body has its own innate ability to heal itself.
States outside of these 16 may have professionals with the same title but without the legal protection of the title. Once a state designates a title, you must meet the qualifications to call yourself by this title. In other words, if you call yourself a doctor and you don't meet the qualifications, you will be practicing medicine without a license to do so. For states that do not license naturopathic doctors, there is a wide variety of education among the people that call themselves a naturopathic doctor. Some literally get their degree from taking an online coarse. This is a lot different from naturopathic doctors that have education background similar to medical doctors, chiropractors, and osteopathic doctors. So what separates a naturopathic doctor from other types of doctors?
Philosophy is probably the most notable difference. There are many principals that guide the practice of naturopathic medicine but one seems to be more notable than others. That principal is the belief that the body has its own innate ability to heal itself.
If you would like to explore treatment with a naturopathic doctor, click here.