Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (ND, or Naturopathic Medical Doctor, NMD) is a title given used by practitioners of Naturopathy. In the United States and Canada, 17 states and six provinces license Naturopathic doctors after receiving a degree, and use the title exclusively to refer to licensed naturopaths. In other areas, the title is unprotected and may be used by anyone, regardless of educational level.
Naturopathy is a pseudoscientific form of alternative medicine, with ideological underpinnings in vitalism. Naturopaths in North America practice as primary care providers, favoring a holistic approach with non-invasive treatment, and generally avoid the use of surgery and drugs. Regulation and licensing of naturopathic practice varies greatly among North American jurisdictions.
History of the naturopathic degree
Lorenz Gleich (1798-1865) first advocated the use of the term “naturarzt”, or nature doctor. Benedict Lust opened the first naturopathic school in New York City, the American School of Naturopathy, in 1901, as well as the American Naturopathic Association. 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.
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 naturopaths were licensed to practice under naturopathic or drugless practitioner laws in 25 states.
A 1927 a 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. The doctor of naturopathy (ND) 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. In response to declining naturopathic institutions, Frank Spaulding began the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Seattle, WA, which operated until the mid-1970s with very few students.
Today, in North America, the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (ND or NMD) degree is available from seven accredited full-time schools. The accrediting agency for naturopathic medical schools, the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME) was first recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education in 1987, but lost this recognition in 2001 for failing to enforce its standards on the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. CNME applied for and regained recognition in 2003.
The naturopathic medical curriculum at full-time CNME accredited schools includes two years of basic science courses and two or more years of clinical work. Students are not required to complete a residency program to become board certified as medical physicians are. Prerequisite college of three years is required for admission. Approximately 950 students were enrolled in the six accredited schools in 2007. Naturopathic schools often face criticism from other medical professionals. Bases of criticism include the absence of extensive post-graduate training, and concerns surrounding the teaching of material rejected by the scientific community and precluded by scientific evidence.
Professional titles used in North America
Although all graduates from accredited naturopathic schools may use the title "Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine" there is no standardized title in use in North America. Some jurisdictions that regulate the practice of naturopathy legally require the use of various titles. Naturopathy is regulated in the following US states:
*Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine: Arizona, New Hampshire, Oregon (also Naturopathic Physician), Utah (also Naturopathic Physician), Washington (also Naturopathic Physician), Minnesota (also Naturopathic Doctor)
*Naturopathic Doctor:Alaska, California, Colorado, Kansas, Maine
*Naturopathic Physician: Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Vermont.
*Naturopath: North Dakota
These titles apply in Canadian provinces:
*Doctor of Naturopathy: Manitoba
*Naturopathic Physician: Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, British Columbia
*Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine: Ontario, British Columbia
Naturopathic diploma in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom 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 the colleges that grant the naturopathic diploma, as recognised by the General Council & Register of Naturopaths (GCRN). These include the College of Osteopaths and the British College of Osteopathic Medicine. and once registered are entitled to call themselves naturopaths, naturopathic physicians, naturopathic practitioners or naturopathic doctors. Naturopaths in the UK may not perform minor surgery or have prescribing rights.
Registered naturopathic practitioners are also entitled to become members of the British Naturopathic Association.

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