| LICENSURE EFFORT |
| Attempt to Regulate Naturopathic Physicians From the 1998 Complementary Medicine: Final Report to the Legislature The first endeavor to secure legislation of naturopaths occurred in St. Paul, Minnesota in January 1909. The bill to be introduced created a State Board of Naturopathic Examiners to regulate the practice of Naturopathy in the state of Minnesota, to license Naturopathic Physicians, and to punish persons violating the provisions of the act. The Naturopathic licensure bill never passed. In 1927, however, the Minnesota Legislature enacted the Basic Sciences Act. Under this law, naturopathic practitioners were entitled to the benefit of registration in Minnesota if they passed the Basic Sciences examination. In 1974 much of the Basic Sciences Act (Chapter 146) was repealed and the title of the chapter became “Healing Arts, Registration.” Under the new title, naturopaths had no mechanism for registration. In 1980, Dr. Thomas Stowell and Dr. James Farr III came to St. Paul to open up the Wellspring Naturopathic Clinic. They formed the Minnesota Association of Naturopathic Physicians (MANP) and began work on licensing Naturopathic Doctors (N.D.s) in the state . In 1987, the Human Services Occupations Advisory Council (HSOAC) began an evaluation of whether to license naturopathic medicine. In February 1988, the HSOAC voted against a recommendation for licensure of Naturopathic Physicians in Minnesota. In 1992, Dr. Stowell and Helen Healy, N.D. were charged with “practicing medicine without a license” by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice. In 1993 the MANP submitted a bill for the licensure of Naturopathic Physicians, but was unable to see it through. In 1996, Helen Healy was again charged with “practicing medicine without a license” and taken to Civil Court. A settlement was reached outside of court that allows Healy to see patients at her holistic clinic in St. Paul as long as she abides by limits on her practice. In 1997, the MANP submitted another Naturopathic Licensing Bill which was not passed. |
| STATES THAT REGULATE NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIANS Alaska Arizona California Connecticut District of Columbia Hawaii Idaho Kansas Maine Montana New Hampshire Oregon Utah Vermont Washington US Territories: Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands |
| Members of the Minnesota Association of Naturopathic Physicians are graduates of accredited naturopathic medical programs. The majority of members hold a naturopathic physician license in another state. |
| Licensure Effort |
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| Web design by Lindsey Pearson, ND |
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| Currently in Minnesota there is no legal distinction between graduates of accredited graduate-level naturopathic medical programs and those who practice naturopathy with various educational backgrounds. Accredited, graduate-level naturopathic medical programs are standardized, formal, docturate programs that train and prepare graduates as primary care naturopathic physicians. Some of the opponents of licensing legislation are funded by unaccredited, distance-learning schools, whose "graduates" are not eligible for licensing in any state. These opponents also include lawyers and lobbyists representing so-called "Healthcare Freedom Groups" and some well meaning, albeit uninformed supporters of these groups. Little do they realize how they, themselves infringe on the freedom of skilled naturopaths that are not able to practice as they were taught due to the lack of regulated liscensure. |
| Licensure allows naturopathic physicians to order laboratory & other diagnostic testing, perform medical office procedures, and prescribe legend substances. Naturopathic physicians work with patients in re-establishing the basis for health. In working with a patient, often medications need to be adjusted as natural modalities are utilized. In order to adjust medications, a practitioner must have authority to prescribe the substance that is to be adjusted. |
| Naturopathic Physicians (ND) are general practitioners trained as primary care physicians and specialists in natural medicine. They are educated in conventional medical sciences, but are not orthodox medical doctors (allopathic physicians or MD). A Naturopathic Physician has a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Degree from a four-year graduate level naturopathic medicine college with admission requirements comparable to those of conventional medical schools. In addition to the standard medical curriculum, naturopathic students must do extensive coursework and clinical study in natural therapeutics. (From the Oregon State Department of Health website.) |
MnANP Office c/o Wellspring Naturopathic Clinic 905 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 202 Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102 651-222-4111 |