Naturopaths
The naturopaths are certified by the American Naturopathic Certification Board (ANCB). However the certification is not recognized in the areas of North America that license naturopathic medicine.Naturopathic Physicians
Naturopathic physicians in the US and Canada are certified by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME). This organization has been very aggressive in promoting their certification in North American to the exclusion of the ANCB.
Licensing
If you live in one of the states or provinces that allow and license the practice of naturopathic medicine (in the US: Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington state, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; in Canada: British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan) then you can choose a CNME-certified naturopathic physician, in other areas you can use a naturopath only as a health coach. Germany, Great Britain, and Australia are in various stages of developing certification and licensing for naturopathy.
The Disagreement
There is a fundamental disagreement between the two categories. Naturopaths believe that the naturopathic physicians are too medically oriented and the naturopathic physicians believe that the naturopaths are poorly trained because their course work doesn’t include all the medically-oriented aspects that the licensed schools require. Both categories claim to be closer to the spirit of the founders of naturopathy than the other category. As usual the public is the loser from such disagreements.
My own training is in natural health research from Clayton College of Natural Health, a school which is not licensed by the CNME. I live in Florida which does not license naturopaths of any flavor. I would love to have a licensed naturopathic physician to use as my primary healthcare provider. But I can’t and most people reading this article can’t either.
Choosing a Naturopath
So if you’re one of the lucky people who live in an area that licenses naturopaths then you have access to primary-care physicians with an holistic approach that maximizes the healing capacity of your body rather than simply manipulating your symptoms with pharmaceuticals. Any of the naturopaths in these areas will have passed a rigorous examination which proves that they have basic skills.
Choosing among the various naturopaths is best done by asking your friends for recommendations. When you go to a naturopath, talk to them about your goals and expectations. You should be able to tell from their reaction if they have an approach that suits you. If they aren’t willing to partner with you in achieving your goals, go somewhere else. Any good naturopath will be focused on strengthening your inherent wellness rather than fixing your symptoms—and happy to have you as a partner in the process.
Resources
The Holistic Medicine Resource Center has a long list of naturopathic websites from all the countries where naturopathy or naturopathic medicine is practiced.
