What is naturopathic medicine?
        Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of holistic health care that espouses six basic principles. These are:

1. The healing power of nature (Vis medicatrix naturae).
   
2. Treat the whole person.
   
3. First do no harm (Primum no nocere).
   
4. Identify and treat the cause (Tolle causam).
   
5. Prevention is the best cure.
   
6. Doctor as teacher (Docere).
   

History
        Naturopathy grew out of the traditions of homeopathy, herbalism, and other natural therapies of the early nineteenth century. Naturopathy flourished in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, especially under the leadership of Dr. Benjamin Lust. Like chiropractic, naturopathy faced heavy persecution from the American Medical Association. By the early 1940s, it nearly withered as an independent profession; the Doctor of Naturopathy (ND) degree was available only through some chiropractic schools. This included our own school, under the National College of Drugless Physicians, which awarded the degree from 1930 to 1952. The National College of Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM) was founded in 1956 in Portland, Oregon, as the last naturopathic medical school.

        NCNM withstood many bleak years, when only a handful of states still licensed naturopaths. In the late 1970s, there was a great resurgence of interest in holistic health care in this country. In 1978, John Bastyr College of Naturopathic Medicine was founded in Seattle, Washington, with a mission not only to educate future physicians, but to research natural therapies.

        Since then, two more schools have opened, in Ontario and Arizona; another opened in August 1997 at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. John Bastyr College is now Bastyr University, offering not only the ND degree, but also masters degrees in nutrition and Oriental medicine; they also have several certificate and undergraduate programs.

Naturopathic Therapy
        The foundation of naturopathy still rests in nutrition, with the old maxim of "let food be thy medicine." Its other cornerstones are botanical medicine and homeopathy. Many other modalities are employed in naturopathy, and the list expands along with current knowledge. These therapies include physical medicine (manipulation and physiotherapy), obstetrics, Chinese medicine, and psychology. The latest tool to be introduced to the naturopathic curriculum happens to be the oldest system of healing in the world: Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India.

Professional and Legal Status of Naturopathy
        Naturopathy is once again a growing profession. NDs are licensed as primary physicians in eleven states and four provinces. The scope of practice laws vary slightly, but for the most part include broad license to employ a spectrum of conservative therapies. In Washington and Oregon, the strongholds of naturopathy, NDs can even perform minor surgery, and prescribe pharmaceuticals that are derived from natural substances.

        There are two main professional organizations, the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), and the American Naturopathic Medical Association (ANMA). In addition, there are state and provincial associations in every jurisdiction where naturopathy is licensed.

Naturopathic education
        The prerequisites for a school of naturopathic medicine are similar to those for chiropractic college: They require either 90 semester hours of undergraduate, or a bachelors degree, including specific courses such as biology, organic chemistry, and psychology. The ND program can be completed in four or five academic years; the first two years emphasize basic sciences, with the last two focusing on clinical education and practice. Advanced standing is granted for physicians (DC, DO, MD), with up to two years of coursework waived.

        Naturopathic schools place much more emphasis on internal medicine and laboratory diagnosis than do chiropractic colleges. They also allow more room for electives, so that in the advanced stages, students may "specialize" in an area of interest, such as nutrition, botanical medicine, Chinese medicine, homeopathy, or OB/GYN.

        The schools do have classes in manipulation; however, sitting in on a fourth-year manipulation class at Bastyr last spring, I quickly discovered that this is not a priority for most students. When the students discovered that I was from NCC, I suddenly metamorphosed from visitor/observer to unofficial TA for the lab.

        Bastyr University is the largest school, with about 500 students total. NCNM is quite a bit smaller than Bastyr, but it boasts an extensive library collection. When I visited these two schools last spring, the most impressive feature was the commitment to holistic health. There were visible signs, such as the vegetarian cafeteria at Bastyr, and the filtered water fountains at NCNM. But more important were the intangibles: The attitudes of the students, faculty, and staff whom I met at both schools; their enthusiasm was inspiring.

Naturopathy returns to NCC
        This summer at the Open Forum, Vice President Jack Groves announced that NCC's Board of Directors has approved the re-institution of a naturopathic curriculum. In September 1996, Dr. David Wickes, vice president for academic affairs, attended the AANP convention. He gleaned valuable information, as well as making contact with such notables as Joseph Pizzorno, ND, president of Bastyr University.

        I recently spoke with Dr. David Odiorne, assistant vice president, who is spearheading this project along with Dr. Wickes. According to Dr. Odiorne, there is no firm timeline yet for the launch date of the naturopathic program. The first major hurdle to be considered is that NDs are not licensed in Illinois; this will have to change in order to provide clinical experience for future students. Curriculum planning faces some challenges: Traditional learning versus guided discovery needs to be taken into consideration. Also, despite the fact that many subject requirements will be the same, Dr. Odiorne does not envision DC and ND students in the same classroom, since the emphasis and style of presentation may differ.

        Accreditation is another consideration. The ND degree will be offered by the National School of Health Sciences (NSHS), a new division of NCC. Since NCC is accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education, it cannot offer the ND degree itself. NSHS will need to seek the approval of the regional accrediting agency as well as the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education.

        
Resources
        The LRC has many books on naturopathy; look on the shelf under the call letters WB 935. It does not carry specific naturopathic journals yet; however, check the current shelf for Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, an excellent reference and the first journal of complementary medicine to be included in Index Medicus. Catalogs for naturopathic colleges are available in the reference section. Also, you may check out the NCC Natural Alternatives Club folder, on reserve at the circulation desk, for a wealth of useful information.

More naturopathic resources.

Reprinted from The Synapse, November 1997.