State to start licensing naturopaths in 2004

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-
naturopaths6oct06,1,7241488.story


By Jane E. Allen, Times Staff Writer


California has joined the growing number of states that license
naturopaths, allowing them to offer an expanded array of medical
services and be reimbursed for offering primary care.

Under a law to take effect Jan. 1, licensed naturopaths will be able
to call themselves doctors, diagnose and treat disease, perform
physical exams and, in collaboration with a medical doctor, deliver
babies and prescribe medications. A two-year study will determine
whether they'll also be allowed to prescribe medications and perform
minor surgery.

To obtain a license, a naturopath must have graduated from a state-
approved, four-year, graduate-level naturopathic program accredited
by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education and have passed a
national licensing exam or state equivalent. But licenses probably
won't be issued before late summer or early fall next year, said
Holly Lucille, president of the California Assn. of Naturopathic
Physicians.

Naturopathic medicine emphasizes the body's ability to heal itself
and relies on diet, nutrition, vitamins, herbs and alternative
practices. The law prohibits naturopaths from performing acupuncture
or practicing Chinese medicine unless separately licensed.

Lucille said the law would allow consumers to distinguish between
thousands of practitioners who call themselves naturopaths and the
current 101 who have completed accredited programs and passed board
exams.