Naturopathy - a healthy debate

Holistic treatments' supporters swear by it, while its detractors glare at it

Joyzelle Davis, Rocky Mountain News

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Audress Johnson needed to retool her strict vegetarian diet, but she said doctors provided no help.

She went outside the traditional medical tent to a naturopath - an expert who specializes in vitamins, herbs and other holistic treatments. These healers don't have degrees as doctors of medicine.

"I wanted someone who had extensive nutritional training and wouldn't give me the conventional 'milk and fish oil cures everything,' " said Johnson, who is allergic to milk.

Her naturopath added more leafy greens, nuts and supplements to her diet, restoring Johnson's vigor and making the Littleton aerospace engineer the latest convert to the ranks who believe the profession needs official respect.

But not everyone's buying it. Medical doctors are concerned about the profession's growing popularity, and now the legislature is weighing whether to make Colorado the 15th state to license and regulate naturopathic doctors.

"They take medical practices from a gamut of backgrounds - ayurvedic, Chinese herbs, aromatherapy . . . practically everything except Western medicine," said Dr. Mark Johnson, executive director of the Jefferson County Health Department. "Their determination of what is good and safe medicine is very dangerous."

Naturopaths have long been regarded with skepticism by the health care system, but they're becoming an increasingly popular alternative for patients who are frustrated with conventional treatments.

More than 37 percent of U.S. households use some form of alternative medicine, according to a report released last month by Thomson Medstat, led by individuals whose annual incomes exceed $100,000. Integrative medicare centers, where medical doctors practice alongside specialists in traditional Chinese medicine and other alternative therapies, have popped up at establishments such as University Hospital and HealthOne's Swedish Medical Center.

A bill to license naturopaths, sponsored by Rep. Jeanne Labuda, D-Denver, was passed by the House Health and Human Services Committee last month on a 9-2 vote and is now before the Appropriations Committee.

To qualify under the bill, naturopaths will need a degree from a four-year graduate school and must pass a national exam.

The Colorado Medical Society opposes the legislation, saying naturopathic medical schools don't provide enough training and that some practices - such as an aversion to immunizations - might harm patients and community health.

Naturopaths disagree, saying they often work closely with doctors in cases such as helping a chemotherapy patient manage side effects. They note that, during the 1960s and '70s, doctors raised similar objections over chiropractors, who are now licensed in all 50 states.

Proponents say the bill is necessary to protect patients from visiting doctors who went to "diploma mill" correspondence schools that don't require an undergraduate degree or a grounding in basic science.

"Naturopathic medicine is here to stay, and it's our duty to protect the public," said Rena Bloom, president of the Colorado Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

Only about 90 naturopaths in Colorado hold degrees from the four U.S. schools accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education, and they often hold licenses in other states, including Oregon. Hundreds more are self-taught or earned degrees elsewhere.

Many of those naturopaths oppose the law, saying graduates of four-year programs are trying to artificially restrict the job market and that a license won't guarantee public safety.

"This isn't about protecting the public, it's about protecting the profession," said Boyd Landry, head of the Washington-based trade group the Coalition for Natural Health.

Passage by the entire state House and Senate isn't guaranteed. The legislature balked at similar bills in the 1990s. But this time, the bill's backers have the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies on their side, which, in late 2005, recommended licensing the profession.

Most health insurers don't pay for naturopathic therapies now, and that isn't expected to change if naturopaths are licensed in the state. Some states, such as Washington and Connecticut, require insurance companies to cover naturopathic services.

Alfred Gilchrist, executive director of the Colorado Medical Society, said his group supports the bill's intent to protect public safety and would like to work with legislators to reach a middle ground, such as creating a registry of naturopaths in the state.

In a nutshell

What is naturopathy? A system of health care based on the philosophy that the human body has the power to heal itself by restoring its natural balance. Naturopathy encompasses practices including nutritional therapy, homeopathy and hydrotherapy.

What the House bill would do: Limit the use of "naturopathic doctor" to grad- uates of accredited naturopathic medical schools who pass a national exam and pay a fee. Licensed doctors could perform common diagnostic procedures, radiography and minor office procedures such as stitching minor wounds.

davisj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2514