Licensing Naturopaths, Herbalists & Other Alternative Medicine Providers

Should Alternative Medicine Be Regulated Just like Mainstream Medicine?

It's estimated that fewer than 3% of all licensed physicians practice any form of "alternative" medicine but a full 36% of Americans use some form of complimentary medicine on a regular basis, according to a 2004 study done by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Factor in non-medical treatments like prayer and nutritional therapies like megavitamin therapy, and that number rises to 62%. Clearly, Americans are embracing "natural" and alternative medicine in record numbers. But who's providing the services?

Inconsistent (and the complete lack of) regulation, which varies widely from state to state, makes it impossible to know how many people are practicing alternative therapies like naturopathy, herbalism and homeopathy on a professional basis. Potentially, there are thousands of minimally-trained practitioners offering medical services to patients who have no idea that their "doctor" is unlicensed and unqualified.

So why is there so much debate about licensing alternative health care providers like naturopaths and herbalists? Opponents of licensing claim that such licensing would deny patients freedom of choice and put self-educated practitioners out of business. But what about the safety of their patients? Licensing will ultimately protect patients from unqualified practitioners. If you're a client of natural or alternative medicine here's what you need to know:

1. Licensing will assure that your practitioner has adequate training. The vast majority of herbalists, homeopaths and naturopaths operating in this country are self-taught and have no clinical experience before they're granted their diplomas. Even worse is the fact that many have never even met their instructors or mentors because they "earned" their diplomas through online diploma mills. Licensing alternative practitioners will assure that your provider has hands-on training and hasn't simply taken a 6-week online "course".