Studying and Practicing Naturopathy in New York State page

[AnnaMoyer]

This post is mostly directed at any naturopathic doctors or practitioners of alternate medicine, but anyone can post information, experiences and opinions if they like.

I'm a pre-med undergraduate interested in studying naturopathic medicine and have looked at various schools that offer naturopathic degrees, but I'm worried that after I get my ND I won't be able to practice in my home state of New York. Currently, there are only 16 states and 5 Canadian provinces that offer a license for naturopathic doctors. Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges - Naturopathic Doctor Licensure Map

So what's the difference between practicing in a licensed state and practicing in a non-licensed state? I recently met with a naturopath who practices in Western New York and asked her about this. A licensed naturopath in a licensed state (ex. Washington) can be a primary physician, equivalent to a MD. He or she can also order labs, blood work, prescribe prescription-medications/supplements, perform physical examinations and in some cases, when properly trained, perform minor surgery. Insurance will also commonly cover naturopathic treatments. Meanwhile, in an unlicensed state, a naturopath can only advise patients and does not have access to the same medical resources as a licensed MD.

I would like to be able to practice in a licensed setting, however I really love New York state, especially the western/finger lakes region.

For those of you that live in a state or province that does not offer a naturopathic license, and you want access to naturopathic medicine, send a letter to your state legislators. Many states are in the process of passing the required legislature.

What I would like to know from anyone with an ND or practices alternative medicine, is where they practice, what their situations are like, and if they practiced in an unlicensed state how they handled their respective practices.
Other questions:
What schools did you get your ND or other degrees at?
Do you have an additional degree or license along with an ND?
What made you decide to study naturopathy/alternative medicine?

For those of you that are reading this just out of curiosity and aren't naturopaths:
Do you see a naturopath or recieve any alternative treatments?
Did you like it? Was it effective?
What was your impression of a naturopath and how was it different from your experiences with a MD?

I'd appreciate genuine honest answers and any comments I'm very interested in studying naturopathy and want to get as much information and advice as I can from a variety of people.

[Zophie]

Hi there, Congrats on your choice of career.

I live in Utah and my ND is my primary care physician. Yes, I love him. The major difference I see in a MD and a ND is what they treat. In my experience my MD treated the symptoms only and my ND wants to know what causes the symptoms and treats that.

For example, a few years ago I was bitten by a brown recluse spider on the shin. I went to a very good MD and he cut on my leg several times and gave me all kinds of antibiotics. (that trashed my body) Then after months he decides that we have to cut my leg off. Sure, I got a second opinion and the next 3 MDs said to cut it off too!

That is when I met Don. (yes, we have become good enough friends to call each other by first names) He gave me herbs and vitamins to take. Most of them were for tissue repair and immune support. He also advised me to start running till I got shin splints because that was where the bite was.

Now, I have one H!! of a scar from the MD on my leg. The cool thing is I have a leg! I only have a leg because I looked for a ND. I will love him forever for the gift he gave me.

[Catherine]

wow that is some story.

[Glamorama]

I stopped seeing my MD about 6 months ago as I found him increasingly useless.

I now see my chiropractor and naturopath and Chinese medicine practitioner for all health-issues, that also includes my 3 kids. Unlike the doctor, we actually get well after just a day or two, without Rx or antibiotics. I will only use MDs in the future if I feel it will benefit the treatment, say in the case of serious illness. I'm very happy with my naturopath!

[quelsen]

Similar story. I power thru most anything but becasue of that I never really notice how it is impacting my life. Then i met Lois and John. Both ND's but in differnt states with different approaches.

John was a "reformed" MD and to be honest he was not as effective as Lois who is a blue blood ND.

Under Lois's care and guidance i have recovered from so many things i forget what they all were, but chronic constipation and emotional distress are two major things that she corrected withing months when my MD was unable to affect change on etiher after 15 years.
My T was low from age 15 and that same MD was at a loss to correct it as was the specialist Endo. After 3 months with Lois ( and she is hot so maybe .... NAW ) My performance was almost normal after 15 years of being below normal WHILE using synthetic T

Both ND's validated suspicions I had felt for years, but lacked the knowledge to fully discuss and they did it in minutes not weeks

A final benefit from specifically Lois is that I have built up my intuition about my own health to the point where I dont Need her to diagnose I use her for a second opinion, mine is the first. 90% of the time I am correct. I have worked with her for 3 years now and My appointments went from weekly to monthly to as needed. and I still have to schedule an appointment with her she is so very busy in a town of 250,000