Our mission is to bridge the gap between conventional and complementary medicine by offering accessible, research-backed education on pediatric health. We aim to foster collaboration and trust among healthcare professionals through clear, data-driven dialogue that enhances clinical care and supports the integration of naturopathic medicine into everyday practice.
In a landscape filled with conflicting health advice, we serve as a reliable resource for licensed healthcare providers. Naturopathic Pediatrics offers peer-reviewed, evidence-based information on natural and integrative treatments for pediatric patients, ensuring that providers can confidently apply safe, effective interventions in their practice.
Our vision is to advance pediatric care by promoting early, preventative interventions that reduce the burden of chronic diseases in both children and adults. By supporting healthcare providers in integrating natural therapies with conventional treatments, we aim to transform pediatric healthcare and improve long-term health outcomes worldwide.
Naturopathic physicians are licensed healthcare providers who are specialists in the natural treatment and prevention of disease.
Naturopathic physicians attend four-year graduate schools that are nationally accredited by the Council for Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME). The CNME is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, which classifies the ND degree as a Doctorate-Professional degree, on par with MD and DO. Currently 6 schools in the US and Canada are accredited through the CNME to provide naturopathic medical education.
The naturopathic program consists of at least 4 years of study with over 4,100 clock-hours in the classroom or clinic. A minimum of 1,200 hours are spent in clinical education with direct patient contact under supervision.
(Not including undergraduate premedical training)
(on average)
(time spent in direct contact with patients)
(total. That's a lot of hours of medical school!)
The main difference in education between a naturopathic physician (N.D.) and a medical doctor (M.D.) is in the the area of specialization. By definition naturopathic physicians are specialists in natural treatment of primary care conditions. While MD students do rotations in specialty fields in their 3rd and 4th years (like Oncology, Obstetrics, Surgery, etc), ND students do clinical work in naturopathic primary care, learning huge volumes of natural health material, including medical herbs, manipulation techniques, nutrition, vitamin/mineral supplementation, and more.
Also, naturopathic care differs from conventional medical care in that we tend to avoid the use of pharmaceuticals and major surgery unless absolutely necessary. Our training includes the appropriate use of these tools, but we prefer to save them for times of absolute medical necessity.
The goal of a naturopathic physician is to determine why someone became ill in the first place. This is why a naturopathic physician typically spends 2-3x the face-to-face time with patients as does a conventional medical doctor. To treat the underlying cause ND’s use tools like counseling, botanical medicines, nutrition, homeopathy, naturopathic manipulation, vitamin/mineral supplementation, hydrotherapy and more.
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In the United States: 25 jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands all have laws regulating naturopathic doctors. Check with your state association for specific regulations and requirements regarding scope of practice.
States currently offering licensure or registration to naturopathic physicians:
For more information on licensure in the United States, please visit the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians website.
In Canada: Five Canadian provinces regulate naturopathic doctors. Check with your provincial association for specific regulations and requirements regarding scope of practice.
Canadian provinces currently offering regulation and registration to naturopathic doctors:
For more information on licensure in Canada, please visit the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors website.
Scope of practice regulations vary among licensed/regulated states and provinces, as do the parameters and restrictions for practitioners located in pre-licensed locations.
The above information is from https://aanmc.org/licensure/