Naturopaths are not doctors -- Petition

gerdbonk

Penultimate Amazing
gerdbonk
Joined
Dec 8, 2004
Messages
30,958
Location
Baya de los Fumos
If you are so inclined, this seems to be a worthwhile petition to sign. Created by Britt Marie Hermes, former naturopath and now alt-med critic and author of Naturopathic Diaries: Confessions of a naturopathic doctor blog.

Naturopaths are not doctors: stop legitimizing pseudoscience

The purpose of this petition is to voice opposition to legitimizing naturopathy through state licensure and mandated insurance reimbursement. Naturopaths are attempting to become legally recognized as "primary care physicians" in all U.S. 50 states and become Medicare providers. This is a dangerous future.
Click to expand...

1,869 needed to reach 10,000
 
The purpose of this petition is to voice opposition to legitimizing naturopathy through state licensure and mandated insurance reimbursement. Naturopaths are attempting to become legally recognized as "primary care physicians" in all U.S. 50 states and become Medicare providers. This is a dangerous future.
Click to expand...

Is there even the slightest possibility of this happening? Are they licensed to prescribe/get reimbursed in even one state?
 
marplots said:
Is there even the slightest possibility of this happening? Are they licensed to prescribe/get reimbursed in even one state?
Click to expand...
From here:

Naturopaths are licensed or registered in 17 states, two U.S. territories and D.C., as well as five Canadian provinces. Their goal is full licensure with a scope of practice equal to primary care physicians. Current scopes vary wildly. In Arizona, an ND is considered a “physician” and can prescribe controlled substances and perform minor surgeries. In Alaska, an ND is restricted to providing nutritional advice, counseling, herbs, homeopathy, and physical therapies.
Click to expand...
 
Been reading Britt Hermes' blog off and on for a while now. The "school" she attended for her Naturopathic training, Bastyr University, is one of the most well-known in the world and located near my city (it used to be in the city, but moved to a larger campus a short distance away).

A friend of mine is currently attending Bastyr. I've spent a lot of time keeping my mouth shut and not immediately blasting her Facebook posts with a lot of scientific debunking of her chosen profession. I know she wouldn't really listen, and doing so would just cause unnecessary tension. I settle for posting things like this on my own page for her and others to see, and hope it does some good.
 
Shouldn't there be *someone* authorizing medical marijuana?

I was in my last semester of law school when I had severe gastrointestinal problems. I went to doctors; they prescribed me prednisone. Prednisone is an *expletive* of a drug. It doesn't let you sleep, and gives you an array of very uncomfortable side effects.

I made some friends who were pot growers and sellers (and users). I smoked some myself. I ate some pot brownies.

I graduated from law school, and my GPA that semester was either my highest GPA for a semester or my second-highest semester.

Sue me; I did what made sense.

(I hasten to add here that I'm *no* advocate of marijuana for kids or for people with minor complaints, like a stubbed toe or "anxiety". Everyone has anxiety!!!)
 
gerdbonk said:
If you are so inclined, this seems to be a worthwhile petition to sign...
Click to expand...
Signed - I see the numbers are up over 8,000 now.

Good cause, it seems to be depressingly easy for quacks to pull the wool over the eyes of politicians.

Niall
 
RationalVetMed said:
Yup, it should be medical practitioners, not magical thinkers and then only if there is decent evidence based on proper trials.

Niall
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I want a more deeply-exacerbated shortage of MDs, particularly in the places that I want/need them, like emergency rooms.

The wait in some emergency rooms is already pretty long.

Sometimes, the OR is backed-up and you have to wait until tomorrow. It's scary.

I'd love a world where the US has more medical schools, and we crank out more doctors, so that everyone can see a MD.

I was in the emergency room last year and my provider was a DO. I was not impressed. That's not the same as a MD. In fairness, I really have no idea what the real differences are between the two credentials; I just know I want the gold standard when I'm in the ER, and, to my untrained mind, a MD is as good as it gets for a lead provider.

I hasten to add that I am very, very happy seeing a nurse practitioner as my PCP. Non-MDs have a place.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom