Virginia Mercury Article
“Virginia’s naturopathic doctors are continuing a 15-year fight for licensure"

 

Highlighted are ANMA facts to the article.” 

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“For the past 15 years, Virginia’s naturopathic doctors have been on a quest for licensure by the state’s Department of Health Professions — a step that’s been taken by 23 other states and would allow them to diagnose and treat patients like many other medical providers.”

Although 23 states require them to get a license there is no cohesiveness in the scope of practice or title protection. 

 

“Amid an ongoing global pandemic that’s led to significant revenue losses for many primary care providers, Virginia’s naturopathic doctors plan to carry their fight for licensure into 2021, arguing they could play a critical role in expanding access to care for patients.”

18 practitioners cannot play a critical role in expanding access to care for patients.  

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“Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, who sponsored the House version of the legislation in 2020, said a new bill would be filed in the upcoming General Assembly session. It’s likely to share similarities to previous versions, which proposed a significantly expanded scope of practice for NDs, allowing them to examine and diagnose patients, order clinical laboratory tests, and administer intravenous medication, among other treatments.”

This legislator is probably not even aware that they do not practice naturopathy or of the patients killed with untested therapies such as Turmeric IV’S.

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“Licensure connotes a level of training that has some scientifically and medically backed substance to it,” said Clark Barrineau, assistant vice president of government affairs for the Medical Society of Virginia. “And for better or worse, that substance in naturopathy isn’t out there for anyone to evaluate right now.” ‘We’re a glorified health consultant’

This is the only truth. Legislators elevate them to a level that their education, science, and research or lack of it does not support and this makes them a danger to the public. And allowing them to steal a profession practiced for 100’s of years as natural and non-invasive. 

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“It’s a view that naturopathic doctors — most spread among the roughly 18 practices listed in Virginia — are fighting against as they work towards licensure.”

When naturopathy is practiced correctly it is not a threat to the public.

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“Allowing them to practice medicine without going to medical school is essentially giving them a license to kill,” Julie Coombs, a member of the American Naturopathic Medical Association — which opposes licensure — said in public testimony to the committee in August. “They think that putting a natural substance such as turmeric in an IV makes it naturopathy, when in fact it does not.” 

ANMA does not oppose licensure that is fair to all practitioners of natural non-invasive therapies. To see the 40+ year old ANMA’s Code of Ethics , click here. We stand by these and ensure our members do too. 

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“Coombs was referring specifically to a case of naturopathic medicine gone wrong — a patient who died after receiving a turmeric infusion from a licensed ND in California.”

This licensed ND is still in practice in CA. If not for the licensure law, he would be in jail. This is why ANMA actively fights for your right to practice and protect Naturopathy.

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“It’s the kind of example that makes many NDs in Virginia cringe. Giardenelli pointed out that one major advantage of licensure would be the establishment of a regulatory board that could discipline and even de-license providers who harmed patients or ventured outside their scope of practice.”

This death was not outside his scope. CA legislators allowed this to happen. Just like consumers, they do not get it, these licensed naturopaths don’t practice naturopathy or go to MEDICAL SCHOOL.

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“Like many NDs in Virginia, Morris also said licensing the industry could help address the “social and economic burden” in communities with shortages of primary care providers — a common thread in testimony from patients and other practitioners. More than a dozen counties across Virginia are labeled as “health professional shortage areas” in primary care, with some of the most acute need among low-income communities in rural counties such as Northampton on the Eastern Shore and Tazewell in the far southwestern corner of the state.”

Even low-income communities deserve good health care from qualified natural health providers.

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You can read the complete article here:  Virginia Mercury.