Traditional VS. Conventional
January 24, 2005
Ms. Judith Peters
Office of the Attorney General
6 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333-0006
RE: Adjoining document to the letter addressed to Ms. Judith Peters
There is a material difference in the philosophy and scope of practice of traditional naturopathy and conventional naturopathy.
Conventional naturopathy, a state licensed profession that is practiced by the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (N.M.D.) is a combination of allopathic and naturopathic medicine with a holistic philosophy of mind, body, spirit, and nature. The holistic philosophy incorporates pagan spiritual practices that are transcendental, mystical and intuitive. The holistic approach to health evolved with the “New Age” movement, which relates to “a complex of spiritual and consciousness-raising movements of the 1980’s, including belief in spiritualism and reincarnation and holistic approaches to health and ecology.” 1 The involvement of the holistic philosophy in conventional naturopathy is acknowledged by the Bastyr University mission statement “Bastyr educates future leaders in natural health sciences that integrate mind, body, spirit and nature.” 2 Bastyr shares the same philosophy as the other schools of conventional naturopathy.
In the (body, mind, and spirit) concept, vital energy for healing is attained through transcendental meditation and is transmitted from the therapist to a recipient. “Qi gong,” which is practiced by conventional naturopaths, is a “Chinese system of prescribed physical exercises or movements performed in a meditative state.” 3 “Proponents of energy field therapies also claim that some of these therapies can act across long distances. For example, the long-distance effects of external Qi gong have been studied in China and summarized in the book Scientific Qi gong” 4 Integrative medicine is a segment of conventional naturopathy that incorporates the holistic philosophy (body, mind and spirit), with an emphasis on environmental and social factors.
Traditional naturopathy, which is licensed by the Naturopathic National Council, Inc., and practiced by the Doctor of Naturopathy (N.D.) is a system of medicine that relies exclusively on nature and the science of nutritional biochemistry. The scope of practice of traditional naturopathy does not include allopathic practices or principles, electrotherapy, phototherapy or any mechanical (body), transcendental (mind), and incorporeal (spirit) practices. Traditional naturopathy is a medical profession dealing with nature, and spiritual issues are not related to nature but to the creator of nature. Spiritual issues fall within the profession of the clergy and we do not assume the role of the church. In the nature-science philosophy the vital energy that improves physiological, emotional, and physical function comes from biologically based substances from nature: such as botanicals, water, sunlight, fresh air, herbs, whole foods, probiotics, protomorphogens, phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, enzymes, plant and flower essences, and fresh juices. The scientific segment of traditional naturopathy is termed functional medicine. Functional medicine encompasses nutritional biochemical sciences that employ assessment and intervention to improve physiological, emotional and physical function involving molecular and metabolic changes in the system.
In essence traditional naturopathy and conventional naturopathy are two distinct branches of medicine, the curriculum of conventionalnaturopathy is based on the philosophy of mind, body, spirit and nature. Their training is reportedly similar to that received by allopathic medical doctors except specializing in the treatment of the musculoskeletal system, and the curriculum of traditional naturopathy is based on the philosophy of nature and science specializing in the function of body chemistry.
Sincerely,
Beverly Betancur, N.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Cc. All states
1 The American Heritage College Dictionary 4th edition, 2004 Houghton Mifflin Company Boston, New York
2 Bastyr University. Fact sheet (www.naturalhealers.com.)
3 The American Heritage College Dictionary 4th edition, 2004 Houghton Mifflin Company Boston, New York
4 National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Energy Medicine. (www.nccam.nih.gov).
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