Harrisburg, PA, Nov. 03, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Today, with the stroke of his pen, Governor Tom Wolf adds Pennsylvania to the list of states that acknowledge the value of alternative healthcare from a qualified professional. Pennsylvania becomes the 21^st U.S. jurisdiction to regulate naturopathic medicine. The new law HB516 regulates naturopathic doctors; ensuring patients can trust that their wellness professional holds a graduate degree from an accredited naturopathic medical school.

Heidi Weinhold, N.D. and Legislative Chair of the Pennsylvania Association of Naturopathic Physicians (PANP), says, “This is a historic day for naturopathic medicine. The governor’s approval will throw open the doors for more Pennsylvania students to choose this academic course of study. Then, they can return home from a four-year graduate program to set up a practice as a naturopathic doctor.”

The PANP members worked for the last 16 years with the state legislature to advance the much-needed recognition of this growing medical field. Their goal was to increase the credibility and minimize the confusion between professionals with an advance degree and the self-study practitioner. “Naturopathic professionals also seek to better coordinate and collaborate with medical professionals across the spectrum. We believe in integrative care, and this law gives us the stature we need to work peer-to-peer with other disciplines,” explains Dr. Weinhold.

Under the new law, the terms Naturopathic Doctor and ND will be reserved exclusively for those who have attended four-year, post-graduate level programs at institutions recognized by the United States Department of Education. “This protects the scope-of-work and title for graduates from an accredited N.D. program,” offers Dr. JoAnn Yanez, executive director of the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Colleges.

Naturopathic Doctors are currently practicing at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Philadelphia, as well as the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centers, where they work side by side with medical doctors in an integrative setting. More patients could be served in this manner once naturopathic doctors are registered in this state. Both Penn State Hershey Medical Center and West Penn Allegheny General Hospital have indicated that they would hire Naturopathic Doctors if they were registered in the state. 

“The PANP will be working over the next year on implementation of the legislation in order that NDs can begin to register with the Board of Medicine. A number of Representatives and Senators have encouraged us to come back to the legislature next session in order to expand the scope of this bill. We are very encouraged about the future of naturopathic medicine in Pennsylvania,” says Dr. Marie Winters, manager of the Naturopathic Medicine Department of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America and president of PANP.

The law will go into effect January 1, 2018.

Pennsylvania joins these other jurisdictions which regulate naturopathic medicine: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands, and these provinces in Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan.

The Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges supports the work of its seven member colleges and promotes the naturopathic medical profession. The AANMC website is a clearinghouse for information about this growing health field and serves as a resource for prospective students of naturopathic medicine. Request Info on our colleges.

AANMC’s member schools are:  Bastyr University (Seattle, Washington and San Diego, California), The Boucher Institute (British Columbia, Canada), Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (Toronto, Canada), National University of Natural Medicine (Portland, Oregon), National University of Health Sciences (Chicago, Illinois), Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences (Phoenix, Arizona), University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine (Bridgeport, Connecticut).

Career Information Sidebar:

The Association of Accredited Naturopathic Colleges is comprised of 7 colleges with 8 campuses across the U.S. and Canada. Their recent study, 2016 Graduate Success and Compensation Study found the vast majority (74 percent) of naturopathic physicians are satisfied or very satisfied with their career choice. Naturopathic medicine is a distinct primary health care profession that combines the wisdom of nature with the rigors of modern science, focusing on whole-patient wellness. 

The study also shows that a strong majority (77 percent) of naturopathic medical professionals overall feel successful in their careers.   

For professionals using their degree full-time, the mean salary after graduating from naturopathic medical school is about $90,000 in the U.S. and $74,000 in Canada – more than double their annual pay prior to entering school, according to the study.     

More than nine out of ten (92 percent) are using their naturopathic degrees, and in a wide variety of positions, including primary care physicians, specialists, medical/health/wellness consultants, writers, public speakers, natural products industry, medical faculty and administrators.

To learn more about becoming a naturopathic doctor, visit http://aanmc.org.