Confessions of a naturopathic doctor
Naturopathy is an ideology. It is not a distinct form of primary care medicine. In fact, it is not any kind of medicine. It is pseudoscience. Naturopathy does not convey the same credibility or deserve the same respect as medicine. But, in an effort to generate credibility, proponents of naturopathic “medicine”...
I was not planning on writing today. But then I read a blog post about naturopathic “cures” for Whooping cough, and I got mad. There must have been significant backlash, as the post has been taken down from www.LikeMindedMamas.com and the group’s Facebook page, Like-Minded Mamas. I took a screenshot...
About a month ago I attended the last day of the 2015 European Skeptics Congress in London. This was my first public event as a skeptical thinker. I was both nervous and excited to meet Edzard Ernst, the scientist and medical doctor who catalyzed my departure out of the naturopathic...
Today marks the beginning of Naturopathic Medicine Week 2015. Leaders of the naturopathic profession use this time as a means to promote naturopathic medicine as “safe, effective, and affordable.” As a former naturopathic doctor, I completely disagree. Is naturopathic medicine safe? Naturopathic medicine is not safe. Naturopathic “doctors” (ones who...
This post originally appeared on ScienceBasedMedicine.org on September 7, 2015. I am including the article here in its original form to help readers easily discover the truth about naturopathic education. This morning, I checked my student loan balance from earning a doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University. I owe...
The second part to my ND Confessions series has been published on Science-Based Medicine.org today. ND Confessions, Part II: The Accreditation of Naturopathic “Medical” Education explains the U.S. Department of Education accreditation process for naturopathic schools. I suspect that accreditation of naturopathic programs serves a financial need for the schools at the expense of...
This post originally appeared on ScienceBasedMedicine.org on August 29, 2015. I am including the article here in its original form to help readers easily discover the truth about naturopathic education. Prior to renouncing naturopathic medicine and starting NaturopathicDiaries.com, I knew very little about the accreditation of higher education in the...
As part of my Master’s of Science program in Kiel, I am required to complete a “hospitation.” This means that I will spend a very brief amount of time in direct contact with patients who suffer from diseases related to my research. In order to participate in this hospitation, students...
You don’t know me, and I want to keep myself anonymous because I am still in practice and have a presence in the naturopathic profession. I received an anonymous email this morning from a naturopath who currently sits on the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), House of Delegates (HOD)....
A rewarding aspect of blogging is interacting with curious students. I frequently receive questions, comments, and stories from students around the world about naturopathy. Students discover my blog in various ways. Some accidentally stumble across it while researching naturopathic schools. Others are exploring the differences between naturopathy and medicine through...