Page last updated 19 Dec 2019
Action alert
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Media Coverage
Canadian town suffering doctor shortage finds naturopathic clinic, inflaming critics of alternative medicine. Newsweek. 2019. Jeffery Martin.
Are we being served by the regulation of naturopaths? Not if patients are still being misled. Globe and Mail. 2016. Carly Weeks.
Scope of practice
Ontario naturopathic scope of practice
Title: Protects the title “naturopath”
Prescription drugs: May prescribe per a formulary if the registered naturopath meets the prescribing standards, which includes an approved course and passing an examination. Drugs that may be prescribed/ dispensed and the permitted routes of administration are listed in the tables found in the Naturopathic Act, 2007.
IV administration: Permitted according to table 2 in the Naturopathic Act, 2007.
Diagnostic tests: May perform phlebotomy and physical exams
Minor office procedures: Not defined
Spinal manipulations: Permitted
Childbirth/ midwifery: Not defined
History
Naturopaths have been licensed in Ontario since 1991. In 2015, Naturopathic Act 2007 was passed. It defined the practice of naturopathy in Ontario.
How to file a complaint
Naturopaths are regulated by the College of Naturopaths of Ontario. Information about filing complaints can be found on the college’s website.