Naturopathic medicine is based on the belief that the human body has an innate healing ability. Naturopathic doctors (NDs) teach their patients to use diet, exercise, lifestyle changes and cutting-edge natural therapies to enhance their bodies’ ability to ward off and combat disease. Naturopathic physicians base their practice on six timeless principles founded on medical tradition and scientific evidence: (1) let nature heal, (2) identify and treat causes, (3) first, do no harm, (4) educate patients, (5) treat the whole person and (6) prevent illness.
Before 2008, those practicing Naturopathy in Minnesota were not formally regulated or registered. In May of 2008, Minnesota passed a registration bill for Naturopathic Doctors, becoming Minnesota Statute 147E. Naturopathic Doctors are now required to graduate from a federally-accredited, four-year, residential naturopathic medical school and pass an extensive postdoctoral board examination (NPLEX) in order to be eligible for registration status. Registered Naturopathic Doctors must fulfill state-mandated continuing education requirements annually, and will have a specific scope of practice defined by Minnesota state law.
This new registration makes it possible for Minnesotans to know that when they choose to see a Naturopathic Doctor, they are choosing a professional who meets both the federally recognized standards and the requirements set by the state of Minnesota.