Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathic medicine is a unique primary health care system that blends scientific knowledge with traditional forms of medicine.
The naturopathic philosophy is to stimulate the body's own ability to heal and address the root cause of disease. Naturopathic Medicine can be utilized by otherwise healthy individuals looking for disease prevention and health promotion, patients with chronic and severe illness, and patients with non-emergent acute complaints — both alongside conventional care or as a stand alone treatment depending on the condition.
Naturopathic Doctors
A licensed/registered Naturopathic Doctor (ND) is a primary care practitioner who is trained to diagnose, prevent and treat acute and chronic illness and in some provinces/territories, prescribe medication. A commitment of many years is required to become a Naturopathic Doctor. In Canada, as well as the United States, a Bachelor’s degree is required before attending a four year professional, in-residence doctoral program accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME). The CNME is the only accrediting body for naturopathic medical programs in the U.S. and Canada that qualify graduates for regulation/licensure.
Naturopathic students complete more than 4,100 contact hours of instruction, including at least 1,200 hours of supervised clinical training. Upon completion of the program naturopathic medical graduates must also pass the North American standardized board exams. Only then, are they a fully qualified Naturopathic Doctor or Doctor of Naturopathy with the ND designation after their name.
Regulations
In the Northwest Territories, the naturopathic profession is regulated under the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Professions Act.
The Naturopathic Profession Regulation is legislation that allows the Department of Health and Social Services to regulate and license the naturopathic profession in the NWT.
The main purpose of regulating and licensing a profession is to protect the public by ensuring that anyone using a protected title, such as ‘naturopathic doctor’, has met and maintains accepted education and training standards.
The NTAND is an active member of the Advisory Committee for Naturopathic Practitioner Regulation in the Northwest Territories, led by the Government of the Northwest Territories.
