New Mexico governor signs regulation, licensing bill in to law
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 135, the Naturopathic Doctor’s Practice Act in to law late last week, making New Mexico the 22nd state and 25th U.S. jurisdiction to regulate naturopathic doctors.
The bill provides and regulates professional licensure for naturopathic doctors in the state and provides a defined scope of practice. Further, the bill creates a Naturopathic Doctors’ Advisory Council of the New Mexico Medical Board and amends sections of the New Mexico Drug, Device, and Cosmetic Act, the Medical Practice Act, and the Unlicensed Health Care Act.
The New Mexico Association of Naturopathic Physicians has been spearheading efforts to promote the bill, and appeared at the signing, which took place on April 4.
More Americans are seeking complementary and natural healthcare providers, as they focus on wellness, prevention, and whole-person care. Increasingly, consumers can find licensed naturopathic doctors as members of the professional clinical teams at medical centers of excellence around the United States. Twenty-eight prominent health systems, hospitals, and cancer treatment centers now have one or more licensed naturopathic doctors on staff at their facilities. Today, there are approximately 6,000 licensed naturopathic doctors practicing in the U.S., according to the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
Trained to treat the whole person, naturopathic doctors diagnose, prevent, and treat acute and chronic illness. Naturopathic doctors complete a rigorous, science-based, four-year, post-graduate education in an accredited naturopathic medical college, recognized by the United States Department of Education. Working as both primary care providers and members of collaborative integrative healthcare teams, naturopathic doctors address underlying causes of illness. Because of their rigorous training in clinical nutrition, lifestyle counseling, botanical medicine, and more, they are experts at engaging and empowering patients to make lifestyle changes, proven to improve health outcomes.
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