(RALEIGH) — The North Carolina Medical Society continues to win battles for the safety of patients in the state!
On Wednesday, members of the NCMS collaborated with members and other agencies to halt Senate Bill 607, the Regulatory Reform Act of 2024. If successful, it would have allowed the creation of a new board to license Naturopaths to practice in the state without appropriate regulation.
Through combined efforts, NCMS successfully ensured that North Carolina remains a safer place for patients. NCMS Vice President of Advocacy John Thompson says of the victory: “This helps the NCMS uphold the high standards of medical care that our community deserves.”
The NCMS based is opposition on, among other things, the undefined and expansive scope of SB607. It would have allowed naturopaths to order diagnostic imaging (ultrasounds, CT scans, mammograms), laboratory tests, and utilize oral, nasal, auricular, ocular, rectal, vaginal, and transdermal routes of administration of substances. Additionally, the bill would allow naturopaths to prescribe any natural remedy similar in structure or function to natural sources.
This is a great opportunity for us to come together as medical professionals. Our mutual patients are using supplements, herbs and food as medicine and we have extensive biochemistry of nutrition training (especially those of us who attended the science-heavy Bastyr program). People will use these medicines regardless of our presence and the medical community’s relative ability to offer guidance. As I can only imagine you are trying to keep the public safe, why not work with us rather than against us?
I invite you to have a conversation with us. By discovering the truth sbout our training and practice, learning who we are and what we do, you will see that well-trained (4 year programs + licensure) NDs improve health outcomes across the board. I can’t imagine that you would want anything more than better health across NC communities and we do, too! Help strengthen and grow the shrinking medical workforce by licensing NDs. We believe in the power of community and know that good education is medicine. You WANT us on your team so we can stop those untrained posers calling themselves NDs from causing harm which is a common problem with a common solution, licensure for legitimate Naturopathic practitioners. Let’s make NC the integrative and natural medicine hub of the east coast. By working together we can make medicine great again. Thank you and I hope to hear back from you.