Is there any harm?
Some patients clearly want what naturopathy offers. So what’s the harm?
Health care systems that integrate alternative medicine legitimize it and lower the overall standard of care, Mr. Caulfield said. Most naturopathy claims are not backed by evidence, and making it available to patients amounts to deceiving them, he said.
“If there’s good science behind it, it’s not going to be alternative medicine; it’s going to be medicine,” Mr. Caulfield said.
Family physician Dr. Hislop said that refusing to order naturopath-recommended tests interferes with his relationships with patients and often requires lengthy conversations to explain the problems with naturopathy.
Naturopathic medicine can deter patients from seeking proven conventional treatments, which can put their health at risk, Dr. Gorski said.
Some naturopaths could potentially be harmful.
In 2017, a California woman died after receiving an IV preparation of curcumin, a chemical constituent in the Indian spice turmeric featured in alternative medicine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that the treating ND mixed the curcumin emulsion product with ungraded castor oil that had a warning label stating: “CAUTION: For manufacturing or laboratory use only.”
Because naturopathic care is generally not covered by insurance, it can also be expensive for patients who pay out of pocket.
Ironically, the mainstream health care system helps create the environment in which naturopathic medicine thrives.
It offers patients a more relaxed and personal alternative to rushed visits with harried doctors scrambling to see the required number of patients in a day. By contrast, an initial visit with an ND might last a leisurely 60 minutes, with 30-minute follow-up appointments.
Mr. Caulfield acknowledged that the relaxed naturopathic approach can be more attractive to patients but said the answer is to reform the current system: “You don’t fix a broken arm by acupuncture.”
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.