I respect your position and am sorry to hear your experiences were negative. While researching naturopathic medicine, I went to see several naturopathic doctors, some were very good and very intelligent, two of them that I observed were not good. One was a product of one of the \"diploma mills\" and one was a NCNM grad that had just gotten out and seen about 2 patients before me. The ones that I saw that were good though were very inspiring and not only did I learn a lot from them that was just plain interesting about what a well educated naturopath can offer, I also learned about natural remedies that helped me get off medications I had grown dependent on, and learned techniques that have enriched my life significantly. I just started my first year of ND school and like Derik, I too could have gone the MD route, I had the grades and have the brains. It is a shame that there is so much diversity in the quality of NDs out there, but remember, there are a lot of bad MDs out there too. I do not think that one form of medicine is better than the other, I think they both have great things to offer. I hope at some point you are able to experience what it can be like to be treated by a very good ND. Try to find one that has gone through one of the four year programs who is certified. Also more and more NDs are finding residencies but since there aren\'t enough for all of them too yet, if they haven\'t had a residency try to see one thats been practicing for at least 2 or 3 years. Take care.