Wow. Interesting web page. I\'m not a naturopathic doctor of any sort, and I do not and have not worked for any individual, organization or college related to naturopathic medicine, but I\'m interested in natural health care, and that\'s how I came across your site. I also checked out AANP\'s site after seeing yours.

What I find interesting is how professional the AANP site is and how informative it is about the actual tenants of naturopathic medicine and other related topics, as opposed to how yours is full of a lot of \"I\'m right and they suck\". And, you have no forum for anyone to post anything to dispute your statements. Neither does AANP (unless it is on their \"members only\" page -- to which I don\'t have access), but, then, they don\'t appear to use their webpages to post accusations.

You post two lawsuits against NCNM and others, neither of which are dated, neither of which list the individual who brought the suits, and the outcome of which you leave untold. I notice that NCNM\'s webpage indicated that the program for Doctor of Naturopathic medicine is designed to \"prepare them [those who finish the program] to sit for examination in states and provinces that license N.D.s \". This makes me wonder how old the charges in the lawsuit were and leads me to believe that NCNM rectified its errors--whether intentional or not (trust me, having worked in colleges for 15 years, I know how schools stretch the truth to recruit!).

Also, the letters from former NCNM students which you have posted on your site deal with the state of NCNM 20 years ago. While I agree that the conditions they describe, if true, are abysmal, I also know, having worked in the college and university arena since 1987, that what they describe is very similar to the dark periods of many now-reputable colleges in our country. (I would agree that anyone practicing medicine who attended any medically-related college with classes as poor as described should look long and hard at their background before doing any more \"practicing\"!) What I also know from my years working at colleges in the Pacific Northwest is that NCNM works in partnership with other very reputable universities, such as OHSU, which aren\'t the type of colleges to easily find themselves intangled in relationships with unreputable schools.

As for your posting of the NCNM student survey from 1992--please! I know such a survey would sway many (with no college administration experience) to believe NCNM was a hellish place for its poor put-upon students (who seem to stick around and graduate at a quality rate, by the way...the sign of overall satisfaction, and a much better indicator of how they truly feel about the education they are receiving). In all my years working in colleges (are you tired of hearing that yet?), I\'ve never known a college to get a mostly positive report from its students. Students are, by nature, critical of their colleges while in attendance. They have to follow RULES for heaven\'s sake! They are out of touch with the reasons decisions are made and only know that they don\'t like the decisions. They wallow in rumors about professors and administrators. They pay a lot of money and usually don\'t believe the benefit matches their payment. It isn\'t until they become graduates and have some space and time between them and the university that they grow fond of it. The sharp edges they once perceived soften. They are in their profession and actually using information they learned in class or practicum.

I checked out some of your claims and innuendos, such as your [rhetorical?] questions, \"Where are these states that allow the title, general practice primary care physicians? Where are these states that allow naturopaths to use drugs and minor surgery in practice.\" Your questions unnerved me...I had \"minor surgery\" performed by my naturopath and now wondered if she was trained in it or even allowed to do such a thing. Plus, she has prescribed \"drugs\" before, and she refers to herself as a \"licensed primary care physician.\"

So, I called the state. I called the state general info line and asked to be transferred to the office in charge of regulating naturopathic care. Guess what they told me...naturopaths in this state CAN prescribe drugs, they CAN perform minor surgery, and they ARE recognized primary care physicians. In fact, the state\'s welfare-type health care insurance program recognizes naturopaths and allows it\'s card holders to receive care from naturopaths. But, I thought, maybe these people are a bunch of Naturopathic doctors on some \"Board\" who live in a delusional word thinking they are allowed to prescribe drugs, do minor surgery, and call themselves primary care physicians...yikes. So, I called my state senator\'s office AND my senator\'s office in D.C. Guess what, after waiting a few days, I received confirmation of the same facts. Now, I guess maybe my state senator, my national senator, and the Board regulating naturopaths could all be in some kind of conspiracy...hmm...maybe I should call Oliver Stone??

I can\'t figure out from your website what your purpose actually is. You criticize your \"competing\" naturopathic medical association, you lambaste naturopathic colleges (NCNM at least), accuse naturopaths of lies and exaggerations about their education from accredited colleges, THEN say you are an organization which uplifts the profession through membership (ah...money), provides continuing education credits (ahh, money), provides an annual meeting (ahhh...money), and that your primary work is in monitoring legislation that would prevent naturopaths from practicing. I\'M CONFUSED. A cursory glace at your website makes your organization look schizophrenic. One of your personalities supports naturopaths (usually with a monetary exchange from their pocket to yours), and the other belittles the profession, other naturopathic groups, and the colleges which train them.

I am a party with no vested interest in your organization, the AANP, or NCNM. I have no reason to dig in my heels and refute you. I have no brainwashing or naive belief that colleges don\'t have bad teachers, bad administrators, bad times, bad marketing. I have not vested years into becoming what you apparently find inferior--an NCNM graduate. Those few naturopathic doctors I do know (3) have all graduated since the mid-90s and I have never heard from them the \"lies\" and \"exagerations\" you claim they spread...I have only heard the truth from them about how many states license naturopaths, how difficult it is in states that don\'t, how it is impossible in some states, and that naturopaths are limited in many states by multitudes of laws, etc.

Your information appears to me to be, at the least, outdated, at the worst, vindictive lies mixed with just enough truth to lend you some smidgeon of credibility that others can latch onto in an attempt to besmirch the naturopathic profession. Whether the worst, or the least, shame on you.