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Article in Denver Post about ND bill in Colorado

March 6, 2008 News | Comments (4) Tyler @ 3:51 pm


	Denver & the west ”Naturopathic doctors” face oversightAny state regulation is opposed by mainstream physicians, who say it lends too much credence to the field.By Tim HooverThe Denver PostArticle Last Updated: 03/05/2008 11:15:49 PM MSTNaturopathic doctor Rena A. Bloom works with natural remedies at Denver Naturopathic Clinic. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)Everything looked above board when Centennial residents Dave and Laura Flanagan took their 18-year-old son, Sean, who was dying of cancer and had six months to live, to see a “naturopathic doctor” in 2003.Laura Flanagan said a friend had told her about the man, Brian O’Connell, and when she went to his website, he seemed to be a legitimate health care provider.”It had a picture of him in a lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck,” Laura Flanagan said, adding that O’Connell had multiple diplomas and certificates on his office wall. As they later learned, he had no formal medical training, and he had naturopathic diplomas from correspondence schools.After undergoing treatment at Brian O’Connell’s hands, which involved passing vials of Sean’s blood under ultraviolet light and reinjecting it into his body, the teen was dead just 10 days later. O’Connell was later arrested for practicing medicine without a license in cases involving other patients, and then charged with negligent homicide in Sean’s death.He is serving a 13-year sentence, and his insurance company reached a financial settlement with the Flanagans.Supporters of a bill that would regulate “naturopaths” in Colorado say cases such as the Flanagans’ show the need for the state oversight.”I feel there may be other people like O’Connell out there now,” said Rep. Jeanne Labuda, D-Denver. “They’re going to end up doing serious harm to someone because they’re going to go beyond the scope of what they’re trained to do.”Efforts to regulate naturopaths have failed in Colorado before, but proponents say there is more support among lawmakers this year. The House Health and Human Services Committee is expected to vote on Labuda’s bill, House Bill 1064, today.Naturopathy emphasizes natural, non-pharmaceutical treatments to illnesses and rests on the belief that the treatments help the body heal itself. Typical treatments may involve dietary supplements and herbal medicationsJacob J. Schor works with patient Barbara Swain at the Denver Naturopathic Clinic. ( RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post )And vitamins, but the scope of treatments under naturopathy and those who call themselves naturopaths is much broader and not uniform.Fifteen states and the District of Columbia now regulate and/or license naturopaths, including Arizona, Kansas and Utah.Labuda’s bill would create a registration system for naturopaths who have received four-year degrees in naturopathic medicine and who have been licensed to practice in another state. Only a handful of schools that offer degrees in naturopathic medicine exist, and Labuda’s bill would essentially require Colorado to recognize the naturopathic medicine licenses issued in other states.The bill also would prohibit anyone who doesn’t have such a four-year degree from calling themselves a naturopath or a naturopathic doctor. Labuda said that would provide the public some protection because it would be easy to determine who is a credentialed naturopath.The Colorado Medical Society, which represents about 7,000 physicians, has resisted the effort, with some of its more stridently opposed members saying that naturopathy is not based on science and that naturopaths should not call themselves doctors.Even recognizing the licenses of other states elevates naturopathy to a level of respect it doesn’t deserve, some physicians say.”Many of the treatments they use are traditional but not scientific,” said Dr. Mark Johnson, director of the Jefferson County Health Department and a physician who testified against the bill for the medical society.In an attempted compromise, the bill specifically says that naturopaths could not call themselves “physicians,” but could use the term “doctor.” The medical society is still reviewing the current version of the bill.Degreed naturopaths say the opposition from the medical society is not surprising.”All of the alternative (health care) fields have run up against the medical society,” said Deidre Koloski, a degreed naturopath and president of the Colorado Association of Naturopathic Physicians, which supports the bill.Koloski said degreed naturopaths are credentialed by colleges with federal accreditation and must pass a licensing test to practice.”What we are asking for would definitely prevent people from calling themselves naturopaths without training,” Koloski said.Non-degreed naturopaths oppose the bill, in some cases making the same arguments as the medical society.”Education and training of naturopathic physicians as primary care providers is substandard,” Boyd Landry, executive director of the Coalition for Natural Health, testified before the House Health and Human Services Committee.”After four years of medical school, graduates are ineligible for licensure and must enter residency programs that last from three to five years,” Landry said. “By comparison, would-be NP’s are eligible for licensure, and thus primary care provider status, after simply completing a four-year program.”Despite her experience, Laura Flanagan said she sees value in natural remedie but the field needs regulation.”You have to have a license to cut hair. You have to have a license to be a dog groomer. These people who are doing possibly life-threatening things to people are not regulated,” she said.Tim Hoover: 303-954-1626 or thoover@denverpost.com

Denver & the west ”Naturopathic doctors” face oversightAny state regulation is opposed by mainstream physicians, who say it lends too much credence to the field.By Tim HooverThe Denver PostArticle Last Updated: 03/05/2008 11:15:49 PM MSTNaturopathic doctor Rena A. Bloom works with natural remedies at Denver Naturopathic Clinic. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)Everything looked above board when Centennial residents Dave and Laura Flanagan took their 18-year-old son, Sean, who was dying of cancer and had six months to live, to see a “naturopathic doctor” in 2003.Laura Flanagan said a friend had told her about the man, Brian O’Connell, and when she went to his website, he seemed to be a legitimate health care provider.”It had a picture of him in a lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck,” Laura Flanagan said, adding that O’Connell had multiple diplomas and certificates on his office wall. As they later learned, he had no formal medical training, and he had naturopathic diplomas from correspondence schools.After undergoing treatment at Brian O’Connell’s hands, which involved passing vials of Sean’s blood under ultraviolet light and reinjecting it into his body, the teen was dead just 10 days later. O’Connell was later arrested for practicing medicine without a license in cases involving other patients, and then charged with negligent homicide in Sean’s death.He is serving a 13-year sentence, and his insurance company reached a financial settlement with the Flanagans.Supporters of a bill that would regulate “naturopaths” in Colorado say cases such as the Flanagans’ show the need for the state oversight.”I feel there may be other people like O’Connell out there now,” said Rep. Jeanne Labuda, D-Denver. “They’re going to end up doing serious harm to someone because they’re going to go beyond the scope of what they’re trained to do.”Efforts to regulate naturopaths have failed in Colorado before, but proponents say there is more support among lawmakers this year. The House Health and Human Services Committee is expected to vote on Labuda’s bill, House Bill 1064, today.Naturopathy emphasizes natural, non-pharmaceutical treatments to illnesses and rests on the belief that the treatments help the body heal itself. Typical treatments may involve dietary supplements and herbal medicationsJacob J. Schor works with patient Barbara Swain at the Denver Naturopathic Clinic. ( RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post )And vitamins, but the scope of treatments under naturopathy and those who call themselves naturopaths is much broader and not uniform.Fifteen states and the District of Columbia now regulate and/or license naturopaths, including Arizona, Kansas and Utah.Labuda’s bill would create a registration system for naturopaths who have received four-year degrees in naturopathic medicine and who have been licensed to practice in another state. Only a handful of schools that offer degrees in naturopathic medicine exist, and Labuda’s bill would essentially require Colorado to recognize the naturopathic medicine licenses issued in other states.The bill also would prohibit anyone who doesn’t have such a four-year degree from calling themselves a naturopath or a naturopathic doctor. Labuda said that would provide the public some protection because it would be easy to determine who is a credentialed naturopath.The Colorado Medical Society, which represents about 7,000 physicians, has resisted the effort, with some of its more stridently opposed members saying that naturopathy is not based on science and that naturopaths should not call themselves doctors.Even recognizing the licenses of other states elevates naturopathy to a level of respect it doesn’t deserve, some physicians say.”Many of the treatments they use are traditional but not scientific,” said Dr. Mark Johnson, director of the Jefferson County Health Department and a physician who testified against the bill for the medical society.In an attempted compromise, the bill specifically says that naturopaths could not call themselves “physicians,” but could use the term “doctor.” The medical society is still reviewing the current version of the bill.Degreed naturopaths say the opposition from the medical society is not surprising.”All of the alternative (health care) fields have run up against the medical society,” said Deidre Koloski, a degreed naturopath and president of the Colorado Association of Naturopathic Physicians, which supports the bill.Koloski said degreed naturopaths are credentialed by colleges with federal accreditation and must pass a licensing test to practice.”What we are asking for would definitely prevent people from calling themselves naturopaths without training,” Koloski said.Non-degreed naturopaths oppose the bill, in some cases making the same arguments as the medical society.”Education and training of naturopathic physicians as primary care providers is substandard,” Boyd Landry, executive director of the Coalition for Natural Health, testified before the House Health and Human Services Committee.”After four years of medical school, graduates are ineligible for licensure and must enter residency programs that last from three to five years,” Landry said. “By comparison, would-be NP’s are eligible for licensure, and thus primary care provider status, after simply completing a four-year program.”Despite her experience, Laura Flanagan said she sees value in natural remedie but the field needs regulation.”You have to have a license to cut hair. You have to have a license to be a dog groomer. These people who are doing possibly life-threatening things to people are not regulated,” she said.Tim Hoover: 303-954-1626 or thoover@denverpost.com

4 Comments

[...] admin added an interesting post today (Article in Denver Post about ND bill in Colorado).Here’s a little bit of it:Labuda’s bill would create a registration system for naturopaths who have received four-year degrees in naturopathic medicine and who have been licensed to practice in another state. Only a handful of schools that offer degrees in … [...]
Pingback by medical question blog » Blog Archive » Article in Denver Post about ND bill in Colorado :: March 6, 2008 @ 4:18 pm
[...] Denver Post about ND bill in Colorado Posted in March 6th, 2008 by in free medical consent forms admin had a pretty good blog post. Definitely worth your time. Here is a small excerpt:Labuda’s bill [...]
Pingback by » Article in Denver Post about ND bill in Colorado free medical web log: On my blog you will find stories from other writers which I have found inspiring, educational, or just fun. Follow the links to read the whole story directly from the author. :: March 6, 2008 @ 4:47 pm
[...] admin has something worth reading today (Article in Denver Post about ND bill in Colorado)Here’s a brief bit, but follow the link for the rest.Labuda’s bill would create a registration system for naturopaths who have received four-year degrees in naturopathic medicine and who have been licensed to practice in another state. Only a handful of schools that offer degrees in … [...]
Pingback by tales of drug facts » Blog Archive » Article in Denver Post about ND bill in Colorado :: March 6, 2008 @ 5:40 pm
The new bill will do that. Independent Americans simply want to stop the madness and are willing to compromise.
—–

Adam

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Comment by Adamgilly :: December 18, 2008 @ 7:49 pm

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Article in Denver Post about ND bill in Colorado

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