the Independent.ie's Promotion of Naturopathy

here, I cite from a recent noncritical promotion of naturopathy in Ireland's Independent [see 001., below]; then, I quote from the mentioned ND's school to get at naturopathy's essential, science-ejected 'nature' [see 002., below]:

001. reporter Phelan, A. (? ?) writes in "Fit To Be Tried: Naturopathy" [vsc 2010-09-06]:

"if you suffer the occasional bout of anything from anxiety to insomnia, stress, eczema, food cravings or nicotine addiction, the cure could be as close as your kitchen cupboard. Naturopath Roisin O'Kelly says a combination of Irish herbs, a healthy diet and even the power of prayer can shift common health complaints [really!...] herbs for common complaints that might be in your pantry include cayenne for poor circulation; garlic to fight colds; devil's claw for arthritis; tea-tree oil for fungal infections [because you so love to make those tea tree cup cakes and cookies!]; cinnamon for high cholesterol; hawthorn essence for cardiac problems and chasteberry for PMT [...] her own clinic [is] Breath of Life in Portmarnock, north Dublin [see www.bolhealing.com...she] trained at the College of Naturopathic Medicine in Dublin [...] an initial consultation includes [...] a tongue and pulse diagnosis [...] iridology and a short healing prayer as Ms O'Kelly believes strongly in the spiritual side of healing [...] a program is [then] recommended which may include [...] homeopathy, aromatherapy, reflexology [...] after the initial consultation I'm hooked up to a machine on the desk. This is a bio-resonance scanner. The scanner 'picks up energy levels, food sensitivities and areas that need attention' [...] the College of Naturopathic Medicine is one of Ireland's longest-established training providers of practitioner-level courses in herbal medicine, acupuncture, naturopathy and nutrition [...see] www.naturopathy.ie [...] did it work? Without a doubt, but treatment needs to continue [$$$]."

Note: what promotional, credulous junk!  This is idiotic [and this isn't surprising]!  Iridology?  Bio-resonance?  "Fit to be tried?"  I don't think so.  Nowhere in this article is there a morsel of transparency regarding where these diagnostics and therapies sit in light of modern medical science [they're ABSURD]. And nowhere is there even a whimper of a skeptical, analytical, or critical angle.

002. the ND's school states:

002.a. in "What Is Naturopathy?" [vsc 2010-09-06]:

"the principles of naturopathy [...#1] the healing power of nature - nature has the innate ability to heal [...] naturopathy, or nature cure, is underpinned by a fundamental principle - vis medicatrix naturae - the healing power of nature [...] medicine, religion and science were intimately related and man was seen as a whole - a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual being. The same vital force or chi (qi) that made up the universe and nature flowed through man and it was his dislocation from this source that caused illness [...] early naturopaths realized that if you could restore the vital force to the patient, the body would naturally heal itself [...] many of the [vital force] suppressions [are] brought about through living in our modern times with all its concomitant stresses that seek to strangle the life force in our bodies."

Note: so, beginning from a nonsense vitalistic figmentation which conflates the natural and supernatural, the actual and the imagined, the medically relevant and the phantasmagoric, naturopathy therein can engage without blushing in pseudodiagnostics and wacko parlor therapeutics.

WNPA - What They Don't Tell You About Naturopathy, 2010

here, I cite from the Wisconsin Naturopathic Physician's Association [WNPA] which labels naturopathy "science" [see 001., below]; and codes naturopathy's primary, science-ejected premise [see 002., below]; and I look at their President's credentials, and use her alma mater as a decoding mechanism [see 003., below]:

001. WNPA states in "About Naturopathic Medicine" [vsc 2010-09-04]:

"naturopathic medical programs provide a solid foundation in the basic medical sciences [...] naturopathic doctors cooperate with all other branches of medical science [...and they speak of] current advances in medical science."

Note: science, science, science.

002. WNPA also states on that same page:

"these six principles, emphasized throughout a naturopathic doctor’s training, outline the philosophy guiding the naturopathic approach to health and healing and forms the foundation of this distinct health care practice: [#1] harness the healing power of nature [HPN].  Naturopathic doctors work to stimulate your own self-healing abilities of body, mind and spirit. Naturopathic medicine harnesses the vast potential of nature’s medicines to stimulate your inherent healing power."

Note: and that's all you get.  But, when you look perponderantly at naturopathy, HPN is actually the science-ejected concept known as vitalism blended with supernaturalism, and here half of that is coded.  Science excludes both the science-ejected and science-unsupported, including the vitalistic [even if coded] and the supernatural.  I wish they'd tell the public that, so that an informed decision could be made.  Boy, does naturopathy BLEND [and disguise].  Yet, of course, naturopathic thinking is termed by naturopathy as "distinct."  The obscure, opaque, camouflaged and coded distinct; such is also known as "the reversal of values."

003. WNPA states in "Board of Directors" [vsc 2010-09-04]:

"Allison Becker, ND [NCNM], LAc - President."

Note: not even Becker's "Naturopathic Medicine" [vsc 2010-09-04] fully explains the vitalistic, science-ejected premise that is central to naturopathy. Instead the premise is coded as "a deep respect for the body's ability to heal itself."  But, if you go to the web page of her alma mater NCNM, you get that explicit vitalism falsely labeled as science, and it is repeated at the '.gov level.'

WNPA has stated that their mission is to base the healthcare system on naturopathic principles: so that something can be labeled what it is not.

PalMD Reposts His 'Death of Vitalism'

here, I cite from Dr. Lipson's "The Death and Rebirth of Vitalism" 2010-09-02 repost at his new blogging location, Scientopia.org.  It is one of my favorites regarding where medicine stands in terms of this archaic and science-ejected philosophy [that just so happens to be the centerpiece of naturopathy's belief system, no matter how slimily they code it]:

PalMD writes:

"[there's] this fallacy [...] that life must be more than matter [...but] biology has become a science in its own right [...and] all biological processes [...are] contrained by the laws of physics and chemistry [...biology's] important step was the rejection of two erroneous principles: vitalism and teleology [...] more offensive to me is the idea of vitalism [...] that the difference between living and non-living things is some sort of non-material vital force [...] some sort of 'elan vital' that animates living matter [...] the death of vitalism, and the discovery of genetics, allowed biology to grow to a mature scientific discipline [...though] we will always be temped to think vitalistically [...and] all alternative medicine is based on the idea [...e.g.] Chiropractic [...has] vital energy [...] 'energy therapies' [...have] qi [...] homeopathy [...has] vital force [...] if something is immeasurable and un-observable, either directly or indirectly, it then it is not medically relevant [...] why make up a silly, non-reality-based explanation [...that] has become irrelevant [...] vitalism [is] an ancient and discredited philosophy."

Note: hear, hear.

UB Naturopathy 2010 Learning Outcomes and the Reversal of Values

here, I cite from and comment upon the recently published University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine "2010 Learning Outcomes" page [see 001., below]; and then I boil it all down [see 002., below]:

001. UB's "Naturopathic Medicine (N.D.) / Learning Outcomes" [vsc 2010-08-31] page states:

001.a. [bullet 3]:

"the UBCNM graduate will value and apply the primary principles of naturopathic medicine including: [...B3#2] to act in cooperation with the healing power of nature [HPN / coded vitalism...B3#6] demonstrate the ability to integrate naturopathic philosophy and principles with biomedical science [and] diagnostic science [...and] promote individual and community health and well being [...B3#7] demonstrate behavior that is ethical, professional, and accountable [...B3#8] demonstrate an understanding of the principles and importance of scientific and medical research."

Note: now, to understand precisely what is being talked about in the above [UB isn't providing transparency here, but I think the public deserves to be properly informed], we need a firm description of the actual principles of naturopathy.

We need to get to 'the things themselves.'  Context is best obtained from the State of Oregon, believe it or not.  You will notice several things within this detailed / 'canonical' iteration regarding “the primary principles of naturopathic medicine” [that UB doesn't detail]: 

HPN is “life force” which is a science-ejected concept well-exiled from modern biology, and though NOT science such is claimed falsely by naturopathy as science [along with their spiritism supernaturalism]. So, overall, the idea of “integrate” [blending!] that UB speaks of is actually this absurd situation regarding knowledge: combine actual science with the hugely science-ejected and then label the whole thing science.

I call it 'epistemic conflation' which means to blend knowledge type, and 'epistemic misrepresentation', which means to mislabel discrete knowledge kind.  I don't see how this is beneficial for the community: to undermine well-define delineations, including undermining the public understanding of science.  I don't see how it is ethical [academically, commercially, medically] and professional to be so opaque and therefore manipulative.  It's sad that one has to go to the West Coast -- to the naturopathy stronghold -- to find out what is happening, per 'the things themselves,' at a younger school on the East Coast.

001.b. “[bullet 1] demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the history, principles, and philosophy of naturopathic medicine […bullet 2] apply an understanding of the history of medicine.”  

Note: there's a reason vitalism and supernaturalism - them naturopathy principles -- aren't within actual medicine, historically, scientifically, and philosophically.  They are science-ejected figmentations akin to fairy dust.  What naturopathy is doing here is combining science and religion [roughly speaking], and then falsely labeling the whole thing science while misrepresenting the whole thing in naturalistic language.   Medicine has matured into an applied science; it is not based upon coded sectarian figmentations posing as 'in evidence' as is the case with naturopathy.

002. the reversal of values:

the formulation is, overall, 'science=nonscience' OR more generally 'something=what it profoundly is not' [the ultimate reversal of value]. I term this 'the naturopathic reversal of values.'  It is absurd, it is irrational, it is insane, it is cultic.

What I don't find in naturopathyland is acknowledgment of the public's and patient's right to informed consent, which is the basis of a physician-patient relationship and a contractual milieu.

So, beware.  In naturopathyland: science is nonscience; ethical is unethical; professional is unprofessional; medicine is pseudomedicine; natural is supernatural; figmentations are 'in evidence'; rationality is insanity.

That is a comprehensive understanding of where naturopathy is...absurdity.

NMD Orona on Naturopathy's Essential Vitalism - Welcome to the Database!

here, I cite from the web page of Arizona NMD Orona, who explains the underlying [science-ejected!] vitalism and supernaturalism that is AANP-AANMC etc. naturopathy's core premise:

001. Orona, S.Z. (NMD NCNM 2001) states in "Naturopathic Medicine" [vsc 2010-08-30]:

"naturopathic medicine, also known as 'naturopathy' is a school of medical philosophy and practice that seeks to improve health and treat disease chiefly by assisting the body's innate capacity to recover from illness and injury [...there are] five principles of naturopathy: [#1] the healing power of nature, vis medicatrix naturae. The body has the inherent ability to establish, maintain, and restore health. The healing process is ordered and intelligent; nature heals through the response of the life force. The physician’s role is to facilitate and assist this process [...] first do no harm, primum no nocere. The process of healing includes the generation of symptoms, which are, in fact, expressions of the life force attempting to heal itself. Therapeutic actions should be complementary to and synergistic with this healing process. The physician’s actions can support or antagonize the actions of vis medicatrix naturae [...] in the state of Arizona, naturopathic medical doctor (NMD) and naturopathic doctor (ND) are used synonymously."

Note: in naturopathyland, that which is science and that which is hugely science-ejected is also synonymous.  Just to also mention, on this same page, we are told of the requisite supernaturalism that is inherent to naturopathy.  E.g., "the physician must also make a commitment to her/his personal and spiritual development [...] health and disease are conditions of the whole organism, involving a complex interaction of physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, and social factors [...] causes may occur on many levels, including physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual."  Her alma mater, NCNM -- THE North American naturopathy school in terms of this healing sect's history -- labels all this 'as able to survive scientific scrutiny.'

Naturopathy's absurdity is amazing: sectarian figmentations that are at best politely called 'articles-of-faith' are falsely labeled 'in fact scientific.'  All with '.gov' support.

Ah, but what they don't tell you.

002. I like the language used by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in "The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing" (2008; ISBN 0199216800):

"what neither Mendel nor anyone else before 1953 knew was that genes themselves are digital, within themselves [...] life is the execution of programs written using a small digital alphabet in a single, universal machine language. This realization was the hammer blow that knocked the last nail in the coffin of vitalism and, by extension, of dualism [which includes 'spirit' in the supernatural / immaterial sense]. The hammer was wielded, with undisguised youthful relish, by James Watson and Francis Crick [p.030...] for me, the greatest achievement of Watson and Crick was to turn genetics from a branch of wet and squishy physiology into a branch of information technology, in the process slaying, as I suggested above, the ghost of vitalism [p.226]."

Note: naturopathy, which claims to be "state-of-the-art," 'thinks' otherwise.

UB's New ND Description (2010) - What They Don't Tell You

here, I analyze the language of the University of Bridgeport's [UB] 2010 description of their N.D. program that's offered by their College of Naturopathic Medicine within their Division of Health Sciences [see 001., below]; then I provide some ACTUAL detail / elucidation [see 002., below]:

001. UB states in "Naturopathic Medicine (N.D.): Program Details" [vsc 2010-08-29]:

"are you interested in a career in a field of medicine that works to support the natural healing power [NHP, coded vitalism] of the body, mind, and spirit [BMS, supernaturalism]? In naturopathic medicine we call this vis medicatrix naturae (the healing power of nature) [therein VMN-HPN is an amalgam of vitalism and spiritism, minimally], and it is our guiding philosophy [required sectarian central belief / standard of naturopathic practice].

are you interested in a profession [professions claim] that serves humanity [!] with both ancient tradition and modern science [aka blended knowledge...] we embrace the old and the new [...] this blend of old and new [...] modern biomedical science and diagnosis [...blended with archaic] philosophies and healing modalities [...which is] the medicine required to meet the challenge of the twenty-first century [!...]

the College of Naturopathic Medicine at the University of Bridgeport [...offers] a program of professional education [again, that professions claim] to prepare naturopathic physicians to provide compassionate healthcare that addresses the cause of disease [again, that VMN-HPN framing...]

the course of study is rigorous [!] as is appropriate [!] for the training of physicians [...]

the College of Naturopathic Medicine trains naturopathic physicians who practice medicine in a way that supports the inherent healing wisdom of nature [coded vitalism...] preparing them to become leaders in natural healthcare [naturopathy's false naturalistic language...]

the College provides an education of the highest standards [high standard claim], with academic and clinical training based on the principles and philosophy of naturopathic medicine [their sectarian belief amalgam framing...]

students are also encouraged to become honorable and dedicated professionals [again, professions claim], committed to serve their communities and the naturopathic profession [again, professions claim...]

the College conducts research to advance the understanding and knowledge of the natural health sciences [their overarching label for all this...]

the College of Naturopathic Medicine is accredited by the Connecticut State Department of Higher Education to offer the degree of Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine [...and] the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME), which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education [their accomplices in all this absurdity]."

Note: yes, the word "details" was used.  But, why then do I have to elaborate, comment and elucidate?  But, I must, to provide detail / transparency.

002. elucidation regarding:

NHP / HPN-VMN [the naturopathic vitalism that dare not speak its science-ejected life force status!]: this is, preponderantly, a coding / camouflage for naturopathy's central belief in vitalism.  Here's my collection of such [including earlier UB pages that used "life force" in earlier VMN definitions] stated by naturopathy explicitly in other places.  Often naturopathy does not explain that VMN is an article of faith most akin to supernatural spiritism, wherein the body is governed by a 'life spirit' or 'life force' which is intelligent / purposeful.  I have often described this amalgam as 'purposeful life spirit' and that encompasses the concepts of vitalism, spiritism, and teleology.  In modern times, naturalism is not supernaturalism, but, herein, naturopathy labels supernaturalism with naturalistic language -- which is quite misleading and FALSE [also note that vitalism is quite science-ejected minimally for several decades].  The public is not informed of this material fact;

BMS [the science-ejected supernatuaralism that speaks volumes concerning naturopathy's pseudoscientific / 'epistemic conflation' status]: you will notice that the program is offered within the label of science, and here we have explicit supernaturalism, which is science-exterior and has been for hundreds of years [ah, the absurdity!].  The public is not informed of this material fact;

"profession": what kind of profession opaquely DECEIVES and engages in such transparent MANIPULATION?;

blended knowledge falsely labeled a specific kind of knowledge "rigorous" / "appropriate":  who needs such?  This is going to be good?  You will notice that THE hallmark of naturopathy is to study some science, study a bunch of nonscience, and then falsely label the whole muddle as science. And they diagnose and treat disease.  It is akin to a Ouija board and a laboratory test being equated, and then falsely labeled as both being scientific instruments.  Here's a great anecdote: I had an ND instructor at UB who diagnosed patients with a pendulum.  That's the knowledge conflation in a nutshell: science blended with nonscience and it all called science with the ND unable to distinguish because the blending has been done so thoroughly.

"natural health sciences": this is a false label, simply put.  The essential supernaturalism and vitalism alone knock naturopathy out of this category;

the accomplices: a very large number of local, state, and national persons and entities are as responsible for this nonsense as the immediate purveyors.

An Example from Bob Park on Heroic Whistleblowing: Hauser's Graduate Students

here, I excerpt from a recent What's New by Bob Park [see 001., below]; then, I connect it to naturopathy misconduct [see 002., below]:

001. physicist Bob Park writes in "What's New - Friday, August 27, 2010":

"Misconduct: Graduate Students Emerge as the Heroes. Renowned Harvard psychology professor Marc Hauser, author of 'Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong' (Ecco, 2006), wrote that 'our moral instincts are immune to the explicitly articulated Commandments handed down by religions and governments.' I agree with his conclusion, and so indeed did the two Catholic seminary teachers I wrote about in "Superstition: Belief in the Age of Science," (Princeton, 2008), except that Hauser and I believe it to be an instinct shaped by evolution, while the two priests said it was 'written in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.' Details. It is often referred to by the faithful as 'the moral law.' Hauser thought other primates must exhibit similar instincts, but fudged his experiments with New World monkeys to show it. It was his own students, who protested, first to Hauser and then to the Dean, that the experiments showed just the opposite. As Eric Felten wrote in this morning's Wall Street Journal, they 'risked their careers and reputations to blow the whistle on him. They are the scientists to celebrate.'"

002. here's the Naturocrit connection:  my continuous whistle-blowing on AANP-AANMC naturopathy misconduct!

so, for the thousandth time or so, I'll reiterate a central issue that makes naturopathy, even of the 'big-six accreditation' type............absurd, and in that sense, hugely 'of misconduct' and falsehood:

a science label is placed upon the hugely science-ejected [the vitalistic, the supernatural and kind] and then this false labeling is traded upon academically and clinically.

 

The more absurd thing about naturopathy is this: experiments weren't ever done to then fudge the results of to:

 

a) support their vitalistic premise;

 

b) support their supernatural premise.

 

There misconduct is of a lazier type, never doing science but instead writing a bunch of blather as if science is a letterhead and magically then anything written on the page beneath that label is then 'in-evidence.'

I go way back with this gross naturopathy misconduct, e.g.:

[where I went to school in 1998] you'd think, in all this time that has passed and due to so many so-called regulators having scrutinized the college / university [there's misconduct too], they are being accurate when they label naturopathy in this here 2010 web page "science" [vsc 2010-08-29] 

 

and in this here printed 1997 web page "science-based [...] not a belief system."

But, labeling the nonscientific science is absurd, false, and at this level of 'medical' doctoral so-called physicianship -- gross misconduct and such.

 

And the racket continues.  So does the whistle-blowing.

One difference may be this: my college, unlike Harvard, had no internal processes for grievance and actively legally fought my truthful criticism of their fraud and they won.

A Politician, A Reporter, and Massachusetts Naturopathy Licensure - Pacheco, Reading, and MSND-AANP-AANMC

here, I cite from a 2009 Jennifer Reading "Survive and Thrive" horridly shallow naturopathy piece up on her youtube.com [see 001., below]; then, I analyze it [see 002., below]; and expose some MSND, AANP, AANMC naturopathic absurdity [see 003., below]:

001. in "Massachusetts Naturopaths Fight for a License" [vsc 2010-08-28]:

001.a. Massachusetts State Senator Marc Pacheco, author of the naturopathy bill, states:

001.a1. in the video:

"[Pacheco] 'I'm the author of the bill [...] we will have standards created, where the Department of Public Health is involved, where other medical professionals are involved, in developing and putting in place a standard that consumers at least have some degree of trust in' [...and we're told that the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) is unwilling to] evolve [...instead keeping] 'with the status quo [...whereas naturopathy is] cutting-edge, state-of-the-art.'"

001.a2. in the description accompanying the video:

"'when I first filed the bill, I don't think there was a state that had enacted the law,' said Senator Marc Pacheco, who first wrote the bill over a decade ago, 'And now there have been a number of states that have gone by us in terms of being on the cutting edge.'"

001.b. reporter Jennifer Reading states:

001.b1. in the video:

"naturopathic doctors in Massachusetts are not giving up their fight to be licensed [...though] the Massachusetts Medical Society [...has] been a long-time opponent of the legislation and says licensing naturopathic doctors will put the public at risk [...and] questions the role of naturopaths within the medical community in general [...that NDs will be] legitimize[d] with licensing [...] June Riedlinger [ND SCNM] is a practicing naturopath in Summerville. She says that's just not true [...] 'if we have a board of registry, one of their jobs is going to be to look at patient complaints and penalize naturopaths who are practicing outside of their trained scope of practice [...] naturopathic physicians are very consciencious [...and finds criticism of an impartial ND board] insulting [...that such accuses NDs on such a board of lacking ] integrity to be critical [...and finds examples used by critics to be] misrepresentative' [...and she speaks of] what naturopaths are taught in school [...according to the reporter] licensing will ultimately safeguard consumers."

001.b2. in the description accompanying the video:

"some Massachusetts lawmakers are worried that the Commonwealth is falling behind [...] the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians defines the practice as 'combining the wisdom of nature with the rigors of modern science.' Naturopaths treat patients by promoting the body's inherent ability to heal itself [...] 'the basic premises on which their practices are based are not sound,' said William Ryder, state legislative and regulatory affairs counsel for MMS."

002. my commentary on the above highlights, per:

-"standards created": I'd argue LOUDLY that 'standards are being lowered' [see below under the Oregon Absurdity];

-"other medical professionals": NDs do not meet the ethical standards of professionalism [see below under the Oregon Absurdity];

-"a standard that consumers at least have some degree of trust in": using Oregon as an example, a FALSE TRUST has been created by legislation and '.gov' support:

I call this the Oregon Absurdity, wherein the hugely science-ejected is falsely labeled -- in '.gov legislation' -- science and objective fact, and therein naturopathy trades under deceptive labels with government sanction as a "profession" [vsc 2010-08-28; that is what State licensure helps naturopathy with];

-"evolve": as if naturopathy's absurdity -- that I just mentioned above as the 'Oregon Absurdity' -- is a step FORWARD;

-"cutting-edge, state-of-the-art [...] falling behind": nonsense isn't the future, it is retrograde;

-"licensing naturopathic doctors will put the public at risk": I totally agree;

-"Riedlinger [ND SCNM]": this ND's school uses the science label upon the hugely nonscientific, as all of naturopathy does;

 -"penalize naturopaths": judging from the permissiveness of naturopathy nonsense from the get-go, I don't think there's ANY kind of standard to hold an ND to beside very mundane torts.  The professions-level standards aren't possible within naturopathy science it is founded upon falsehood and trains future NDs to act just as false;

-"integrity to be critical [...] conscientious [...] misrepresentative": the entire racket is misrepresentative, and I don't see integrity or conscientiousness because I don't see any thinking / honesty going on;

-"licensing will ultimately safeguard consumers": no it won't.  The education consumer, like myself, will be misled due to false labels, and people will visit NDs clinically with the assumption that their knowledge is not absurdity-based;

-"the rigors of modern science": no, because if this was true, then certain premises wouldn't be within the naturopathic belief system that they call "principles," such as vitalism and supernaturalism;

-"body's inherent ability to heal itself": the great coded vitalism statement that NDs employ because if they told you that they're based upon science-ejected articles of faith which modern medicine has ejected, they'd not generate much traffic to their schools or their clinics;

-"the basic premises on which their practices are based are not sound": I totally agree, unless, of course, the hugely science-ejected is equivalent to the science-supported, and in that sense then, unless something is the same thing as that which it excludes etc.;

003. release the absurdity: the reporter's ND, MSND, and AANP-AANMC:

003.a. ND Riedlinger states on her own web page "About Naturopathy" [vsc 2010-08-28]:

"what is naturopathic medicine?  It is based on the core principles listed below: [#1] the healing power of nature: have trust and faith in the body’s inherent wisdom to heal itself [coded vitalism...#5] treat the whole person: view the body as an integrated whole in all its physical body, mental, and spiritual dimensions [supernaturalism...] a licensed naturopathic physician (N.D.) attends a 4-yr graduate-level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all of the same basic sciences as an M.D. or D.O. [science-expertise claim].  To learn more about naturopathic schools go to the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians [AANP] web site [...] a naturopathic physician takes rigorous professional board exams [...] to learn more go to the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC) web site."

Note: what's so fascinating here is the science expertise claim placed upon the coded nonscientific vitalistic and the explicit nonscientific supernatural.  When modern science preponderantly excludes certain ideas for several decades ['life forces'] and a few hundred years ['spirits'], you are not getting the same science.

003.b. MSND states in "About Naturopathic Medicine" [vsc 2010-08-28]:

"NDs support the body’s innate ability to heal [coded vitalism] with natural therapeutics and by following the guiding principles of naturopathic medicine: [#1] support the healing power of nature. The body’s innate ability to heal [coded vitalism] can be restored by removing obstacles to healing [...] knowledge is power [...and speaks of] modern science."

Note: and that's all you are told.  So, there's the hugely opaque / coded vitalism miscommunicated, there's again a claim of knowledge expertise, and a mention of science.  Actually, licensure is power, and false-labeling is power.  Also, at their homepage [vsc 2010-08-28], we're told by msnd.org:

"our mission is to promote the success of naturopathic doctors and the naturopathic profession in Massachusetts through education, public awareness, advocacy, and community."

This is not a profession because it is not transparent about its false premises and where they sit in terms of science, they are miseducators as their literature indicates, and they manipulate the public instead of increase their awareness about what naturopathy actually is.

 

And on their page "Licensure" [vsc 2010-08-28], MSND.org states:

"licensing would allow ND’s to provide the depth of  health care that they are trained to give, providing you better service and more treatment options. Most importantly, it would protect the health care consumer by preventing untrained people from calling themselves naturopathic doctors [...] a law has to be passed to allow a profession to be licensed. Though we have been trying since 1995 to pass a licensing law we have not yet been successful [...] our main opposition is the Massachusetts Medical Society."

Again, the licensure of NDs protects ND nonsense, because complaints would go to these nonsense-purveyors, it is not a profession ethically speaking, and KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK MMS.

003.c. AANP and AANMC:

you can follow the pattern of deception / falsehood right up the organizational chain to the AANP, who falsely claims science upon the nonscientific [that's an ND who won AANP's vitalism award in 2008], and also AANMC, who falsely claims science upon the nonscientific.

Note: again, so licensure of NDs merely provides a layer of bureaucratic cover and government sanction that then PROTECTS these pseudoprofessional, pseudoscientific, hugely science-illiterate swindlers. Naturopathy starts in rather opaque, coded, brief language until a law is passed, then when licensed -- as the Oregon Absurdity clearly demonstrates, and Oregon is the seat of North American naturopathy historically -- the really really burning stupid is released.

004. "survive and thrive", huh:

how about: 'shallowly report and miss all the good stuff' and 'write a bill that, if passed, will victimize the public in the name of a bunch of sectarian whackaloons.'

Salzberg on Acupuncture and Vitalism: Pseudoscience and Magical Thinking

Salzberg, S. (PhD Harvard 1989) writes in "Acupuncture Infiltrates the University of Maryland and NEJM" [2010-08-27]:

"in a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, Brian Berman from the University of Maryland [...and] co-authors, Drs. Langevin, Witt, and Dubner [...explain] why acupuncture should be recommended for patients [...when] the evidence shows that there is no difference between real acupuncture and sham acupuncture [...and] it doesn’t matter where you place the needles, or even if you puncture the skin [...AND] most scientists would conclude, obviously, that acupuncture doesn’t work [...they] describe how 'internal disharmony is believed to cause blockage of the body’s vital energy, known as qi, which flows along 12 primary and 8 secondary meridians. Blockage of qi is thought to be manifested as tenderness on palpation. The insertion of acupuncture needles at specific points along the meridians is supposed to restore the proper flow of qi' [...] let’s be clear: acupuncture is pseudoscience. It’s based on magical thinking about a non-existent 'life force' that has never had one whit of evidence to support it [...] this pre-scientific magical thinking has no place in modern medicine, and no basis in biology, physiology, physics, or any other science [...] Berman’s work is an example of why I have repeatedly called on Congress and the President to eliminate NCCAM [...] an appalling waste [...] for further reading, I highly recommend the excellent blog posts on the Berman et al. study by Mark Crislip, David Gorski, and Steven Novella, all at Science-Based Medicine."

Note: hear, hear.  More quackademic medicine.  Notice, by the way, the number of NDs who have LAcs.

Post #300 - The Need For a Naturopathy-Induced Career Damage Fund

here, I suggest that there be established a Naturopathy-Induced Career Damage Fund [NICDF] due to the falsehood known as 'AANMC Naturopathy Education' [see 001., below], and I suggest where the fund should get its resources from [see 002., below]:

001. the falsehood known as 'AANMC Naturopathy Education':

001.a. the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medicine Colleges [AANMC]:

001.a1. itself states in "About Naturopathic Medicine" [vsc ]:

"naturopathic physicians cooperate with all other branches of medical science."

Note: I have a collection of such 'AANMC science, science, science' statements here.

001.a2. itself states, liked to from the above, in "The 6 Principles" [vsc ]: 

"naturopathic medicine celebrates the healing power of nature [HPN].  Naturopathic medicine is dedicated to the study and celebration of  nature’s healing powers [coded vitalism...] naturopathic medicine is defined by principles [...] above all, it honors the body’s innate wisdom to heal [coded vitalism...] naturopathic physicians practice the six fundamental principles of naturopathic medicine: [#1] the healing power of nature. Trust in the body’s inherent wisdom to heal itself [coded vitalism]." 

Note: and that's all you get.  HPN is not simply what they are stating; it is more complex than that.  Now, let me be clear: AANMC has a) labeled naturopathy science (here's my naturopathy-wide repository), and b) stated that HPN essentially defines naturopathy.  You would think and expect, therefore, that when you go into an ND or NMD program, that you'd get science (that you'd get what you paid for).  But, this is not the case.  HPN is, when you look close enough [beyond AANMC's coding], a science-ejected concept (see here) [along with supernaturalism, which they are also falsely positioning as 'within science']. So, you will pursue a few years of 'medical school prerequisites' and then go into an ND / NMD program with an understanding that 'this is science' yet when you boil it all down that is not what naturopathy essentially is all about.  You will have been induced into a long, costly falsehood because naturopathy does not accurately and transparently communicate its essential science-exterior sectarian nature [literally].

002. where would a Naturopathy-Induced Career Damage Fund come from?  I suggest:

the AANMC member schools; the naturopathic State associations and apparatus; and individual NDs / NMDs.

003.  truly, for anyone suckered into naturopathy's racket, it is only just that there be restitution for those ethically offended by this falsehood that then trains its marks to be falsehood purveyors.

Five Naturopaths Misleading the Public About Science - Three Web Pages

here, I use dogpile.com toward this search: >naturopathic objective all other branches<.  I quote from NDs from the first page of results [see 001., below] and I explain why what they're saying misleads the public about the contents of science [see 002., below]:

001. NDs Galbraith, R. (ND Bastyr 2006), Huber, L.G. (ND Bastyr), Klasman, L.S. (ND Bastyr 2006) state in "Naturopathic Medicine" [vsc 2010-08-20]:

"naturopathic physicians cooperate with all other branches of medical science [...] a licensed naturopathic doctor (N.D.) attends a four-year graduate level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all of the same basic sciences as an M.D. [...NDs have] an ongoing commitment to state-of-the-art scientific research [...and embrace] the latest discoveries in biochemical sciences [...] is naturopathic medicine scientific?  Yes."

Note: so, these are Bastyr NDs and they tell us 'science, science, science.'

002. ND Ratte, P. (ND NCNM 1997) at a site hosted by the University of Minnesota states in "Naturopathy" [vsc 2010-08-20]:

"naturopathic medicine is a science-based tradition [...] the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) defines naturopathic medicine as 'a distinct system of  primary health care [...a] science [...] naturopathic medicine is distinguished by the principles upon which its practice is based. These principles are continually re-examined in the light of scientific advances' (AANP, 1998) [...] naturopathic practitioners are trained as general practitioners specializing in natural medicine. They cooperate with all other branches of medical science."

Note: so, this NCNM ND states 'science, science, science.'

003. ND Williams, M. (ND SCNM) states in "About Naturopathy" [vsc 2010-08-20]:

"naturopathic physicians cooperate with all other branches of medical science."

Note: again, there is the strong claim that within science is naturopathy from the SCNM ND.

002. ah, but the essentially naturopathic, what is within those principles defining naturopathy [thank you State of Oregon for exploiting us all], is actually science ejected, specifically:

002.a. vitalism is science-ejected.

002.b. supernaturalism is science-ejected.

003. naturopathy's claim that the science-ejected is scientific is nonsense, and in that sense, naturopathy is undermining the public understanding of science SYSTEMATICALLY.  It's as rational as saying that something is what it hugely is not.

Naturopathy's Coded Essential Vitalism - SCANP.org

here, I reiterate the opaque language offered by the South Carolina Association of Naturopathic Physicians [SCANP] to NOT explain naturopathy's essential premise [see 001., below]; then, I provide some transparency [see 002., below]:

001. SCANP writes in "Naturopathic Medicine" [vsc 2010-08-17]:

"naturopathic medicine is not defined by the substances used in treatment but rather by the principles, which underlie and determine its practice. These principles include: the healing power of nature, find the cause, do no harm, treat the whole person, doctor as teacher, prevention and wellness [...we have a] reverence for the wisdom of nature [...] the principles of naturopathic medicine [...include #1] the healing power of nature, vis medicatrix naturae [HPN-VMN]. Naturopathic medicine recognizes an inherent self-healing process in the body that is ordered and intelligent.  Naturopathic physicians act to identify and remove obstacles to recovery as well as to facilitate and augment this healing ability."

Note: and that's all you get.

002. since three of the four board members currently listed at SCANP are Bastyr University NDs, I thought Bastyr would be a good choice to decode / accurately describe / reveal what HPN-VMN is:

this is the 'vitalistic context' / sectarian backbone / science-ejected belief amalgam which essentially is naturopathy.

Note: it's a given that most often naturopathy codes its actual context in what I'll call 'mundane naturalistic language.'  This is part of their ruse / foot-in-the-door propaganda MO.

Wherein Nonsense Metastasizes - Bastyr. U.'s New California Branch

here, I cite from the Bothell-Reporter / Kenmore-Reporter regarding Bastyr University's ND program expansion [see 001., below]; then, I dig up the grand old lie [see 002., below]:

001. in "Kenmore's Bastyr University to Open California Branch" [2010-08-13], the B-R / K-R states:

"offering the school's doctor of naturopathic medicine degree, Kenmore's Bastyr University plans to open a branch campus in the state of California, according to university President Daniel K. Church [...] 'we are thrilled to expand the university’s presence and provide prospective students greater access to Bastyr’s widely acclaimed naturopathic medicine program,' Church said [...] the state of California has experienced a 250-percent increase in the number of practicing naturopathic doctors over the last four years. Today, there are more than 400 licensed naturopathic doctors in California with approximately 350 actively practicing."

Note: that's a lot of woo.  "Widely acclaimed?"  No, widely misplaced acclaim -- unless irrationality and sectarian pseudomedical beliefs disguised as science-survivable are now exemplars.

002. as for my experience, a long time ago [1997 and still ticking], I trusted BU along with other AANP member schools as the AANP-Alliance to actually be describing themselves accurately and rationally.  Here's my most memorable lie by BU et al., wherein an ND is described as:

"naturopathic physician's are the modern day science based primary care doctor [...] it is not a belief system."

Note: yet, the principle idea at the heart of naturopathy -- which an ND is obligated to by oath -- is a belief that is science-ejected.

All this nonsense is still amazing to me.

Naturopathy's Coded Vitalism, Science-Expertise Claim, and Professions Claim - Chronogram Magazine 2010-07-28

Klosterman, L. (PhD{zoology} UC Berkeley) writes in "Naturopathic Medicine: A Holistic Profession You Need to Know About":

"[NYANP President  Wilson (ND Bastyr 2000)] 'naturopathic doctors are a group of highly trained professionals' [...] naturopathic doctors take four or five years of graduate-level classes in medical sciences [...] naturopaths work from the following set of foundational principles: [#1] the healing power of nature.  The body has an inherent ability to health itself, and seeks a healthy equilibrium; a naturopathic physician guides patients toward reestablishing health by addressing multiple facts that may be out of balance [coded vitalism...] the body's natural healing abilities [coded vitalism...] naturopathic doctors refer to the 'therapeutic order' when considering interventions."

Note: obviously, we have the label of "profession" and the claim of science expertise.  But, what profession codes its basic science-ejected premise deceptively?  HPN -- that science-ejected concept known as vitalism -- is not accurately communicated here.  The therapeutic order is also within a vitalistic context -- ye olde 'harmonize life forces'.  This is not journalism, this is propaganda.

Naturopathy's Coded Vitalism - ND Seddig

here, I cite the noninformative language of a California ND regarding naturopathy's essential premise [see 001., below]; then, I go to her alma mater for a more complete picture [see 002., below]:

001. Seddig, E. (ND NCNM 2001) states in "What Is The Difference Between A Naturopathic Doctor And A 'Regular' Doctor?" [vsc 2010-08-14]:

"naturopathic philosophy is based upon the following principles [...#4] the healing power of nature."

Note: and that's all you get.

002. well, let's go to National College of Natural Medicine [NCNM] and see what they say:

002.a. the school's 2009-2010 Course Catalog [vsc 2010-08-14] states:

"naturopathic medicine is heir to the vitalistic tradition of medicine in the Western world and emphasizes the treatment of disease through the stimulation, enhancement and support of the inherent healing power of the body. Methods of treatment are chosen that respect the natural healing process [...] the practice of promoting health through stimulation of the vital force [p.024...] principles of naturopathic medicine: the practice of naturopathic medicine emerges from six principles of healing [...that] are based on the objective observation of the nature of health and disease, and are examined continually in light of scientific analysis [!!!]. These principles stand as the distinguishing marks of the profession: [#1] the healing power of nature, vis medicatrix naturae [...] the healing process is ordered and intelligent; nature heals through the response of the life force [p.025...] HOM 510 – Introduction to Homeopathy [...] students will learn about vitalistic medicine, the history of vitalism, the vital force in health and disease, the nature of medicines, and ways to affect the vital force [p.035]."

Note: so, there's naturopathy's HPN explained.  HPN is a sectarian figment, much like the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy.

002.b. but that's not my favorite NCNM page.  This is, "Principles of Healing", which states:

"the practice of naturopathic medicine emerges from six principles of healing. These principles are based on the objective observation of the nature of health and disease and are examined continually in light of scientific analysis [!!!]. These principles stand as the distinguishing marks of the profession: [#1] the healing power of nature, vis medicatrix naturae [...] the healing process is ordered and intelligent; nature heals through the response of the life force. The physician’s role is to facilitate and augment this process [...#3] first do no harm, primum no nocere.  The process of healing includes the generation of symptoms, which are, in fact, expressions of the life force attempting to heal itself [...] the actions of vis medicatrix naturae [...] the practice of promoting health through stimulation of the vital force."

Note: I wonder why this ND doesn't disclose naturopathy's absurdity, so the public can make an informed decision?  After all, both NCNM citations label vitalism as 'in fact science', when vitalism is in fact GREATLY science-ejected.  I wonder how safe it is to have someone embued with this kind of absurd thinking playing doctor?

Dr. Oz, an Honorary Bastyr Doctorate, and Their Misrepresentation of Naturopathy's 'HPN Primary Principle' - Mission Accomplished.

here, I cite from a recent print edition of Naturopathic Doctor News and Review [NDNR] regarding Dr. Mehmet Oz's apparent ignorance of naturopathy's "healing power of nature" [HPN] primary principle [see 001., below; I've added a note at the end of this post as 2011-10-09 appendage, below]; and then, I provide some transparency and non-bullshit per HPN, naturopathy, and where it sits in terms of actual science [see 002., below]:

001.a. NDNR writes in "NDNR Interview: Dr. Mehmet Oz Comments on Naturopathic Medicine and His Recent Honorary Doctorate" [NDNR, 2010-08]:

001.a1. "Dr. Mehmet Oz [MD UPSM 1986] vice chair and professor of surgery at Columbia University [and his wife...] recently received honorary doctorate degrees from Bastyr University [BU...which he calls] 'a wonderful validation [...] gratifying [...] an affirmation [...from] the minds that I admire most in alternative and progressive medicine' [...making him now] part of the professional natural medical community."

001.a2. "[NDNR] you seem to embrace the six principles of naturopathic medicine [...Oz] to understand and embrace these principles [...] like the healing power of nature [...] you don't need a huge lecture [...or honest information apparently] I tell them to simple visit a park [...] or buy a bird feeder or go for a mountain bike ride or sit in silence in a field [...] when they say they feel better, mission accomplished [yeah, that's what that premise is -- not!]."

Note: I actually can't recall recently hearing such a blatantly opaque misrepresentation. Notice how NDNR, along with Oz, does not accurately contextualize HPN, either. The actual premise of HPN will be accurately contextualized in 002. WITH BASTYR'S OWN WORDS.

001.a3. "[Dr. Oz] the first thing I want to do is thank all the naturopathic doctors for their contribution to Western medicine. The West has a long way to go [really!...] institutions like Bastyr are spectacular in presenting knowledge and research in a way that traditional medicine understands [really!...] to promote understanding [...later Oz says] what I know about natural medicine I learned from Lisa [his wife].'"

001.a4. "[Bastyr's President Church (the irony is glorious!), this] person's profession[al] or personal life exemplifies the values and supports the mission of the university [...] honoring them also honors Bastyr University [...and Oz] believed that Bastyr University [...] had done more to elevate and make credible the practice of naturopathic medicine [...] than any other single entity has he was aware of."

Note: by the way, Bastyr hosts an announcement about the awarding here. And here is Church FALSELY stating that naturopathy is science-based, in "Bastyr University - Message from the President" [vsc 2010-08-13]: 

"Bastyr University continues to champion science-based natural medicine."

001.a5. "[Oz and Bastyr seek to] bring together Western and Eastern, allopathic and naturopathic."

001.b. This is some amazing and absurd bullshit. Modern medicine is falsely labeled allopathy and Western a few times.   

Here are some of my thoughts regarding the above excerpts:

per 001.a1. Columbia University is a rather august institution; Bastyr, less so.  Obviously, Oz is happy with this honor and quite supportive of BU and what they do and Bastyr is similarly happy with this arrangement.  The question: is this progressive or regressive?  My expertise informs me that it is the latter: when thinking occurs that results in something being equated with what it is not, we're back in a kind of thinking that is earlier than juvenile.   And professional?  I don't think DECEPTION is professional [more below].

per 001.a2. Ah, those six principles [that's NCNM's non-edited version!].  Well, I'll discuss what HPN really is below.  Needless to say, what Oz describes here as HPN is completely NOT what HPN actually is.  He offers nature-appreciation / aesthetics as HPN's context, but that is is so incomplete that it is hugely wrong.

per 001.a3. I don't think modern medicine is Western or allopathic.  It's simply scientifically-centered and -minded, as opposed to prescientific superstition-centered Eastern and sectarian pseudomedical belief systems.  Our supposed West, in reverting to such archaic junk, couldn't benefit: e.g., how would chemistry benefit by reverting to concepts from alchemy, astronomy benefit from reverting to such from astrology, geography benefit from reverting to a flat-earth theory, biology benefit from reverting to Lamarkism or vitalism, and most important here, how would science benefit from reverting to a way of thinking [I'm being generous here] that doesn't care for the presence or quality of evidence when judging a claim?

Let's make it a little more personal for Dr. Oz, to emphasize his hypocrisy: how would Dr. Oz's cardiothoracic practice benefit by reverting to surgical techniques from 1880?

So, does Bastyr promote knowledge?  They don't even clearly or honestly contextualize their own principle's page HPN premise.  That's manipulative propaganda: it's as cultic as the Scientologists getting you in their church [ah-ha-ha-ha, my irony muscle is strong today] by labeling their religious practices 'a personality test'. 

And honestly, if all Dr. Oz knows about this area is from his wife, does he know much at all? Is that something to brag about?  All I know about naturopathy is from studying it for 15 years and having gone to UB's CNM for four years.  Has he read the Textbook of Natural Medicine?  You can read about naturopathy's hugely science-ejected HPN vitalistic premise there, quite easily.

per 001.a4. The essentially naturopathic is not credible, unless non-disclosure is now ethically equivalent to professions-endorsed informed-decision-making, and science and nonscience are now the same thing.  This seems to be quite a dunderheaded, mutual admiration circle-jerk.

per 001.a5.  The blending of prescientific knowledge / beliefs and modern, scientifically-derived knowledge and then it all being falsely labeled science is naturopathy's MO.  After all, it is Bastyr especially that trades on this insane expression [from their home page]:

"a multidisciplinary curriculum in science-based natural medicine [...] Bastyr's international faculty teaches the natural health sciences with an emphasis on integrating mind, body, spirit and nature [vitalism]."

But, the science-based excludes supernaturalism and vitalism [and physiological teleology, that 'intelligent' aspect of HPN]. That's a basic fact. So, in blending science and nonscience and calling the whole thing science -- yes, for Oz and Bastyr, mission accomplished.  This phenomenon is what I've labeled "epistemic conflation" [EC]-- it's analogous to the label pseudoscience.  But whereas pseudoscience is a question of 'science or not', epistemic conflation looks at the entire spectrum of knowledge-type [e.g., from the a priori to the a posteriori].  Here's how illegitimate this EC is: it would be hugely ground-breaking in terms of modern thought if it was progressive, applicable, useful, rational, productive, world-changing; the Nobel Committee would have awarded their prizes already for this huge sea-change in epistemology.  Instead: silence from Stockholm.  And judgments of irrationality, ignorance, and insanity from many observing from the wings.

001.c. Bastyr has video up of the ceremony:

him, her [vsc 2010-08-13].

002. what HPN actually is FOR NATUROPATHY [not what Dr. O. said, at all]:

002.a. how Bastyr represents HPN, and then digging a little deeper for full-disclosure / transparency / honesty [pseudoscience!]:

002.a1. Bastyr misrepresents HPN as:

""the healing power of nature (vis medicatrix naturae): naturopathic medicine recognizes the body's inherent ability, which is ordered and intelligent, to heal itself. Naturopathic physicians act to identify and remove obstacles to recovery, and to facilitate and augment this healing ability."

Note: and that's all you get there.

002.a2. now, here's a 2001 internal Bastyr document that clearly states that HPN is a "vital force,"  and this figmentation is QUITE different from what Oz and Bastyr [from directly above] describe HPN as:

"NM5136 - The Vis Medicatrix Naturae [...] naturopathic medicine’s core clinical principle, the vis medicatrix naturae, is shared by traditional systems of medicine throughout the world. This course explores clinical research, writings and techniques from various systems of medicine which incorporate nature’s influence on healing, the nature of the healing processes, and the vital or life force."

002.b. NDNR, at times, has been transparent [but not in this Oz article] about that central naturopathic HPN premise.  Here's ND Cage vitalizing in “Tolle Causam - Abnormal Cell Growth in Light of Naturopathic Philosophy” [Cage, A. (ND SCNM); NDNR - Feb. 2006, vol. 02 issue 02]:

“this concept of the energetic anatomical structures and the energy conducted by them is entirely harmonious with a third naturopathic principle – the vis medicatrix naturae – the healing power of nature, often referred to as the vital force […] vitalism […] the term vital force appears to be the European translation of qi or prana […] qi, prana, and the vital force […] qi  / energy [p.007].”

002.c. what science says about HPN [vitalism]:

it's not science-based, it is science-ejected.

002.d. What Bastyr falsely labels naturopathy / vitalism, still, to this day:

science-based.

003. So, overall, huge absurdity -- still. 

Is it honorable and professional to promote the absurd, and in the process annul national medical, academic and particularly science standards [and sanity] with sectarian nonsense and sectarian irrationality?  No, because it is a misrepresentation.

Thankfully that mission is unaccomplished.  But, these knowledge conflationists seem to be working really hard toward that mission [vsc 2010-08-13] and engaging in commerce under HUGELY FALSE labels [unfair business practice].

------------------------------------------------------------

2011-10-09 appendage [too good to contain!]:

So, I'd mentioned "Dr. Mehmet Oz's apparent ignorance of naturopathy's 'healing power of nature' [HPN] primary principle" above, but isn't this interesting...

Though what I've shared above doesn't seem to indicate that Dr. Oz understands HPN-VMN in any significant manner [a falsely labeled as science actually science-ejected archaic sectarian article of faith that is physiological nonsense], while he claims "to understand and embrace these principles", there is a source I recommend for a transparent explanation of naturopathy's basic context which overarches ALL THEIR PRINCIPLES [the one ring to rule them all!]:

[my scan of the book's cover]

This is Blackwell's Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fast Facts for Medical Practice [editors Herring, M.A. (BSN IWU, MSN UH), Roberts, M.M. (MD UA)](2002; ISBN 0632045833 978-0632045839; strangely-quite-wrongly published under the "Blackwell Science" imprint) [I own this book, ocr'd 2011-10].

The book's cover states "experts in their respective fields provide current and objective information" so the physician -- yes, this is written for physicians -- "can educate yourself and your patients [...and] be ready [...] to address patient questions."

Specific to naturopathy, in his ch. 14, then Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences faculty member Ehrlich, S.D. (NMD SCNM) writes:

"naturopathy is a distinct system of medicine that is based on an understanding that the human organism contains a powerful healing intelligence called the 'vital force.' Naturopathic physicians, as licensed practitioners are referred to in most states, support the vital force by following the six principles of naturopathic medicine:  1. support the healing power of nature [etc....] naturopathy is unique in that it is defined by its principles rather than its modalities. A variety of interventions are used to help mobilize the vital force in patients to bring about cure [...including] nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathy, mind-body medicine, physical medicine, and lifestyle counseling [...and] the Eastern modalities of acupuncture and ayurveda [...] as these schools of medicine complement the vitalistic medical philosophy of naturopathy [p.091...] the symptom is merely an expression of imbalance by the vital force, which hints of underlying patterns of disharmony [...] by treating the cause, symptoms are alleviated naturally and permanently, the vital force no longer needing to express a condition of imbalance [p.092...] naturopathy has continued to evolve and integrate more conventional Western medical science with its vitalistic teachings to become the modern system of naturopathic medicine that exists today [...] fast facts for medical practice: naturopaths treat the whole person, using the healing power of nature to enliven a patient's own 'vital force' or innate healing ability [p.095]."

So, everything about naturopathy is couched in vitalism -- that hugely science-ejected archaism [Southwest too loves to claim such survives scientific scrutiny!].  But, that's not what's most interesting about this book.  Get this:

Dr. Oz wrote its Foreword!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  He seems to have forgotten its contents with respect to naturopathy.  Oz writes [my comments are in bold]:

"the information gap between patients and the modern medical practitioner continues to grow [...] we have a communication gap [...]";

Well, Dr. Oz really hasn't helped us understand naturopathy via NDNR, TRANSPARENTLY, so he's in my opinion on the wrong side as regards being informative!

"this book helps to provide a substantive foundation that physicians can bring to their discussions with patients to reestablish the precious covenant that they expect [...by way of] aggressive pursuit of the newest knowledge [...] I am optimistic that this book will facilitate this process [...]";

The irony is killing me: COULDN'T Dr. Oz have turned to ch. 14 and then explained during the NDNR interview ACTUAL NATUROPATHY and not employed 'a naturopathy as nature appreciation' ruse?  Furthermore, what are the ethics of all this?  Bastyr who-gave-him-the-degree falsely labels the naturopathic endeavor "science-based"; Dr. Oz should know better but I guess this doesn't bother him.

It's signed: "Mehmet Oz, M.D. Director of Cardiovascular Institute Associate Professor of Surgery Department of Surgery College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University New York, New York."

And, shamefully -- and obviously with Dr. Oz's participation, merely in the book's first chapter alone -- the misconstruction / false-labeling of modern medicine as "allopathy" or "allopathic" occurs...wait for it...

26 times. Yes, the homeopathic term "allopathy" is falsely placed upon modern medicine twenty-six times in the first chapter alone.

Also [interesting for me in that homeopathy is as committed to vitalism as naturopathy is, and naturopathy is quite committed to homeopathy, even to the extent that homeopathy is falsely labeled "science" on the North American ND / NMD licensure exam and is REQUIRED for the degree and licensure], the homeopathy chapter states:

"in homeopathic theory, symptoms are produced when the vital force, the energy maintaining life in the individual, is out of balance [p.062]."