here, some musings on recent reporting of the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education's potential loss of federal recognition this 2026:
001. at Inside Higher Ed, in "What’s the Future of Naturopathic Medicine?", Josh Moody writes [my comments are in bold]:
"the
fledgling field of naturopathic medicine could soon be facing an existential
crisis as a key accreditor for its college programs teeters [...]";
I take issue with the framing, from the outset, of naturopathy as "fledgling". The typical connotation of that term is "inexperience, newness, immaturity, and vulnerability." In my opinion, we need a term that better connotes! That would cover such aspects of naturopathy as "exploitative, medieval, discarded, and indurated". I offer, by way of the Merriam-Webster, archaic: "Archaic implies being from a much earlier, often brutal time (medieval), no longer in use (discarded), inappropriate to the present day (exploitative), and set in its ways (indurated)." IMHO. I think Episode 017 of the Podcast covers that very well.
"last week the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity voted 12 to zero against renewing recognition of the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education due to concerns about student outcomes at member institutions. While the vote is a recommendation and the final decision falls to the Education Department, CNME’s potential loss of federal recognition would have far-reaching consequences for the small field. CNME is the sole federally recognized accreditor for naturopathic medicine and has six member institutions, including one in Canada [...] the loss of recognition would not cut off the flow of federal financial aid, it would deal a severe reputational blow to naturopathic programs at a time when the field is growing amid increased interest in alternative medical approaches [...]";
so, therein, you would think there would be a bow-to-stern assessment in order for the whole naturopathy enterprise [is that a starship pun?]. But, what terms itself holistic medicine is not treated in such holistic ways. The student outcomes in question is their NPLEX licensure exam performance as expressed within the article as "substandard
licensure exam passage rates". Being that that licensure exam categorizes homeopathy, the quackery, as a "clinical science"...
"accreditation, a system that officials argue has failed to hold colleges accountable for shaky student outcomes and soaring education debt [...]";
accreditation is a self-policing system where in, broadly, shit inducements don't pan out for most students in terms of the freedom-mobility that once upon a time was part of the American social compact. Result: debt slavery. The article lists the CNME schools: "Bastyr University, Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, National University of Health Sciences, National University of Natural Medicine, Sonoran University of Health Sciences and Universidad Ana G. Méndez."
"'as a practicing ND, I deeply value that our profession is held to a recognized standard in a crowded, holistic marketplace,' Emily Hudson, a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians Board of Directors, said at the meeting. 'CNME accreditation helps patients identify providers with real standardized training. Continuing recognition of CNME supports not just education, but patient protection and continued growth of a profession that more Americans are seeking every year' [...]";
at ND Hudson's bio. page at here practice, she tells the world "as a naturopathic doctor, I believe in your body's innate healing potential." And then there's her "What is Naturopathic Medicine" page, wherein she codes naturopathy's vitalism premise with such language as "naturopathic medicine is a distinct primary health care profession, emphasizing prevention and optimal health through the use of therapeutic methods and substances that encourage individuals’ inherent self-healing process [...] the healing power of nature (vis medicatrix naturae). Naturopathic medicine recognizes an inherent self-healing process in people that is ordered and intelligent. Naturopathic physicians act to identify and remove obstacles to healing and recovery, and to facilitate and augment this inherent self-healing process." When that is run through an AI-LLM [Perplexity] in terms of issues of fair commerce / informed consent by way of the AMA's position on Transparency in Health Care, as compared to the long-standing NUNM definition of naturopathy here, we're told: "Relative to the AMA’s transparency expectations, Hudson’s handout is more likely to leave a reasonable patient with an incomplete or overly biomedical impression of naturopathy’s theoretical basis." The term 'epistemic laundering' comes to mind, as an AANP mode. And of course, there's her supplement store.
"Ryan Hofer, a licensed naturopathic doctor in Oregon who graduated from the National University of Natural Medicine last year and writes the Debt by Natural Causes newsletter [...responded] 'instead
of glossing over our collective problems and ushering more students into career
financial toxicity, which is terrible for health and well-being, I hope the ND
professional community will engage in deep reflection on how we can hold
ourselves accountable to consensus standards informed by external expertise'";
what's missing in the article is the separate issue of the massive income-to-debt ratio that naturopathy graduates have. But its good to see debt get a mention of some kind as 'career financial toxicity". But it is quite ironic to hear an NUNM graduate speak of external consensus standards when the degree he has, as an epistemic footprint and obligation, is as can be seen from the NUNM link above, is of a quite fraudulent and disoriented 'in fact scientifically vetted objectively observed life force, supernaturalism, homeopathy and kind' . Now, also, as far as I can tell, ND Hofer's own homepage codes naturopathy's essential vitalism as "Ryan uses hands-on manual therapy, food as medicine, nutritional supplementation, and herbal medicines to evoke the healing potency of your body." His "About" page states: "Ryan offers affordable clinical appointments centered around the body’s potent, innate capacity to reorganize towards health." It does not specify NUNM as his alma mater, just merely stating instead "doctorate in naturopathic medicine."
