Aren’t there MD’s who specialize in CAM medicine?
Although more and more MD’s are receiving some level of CAM education most CAM classes are elective only and programs are taught with the conventional medical philosophy. Outside of the small percentage of MD’s who have specialized in some form of CAM medicine, the most highly trained CAM providers are naturopathic physicians, also known as naturopathic doctors (ND’s). The demanding 4-year naturopathic residential education gives ND’s the most extensive training in complementary and alternative medicine that currently exists. While both MD’s and ND’s are primary care providers, it is the unique philosophy of naturopathic medicine that sets naturopathic physicians apart from medical doctors. Since ND’s are trained in the same western methods of clinical diagnosis as MD’s and are able to provide primary care to their patients, many ND’s are the doctors of choice for people in the USA and Canada.
