With California facing a shortage of primary care physicians, the state Senate has passed a measure aimed at filling the gap with naturopathic doctors.
Naturopaths believe in self-healing and the use of natural therapies. Senate Bill 538 would allow naturopathic doctors to prescribe certain prescription drugs and perform minor outpatient surgeries, too.
Sherry Franklin, a San Diego pediatric endocrinologist, thinks that's a bad idea. She believes naturopathic doctors have no business prescribing potentially dangerous medications.
“Nor should they be practicing minor surgical procedures, without having had the training and the experience through a residency to prove that they’re competent to do so," Franklin said.
The California Naturopathic Doctors Association says its members are trained at accredited four-year post-graduate programs. Supporters of the senate bill say naturopaths are trained to serve as primary care doctors, and have more than 1500 hours of clinical rotations as part of their education.
The California Medical Association and Kaiser Permanente are among the groups that oppose the bill.
