A public hearing to license naturopathic doctors (NDs) in Massachusetts will take place on the afternoon of November 17 at the State House. On that same morning, the Massachusetts Society of Naturopathic Doctors (MSND) will hold a Lobby Day, where consumers and practitioners will have the opportunity to meet with lawmakers and aides to talk about this legislation.

For those not yet familiar with the profession, naturopathic doctors attend four-year, in-residence, full-time post-graduate naturopathic medical schools, which are recognized by local educational. There are currently seven naturopathic medical schools in North America.

Instead of focusing on pharmaceuticals and surgery, NDs work with natural medicine approaches including therapeutic nutrition, botanical medicine, lifestyle modification and physical medicine to stimulate patients’ innate healing capacity. NDs are trained to look at the whole patient, to understand the full impact of various stressors on physical, mental and emotional health. Massachusetts residents are also encouraged to write their state senators and state representative, asking them to support their right to have access to naturopathic doctors in Massachusetts. Contact information for each senator and state representative can be found at MALegislature.gov/People/Search.

For more information about Lobby Day and the public hearing, contact Amy Rothenberg, ND, and president of the MSND, at [email protected]. For more information on MSND, visit msnd.org.