Naturopathy House bill emerges on session’s last day
A bill to establish a Board of Registration in Naturopathy may proceed in the Legislature, despite strong opposition from the Massachusetts Medical Society about the validity of naturopathic medicine.
Lawmakers on Tuesday made a last push to establish a Board of Registration in Naturopathy, which would regulate alternative medicine practitioners.
Rep. Jay Kaufman, a Lexington Democrat who supports the bill, said many people who practice naturopathy are "entirely qualified, capable and safe, and others are not."
The Massachusetts Medical Society has strongly opposed the bill, writing it is "a combination of nutritional advice, home remedies and discredited treatments."
"(The Massachusetts Medical Society does not) represent all the physicians by any stretch of the imagination. Many physicians are sending their patients to alternative practitioners," Kaufman told the News Service when asked about the society's objections.
On the final day of the biennial session, the House Committee on Ways and Means concluded a poll on the bill (S 2335), which passed the Senate earlier this year, potentially teeing it up for floor action.
Sen. Marc Pacheco said the bill is a "great consumer protection" by distinguishing those who have received a full certification in naturopathy from others practicing without the necessary education and training.
Kaufman said naturopaths generally recommend exercises and herbal remedies for patients.
The Medical Society in testimony last year ridiculed the practice. "Vitamin C is an effective treatment for approximately 100 conditions, including glaucoma, male infertility, and AIDS according to naturopaths. We do not have the luxury of licensing people and integrating them into accountable care organizations who advocate such measures," the society wrote.
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