"Scope of practice" is specifically defined by legislation in the various states and provinces that license or regulate naturopathic doctors (NDs), and practice varies significantly among states, provinces, and countries. Currently there is no regulation of naturopathic doctors in the state of Colorado. Therefore, the doctors at Sage Holistic Health limit their scope of practice. To learn more about this topic, see Colorado Association of Naturopathic Doctors.
The scope of practice of naturopathic doctors varies by jurisdiction. Currently, fourteen states, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and five Canadian provinces license naturopathic doctors. Several of these jurisdictions regard NDs as primary care physicians and provide them with the scope of diagnostic and therapeutic privileges necessary to be the doctor first seen by the patient for general health care, for advice on keeping healthy, and for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic conditions.
The ND is defined by the U.S. Department of Labor as one who "diagnoses, treats, and cares for patients, using a system of practice that bases its treatment of all physiological functions and abnormal conditions on natural laws governing the body, utilizes physiological, psychological and mechanical methods, such as air, water, heat, earth, phytotherapy (treatment by use of plants), electrotherapy, physiotherapy, minor surgery, mechanotherapy, naturopathic corrections and manipulation, and all natural methods or modalities, together with natural medicines, natural processed foods, herbs, and natural remedies. Excludes major surgery, therapeutic use of x-ray and radium, and prescribing of drugs, except those assimilable substances containing elements or compounds which are compounds of body tissues and are physiologically compatible to body processes for maintenance of life."
The therapeutic modalities used by the doctors at Sage Holistic Health are described below.
