Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2002; 7: 99
To obtain a profile of the naturopathic profession in the UK in 2000, in terms of their training, the patients and conditions treated, types of therapies practised, patterns of referral to and from other practitioners, and views on the role of naturopathy and professional regulation. This baseline information will inform the self-regulation process.
A three-page questionnaire was piloted and then mailed to all members of the British Naturopathic Association (BNA) in December 2000, with two further mailings in early 2001. Other UK naturopathic associations were contacted in order to determine the size of the profession as a whole.
Of the 326 members of the BNA, 135 (41%) have responded. Preliminary analyses suggest that naturopaths treat over 100 000 new patients and provide over 490 000 consultations per annum for a wide range of conditions. A very wide range of therapeutic modalities is used in practice. The most frequently reported, besides osteopathic techniques, were nutritional medicine, detoxification, hydrotherapy and herbal medicine. The most frequently treated complaints were musculoskeletal, followed by digestive complaints, fatigue and stress, headaches and skin conditions. Views on self-regulation will be presented.
Naturopaths see their role as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) general practitioners, seeing patients with a wide range of conditions and providing access to appropriate therapeutic modalities. The breadth of their practice and overlap with other professions may pose problems for self-regulation within the model being proposed for CAM in the UK.
