It's time for all states to pass legislation to license naturopathic doctors. Let's establish the laws that create minimum standards that give health care consumers the chance to choose naturopathic doctors to put on their health care teams if they want to.

With the current and impending shortage of MDs and the increasing openness to natural medicine in the general population, NDs should be high on the list of providers to bridge the gap in our imminent provider shortage.

Some might think of hydrotherapy as a quaint approach used in times gone by, but it is commonly used in both occupational and physical therapy. Harkening back to naturopathic medicine roots, hydrotherapy is a treatment many naturopathic doctors also embrace.

All treatment falls short if not applied correctly, whether allopathic or naturopathic. A proper diagnosis always precedes a proper treatment.

I enjoy treating acute problems with homeopathy in the context of my naturopathic medical practice. More commonly I see patients with more chronic ailments, and homeopathy will be only one aspect of our work together.