Primum Non Nocere: North Carolina naturopathic doctors appeal to the state Medical Board for support

The motto of the North Carolina Medical Board is Primum non nocere, "Firtst do no harm", also the first principle of naturopathic medicine.

Now, the proponents of the North Carolina naturopathic doctor regulation bill appeal to the N.C. Medical Board for support:

"Naturopathic physicians and several medical doctors testified before a special committee of the Medical Board in support of the bill, which would set up a separate licensing board for the practice of naturopathic medicine, but only for people like Delaney who have been formally trained. Right now, there are only 22 naturopathic physicians in the state that would qualify.
The only opposition came from the N.C. Medical Society, which questioned whether that small a number of practitioners justifies a separate licensing board.
“We cannot support the bill because in our view, based on our experience over the years, the bill just comes up short,” said Steve Keene, general counsel for the Medical Society.Keene said the Medical Society is willing to work with naturopathic physicians to address the bill’s shortcomings. But that would mean one more delay for this long-sought-after legislation. And it opens the door to opponents in the alternative medicine community who are opposed to regulation."

This hearing is a pre-condition by the NC lawmakers to consider the licensure bill:

"Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, is sponsoring a bill in the General Assembly that would license naturopathic doctors, but lawmakers will consider it only if the medical board and the North Carolina Medical Society consider licensure for naturopaths and provide an official opinion as to whether it is a legitimate form of medical treatment."