Don't worry about NDs overprescribing

Last April, the government of British Columbia passed legislation to enable naturopathic physicians to prescribe certain medications for patients.  This move would enable naturopathic physicians more effectively act as primary health care providers for those who wish to have an ND as their family doctor.

Although I already have a background in pharmacology, I am currently part of the first cohort of naturopathic physicians in British Columbia that are currently going through the pharmaceutical prescribing upgrade.  In learning about the most widely used pharmaceuticals today, it was surprising for me to see how few of those conditions (outside of acute infections) I would ever consider using medication for.  And for those few conditions that I would, pharmaceuticals would be a last resort, at best.  If anything, the more you learn about the drugs that are out there, the more you realize you SHOULDN’T be using them!