# John Smith N. D. N.D.? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 14, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-smith-n-d-n-d/356765 "2006-05-14T23:22:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-smith-n-d-n-d/356765/1 "2006-05-14T23:22:35Z")
I am a reading a book whose author titles himself N.D. What kind of Doctor (if any) is this? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-smith-n-d-n-d/356765/2 "2006-05-14T23:44:47Z")
[QUOTE=Khadaji] I am a reading a book whose author titles himself N.D. What kind of Doctor (if any) is this? [/QUOTE] [ND degree](http://www.aanmc.org/faq.php) ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-smith-n-d-n-d/356765/3 "2006-05-14T23:55:05Z")
[QUOTE=astro] [ND degree](http://www.aanmc.org/faq.php) [/QUOTE] Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-smith-n-d-n-d/356765/4 "2006-05-15T00:09:23Z")
And here’s Quackwatch’s take on [naturopathy](http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Naturopathy/naturopathy.html) My advice? Stay away, stay far away. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-smith-n-d-n-d/356765/5 "2006-05-15T00:11:45Z")
Oh, and from the above link: > [@](#): > > The Bottom Line > In 1968, the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) recommended against Medicare coverage of naturopathy. HEW’s report concluded: > > Naturopathic theory and practice are not based upon the body of basic knowledge related to health, disease, and health care which has been widely accepted by the scientific community. Moreover, irrespective of its theory, the scope and quality of naturopathic education do not prepare the practitioner to make an adequate diagnosis and provide appropriate treatment. [29] > > Although some aspects of naturopathic education have improved in recent years, I believe this conclusion is still valid. I believe that the average naturopath is a muddlehead who combines commonsense health and nutrition measures and rational use of a few herbs with a huge variety of unscientific practices and anti-medical double-talk. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-smith-n-d-n-d/356765/6 "2006-05-15T04:35:50Z")
[QUOTE=Khadaji] I am a reading a book whose author titles himself N.D. What kind of Doctor (if any) is this? [/QUOTE] It stands for _**Not (a) Doctor**_. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-smith-n-d-n-d/356765/7 "2006-05-15T05:58:22Z")
If Anna Jones ever attained such a degree, she should put the letters in front of her name instead of after it. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-smith-n-d-n-d/356765/8 "2006-05-15T12:52:38Z")
Despite naturopaths labeling themselves “doctors”, they have scant training, employ dubious and quack methods such as homeopathy, and are licensed in only 13 states (licensure to practice should not be regarded as state endorsement of naturopathic methods). From [a recent review](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=14745386&query_hl=7&itool=pubmed_docsum) of naturopathy: _““Naturopathic medicine” is a recent manifestation of the field of naturopathy, a 19th-century health movement espousing “the healing power of nature.” “Naturopathic physicians” now claim to be primary care physicians proficient in the practice of both “conventional” and “natural” medicine. Their training, however, amounts to a small fraction of that of medical doctors who practice primary care. An examination of their literature, moreover, reveals that it is replete with pseudoscientific, ineffective, unethical, and potentially dangerous practices. Despite this, naturopaths have achieved legal and political recognition, including licensure in 13 states and appointments to the US Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee. This dichotomy can be explained in part by erroneous representations of naturopathy offered by academic medical centers and popular medical Web sites.”_ ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-smith-n-d-n-d/356765/9 "2006-05-15T14:51:52Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] If Anna Jones ever attained such a degree, she should put the letters in front of her name instead of after it. [/QUOTE] 😛 heh