"Naturopath or Functional Medicine Near Me": How to Check Before Booking

This site does not list, rank or recommend practitioners or clinics, and it cannot tell you who is near you. What it can do is show you how to check anyone you find. This is general information, not medical advice. For urgent symptoms call 911 in the US; do not search for a clinic first.

Where to start the search

NCCIH advises first asking your doctor or other health care provider for names of practitioners in your area, and says a nearby hospital or medical school, professional organizations, state regulatory agencies or licensing boards, or your health insurer may also help. [1] NCCIH itself cannot refer you to practitioners. [1]

An internet search or map result is an advertisement or a listing, not a check. Treat the name as a starting point and verify it yourself.

Know what a title means where you live

Credentials vary tremendously from state to state and from discipline to discipline. [1] In the US there is no standardized national system for credentialing complementary health practitioners, and state governments decide what credentials are required. [2] NCCIH's 2018 fact sheet said only 17 states and the District of Columbia license naturopathic physicians; that number may have changed, so see the current state picture. [2]

The Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME), which accredits naturopathic doctoral programs, says only graduates of accredited and candidate programs are qualified for professional licensure and that, where naturopathic doctors are not yet regulated, patients should seek a graduate of an accredited program. [3] That is the accreditor's own position. It also points to professional-association directories, which we do not link or rate. [3] A directory is not a government license check.

The NCCIH description of other types of practitioner is parallel: traditional naturopaths may train through non-accredited programs and are not eligible for licensing, and other providers such as chiropractors or physicians may offer some similar services. [4] Neither group is "better" by title alone; what matters is what each person is trained and allowed to do. See licensed and unlicensed practitioners compared.

A checking routine you can do in ten minutes

The Washington page also points to its complaint process for a health care provider or facility. [5] For steps in more detail, see how to verify a credential. If you cannot find a license at all, read unlicensed practice and misrepresented titles. Not appearing in a lookup is not proof of wrongdoing; the person may practice under a different name or in another place, so ask.

Questions to ask when you call

Ask about training, scope, how they handle your existing medical care, tests, supplements and fees. A full list is on questions to ask before you commit, and money questions are on costs, packages and supplement sales. NCCIH also advises not assuming your insurance will cover the services. [1]

Online and out-of-state practitioners

Rules about who may treat patients in your state can differ from the practitioner's home state. We did not read a source on cross-state telehealth rules, so Proper evidence not found here (we checked NCCIH's practitioner pages, CNME and Washington's licensing page). Ask which license the person holds in the state where you live.

Put your regular doctor in the loop

Tell your regular doctor you are looking for an integrative practitioner, and ask whether any are known to work well with their office. NCCIH advises choosing a practitioner willing to work with your conventional providers. [1]