Nicole Matis was diagnosed with stage IV breast carcinoma in July 2015. Doctors told her that the disease was too advanced to be eradicated. They told her that they could only treat the symptoms until the disease was eliminated. But Matis’s oncologist discovered no evidence of active cancer cells in January. She is still cancer-free nine months later. Matis defied all odds. On Wednesday, Matis told Mississippi Senate members on health and welfare that her recovery was due to naturopathic medicine. She received this medicine along with traditional chemotherapy. She stated that naturopathic medicine helped her to recover from the intense chemotherapy treatments. “Nurses were always amazed at how good I looked and felt during chemotherapy. I never felt sick nor lost my hair. Matis stated that I experienced little or no side effects and that this is due to naturopathic medicine. Matis was joined by two naturopathic physicians, one licensed in Arizona and one in Oklahoma. They are urging legislation to legalize naturopathic medicine practice in Mississippi. Only 17 states currently offer licensing for naturopathic physicians. According to the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, this practice focuses on prevention and treatment using herbal and vitamin remedies. It uses both mothern and traditional methods. However, Dr. Lee Voulters of the Mississippi Medical Association stated that the field of Naturopathic Medicine is still untested and patients should be skeptical. Voulters stated, “Look, this fringe medicine. Many people say it’s advantageous to them. And I understand that.” “But traditional medicine has very strict guidelines and training programmes, and everything is closely monitored. And I don’t know how strict the naturopathic profession is monitored and what it requires. But naturopathic medicine enjoys bipartisan support, something that many other issues in Mississippi lack. Both Senator John Hohrn (D-Jackson), and Sen. Josh Harkins, (R-Flowood), have endorsed a bill to license Naturopathic doctors. Harkins stated, “I believe it’s about having all medical options available to our citizens that are safe and effective.” Horhn agreed. Horhn stated, “I have always been a proponent of an integrated approach to healthcare.” “And I thought the stars seemed to have lined up on the Senate side, for some serious consideration.” However, six months ago the stars were not aligned. Harkins sponsored a similar bill during the previous legislative session, but it was rejected by the Senate. Horhn stated that it was met with resistance because it is a new approach to medicine than what most Mississippians are used to. “We are too focused on the symptoms. It’s more about prevention. Horhn stated that this bill is more about prevention. Ron Matis, Nicole’s husband, stated that the bill’s advancement was also hindered by its introduction late in the legislative session. Matis stated that the bill was introduced late in February, so there wasn’t enough time to provide the education needed (among legislators). Ron Matis is more knowledgeable than most civilians about how to get a bill passed through the legislature. He was a major advocate for House Bill 1523 during the last session. National headlines surrounded the “religious freedom law” after its opponents claimed it discriminated against transgender Mississippians, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and bisexual Mississippians. With almost unanimous Republican support, the bill passed both the House and Senate. Matis, the political director of United Pentecostal Church of Mississippi spent many months lobbying key legislators to ensure this. Matis stated that one of the many things that I have learned is that I have had the privilege to build relationships with a lot people who serve in the legislature. He said that the most important thing is making sure everyone understands the bill’s benefits and its purpose… which is for Mississippians to have integrated care that offers them choices. Matis, who was accompanied by his wife to Capitol Wednesday, stated that he is just as passionate about Mississippians having access to naturopathic medicine than he is about protecting religious beliefs. Harkins stated that this will likely help the cause. Harkins stated, “Anyone who is a good communicator and can tell their story about how it affected their lives is someone you should definitely have on your side.” The experience was financially and physically draining for the Matises, parents of a 5-year-old son. Nicole Matis was not licensed to practice naturopathic medicine in Mississippi or the Southeast. She used an Arizona-based naturopathic doctor to treat her. Then she flew to Switzerland to receive both traditional chemotherapy as well as naturopathic treatments over five weeks. Both treatments were continued back in Mississippi by Nicole Matis, who used Skype to communicate with Sharon Stills, her naturopathic physician. The Matises and Stills said that if naturopathic medicine is legalized in Mississippi, they plan to open a clinic there. Both traditional and naturopathic doctors would be able to work in the clinic, Stills stating that they use a lot of vitamins and herbal remedies. “The purpose of the clinic is not to replace traditional medical care. Ron Matis stated that it’s not an either/or proposition. “The main purpose of naturopathic doctors is to give patients the opportunity to focus on their overall health. Mississippians deserve an option. “To me, that’s why this is about.” Proponents of naturopathic medicine believe licensing would open the doors to insurance coverage. Ron Matis estimates that his wife received treatment in Switzerland for over $5,000 per week. Her current vitamin and herbal program costs $300 to $500 per month. While some may view these prices as a reason for licensing naturopathic doctors in the future, others believe that patients don’t get what they pay. Many of these treatments aren’t able to pass the rigorous clinical trials that are required for traditional medical treatments. While naturopathic medical school is four-year in length, traditional medical schools require that traditional doctors complete a minimum of three years residency. Naturopathic doctors do not require similar training. It is difficult to license any type of medicine. Last session’s bill would have required the creation of a separate board for naturopathic doctors to be licensed. Voulters argued that any state-based medical practice should be licensed by the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure. Voulters stated that naturopathic doctors rely heavily on traditional medicine for a majority of their patients. “I think that’s good.” “As long it doesn’t get the way of traditional medical treatment, the patient feels it’s beneficial, and they are being monitored by state medical licensing board,” Voulters said. Harkins acknowledged that licensing can be difficult, as the process is still new territory. He said that establishing safe protocols was a priority. You want to ensure that the licensing of any product is safe. How do you ensure that certain healthcare providers are safe? Harkins stated that “… and who has the expertise that can tell whether these people are operating at a level that is deemed safe, reliable, that’s not taking advantage or properly performing procedures.” Harkins stated, “I want us to focus on the well-being of people.” You can support this work by making a regular donation to our Spring Member Drive today. This will allow us to continue important work such as this one. Our reporters give a human face to policy’s impact on everyday Mississippians by listening more closely and understanding their communities. To ensure that our work is aligned with the priorities and needs of Mississippians, we are listening to you. Click the button below to let us know what you think. Republish this Story You can freely republish our articles online or in print under a Creative Commons licence. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Mississippi Today, Larrison Campbell
October 21, 2016, Larrison Campbell, a Greenville native, reports on politics with a focus on public health. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University, and a masters degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. As a former naturopathic physician, I know how licensure can lead to misinformation and endangerment of the public. While we are not medically trained, we are well-trained in debunked methods and highly unlikely treatments. The worst offenders is homeopathy. They do not have medical schools. Instead, ND programs follow an alternative accreditation process, which is overseen not by scientists but by naturopaths. Read more here: https://www.change.org/p/naturopaths-are-not-doctors Naturopathic medcine, while newer to the research field, has been studied in a number of conditions and found to be more effective and more cost effective than the standard of care. In this trial Naturopathic care is shown to effectively lower cardiovascular lab parameters to a greater degree than the Standard of Care: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23630244 In this trial that approach was shown to generate savings of $1138 to society and $1187 to employers per person per year of Naturopathic care in the above Cardiovascular trial. This is Canadian. American savings will likely be much higher. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23630244 These two trials resulted in an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association journal endorsing the possible delegation of some aspects of Cardiovascular care to NDs. http://www.cmaj.ca/content/185/9/747.full?ijkey=4101d0f9901e81196f33bd563ba102718e208761&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha Another trial found Naturopathic care more effective than the standard of care in Anxiety: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19718255 A further Trial showed Naturopathic medicine being more effective than the standard of care for lower back pain. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18383988 An economic analysis of the back pain trial resulted in a savings of $1096 per patient in direct healthcare costs and $1212 in employer costs. American figures are more likely to be higher.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18383988 Naturopathic medicine has an increasingly sophisticated research basis, and has demonstrated repeatedly its safety and suitability in many health care environments. Mississippi should license NDs in all areas of their practice. Re Ms Hermes comment: Misinformation and personal vendettas can be dangerous to the public’s safety and health. The claims made by ms. hermes regarding accreditation are false.
AANMC member schools not only have programmatic accreditation, but they also hold regional accreditation with the same agencies that accredit large colleges or universities. This post has more information
https://aanmc.org/news/recognize-quality-naturopathic-medical-college/