Alberta naturopaths push province for bigger role in primary care, including prescribing drugs

Alberta's naturopaths are looking for more involvement in the province's primary care network, specifically when it comes to prescribing drugs to patients.

"There's some changes in the landscape for primary care in Alberta," Rob Roth, president of the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta, told CBC News in an interview this week.

"We wanted to have a discussion with [Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange] around ways that the naturopathic medical profession would be able to assist, if required, in primary care management."

With that in mind, Roth said he recently met with LaGrange to discuss how naturopaths might factor into relieving some of the pressure on the system. Primary health care refers to those services Albertans utilize to support their day-to-day health needs.

"If we look just immediately to the west, British Columbia's naturopathic doctors practise in a more fulsome primary care capacity, where I think their regulations are more proportionate to what their training is," Roth said.

"They're able to prescribe Schedule I drugs, do referrals, order imaging rights, and so forth."

In 2009, British Columbia passed legislation that allows naturopaths to prescribe Schedule I medications, including some basic primary care drugs, though there are exceptions.

The practice of naturopathy refers to a loose collection of treatments that emphasize the use of "natural" remedies. The Alberta Association of Naturopathic Doctors says the practice "blends modern scientific knowledge with traditional and natural forms of medicine."

Treatments include clinical nutrition, homeopathic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, among other treatments, according to the association.

It has been regulated in Alberta since 2012, when the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta was created to govern the profession.

It has drawn criticism from members of the medical community, some of whom say naturopaths employ pseudoscientific practices. Some of those clashes have made headlines. Those involved in naturopathy have long advocated that their methods are intended to activate a natural healing ability in the human body.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tasked LaGrange in her mandate letter in July to support primary care "as the foundation of our health-care system by assessing alternative models of care and leveraging all health-care professionals."

Smith, in the past, has signalled her support for funding naturopathy as a part of her idea of introducing $300 health savings accounts to cover expenses that don't currently fall under the system. Exploring the feasibility of such accounts was also a part of LaGrange's mandate letter.

CBC News reached out to LaGrange's office to request comment on what role, specifically, naturopaths could play in primary care moving forward, and whether funding for the alternative medicine was being considered, under health spending accounts or otherwise.