American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) Announces Acceptance of Licensed Naturopathic Physicians as Full Active Members

Irvine, CA, April 05, 2013 --(PR.com)-- American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM), a leading provider of integrative medicine, today announced the Board of Directors and the General Membership of ACAM by a margin of nearly 9-1 has approved licensed naturopathic physicians (NDs) as full active voting members into ACAM. While NDs have been afforded full membership into ACAM in the past, they had previously been classified as professional affiliate members and as such had no voting rights relative to membership meetings.

"Many of us have naturopaths within our offices and see the validation of their profession by universities where they work side by side with their MD/DO colleagues," stated Dr. Neal Speight, current President of ACAM's Board of Directors. "We are thrilled of this decision and welcome licensed naturopaths into our organization as full active voting members, a decision that is long overdue," he added. "Over the years, we have watched the practice of naturopathic medicine evolve into a highly sophisticated, rigorous practice model, with defined standards and scientific substantiation. There is increased legitimization of the field via recognition of naturopaths by universities and government programs like the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine," added Dr. Ron Hoffman, former President of ACAM and current member of the Board of Directors. Dr. Lyn Patrick, an ND herself who has served as an Advisor to the Board of Directors states, "I believe it is in the best interests of ACAM to include naturopathic physicians as full members for several reasons. Many NDs feel more at home at ACAM than with our other membership organizations; we are a diverse population of providers with diverse modalities and many NDs who have practices that focus on IV nutrition and chelation derive their continuing education credits from ACAM." Dr. Patrick continues, "Certainly, as an ND myself, I feel that I have been treated as a peer, I think I have proven that over the years as a Board Advisor. I believe that we as NDs have a lot to teach and contribute to ACAM as well as a lot to learn."

About The American College for Advancement in Medicine
The American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating physicians and other health care professionals on the latest findings and emerging procedures in complementary, alternative and integrative (CAIM) medicine. ACAM's healthcare model focuses on prevention of illness and a strive for total wellness. ACAM is the voice of integrative medicine; our goals are to improve physician skills, knowledge and diagnostic procedures as they relate to integrative medicine; to support integrative medicine research; and to provide education on current standard of care as well as additional approaches to patient care. ACAM enables members of the public to connect with physicians who take an integrative approach to patient care and empowers individuals with information about integrative medicine treatment options. Celebrating now more than 40 years of service, ACAM represents nearly 700 medical professionals in all 50 states and in 28 countries. ACAM is the largest and oldest organization of its kind in the world dedicated exclusively to serving the needs of the integrative medicine industry. ACAM enables members of the public to connect with physicians who take an integrative approach to patient care and empowers people with information about integrative medicine treatment options.