Nathuropaths wish stricter regulation of their profession

By the voice of its union, the sector claims from the State the implementation of measures such as the creation of “certified titles”.

MO12345LEMONDE with AFP

Anxious to sort through its ranks between real practitioners and charlatans, the naturopathy sector, through the voice of its union of naturopathy professionals (SPN), called the State to regulate the profession, Friday 13 January.

The union, which claims 3,300 members out of 6,500 naturopaths listed in France, asks the State to “act quickly to have the profession recognized”, with, among other measures, the implementation of “certified titles “, According to a press release.

“There is cleaning to do, it’s obvious. We have already alerted to training organizations that are not exemplary enough about the ethics of our profession”, underlines Alexandra Attalauziti, the president of the SPN, cited in the press release. “We want to regulate, organize, skimp, it is an emergency. We must work in concert with the competent authorities so that naturopathy is recognized as a practice of prevention, complementary to our medicine,” adds M me Attalauziti.

Delicate context

The demand comes in a delicate context for the profession, some representatives of which are accused of dangerous practices, close to charlatanism or sectarian aberrations. Critics have notably targeted naturopaths in recent months claiming Thierry Casasnovas and Irène Grosjean, two influential personalities in the environment but in the positions that the world of health does not share.

The controversy reached this summer the group specializing in the making of medical appointments, Doctolib. Accused of referring naturopaths to questionable practices, the group announced, at the end of October “to refocus exclusively” on caregivers “referenced by the authorities”, pushing towards the exit nearly six thousand “well-being practitioners” .

Death following “water cures”

Bad advertising seems not to want to stop: a 58 -year -old man presenting himself as a naturopath and his son were indicted Thursday following several deaths that occurred following prolonged fasts that they had organized during “Water cures”, announced the parquet floor.

“It is essential that the French are better informed about significant risks (…) for their health when they participate in this kind of internships supervised by charlatans”, reacted the Secretary of State on Friday in a statement Citizenship, Sonia Backès, recalling that meetings would be held in the spring to give “the State the means to fight against these new forms of sectarian aberrations”.

/Media reports cited above.