Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

A method for describing and evaluating naturopathic whole practice.

Patricia M Herman1, Karen J Sherman, Janet H Erro

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson.

Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine
|July 26, 2006
PubMed
Summary

This study proposes a method to measure treatment fidelity in naturopathic medicine research. Developed criteria accurately reflect naturopathic physician prescriptions for common conditions, enabling whole-systems research.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Response to the Letter to the Editor regarding "Cost-effectiveness of acupuncture needling for older adults with chronic low back pain".

Spine·2026
Same author

Pilot Test of a Diet Cost Calculation Process for Use in Economic Evaluations of Dietary Interventions.

Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association·2026
Same author

Cost-Effectiveness of Acupuncture Needling for Older Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain.

Spine·2026
Same author

Correction: The PROMIS-16 reproduces the PROMIS-29 physical and mental health summary scores accurately in a probability-based internet panel.

Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation·2025
Same author

Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

JAMA network open·2025
Same author

Comparing three measures of sleep disturbance in persons with chronic low back and neck pain.

Advances in patient-reported outcomes·2025

Area of Science:

  • Integrative Medicine
  • Naturopathic Medicine Research
  • Healthcare Systems Analysis

Background:

  • Current complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) research often focuses on single therapies, not whole systems.
  • Evaluating CAM as distinct medical systems requires studies that assess intact whole systems.
  • Ensuring treatment fidelity is a key challenge in whole-system CAM research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a method for measuring treatment fidelity in naturopathic medical system studies.
  • To develop and test treatment criteria for naturopathic care.
  • To facilitate the study of naturopathy as a distinct medical system.

Main Methods:

  • Theory-based development of treatment criteria for naturopathic medicine.
  • Post-hoc testing of criteria against a database of actual naturopathic physician prescriptions.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Defined criteria for menopausal symptoms, bowel dysfunction, and fatigue/fibromyalgia.

    • Main Results:

    • A set of meaningful, measurable treatment criteria were defined based on naturopathic practice principles.
    • These criteria could account for 82%-93% of prescriptions for the studied conditions.
    • Common and condition-specific criteria components were identified, including those potentially applicable to all naturopathic doctor (ND) visits.

    Conclusions:

    • The developed criteria ensure model validity and identify critical components of naturopathic care.
    • These criteria enable study replication and provide a measure of quality of care.
    • This work is a step toward studying CAM as distinct systems, enhancing naturopathic medicine research.