Naturopaths and childhood immunizations: heterodoxy among the unorthodox

Many families at a community clinic in Seattle reported that they were choosing not to immunize their children at the advice of practitioners of naturopathy. To learn more about this alternate form of health care, a review of the available literature on naturopathy was undertaken and interviews were conducted with individual naturopaths in the state of Washington. Naturopaths vary widely in their training, practices, and philosophy of healing. Many are opposed to routine immunization because they view immunization programs as unnatural, unnecessary, and elitist. Other practitioners, however, did not actively discourage parents from immunizing their children. Pediatricians must be aware of the growing popularity of naturopathic medicine in their care of families, and in their role as advocates for children.