Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors

10/18/2026

Four years of doctoral training after an undergraduate degree. 1,200+ hours of supervised clinical practice. In-depth education in medical sciences, diagnostics, and pharmacology.
 
That’s training comparable to other primary care providers.
 
Yet in Ontario, Naturopathic Doctors still can’t prescribe basic hormone therapies. They can perform a Pap smear but can’t order the HPV test on that same sample. And they can’t treat a straightforward UTI without referring the patient elsewhere.
 
That means extra appointments, longer waits, and more pressure on a system that’s already stretched.
 
The scope doesn’t reflect the training. It reflects a regulatory framework that hasn’t been meaningfully updated in over a decade. Ontario patients deserve better use of the providers already here.

10/13/2026

Naturopathic Doctors typically see patients every 3 to 6 months for ongoing, longitudinal management. It starts with an initial visit to build a personalized care plan, followed by regular check-ins to monitor progress, adjust treatment, and support long-term health.
 
That’s the kind of continuity that catches problems early instead of managing them in a crisis.
 
Ontario’s NDs are ready to help ease the pressure on primary care. Let’s put this untapped workforce to work for Ontarians.

10/11/2026

In 2009, British Columbia gave Naturopathic Doctors the authority to prescribe Schedule I–III medications, including hormones, thyroid treatment, antibiotics, and more.
 
Seventeen years later, Ontario NDs still can’t prescribe many common medications. That means they can’t treat a straightforward UTI, manage hormone therapies to the highest standard, or order an HPV test after a Pap smear, even when it’s well within their training.
 
The impact in BC is clear: 20–30%+ of ND patients there have no family doctor and rely on their ND as their primary provider. With millions of Ontarians unattached to primary care, that’s capacity our province is leaving on the table.
 
Ontario is the outlier, not the leader. It’s time to modernize ND scope and put this untapped workforce to work for patients.
 
Source: B.C. Reg. 282/2008; CCHPBC survey data.

10/09/2026

Congratulations to this year’s OAND award recipients!
 
⭐️ Dr. Rita Patel, ND | Excellence in Naturopathic Medicine Award

⭐️ Dr. Harsimranjeet Singh Bhatia, ND | Emerging Leader Award
 
Through their dedication to patient care and the profession, both NDs help strengthen naturopathic medicine in Ontario and build a brighter future for our community. We’re so proud to celebrate their work and the impact they make every day.

10/09/2026

10/01/2026

Less than 48 hours until OANDCon26 IGNITE!
 
A big thank you to our Cedar Sponsors, for supporting OANDCon26 and helping to advance the future of naturopathic medicine.
 
See you October 2 and 3 at the Toronto Congress Centre!

09/30/2026

Today we observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day to honour the children who never returned home from residential schools, the Survivors, and their families and communities. Also recognized as Orange Shirt Day, it asks all of us to reflect on the ongoing impacts of the residential school system and the harms of colonialism, and to consider what reconciliation requires of us, both individually and as a profession.

For health care providers, this includes understanding how these harms continue to shape Indigenous peoples’ experiences of health care. It also includes respecting Indigenous healing practices and the knowledge keepers who hold them, and supporting patients’ access to those practices when they choose them, as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action urge.

09/29/2026

So close with only 3 days to go until OANDCon26 IGNITE!
 
A big thank you to our Sage Sponsors, for supporting OANDCon26 and helping to advance the future of naturopathic medicine.
 
See you October 2 and 3 at the Toronto Congress Centre! Tickets available at the link in our bio.

09/29/2026

This month, OAND and NPAO shared a great day together supporting Advocates for Etobicoke Youth and the Toronto Police Service, while also catching up with Premier Ford to discuss team-based primary care. We are grateful for the opportunity to connect, collaborate, and have important conversations about the future of naturopathic medicine in primary care.

09/29/2026

4 days until OANDCon26 IGNITE and we could not be more excited!
 
A big thank you to our platinum sponsors for supporting OANDCon26 and helping to advance the future of naturopathic medicine.
 
See you October 2 and 3 at the Toronto Congress Centre! Tickets available at the link in our bio.