It has been hypothesized that naturopathic medicine has the potential to reduce
disease burden and improve quality and duration of life in populations who have
access to this comprehensive system of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
The North American Naturopathic Medical Research Agenda (NMRA) was created to evaluate
this hypothesis. The research agenda will include a prioritized and sequenced list of
research questions that address fundamental health issues for the American public, along
with the methods appropriate to each research question. The NMRA will consist of directors
from the five naturopathic medicine colleges and experts in conventional medical research.
The specific aims of this two-year project are:
To bring together naturopathic physicians and conventional research scientists in order to establish the NMRA work group
To conduct two retreat/workshops with this group in order to consider the research issues related to naturopathic medicine that address fundamental health issues
To produce a document entitled The North American Medical Research Agenda that includes a prioritized list of research questions along with the appropriate research design methods for each
To produce this document through an iterative consensus building approach that involves the American Naturopathic Medical Association membership as well as critical feedback from the American Public Health Association
Those wanting to provide feedback on the Executive Summary may do so by emailing NMRA@bastyr.edu.
