(March 2009) – Deseret, Utah. Early this month, the Senate gave final approval to a bill that would permit naturopathic doctors in Utah to prescribe testosterone to their patients. The bill was passed by the House in February and will now go to the governor.
Utah is one of the 15 US states with laws regulating naturopathic doctor licensure. The bill's Senate sponsor, Sen. Dennis Stowell, stressed that in Utah, an ND must go through four years of college, four years of medical school and a yearlong internship before being allowed to practice in the state. "These guys are well qualified to do this," Stowell explained. "Medical doctors are always expanding what they can prescribe so why shouldn't these doctors also be able to?"
Currently, licensed Utah NDs can prescribe estrogen for their female patients, but if a diagnosis is made requiring testosterone as a treatment, those patients — usually male — must go to a second doctor for a prescription. Low testosterone levels have been linked to a variety of health problems in men, including cardiovascular disease, depression and osteoporosis.
The restrictions on prescribing testosterone originally stemmed from concerns about athletes obtaining the hormone for performance enhancement rather than a diagnosed medical need.
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Bastyr UniversityBoucher Institute of Naturopathic MedicineCanadian College of Naturopathic MedicineNational College of Natural MedicineNational University of Health SciencesSouthwest College of Naturopathic MedicineUniversity of Bridgeport