Naturopathic Physicians (ND) have generally been trained in a variety of natural approaches to health. Their curriculum usually includes disciplines like homeopathy, craniosacral therapies, herbal medicine and nutrition (among others), but they are not necessarily specialists in any of these approaches unless they choose to focus specifically on one or more particular area in depth. A naturopathic degree generally does impart a wide range of knowledge over a breadth of natural therapies, but does not necessarily imply expertise in any of these areas. Questioning each individual naturopath is important to ascertain this knowledge.
Homeopathy is a field of medicine that, to be practiced well, requires a physician study and dedicate many years of training to attain expertise. A physician who calls himself a “Classical Homeopath” has chosen to focus on homeopathy as a specialty and to study homeopathy in depth.
There are currently several professional organizations that are striving to authoritatively certify homeopathic practitioners in the U.S. and abroad, but there is, not yet, any widespread agreement on the scope of what this certification should encompass. This is an issue that ought to be resolved within the next several years within the homeopathic community.
