Course a boost for natural medicine

An Auckland training institution has begun the country's first degree in naturopathy, a move welcomed by the natural health industry as a further step towards legitimation.

Wellpark College of Natural Therapies starts offering the three-year bachelor of naturopathy degree from February.

Principal Phillip Cottingham said it had taken around five years to jump through all the regulatory hoops and meet the New Zealand Qualifications Authority's standards.

The dietary supplements, or bioactives, industry is conservatively estimated to be worth $760 million annually with much of that production exported. It is keen to maintain its momentum by gaining recognition as a legitimate part of the health sector.

Cottingham said naturopathy aimed to promote and maintain health, and complemented traditional medicine.

The degree course would cover basic medical science such as anatomy, physiology, pathology and health assessment, and students would be trained to know when to refer patients for more sophisticated treatments.

Lani Lopez, one of New Zealand's few degree-qualified naturopaths, gained her qualification from an Australian university by correspondence.

She said that 10 to 15 years ago there was "a definite line" between naturopaths and orthodox mainstream medicine. Now doctors would ring her to discuss a patient's treatment.

Lopez said traditional medicine could only do so much for some chronic illnesses and people were using supplements to manage their conditions alongside prescribed pharmaceuticals.

Wellpark College hopes to eventually set up a research centre. Paul O'Brien, chief executive of supplements manufacturer Good Health, will help with funding.

He said the industry had suffered from a lack of research and it was a "big call" that people could be taking a supplement such as glucosamine for 10 to 20 years. "You need good scientific backing to encourage and inspire consumers to take the stuff long term."

O'Brien said the other problem was lack of regulation of the manufacturing side.

A report by consulting firm L.E.K. last year said NZ's framework was in many cases not compatible with our trading partners and was a barrier to growth for the bioactives industry.