Wyoming lawmakers have taken a tentative step toward licensing naturopathic doctors to practice in the state.
State Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, agreed to chair a working committee with select other members of the legislative Labor, Health and Social Services Committee during the group’s Tuesday meeting in Casper.
The committee is slated to investigate licensing naturopathic doctors to practice in Wyoming so those with appropriate training could prescribe medications, access specialized lab tests and perform other actions reserved for licensed practitioners.
Naturopathic doctors are trained in accredited naturopathic medical colleges to treat illness by supporting people’s inherent self-healing processes, and finding the underlying causes of illnesses, according to the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
They are already performing some services in the state, but those are limited by the lack of licensure, according to committee testimony.
Thea Marx of the Wyoming Naturopathic Association, who described herself as a “fifth-generation ranch girl” raised in the tiny town of Kinnear, Wyoming, said she graduated from naturopathic medical school seven years ago and has been practicing in Connecticut, where she’s licensed.
Marx said she works with hard-to-treat cases.
Particularly in rural areas with no traditional clinics, access to this kind of care is “deeply personal to the families of Wyoming,” said Marx.
OK, But …
The decision to create the working group came after numerous people from the naturopathic field petitioned the committee, saying some people won’t see traditional medical doctors, and more naturopathic doctors who are from Wyoming would stay in the state and help remedy an ongoing doctor shortage if they could be licensed.
Sheila Bush of the Wyoming Medical Association, which represents hundreds of doctors across the state, hedged a caution-laden request to be involved in the process. She said she did not have much input Tuesday because she hadn’t seen any bill language for the licensure yet.
Though he agreed to chair the working group because of his past experience working to license acupuncturists, Barlow warned his fellow committee members that it’s a heavy lift with a lower probability of success in the 2026 lawmaking session than it would have in the 2027 session.
That’s because the Wyoming lawmaking sessions that happen in even-numbered years prioritize crafting the state budget: the sessions are shorter, and non-budget bills require a two-thirds threshold approval.
Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, asked to have the committee’s research staff find the best way to distinguish between naturopathic doctors trained to do high-level tasks like prescribe medicine, and naturopaths who are not.
The Family That Won At This
Rep. Joel Guggenmos, R-Riverton, benefitted directly from naturopathic treatment, as his son went into remission from leukemia after a rigorous natural diet and treatment starting in 2022, Cowboy State Daily reported prior.
When Guggenmos’ wife informed the boy’s doctor at the time of the family’s decision to discontinue chemotherapy and pursue the natural route, the doctor called the Wyoming Department of Family Services, and the family became the subject of a potential medical neglect case.
Ultimately, the Fremont County Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute the parents.
“I believe in a natural approach,” Guggenmos said at the committee meeting Tuesday.
He said his concern with licensing would be to shield naturopathic physicians from medical board reviews or disciplinary actions that may not account for the uniqueness of the practice.
Marx said establishing a separate medical review board for naturopathic doctors would be expensive, but her group hopes for a naturopathic advisory panel to function alongside the Wyoming Board of Medicine.
Whether insurance providers would cover treatments by licensed naturopathic doctors in Wyoming isn’t certain, said Marx under a different strain of questioning by Sen. Lynn Hutchings, R-Cheyenne. But some insurance companies working in Wyoming and other states insure those treatments in those other states, she added.
Guggenmos wasn't alone in having worked with naturopathic approaches. Rep. Jacob Wasserburger, R-Cheyenne, said he sees a naturopathic physician.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
