Everyone knows that society makes doctors jump through hoops and spend the vast majority of their lives in school before giving them a license to practice. But earning the "doctor" title just got a little easier...at least in Minnesota. 

The state recently passed a law revising the requirements necessary to obtain a license to practice medicine that includes some naturopathic and holistic doctors. "Doctors" who obtain an naturopathic degree (N.D.) attend a four-year graduate level naturopathic medical school.

N.D.s were not previously licensed by the state because the schooling is different than traditional medical programs and is more difficult to standardize.

The new law may seem like a step towards legitimacy for holistic doctors, but of course labels have been more important than substance since middle school. The fact that not all holistic and naturopathic doctors can legally call themselves "doctor" has made for some controversy. You would think it was 8th grade all over again when being called "girlfriend" was the label your happiness was hinged upon.

But all that is over now.  Graduates of a four-year naturopathic medical school can now become doctors, assuming they pass state licensing boards for alternative medicine.  Soon they will be able to expand their scope of practice to include ordering blood tests and MRIs as well as admitting patients to a hospital.

The first version of the law that was proposed included allowing "naturopathic doctors" to prescribe medication and perform minor surgeries. The Minnesota Medical Association (MMA) objected to this part of the law. After it was dropped, so was the MMA's opposition.