Wyoming legislators have taken a tentative step toward allowing naturopathic doctors to practice in their state.
During the Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee’s meeting in Casper on Tuesday, state Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, agreed to chair a working committee with a few other members.
The committee plans to look into licensing naturopathic doctors to practice in Wyoming so that those with the necessary training can prescribe medications, access specialized lab tests, and perform other functions reserved for licensed practitioners.
According to the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, naturopathic doctors are trained in accredited naturopathic medical colleges to treat illness by promoting people’s natural self-healing processes and identifying the underlying causes of illness.
According to committee testimony, they already provide some services in the state, but their scope is limited due to a lack of licensure.
Thea Marx of the Wyoming Naturopathic Association, who described herself as a “fifth-generation ranch girl” raised in the small town of Kinnear, Wyoming, said she graduated from naturopathic medical school seven years ago and is licensed to practice in Connecticut.
Marx stated that she works with difficult to treat cases.
Access to this type of care, especially in rural areas without traditional clinics, is “deeply personal to the families of Wyoming,” according to Marx.
Okay, but…
The decision to form the working group came after a number of naturopathic professionals petitioned the committee, stating that some people will not see traditional medical doctors and that more naturopathic doctors from Wyoming would stay in the state and help alleviate an ongoing doctor shortage if they could become licensed.
Sheila Bush of the Wyoming Medical Association, which represents hundreds of doctors throughout the state, made a cautious request to be involved in the process. She said she didn’t have much input on Tuesday because she hadn’t seen any bill language for licensure yet.
Though he agreed to chair the working group because of his previous experience working to license acupuncturists, Barlow warned his fellow committee members that it would be a difficult task with a lower chance of success in the 2026 legislative session than in the 2027 session.
That’s because Wyoming’s even-numbered legislative sessions prioritize crafting the state budget: they’re shorter, and non-budget bills require two-thirds approval.
Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, requested that the committee’s research staff determine the best way to distinguish between naturopathic doctors trained to perform high-level tasks, such as prescribing medicine, and those who are not.
The Family That Won This
Rep. Joel Guggenmos, R-Riverton, benefited directly from naturopathic treatment when his son went into remission from leukemia following a strict natural diet and treatment beginning in 2022, Cowboy State Daily previously reported.
When Guggenmos’ wife informed the boy’s doctor about the family’s decision to stop chemotherapy and go natural, the doctor contacted the Wyoming Department of Family Services, and the family became the subject of a possible medical neglect case.
Finally, the Fremont County Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute the parents.
“I believe in a natural approach,” Guggenmos said during the committee meeting on Tuesday.
He expressed concern that licensing would protect naturopathic physicians from medical board reviews or disciplinary actions that may not take into account the practice’s uniqueness.
Marx stated that establishing a separate medical review board for naturopathic doctors would be costly, but her organization hopes to create a naturopathic advisory panel to work alongside the Wyoming Board of Medicine.
It is unclear whether insurance companies in Wyoming would cover treatments provided by licensed naturopathic doctors, according to Marx in response to a different line of questioning from Sen. Lynn Hutchings, R-Cheyenne.
However, some insurance companies in Wyoming and other states cover those treatments, she added.
Guggenmos was not alone in experimenting with naturopathic approaches. Rep. Jacob Wasserburger (R-Cheyenne) said he sees a naturopathic doctor.
