What Is the Difference Between an NMD and an ND?
Written by YiQiu Hu, NMD
Arizona-licensed naturopathic physician and virtual concierge medicine provider
Published August 2026 | Medically reviewed August 2026
If you are looking for a naturopathic physician, you may notice that some practitioners use the initials NMD after their name while others use ND.
That can naturally lead to questions:
Is an NMD different from an ND? Does one receive more medical training? Is one more qualified? And which credential should you look for when choosing a naturopathic physician?
The short answer is that NMD and ND generally refer to the same type of doctoral-level naturopathic medical education, and one credential is not inherently superior to the other.
The terminology used can depend on the medical school, the jurisdiction in which the physician practices, historical naming conventions, and the degree originally awarded.
For patients, the letters after a physician's name are therefore less important than whether that person completed an accredited naturopathic medical program, passed the required licensing examinations, and holds an active license in the state where they practice.
If you are new to this type of healthcare, you may also want to begin with our complete guide to naturopathic medicine.
What Does NMD Mean?
NMD typically stands for Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine or is used as a professional designation for a naturopathic medical doctor.
It is a doctoral-level credential associated with formal naturopathic medical education.
Graduates of accredited naturopathic medical programs receive education in subjects that may include:
Anatomy and physiology
Biochemistry
Pathology
Pharmacology
Physical and clinical diagnosis
Laboratory testing
Nutrition
Botanical medicine
Lifestyle medicine
Physical medicine
Clinical therapeutics
Patient assessment and management
Students also complete supervised clinical training as part of their professional education.
The exact curriculum varies among schools, just as curricula vary among other healthcare professions.
What Does ND Mean?
ND generally stands for Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine or Naturopathic Doctor.
Today, ND is the degree abbreviation used by many accredited naturopathic medical programs in the United States and Canada.
For example, Sonoran University of Health Sciences describes its professional naturopathic medical degree as a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree and currently uses the ND designation.
The Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges also commonly refers to graduates of accredited naturopathic medical programs as NDs.
This does not mean that an ND receives less training than someone using the NMD designation.
So, Is an NMD the Same as an ND?
In most patient-care situations, yes—the terms describe physicians educated within the same licensed naturopathic medical profession rather than two separate levels of medical training.
There is no general hierarchy in which:
NMD > ND
or
ND > NMD
The initials alone do not indicate that one physician received more advanced training, has a broader license, or provides better medical care.
Organizations representing accredited naturopathic medical education and the profession commonly refer to licensed naturopathic doctors using ND/NMD terminology.
What matters is the physician's actual education, licensing, professional experience, clinical competence, and legal scope of practice.
Why Are There Two Different Abbreviations?
The difference largely comes from how naturopathic medical degrees and professional titles have historically been named.
Different schools and jurisdictions have used slightly different terminology over time.
A physician may therefore use NMD because that was the degree designation associated with their education, while another physician may use ND even though the underlying professional education is comparable.
Professional terminology can also evolve.
A university that used one degree abbreviation historically may use a different abbreviation today.
For patients, this means that seeing ND instead of NMD—or NMD instead of ND—should not by itself influence your decision about which physician to see.
What Matters More Than ND vs. NMD?
Instead of focusing primarily on the initials after someone's name, patients should consider several more meaningful qualifications.
1. Did the Physician Attend an Accredited Naturopathic Medical Program?
Formal naturopathic medical education is different from taking online courses, completing a short certificate program, or studying general natural health.
The Council on Naturopathic Medical Education is the specialized accrediting organization for naturopathic medical education programs in the United States and Canada.
Graduating from an appropriate accredited or approved program is an important part of the pathway toward licensure in jurisdictions that regulate naturopathic physicians.
2. Did the Physician Complete the Required Licensing Examinations?
Graduates seeking licensure generally complete the Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examinations (NPLEX) as required by their jurisdiction.
The North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners administers the NPLEX examination process and provides examination results to regulatory authorities.
NPLEX includes biomedical and clinical science testing designed to evaluate competencies relevant to entry-level naturopathic medical practice.
3. Does the Physician Hold an Active State License?
This is particularly important.
A degree tells you what education someone completed.
A license tells you whether a regulatory authority has authorized that individual to practice within that jurisdiction.
Because naturopathic medicine laws vary significantly by state, patients should determine whether their practitioner is licensed where they are receiving care.
In Arizona, naturopathic physicians are regulated by the Arizona Naturopathic Physicians Medical Board.
Arizona law regulates the practice of naturopathic medicine and defines the professional scope available to appropriately licensed naturopathic physicians.
You can learn more about why licensing matters in our guide, Are Naturopathic Physicians Real Doctors?.
4. What Is the Physician's Actual Clinical Experience?
Two physicians with the same degree may have very different areas of experience.
One may focus primarily on:
Primary and general medical care
Preventive medicine
Chronic disease management
Women's health
Hormone management
Gastrointestinal concerns
Integrative pain management
Medical weight management
Laboratory evaluation
Botanical medicine
Lifestyle medicine
Another may have developed a completely different clinical focus.
The initials after the physician's name do not tell you which conditions they regularly evaluate or what type of medicine they actually practice.
Reviewing the physician's education, professional background, clinical interests, and approach to care can therefore be much more useful.
An ND or NMD Is Not the Same as a Traditional Naturopath
Another distinction is far more important than the difference between ND and NMD.
Patients should understand the difference between a licensed naturopathic doctor or naturopathic physician and someone who identifies as a traditional naturopath, naturopathic practitioner, natural health practitioner, or similar title.
These terms are not necessarily interchangeable.
A licensed ND or NMD generally follows a professional pathway that includes accredited doctoral-level naturopathic medical education, clinical training, licensing examinations, and state licensure where the profession is regulated.
Someone using a more general naturopathic or natural-health title may have a very different educational background.
This does not mean that every non-physician natural-health practitioner lacks useful knowledge. It simply means that their training and legal authority should not automatically be assumed to be equivalent to those of a licensed naturopathic physician.
The Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges specifically distinguishes licensed ND/NMD physicians from traditional naturopaths.
What About NMDs and NDs in Arizona?
Arizona is a state that regulates naturopathic medicine.
The state uses the term naturopathic physician, and licensed practitioners are overseen by the Arizona Naturopathic Physicians Medical Board.
Rather than trying to determine whether someone's initials say ND or NMD, an Arizona patient should confirm that the physician holds an appropriate active Arizona license.
You can search or contact the Arizona Naturopathic Physicians Medical Board for current regulatory and licensing information.
The physician's legal scope of practice is ultimately determined by Arizona law and the individual's licensure—not simply by whether the physician writes ND or NMD after their name.
Does an NMD Have a Broader Scope of Practice Than an ND?
Not simply because of the credential.
Scope of practice is primarily determined by the jurisdiction in which the physician is licensed.
A physician using ND in one state and a physician using NMD in another state may have different legal scopes of practice because the states have different laws, not because ND and NMD represent different levels of education.
Depending on jurisdiction and individual qualifications, naturopathic physicians may have authority involving diagnosis, laboratory testing, medications, physical medicine, or other forms of treatment.
Patients should therefore look at the laws where the physician actually practices rather than trying to determine scope from the initials alone.
For Arizona-specific information, visit our Naturopathic Medicine Resource Center.
Is an NMD More Qualified Than an ND?
Not based on the initials alone.
An NMD should not automatically be considered more highly trained than an ND, and an ND should not automatically be considered more highly trained than an NMD.
A better comparison would include:
Medical school attended
Accreditation of the educational program
State licensing status
Licensing examination history
Postgraduate training
Years of clinical experience
Areas of clinical focus
Continuing medical education
Professional history
Approach to diagnosis and treatment
These factors give patients much more useful information than comparing two abbreviations.
How Can I Verify a Naturopathic Physician's Credentials?
If you are considering a naturopathic physician, the process can be straightforward.
First, look at the physician's biography and confirm where they received their naturopathic medical degree.
Next, determine whether their educational program was appropriately accredited.
Then verify their state license through the appropriate regulatory board.
You may also want to ask the physician:
How long have you been practicing?
What types of patients or conditions do you commonly evaluate?
Do you provide primary care or primarily specialty services?
Do you prescribe medications when appropriate?
How do you use laboratory testing?
How do you decide between conventional and naturopathic treatments?
When do you refer patients to another physician or specialist?
How do you coordinate care with my other healthcare providers?
These questions often reveal much more about the physician than whether their business card says ND or NMD.
What Credentials Do the Physicians at Ask Dr. Hu Use?
At Ask Dr. Hu, Dr. YiQiu Hu and Dr. Linh Ngo use the NMD designation and provide naturopathic medical care to patients in Arizona.
Our approach is not based on choosing "natural" treatments automatically or avoiding conventional medicine.
Instead, care may incorporate medical evaluation, laboratory testing, medications when appropriate, nutrition, lifestyle medicine, naturopathic therapies, preventive care, and specialist referral based on the individual patient's needs.
You can learn more about the physicians, their backgrounds, and their approach to care on our About Ask Dr. Hu page.
Frequently Asked Questions About NMD vs. ND
Are NMD and ND the same degree?
They are commonly used to describe the same general category of doctoral-level naturopathic medical education. The exact degree abbreviation may depend on the institution, time period, or jurisdiction.
Is an NMD better than an ND?
No. NMD is not inherently a higher credential than ND.
When comparing physicians, look at accredited education, licensing, clinical experience, and areas of expertise rather than assuming one abbreviation is superior.
Does an NMD receive more medical training than an ND?
Not simply because the physician uses NMD rather than ND.
The educational program the physician completed is what determines their formal training—not the abbreviation alone.
Can both NDs and NMDs be licensed physicians?
Yes, depending on the jurisdiction and whether the individual meets its licensing requirements.
Because state laws differ, patients should verify the physician through the regulatory authority where they practice.
Can NDs and NMDs prescribe medications?
Prescribing authority depends primarily on state law and the physician's license rather than whether they use ND or NMD.
Is an ND or NMD the same as an MD?
No.
MD, DO, and ND/NMD represent different professional medical education pathways and licensing systems.
They should not be treated as interchangeable credentials.
How do I know whether a naturopathic practitioner is actually licensed?
Do not rely only on a website biography or the word "doctor."
Check the practitioner's license directly with the state regulatory agency.
For an Arizona naturopathic physician, you can begin with the Arizona Naturopathic Physicians Medical Board.
Key Takeaways
For most patients, the difference between NMD and ND is much simpler than it first appears.
NMD and ND generally represent different naming conventions within the licensed naturopathic medical profession rather than two different levels of medical qualification.
Neither credential is automatically superior.
When choosing a naturopathic physician, focus instead on whether the practitioner:
Graduated from an appropriately accredited naturopathic medical program
Completed required licensing examinations
Holds an active license in your state
Has experience relevant to your healthcare needs
Practices within an appropriate legal scope
Communicates clearly about treatment options, benefits, limitations, and risks
Ultimately, those qualifications matter much more than whether the physician has ND or NMD written after their name.
If you would like to learn more about how naturopathic physicians are educated and how naturopathic medicine fits into modern healthcare, explore our Naturopathic Medicine Resource Center.
Looking for a Naturopathic Physician in Arizona?
Ask Dr. Hu provides personalized naturopathic and concierge medical care for patients throughout Arizona.
Our physicians combine thorough medical evaluation with preventive healthcare, laboratory testing, lifestyle medicine, evidence-informed naturopathic treatment, medications when appropriate, and individualized care planning.
If you have questions about our approach or would like to determine whether our practice may be a good fit for your healthcare needs, contact Ask Dr. Hu.
Medical Accuracy & Editorial Standards
This patient guide was written and medically reviewed by an Arizona-licensed naturopathic physician for educational purposes.
Information regarding naturopathic medical education, examinations, and licensing was reviewed using authoritative professional and regulatory sources, including the Arizona Naturopathic Physicians Medical Board, the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners, the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges, and the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education.
Because naturopathic licensing and scope-of-practice laws vary by jurisdiction and may change over time, patients should verify current requirements with the regulatory authority in the state or province where care is provided.
Published: August 2026
Medically reviewed: August 2026
About the Author
YiQiu Hu, NMD
Dr. YiQiu Hu is an Arizona-licensed naturopathic physician and founder of Ask Dr. Hu. He provides concierge medicine, preventive healthcare, health optimization, laboratory evaluation, and individualized medical treatment for patients throughout Arizona.
His approach combines thorough medical evaluation with evidence-informed naturopathic care, thoughtful laboratory testing, clear explanations, and practical treatment planning.
Learn more about Dr. YiQiu Hu and Ask Dr. Hu →
This article is intended for general educational purposes and does not replace individualized medical advice or establish a physician-patient relationship.