September 8, 2021 at 3:30 p.m.

After years of show jumping, the Southwest University of Naprapathic Medicine (SUNM) in Santa Fe received accreditation from the Distance Education Accreditation Commission, making it the first school in the country to receive accreditation for a doctoral program in Naprapathic Medicine. This accreditation is very important for pain relief therapy that has been practiced for over 126 years.

The profession has developed alongside chiropractic therapy. However, naprapathic doctors treat connective tissue to achieve structural alignment without force. Even as a growing profession, Naprapathic Therapy is covered by all major insurance companies in New Mexico and is licensed and regulated by the State Medical Board.

The three-year degree offered by the school is aimed at practitioners in health professions such as sports medicine, exercise science, physiotherapy, massage therapy and nursing. “We offer a specialized doctorate, which a physiotherapist can complete in 18 intensive months, because we can accept up to half of his existing credits,” explained Dr Patrick Nuzzo, who co-founded the school with his partner, Dr. Kirsten LaVista. , who is also a Naprapathic doctor.

“We are the first naturopathic program to be accredited. With the end of the opioid crisis, more and more people are turning to manual therapists instead of the pharmacist for pain relievers, ”Nuzzo said.

The cost of the program is $ 55,150, a big change for many these days. However, the recent accreditation will soon allow students to apply for federal financial aid, student loans, and VA benefits. The school currently offers a payment plan; and at the end of three years, the Santa Fe State Employees Credit Union offers funds to students with a co-signer to cover the balance of tuition fees.

The practical classes take place on weekends and 75% of the program is online. SUNM has partnered with New Mexico State University’s Studio G business incubator program, providing students with the resources to develop exercise creation techniques to help them create their own. business. Third-year students perform 500 internal treatments at the school’s clinic. Upon completion, students take an exam and present a required research project to the National Board of Naprapathic Examiners. Once passed, they apply for their license from the New Mexico Medical Council.

The patient is always dressed during a naprapathic session, and the work is done strictly with the hands. No cream or oil is used. “It’s very specific and we focus on the complaint areas with tissue handling and no high speed adjustments,” Nuzzo explained.

The half-hour therapy plots the stress pattern of each vertebrae in the back to design patient treatments. Hands-on sessions manipulate connective tissue to relieve tension and restore alignment of bone structure. This allows fluids to flow again through the “dried” and hardened connective tissue which causes painful tension in the body.

“We scientifically prove that manual medicine actually works to relieve symptoms of pain and inflammation,” Nuzzo said.

To learn more about Naprapathic Medicine and the Southwest University of Naprapathic Medicine, visit their website at sunm.edu.