
![]()
THE PAINFUL TRUTH-HERBERT W.
ARMSTRONG’S WORLDWIDE
CHURCH OF GOD
Understanding the psychology of religious seduction and spiritual abuse.
What is the difference between a licensed naturopathic doctor and an unlicensed naturopath?
“Licensed naturopathic doctors, sometimes referred to as naturopathic physicians, are regulated at the state level to practice naturopathic medicine. Naturopathic medical students attend accredited, four-year, in-residence, naturopathic medical schools where they study biomedical sciences such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, and pharmacology. Their medical education incorporates the latest advances in science and natural approaches to illness prevention and management. Students complete a minimum of 4,100 hours of class and clinical training, including over 1,200 hours of hands-on, supervised, clinical training. Naturopathic doctors can order diagnostic tests such as blood tests, X-rays, MRIs, and, in some states, prescribe drugs and hormones and perform minor surgery. According to the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC) 2015 survey of alumni, 50 percent of naturopathic doctors practicing full-time self-report as primary care physicians, while 28 percent report working as natural health specialists. In addition, like conventional medical doctors (MDs), a growing number of naturopathic doctors choose to focus their practices in specialty areas. Specialty associations currently exist for Endocrinology, Environmental Medicine, Gastroenterology, Intravenous Therapies, Pediatrics, Primary Care Medicine, and Oncology. A naturopathic doctor must pass rigorous professional board exams prior to being licensed or regulated in a state that regulates the practice of naturopathic medicine. State mandated regulatory bodies oversee standards of practice, complaints, and discipline for all licensed jurisdictions. Licensed naturopathic doctors also carry malpractice insurance and maintain a commitment to lifelong learning through continuing education. These requirements are safeguards to ensure patients’ rights to quality naturopathic care.”
- Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (NMD)
- Doctor of Naturopathy (ND)
Some years back I put Bob Thiel’s phone number for his business into my search engine and came to this now defunct page (Wayback Machine has not archived this URL.): https://site-stats.org/ccog.org/

On this page (2019) we see that Bob has quite a few websites, some dealing with religion, others with health. Let’s take a look at one, * http://foodresearch.info.
The website describes itself as “Food Research International is Caribbean company dedicated to providing the highest quality nutritional supplements, in a form that is as close as possible to those naturally found in foods.“
Read more-pdf: sites (2021_09_08 13_01_45 UTC)Â Â
And Bob’s views on the Catholic church is also on this list.
On this website we see pretty much a cut and paste from the first website we mentioned but this website is filled with videos that Bob describes as “free video lectures for healthcare professionals on a variety of topics “.
https://www.youtube.com/user/DoctorsResearch/videos
Seems Bob’s goal in life is to teach everyone. Sorry Bob, we don’t need you!
I did find some disturbing claims by Thiel, and they can be found here: http://foodresearch.info/aboutdrthiel.html where he claims about himself in grandiose style, “Back a Herbs reported “Dr. Thiel has the highest published success rate of any natural health professional in the entire United States”” Now, that is quite a claim is it not? There is no link to confirm this claim. Another Thiel dead end?
On another Thiel webpage we read:

“a variety of professional and academic backgrounds who have demonstrated a commitment to the principles of naturopathy”
Commitment over expertise? Really?
Moving right along, Thiel claims he registered as a naturopath in Washington D.C.
But let’s not stop there. On the same page we read: Dr. Thiel was a science editor for the American Naturopathic Medical Association (ANMA). The ANMA has named him Research Scientist of the Year, Physician of the Year, and Disability Researcher of the Year. Dr. Thiel also received the leadership Award from the Orthomolecular Health-Medicine society. Here is their Hall of Fame page. No Thiel listed.
https://www.anma.org was listed above as one website I found that Thiel never linked to. I wonder why? So I contacted the ANMA about past presidents and received no answer back.There is once again no way to verify Thiel’s claims as to being a former science editor of the ANMA. So what next? Using my search engine I typed into the bar: bob thiel science editor for the American Naturopathic Medical Association. This came up as the address to the search:
I did find this interesting page. License vs. certification. One cannot take these folks seriously after reading this:
CERTIFICATION
-
A statement of completion or meeting a standard.
-
Voluntary.
-
Does not involve the police power of the state.
-
Presumes that working the field is a right.
-
Certification may be withdrawn at any time by the issuing agency. However, this does not stop one from working.
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Preserves and enhances the power of the individual consumer to decide upon the practitioner of his choice.
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The purpose is mainly to inform and educate.
I find something interesting. The ANMA that Thiel claims to have been science editor of has some skeletons in their closet. Is this why Thiel never provided a link? Hmmm…
A headline on a link says, “Teen’s death hastened by practitioner who had bogus diplomas” where we read: “David and Laura Flanagan of suburban Denver believed they found that, and more, in the office of Dr. Brian O’Connell. O’Connell assured the Flanagans he could not only relieve 18-year-old Sean’s suffering from late-stage bone cancer, he could cure Sean as he had others.
One of the framed certificates on O’Connell’s wall was from the American Naturopathic Medical Association (ANMA). Impressive-sounding, to be sure — but it comes from a Las Vegas post-office box. The businessman who founded the organization in 1981 has feuded for years with AANP and the mainstream, state-licensed naturopathic community.
Donald Hayhurst, 71, is the godfather of mail-order health-care credentials. He has issued thousands of credentials to practitioners, and he accredits some schools.
Hayhurst has doled out 4,000 ANMA memberships, at a cost of $350 apiece. Each year, its members attend a convention in Las Vegas that includes speakers, training and products. More than 1,000 people attended this year’s convention at the Riviera Hotel & Casino, where vendors aggressively pitched dozens of energy devices, lasers and herbal concoctions.”
…The teen’s father, meanwhile, pleads with government officials to do something to protect other desperate families from being victimized by fake medical professionals. He wants all states to pass laws to license the practice of naturopathy.”
—————————————————————-
Let’s look at the various claims made by Robert that he has received various awards for his work.
Who heads up the Food Research?
Food Research International Ltd. was initially headed up by Clyde Skeete, of Barbados. Financial affairs handled by Canadian Barbara Gibbs.
The research group at Food Research consists of a variety of independent research scientists.
One researcher is Robert Thiel, Naturopath who also holds a Ph.D. in nutrition science. He has conducted, and had published, many scientific health studies.
1# Thiel received the Leadership Award from the Orthomolecular Health Medicine Society.
2# Thiel has been named Research Scientist of the Year, Physician of the Year, and Disability Researcher of the Year by the largest American naturopathic association.Â
3# Doc. Thiel has had the only comprehensive paper published in a medical peer-reviewed journal (Medical Hypotheses) on the advantages of natural food vitamins over synthetic ‘nutrients’. He also specializes in nutritional interventions for fatigue, sports performance, and various genetic and non-genetic disabilities.
—-
#1 claim: Thiel received the Leadership Award from the Orthomolecular Health Medicine Society.
I searched Orthomolecular Health Medicine Society and came up with this: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Orthomolecular-Health-Medicine-Society-OHM-287323798750/posts/
On this page we see that they have a website: http://www.ohmsociety.org
When I went to the website I received a 404 error page. The website is down. Next step, the Internet archives where we can find earlier pages of the website: https://web.archive.org/web/20180812082504/http://www.ohmsociety.org/
Nothing there of any substance and no mention that I could find of any Bob Thiel.
#2 claim: Thiel has been named Research Scientist of the Year, Physician of the Year, and Disability Researcher of the Year by the largest American naturopathic association.Â
The next question is, who are these organizations Thiel claims to have received awards from?
I searched for the largest American naturopathic association and came up with 2 possibilities. #1.https://www.anma.org and #2. https://naturopathic.org/.
On this website #1, https://www.anma.org, under the information tab we read:
___
Licensing Vs. Certification
LICENSING
A license is a permission to do something that otherwise is forbidden. In most cases, a license is required or mandatory for engaging in that activity. For instance, a drivers license is considered mandatory to drive a car on the public roads. An exception is that a house may be built by someone who is not a licensed contractor.
CERTIFICATION
Certification is a statement or declaration that one has completed a course of study, passed an examination, or otherwise met specified criteria for certification.
​
Certification is not a permission to act, but rather a statement of completion or qualification.
​
Certification is a private matter, issued by a private organization.
—-
Read down to the bottom of the page and you will see that this is a private certification organization like so many others. What we have here is not a licensing authority that allows you to legally practice medicine, but a volunteer certification program with no legal weight or authority whatsoever outside the organization.
HERE is another example, from another organization that calls itself “American Naturopathic Medical Certification Board“:
WHAT IS BOARD CERTIFICATION?
ANMCB Board Certification is a trusted and valuable credential that is important and relevant to the natural health profession. Board Certification is a voluntary process that a graduate of a Natural Health Care program can choose to make.
LICENSING VS. CERTIFICATION
Professional competence of an individual can be assessed by two recognized mechanisms: licensing or certification.
Licensing by definition is a mandatory requirement and is usually administered and controlled by State Government entities. States that license Naturopaths are currently issued only to those that have graduated from a four year residential program. We do not support these laws and have opposed them in several states.
(Editor: My question is, why would you oppose someone achieving a higher education that will have the balance of human lives in their control. Even a veterinarian must go to school for years before being licensed. I can tell you by experience that certification doesn’t mean anything as far as competence goes. Some of the people I have had the disservice of working with were certified by some obscure organization, and absolutely, inescapably incompetent. State mandated licenses are backed by a considerable higher standard of education.)
——————
On to website #2, https://naturopathic.org/:
There are many different organization that claim they have the legit credentials for
licensing in any state. In fact there are quite a few websites boasting the same claim. Its like the ACOG’s and their ‘only true church’ mantra. Of course just because they say so don’t make it true. It is not true. No ACOG group is legit as far as having anything to do with God. Time has shown that integrity does not exist within these organizations.
Anyway, a email from California state verified that The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians is the one and only legitimate authority as to licensing accredited naturopaths. A email to this organization confirms this when I asked:
—————-
Can you tell me if this organization is legit? There are so many with the same claim it seems. http://www.anmcb.org/certification.html
James
Reply:
I am sure that they believe that they are a “legitimate organization”. However, none of the regulatory agencies who license naturopathic doctors recognizes their organization or their belief that licensure is not needed.
 Hope this helps.
 Kind regards,
(Name deleted)
 Naturopathic Medicine Committee
1300 National Drive, Suite 150
Sacramento, CAÂ 95834-1991
Their primary objective the Naturopathic Medicine Committee is higher education:
State Licensure
Goals of AANP, The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians: https://cdn.ymaws.com/naturopathic.org/resource/resmgr/AANP_Strategic_Plan_2025_Ado.pdf
On the ABOUT US link we read:
“Founded in 1985, the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) is the national professional society representing licensed naturopathic doctors, naturopathic medicine students, and other healthcare professionals allied with the naturopathic profession.
The AANP’s physician members are graduates of naturopathic medical schools accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education. CNME is recognized by the US Department of Education as the national accrediting agency for programs leading to the Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine (ND or NMD) or Doctor of Naturopathy (ND) degree.”
Let’s look at the FAQ page under the heading ND Education Training & Licensure:
How are naturopathic doctors trained, educated, and licensed?
Accredited Naturopathic Medical Schools are four-year, in-residence, hands-on medical programs consisting of a minimum of 4,100 hours of class and clinical training. During naturopathic medical school, students are educated in the biomedical sciences as well as the latest advances in science in combination with natural approaches to therapy. They also study disease prevention and clinical techniques…
What are Prerequisites for admission to a naturopathic medical school?
Prior to admission into an accredited naturopathic medical school, the typical entering student has completed three years of pre-medical training and earned a bachelor of science degree. Students are expected to have completed courses in English and the humanities as well as math, physics, and psychology, with a strong emphasis on chemistry and biology. In addition to prerequisite course work, prospective students must demonstrate appropriate…Â
What is the difference between a licensed naturopathic doctor and an unlicensed naturopath?
In some states with laws regulating naturopathic doctors, the use of the term “naturopath” or “naturopathic physician” by anyone other than a licensed naturopathic doctor is prohibited. However, not all states regulate naturopathic doctors and not all states that do protect the term “naturopath.” Unlicensed naturopaths can have varied levels of education and experience, often from a purely online or correspondence format. Such education is not accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and does not qualify students to take the NPLEX examination or apply for licensure in any regulated jurisdiction in North America. Be aware… Â
With the qualifications out of the way, let us see if we can find a Bob Thiel listed here as a certified doctor and not a pseudo doctor.
https://naturopathic.org/search/newsearch.asp landing on page 37 where Thiel’s name should have been listed within alphabetical order, I found nothing.
You would have thought that a man who was named “Research Scientist of the Year, Physician of the Year, and Disability Researcher of the Year” would be listed on either or both websites. Not so. I can find no evidence of Thiel’s claims to fame.
Lets look at a third claim.
#3 claim: Doc. Thiel has had the only comprehensive paper published in a medical peer-reviewed journal (Medical Hypotheses) on the advantages of natural food vitamins over synthetic ‘nutrients’.
Ok Bob, where is the link? Oh, here it is. He actually did put out a paper you can find HERE and HERE.

I give Bob credit for this that he deserves. I actually agree with the premise of using natural over synthetics as I too have knowledge of the field.
It seems that Bob has some rather obscure claims as to his expertise without the evidence to back it up.
Some years ago Gavin Rumney did some similar investigating of his own from which we learned that Thiel’s education came from a unaccredited organization known as Trinity Theology. https://hwarmstrong.com/images/bob-thiels-diploma.png
Now it is time to look few other website of Bob’s:
We start with http://healthresearch.com.
On this website in which the database seems to be broken, we see that Bob offers not only research on alternative medicine, naturopathy, and holistic health, but some videos as well. Thankfully these videos are not as horrific as his CCOg videos! You can find them here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCejsDne4VDb6WaEfP3Foe0w
At the bottom of this page at http://healthresearch.com we read this disclaimer:
“None of the statements at this web site have been approved by the US FDA or any similar organization.”
Then at the bottom of another page is this disclaimer:
“For additional information check out http://www.healthresearch.com. This research is for doctors and other health care professionals. Thiel is not a medical doctor. None of this research is medical advice, nor should it be construed as medical advice; nor is any of this information specific for any individual.”
The last website of Bob’s we will look at:
https://doctorsresearch.com/ which is about food supplements that Bob has to sell. Nothing wrong about good old fashion capitalism in motion. Let’s see if anything has changed on the about page.
Under the heading “Robert Thiel, Ph.D., Naturopath and Scientist”
we read: “Dr. Thiel has been registered as a naturopath by the Federal District of Columbia. He is licensed as a naturopathic scientist by the State of Alabama. He is licensed as a naturopath by the State of North Carolina. He holds a license as a naturopathic physician from Bingham County, Idaho. The State of California (which does not have licensing for traditional naturopaths, scientists, or nutritionists) awarded him an Instructor Credential in Naturopathic Medicine. Dr. Thiel was nationally board certified as a naturopathic physician by the American Naturopathic Medical Certification and Accreditation Board. He is also past president of the California State Naturopathic Medical Association. Dr. Thiel was chairman of the Committee on the Development of ANMCAB’s Certification Examination and was a member of the Council on Immunology/Oncology/Hematology/Vitamins of the American College of Nutrition.“ Â

Well let’s look at the claim that Bob was past president of the California State Naturopathic Medical Association. We start here Naturopathic Medicine Committee – California
Let’s see if California has such a official bureau. We will click on over to the California Boards & Bureau webpage and see if there is a official California medical association listed. https://www.dca.ca.gov/about_us/entities.shtml
There are only 3 possibilities here, as remote as they are:
Medical Board of California or Naturopathic Medicine Committee
We first go to this page https://www.naturopathic.ca.gov/consumers/index.shtml and click on ‘File a complaint against a naturalpathic doctor’ and land up here: https://search.dca.ca.gov/results where we do a license search. What do we find? There are many Robert Thiel’s listed. However there is not one for a naturopathic medicine license. Here are the results for the top three…
One for a baton permit. One as a security guard. And another for a firearm permit. Unless Bob is a CHULA VISTA resident? Anyone?

So I start investigating the first link posted on this blog post, foodresearch, although the claim listed is found on the doctorsreseach website, so we email naturopathic.ca the Department of Consumer Affairs and ask them the following:
—————-
I am investigating possible fraudulent claims by one Bob or Robert Thiel of Arroyo Grande, California. Mr Thiel claims to be a California certified doctor of naturopathic medicine, and also claims to have a diploma from the International College of Naturopathy (a California State approved institution) as he says.
Is this institution really California state approved and are his claims valid as to being a certified doctor?
http://www.foodresearch.info/aboutdrthiel.html
James
The reply is as follows:

Dear James:
 Thank you for your email regarding Mr. Robert Thiel.Â
 Mr. Thiel is not a licensed naturopathic doctor. He can only refer to himself as a naturopath. He cannot diagnose or treat patients in California. The only thing he is allowed to do is offer nutritional and diet education. There is no true certification for naturopathic medicine. Additionally, Mr. Thiel is required by law to advise to his clients that he is providing unlicensed healing arts to all of his clients and must be signed by the client, acknowledging the unlicensed practice. Since he did not do this on his website, we will open an enforcement case for this violation.
 Unfortunately, California allows Mr. Thiel to refer to himself as a naturopathic practitioner although he is not a naturopathic doctor. It is very confusing to the consumers and we are trying to get this law changed.
 Licensed naturopathic doctors (NDs) use both natural healing along with conventional medicine to treat their patients. NDs are allowed to diagnose and treat in the same manner as a medical doctor (MD).
 Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
 Kind regards,
(Name deleted for privacy concerns)
————————————————-(Difference Between a Naturopath and Naturopathic Doctor)
So there it is, there is no legit naturopathy organization in the state of California.
So what about Bob’s claim that he was past president of the California State Naturopath Medical Association? Is this true? Ok, take a look at http://healthresearch.com/csnma.htm where it gives a address at the bottom of the page:
CSNMA, supporting true naturopathy!
California State Naturopathic Medical Association,
1036 W. Grand Avenue, Grover Beach, CA 93433
Who does this address belong to? Why, Bob Thiel! He is past president of a organization that he himself created. Tell me, bragging that you were past president of a naturopath “medical association” of your own creation, does that qualify you to practice any type of medicine? Let’s call it what it is. Deception.
Further, Thiel goes way over the top with the first sentence on the page: The California State Naturopathic Medical Association is the unifying organization of naturopaths who work in the State of California. The California State Naturopathic Medical Association is, by far, the largest association of naturopaths in California.
All this boasting by a guy who has no legitimate medical degree that would allow him to practice medicine within his own state.
Bingham County, Idaho
“Abstain from all appearances of evil”Â
1 Thessalonians 5:22
The Idaho Chapter of The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians website states “The Idaho Chapter of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (IDAANP) is the leading professional naturopathic medical organization in Idaho. The AANP (www.naturopathic.org) is the national organization for licensed naturopathic physicians who are graduates from 4-year doctoral programs from federally (or USDE) accredited schools and who have passed a national licensing examination.“
On the Idaho Board of Medicine website we read : “Starting on July 1, 2020 naturopathic medical doctors will be licensed by the Idaho Board of Medicine. The new NMD licensure will allow naturopathic medical doctors to practice primary healthcare.“
Just in case there is any confusion on the matter I checked back with the Wayback Machine to see when his grandiose comments first appeared on his previous mentioned websites as to his qualifications. Here is what I found 2016-2020: http://web.archive.org/web/20160110230840/http://foodresearch.info/aboutdrthiel.html
Yes sir, way back in 2016 he said he was licensed as a ‘naturopathic physician’ in Idaho 4 years before licenses were ever issued! Remember what I pasted from the official Idaho government website? “Starting on July 1, 2020 naturopathic medical doctors will be licensed by the Idaho Board of Medicine. The new NMD licensure will allow naturopathic medical doctors to practice primary healthcare.“
We have some rules/qualifications/regulations for Idaho:
The Naturopathic Medical Board is an advisory body to the Idaho Board of Medicine. The Naturopathic Medical Board is responsible for making recommendations to the Board of Medicine concerning the qualification of applicants for licensure of naturopathic medical doctors, along with regulation of existing licensees through application of the statute and rules pertaining to the practice of naturopathic medicine.
Naturopathic medical doctors in Idaho may:
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Use physical and laboratory examinations consistent with naturopathic medical education and training for diagnostic purposes.
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Order and perform diagnostic and imaging tests consistent with naturopathic medical education and training. All diagnostic and imaging tests not consistent with naturopathic medical education and training must be referred to an appropriately licensed health care professional for treatment and interpretation.
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Dispense, administer, and prescribe prescription drugs and medical devices as authorized by the naturopathic medical formulary as set forth in rule.
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Perform minor office procedures
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Perform therapies for which they are trained and educated, consistent with the provisions in the Scope of Practice.
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Admit patients to a hospital at which they are credentialed and privileged to do so.
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The practice of naturopathic medicine does not include the practice of obstetrics.
By saying he, Bob Thiel, is licensed to practice in Idaho, that he has the qualifications to “dispense, administer, and prescribe prescription drugs, perform diagnostic and imaging tests, or admit patients to a hospital? Is that what he is saying?
I think not.
Let’s check this website and see if we can find a find a Naturopathic Physician in Idaho
Nope no Bob Thiel.
I wrote to the Bingham County and asked if Bob Thiel has had or does currently hold a license in Idaho to practice as a naturopath:
—————–
I would like to verify if someone that goes by the name of Bob Thiel or Robert Thiel fromÂ
Arroyo Grande, or Grover Beach, CA is or has ever been a licensed naturopathic physician within Idaho. And yes, I have checked on this page:Â https://www.idaanp.org/find-a-naturopathic-doctor-in-idaho/
A prompt reply would be appreciated.
James
Reply:
Idaho was previously licensed from 2005-2007. Any license that was given at that time is now null and void. I did find some information about him and that he “has a license from Bingham County, Idaho”. There was a person in that county in the early 2000s who took it upon himself to give out licenses from the County but independent of the state. Any of those licenses would not hold any authority in Idaho or any other state.
Idaho is now licensed again as of July 1, 2020 and no one by that name has a current Idaho license. From what I found about him he would not qualify for a license in any licensed state.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
(Name deleted for privacy concerns)

So Thiel’s license came from a man, who’s name I later learned was Harold, who worked for Bingham county in Idaho, who issued licenses without the qualifications or authority to do so. Further research found in the County minutes of 2015 stated that the 2005 legislation repealed the Bingham County licenses. Harold could no longer issue licenses independent of the county or state. Whether this was a pay to play operation I can only speculate at this time. Further contact with the county did not reveal whether this guy Harold was prosecuted for his misbehavior in issuing licenses he had no authority to do so.
Next stop was the “Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licensing” to see if Bob has a currently license in the state of Idaho, to practice as a naturopath or naturopathic. https://edopl.idaho.gov/OnlineServices/_/#3
Nothing on Thiel.
Off to Alabama:
What is the law in Alabama? From the wayback machine I found this: https://web.archive.org/web/20200225174337/https://www.albme.org/Documents/Opinions/1-0605.pdf we read:
This letter is issued in response to your inquiry concerning the requirements for licensure for the practice of acupuncture and/or naturopathy in the state of Alabama. Any person practicing naturopathy in the state of Alabama who does not hold a certificate of qualification conferred by the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners and a license to practice medicine or osteopathy conferred by the Medical Licensure Commission of Alabama is practicing medicine in violation of state law.
So there you have it. Surely Thiel has a license there. Why, because he said so! But just in case let us investigate further. Let’s try to find Bob’s claimed license in Alabama.
Into the search bar goes Bob’s name. We find:
https://abme.igovsolution.net/online/Lookups/Individual_Lookup.aspx Nothing found. Let us try another wesite: https://www.healthprofs.com/us/naturopaths/alabama Nothing there. The searches turned out nothing on a Robert or Bob Thiel. Perhaps he is just ‘practicing’ in a unregulated state?
Look at this map: American Association of Naturopathic Physicians
So why is it that Thiel states on both his websites: “licensed as a naturopath/scientist in Alabama.” ?
How do you get licensed if there is no license requirement within the state of Alabama for a naturopath? Here are the actual initials one can use after their name if they are a:
- Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (NMD)
- Doctor of Naturopathy (ND)
Ok, is there a Thiel listed here? No choice for a NMD or ND-
https://www.stateregstoday.com/business/naturopathic-doctor-license-in-alabamaÂ
How about licensed scientist? How do you become a licensed scientist? So I typed in the search engine ‘become a licensed scientist in Alabama’ and presto, nothing!
Then there is this capture:
Washington D.C.
Robert makes the claim: ‘…registered as a naturopath in Washington D.C.”,
so I check this statement for its truthfulness. I wrote the DC Association of Naturopathic Physicians asking if there is any Bob or Robert Thiel registered within the district.
Here is what they wrote back to me:
————————————————-
Hi James,
Thank you for your inquiry.
In order to determine if a person is licensed in Washington DC as an ND to practice Naturopathic Medicine is to check on the DC Department of Health website:
https://app.hpla.doh.dc.gov/Weblookup/
For field Profession – leave it “All”.
For field License Type – select “Naturopath Physician”.
For field Status – select “Active”.
I did the search for you and Robert (Bob) Thiel name did not show up as Active license holder for Naturopathic Physician.
Hope this is helpful.
I’m cc’ng couple of my colleagues here in case they have heard about him or know anything, that I’m not aware of.
So I check the above website for a Robert Thiel and there he is.

In all fairness, Bob told a truth somewhat, but let’s question the extent of that truthfulness. First of all, the issue date was in 1996 and this license expired February, 2010. That was over 10 years ago. I checked at https://www.webconfs.com/web-tools/domain-age-tool/ to see how old doctorsresearch website is. According to this website, it is 21 years and 7 months old as of this writing in (2019). The wayback machine shows that the “about” page where Thiel boasts of his qualifications has only existed since 2019. Investigating this, I see the page was added in early 2019. Either way, Bob decided to extend his qualifications after the expiration date. Is that a honest or open approach dealing with the health of the public? Does this behavior show honesty and integrity?
So what does it take to become licensed in the District of Columbus? Well, here are the qualifications.
State of North Carolina
“He is licensed as a naturopath by the State of North Carolina.” -Bob Thiel
——————————————————–
From the Carolinas Natural Health Center we read:
The Six accredited Naturopathic Medical Schools are listed in the 2007 Princeton Review “Best 168 Medical Schools” alongside: Harvard Medical School, John Hopkins School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, UNC-Chapel Hill, and others.
Area Contacts:
North Carolina Association of Naturopathic Physicians:Â www.ncanp.com
Members of the NCANP are license-eligible doctors and graduates of 4-year accredited naturopathic medical schools. Most members are already currently licensed in other states.
A complete list of the accredited Naturopathic Medical Schools can be found at the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (www.AANMC.org).
Why License NDs?
Regulation of naturopathic medicine is needed in North Carolina because:
-
Inadequately trained persons who profess to be naturopathic physicians, such as persons with degrees from correspondence schools, can place the public’s health and safety at risk.
-
Public safety will be ensured by requiring N.D.’s to meet rigorous educational standards and successfully pass the Naturopathic Physician Licensing Exam (NPLEX); this is a national competency-based exam that is a requirement in all states that license naturopathic physicians.
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Consumers deserve government-regulated means for assessing the preparation and qualifications of persons seeking to provide diagnosis and treatment through the use of complementary and alternative means.
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A licensing law will define educational standards, scope of practice and provide for professional oversight.
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Licensing can provide a process by which citizens may more confidently find and rely upon information pertaining to the level of skill, education, and competency possessed by providers, and will have much better ways to assess the extent to which their therapies and remedies are safe and effective.
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Licensable naturopathic physicians are trained in differential diagnosis and they are able and willing to make referrals to appropriate medical specialist for further care when needed.
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Increasingly large numbers of consumers utilize forms of natural health services; many do so to complement conventional medical care and do not inform their MDs. Licensed naturopathic physicians do not support withholding such information from treating MDs.
We checked the North Carolina (https://ncanp.org/find-an-nd/ ) for a Bob or Robert Thiel, sadly but predictably to say, we came up empty. So why did Bob Thiel write on his website: He is licensed as a naturopath by the State of North Carolina?
Seems Bob has a credibility problem. https://www.naturopathicdiaries.com/naturopathic-medicine-north-carolina/
Protect yourselves and learn more HERE and HERE
Bullshitter Bob, can you ever trust him again?
Learn more:The Remarkable Story of The Mysterious ThD and Subtle Deceptions of Bob Thiel
https://armstrongismlibrary.blogspot.com/2014/04/bob-thiels-african-representative.html
Bob Thiel Accuser of the Brethren
We welcome a response from Mr. Thiel.
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James, that is some of the most impressive journalism and research we’ve seen here at The Painful Truth over the past 25 years!
Truly amazing!
And now, the ball is in Thiel’s court. For decades he’s been the narcissistic authority for all things Armstrongism, standing as the Judge over all he surveys.
The question is, will he repent, admit his sins publicly, stop lying and go out of business? That is what God and Jesus Christ would require of him.
Or will he quietly fade into perdition to be forever sentenced to darkness and blackness?
If I were to venture a prognostication, it would be the latter.
Self-righteousness always takes on a life of its own.
Best article of the year among all the anti Armstrong groups if not EVER!
You need to do more of these expos. The site banned by hwa just repeats the same crap every day about Dave Pack, or about this guy or that. Some of the smaller sites are well, dead.
Keep it up please.
Jon, you may also note that Banned by HWA has been pushing The Painful Truth to write this article for years.
And now?
Not a single word on Banned… no links… no acknowledgement.
It’s revealing.
And yes, we are considering more expos.
I’ve reviewed the comments from Ron Rubbottom and Lee Walker, and I fully agree with their perspectives. That said, I can’t help but question the true intentions behind this. Is the Bannedby HWA website genuinely focused on helping people, or is it more about promoting the creator’s own interests?
There’s more than one main influence on Banned, so there are quite different perspectives, poised as infotainment for a niche audience.
This is quite different from The Painful Truth where we strive as much as is possible to adhere to our mission statement: “Understanding the psychology of religious seduction and spiritual abuse”. That translates to helping people who have been harmed through abuse.
My take is, if it doesn’t contribute to infotainment at banned, it’s ignored.
I agree.
The readership enthusiastically complied with every government mandate during the COVID scam, then turned around and attacked me for refusing the clot shot and daring to question the official narrative.
The moment the COVID hysteria kicked off, traffic to this site began bleeding out—slowly at first, then relentlessly. Over the course of those years we lost more than half our readership. Those people never came back.
Why?
They died in the mass deaths after the clot shots started. Many of these folks I knew personally.
It seems that some people never learn from history, and it cost them their most precious thing. Life.
Many things are so much worse than people realize. The reality is so divergent from anything an ordinary person could even begin to understand that it’s overwhelming.
What are we to think when ‘authorities’ tell us things that seem ‘right’, but are terrible debilitating lies that could mean your life? Health professionals along with government officials say that this new product of big pharma is going to save you from disease — even save your life, when in fact, it causes the disease, has terrible side effects and is likely to kill you? It sounds like a terrible conspiracy theory beyond belief.
It’s more convenient to reject it and move on.
Unfortunately… death….
This is the story of human history.
But it gets worse.
It ruins the reputation of those who are making every attempt to save you from harm. They become pariahs. It never matters if it’s true. By the time the facts come out, it’s too late and the damage is permanent. We can’t even say, “We told you so.” They won’t listen any longer.
The next time we go to warn them? They won’t listen. Then they die.
Speaking of which… we warned Armstrongists they should disband. Remember that? And wouldn’t you know, after that, the President of one of the CoGs actually had to quit from disease and died shortly thereafter.
But of course — and you all realize this — there is actually no connection at all. Is there? Not that something of the same thing happened a dozen years ago too.
After awhile, it seems like spitting up wind.