The New Mexico Chiropractic laws FOUND HERE have recently been changed.  Much interest has been made of the New Mexico Chiropractors ability to "prescribe drugs".  Some confusion exists as to just what this means.  Below are excerpts from the New Mexico Law that may be of interest.

What is "Chiropractic" in New Mexico?

According to THIS NEW MEXICO LAW at 16.4.15.7 it is:

•    ...the science, art and philosophy of things natural,

• the science of locating and removing interference with the transmissions or expression of nerve forces in the human body by the correction of misalignments or subluxations of the articulations and adjacent structures, more especially those of the vertebral column and pelvis, 

• for the purpose of restoring and maintaining health for treatment of human disease

• primarily by, but not limited to, adjustment and manipulation of the human structure.
  

• It shall include, but not be limited to, the prescription and administration of all natural agents in all forms to assist in the healing act, such as food, water, heat, cold, electricity, mechanical appliances, herbs, nutritional supplements, homeopathic remedies and any necessary diagnostic procedure, excluding invasive procedures, except as provided by the board by rule and regulation.

• It shall exclude operative surgery and prescription or use of controlled or dangerous drugs, except as provided by the board by rule and regulation.
  

So who can use "controlled or dangerous drugs" in New Mexico?

Says New Mexico Law:  “Certified advanced practice chiropractic physician” means advanced practice chiropractor who shall have prescriptive authority for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes as authorized by statute and stated by the board in 16.4.15.11 NMAC."

And Just what can they prescribe?

Says New Mexico:  “'Chiropractic formulary' shall mean those substances that are natural or naturally derived that have been approved for use by the chiropractor registered in advanced practice by the chiropractic board and as by statute with consensus between the New Mexico medical board and New Mexico board of pharmacy."

The Current Chiropractic Formulary is:

A.  Herbal medicines may be the crude substance or a prepared form that renders the crude substance clinically useful. it may include preparations, concentrates, refinements, isolates, extracts, and derivatives of herbs.

B.  All homeopathic preparations medicines include all medicines named in the homeopathic pharmacopoeia of the United States.

C.  Over-the-counter drugs to include, but not limited to, all drugs listed in the PDR for OTC drugs or other compendium of United States otc drugs:
                    (1)     all vitamins;
                    (2)     all minerals.

D.  Enzymes to include those produced for therapeutic use to include digestive enzymes, proteolytic enzymes, anti-inflammatory enzymes and other therapeutic enzymes.

E.  Glandular products to include products produced from, extracted from, isolated from animal glandular tissue. It includes desiccated or otherwise processed whole glandular tissue, including protein, lipid and carbohydrate constituents of glandular tissue and, hormones, enzymes and secretions.

F.  Protomorphogens to include those components of the cell nuclear material that are responsible for morphogenic determination of cell characteristics.

G.  Live cell products includes therapeutic agents that are live cells or that are produced or secreted, extracted or isolated from live cells:
                    (1)     gerovital;
                    (2)     all amino acids to include peptides and amino acid combinations.

H.  All dietary supplements as listed in comprehensive natural medicines database, PDR for nutritional supplements or other compendium or commercial catalogue of dietary supplements.

I.   All foods for special dietary use.

J.   Bioidentical hormones to include all hormones compounds, or salt forms of those compounds, that have exactly the same chemical and molecular structure as hormones that are produced in the human body:

                    (1)     sterile water;
                    (2)     sterile saline;
                    (3)     sarapin or its generic;
                    (4)     caffeine;
                    (5)     procaine HCl;
                    (6)     oxygen;
                    (7)     epinephrine;
                    (8)     vapocoolants.

What are the requirements for "Advanced Practice Certification"?

The following are excerpted from 16.4.15.8 ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTRATION GENERAL PROVISIONS:  "Advanced practice registration is authorized by 61-4-9.1(C) NMSA of the act and defined in 61-4-9.2 NMSA 1978 and allows the use of approved naturally derived substances through injection for therapeutic purposes."

"A chiropractic physician shall have the prescriptive authority to administer through injection and prescribe the compounding of substances that are authorized in the advanced practice formulary. Those with active registration are allowed prescription authority that is limited to the current formulary as agreed on by the New Mexico board of chiropractic examiners and as by statute, by the New Mexico board of pharmacy and the New Mexico medical board."

"A chiropractic physician without advanced practice certification may administer, dispense and prescribe any natural substance that is to be used in an oral or topical manner so long as that substance is not considered a dangerous drug."