Maine’s naturopaths will have expanded authority to prescribe medications and use intravenous therapy after lawmakers and Gov. Janet Mills approved the rule changes.

On Monday, Mills signed off on the changes, which were overwhelmingly approved by the House and Senate.

Dr. Katy Morrison, vice president of the Maine Association of Naturopathic Doctors, said the changes will help patients get the care they need in a state with health care access issues.

“We will be able to offer our patients more comprehensive care,” Morrison said in an interview Wednesday.

A naturopathic doctor uses medicine to address the “root cause of symptoms from a whole-person lens, focusing on body, mind and spirit” and the body’s “natural ability to heal itself,” according to the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges website.” Licensing standards for naturopathic doctors are different from those that apply to medical doctors.

A coalition of medical groups, including the Maine Medical Association, the Maine Pharmacy Association and the Maine Osteopathic Association, opposed the rule changes, arguing that naturopathic doctors may not receive enough training to safely prescribe certain medications, or to use IV therapy.

Dr. Garrett Fontaine, co-chair of the Maine Medical Association’s legislative committee, said in an interview Wednesday that after listening to testimony by patients and naturopathic doctors, many of his concerns about patient safety were alleviated.

“I was encouraged, and I’m excited to work with them,” Fontaine said.

Maine first approved the licensure of naturopathic doctors in 1996, according to state legislative records. The rules regarding their scope of practice have remained largely unchanged since then, Morrison said.

Before the changes, she said naturopaths couldn’t prescribe simple drugs, such as antibiotics for infections, and medications for blood pressure and asthma. In addition to being able to prescribe some medications, under the changes naturopaths will also be able to offer some IV therapies, including those to infuse patients with nutrients or minerals.

They still won’t be allowed to prescribe some medications, including antidepressants, chemotherapy and other controlled substances.

Morrison, who estimated that there are about 40 practicing naturopathic doctors in Maine, said the new changes should go into effect this summer.