I initially upvoted you because I agree with your comment itself, but on reflection, this is the kind of response I'd expect from...other online news communities. Picking out one relatively irrelevant line from an article because it touches on an issue about which you have an opinion doesn't facilitate good conversation about the article itself.

This comment has absolutely nothing to do with the point of the article -- it's just a snarky attack on the author's sister.

You're the one who is interpreting the snark and the attack. It was a statement of fact with no judgment at all.

The comment has nothing to do with the subject of the article. It is a criticism of one minor statement, in one sentence of a piece that has absolutely nothing to do with medicine nor naturopathy, nor the difference between them.

I thought that the editorial was a great piece of writing, with provocative questions that matter deeply to most of us. Yet, of the universe of insightful things that could have been said about the meaning of work, the American work ethic, or the value of work/life balance, a one-line, off-topic comment has been voted the second most insightful remark in the thread. No, it's not ad hominem (because it doesn't go so far as to discredit the author's opinion based on his sister's degree), but it's close.

Finally, a factual correction. The author's sister could have been pursuing a degree in pickle studies at Hamburger University for all I care; his point would have been just as valid. But regardless of your personal feelings about naturopathy, NDs are certified to prescribe medicines and perform surgical procedures in at least a dozen states, and in some others, they're even licensed to be primary care providers. That sure sounds like "medicine" to me.