AANP 2007 Palm Springs, CA

I just returned from the AANP conference in Palm Springs, California. It is the annual conference for the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (http://www.naturopathic.org/). Naturopathic Doctors, Students, and supporters from all over the country come together to share the latest in research, product development, treatment methodologies, and general passion and love for Naturopathic medicine. It is an outstanding time.


I would like to thank all of the excellent speakers that put in vast amounts of time preparing for the various talks that help keep those in the naturopathic profession up to date. Research and continuing education is crucial so that we as physicians can provide the best possible care for our patients.


I also want to thank my colleagues and all of the Naturopathic students that attend the conference each year. It is inspiring to be surrounded by so many like minded individuals with a passion for the body's own innate ability to heal. To be surrounded by a cohort with such energy is rejuvenating for the spirit. My words can never fully convey the depth or breadth of my love for those with the hearts and courage to pursue this healing profession.



I want to send a heart felt congratulations to Dr. Paul Mittman, ND, DHANP, president of the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (http://www.scnm.edu/) for his award of Naturopathic Doctor of the Year. It is truly an honor and only slightly begins to recognize all of the hard work he has contributed to the profession as both a healer and diplomat in support of licensure and standards of education. I was blessed to spend time with Dr. Mittman on shifts at the SCNM teaching clinic.

I feel lucky every day to work with amazing patients. And it is so important to remember how fortunate I am to be part of this much larger healing community. The AANP conference is the perfect reminder.

See you next year in Phoenix!

Just look at us

Last week I spent two days at the National Conference for State Legislatures http://www.ncsl.org/, here in Boston. I was there representing the AANP, the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians www.naturopathic.org , often confused with the American Academy of Nurse Practioners www.aanp.org.
This national conference is an opportunity for different interest groups to meet with state representatives and senators from all 50 states, talk briefly with them and give away free pens and pins. (my favorite pin is from the AANR... just visit the site http://aanr.com/, even though head or arm bands would have been a more appropriate give away.)
I heard something that seemed profound to me at the time from a 4th year naturopathic medical student. We were standing there discussing our lobbying efforts and the fact that most of the opposition for Naturopathic licensure is initiated by the American Medical Association http://www.ama-assn.org/. It just doesn't seem to make sense. Both groups want to help patients. Both groups want standards of practice within their professions to ensure patient safety. I just kept saying, "It is no brainer". And then here is where the brilliance came through. My soon to be fellow naturopathic physician said, "There is licensure for everything, from plumbing, hair cutting, to spraying for bugs. That is easy. The problem for the AMA is that once we are licensed, we can no longer be ignored. It will force conventional doctors to recognize us, and most of them aren't willing to do that... yet."
The environment is shifting and more and more conventional practitioners are becoming open to a more traditional, patient centered approach to health. I have a dream, that one day we will all heal together.

The eye of the storm

Life can often swirl around us like a hurricane. Stress from work, home, and family creating havoc all around. These forces are very real and significant, yet we need not be carried away with the storm. There is a area of refuge in the center of the storm, a place of safety and perspective where we can stand quietly in the midst of chaos and observe as a participant of our lives; yet slightly removed from the turmoil. This is a vastly different approach than fleeing from our problems. It often requires patience and mindfulness to be still while life unfolds around you and eventually opens to leave you in this center.

Our dis-ease can also can also come flying at us from all directions, creating a fear that our health will be swept away. Like the hurricane, there is a space of clarity and peace in the middle, when we are part of our illness, yet quiet enough to evaluate our options. This is where and when we should make decisions about our health and treatments to move us further back to that lofty goal of wellness. Too often, when significant health decisions must be made there is an urgency that creeps in. When "there is no time to think", we literally make choices for ourselves and our families without thought.

My hope is that during the next life catastrophe we can take one extra breath, close our eyes, and open them during the clarity that comes from giving ourselves just enough leeway to move free of all the flying debris.

Your finger or your health

I periodically visit local health food stores to answer questions for customers and allow myself an opportunity to become familiar with new products on the shelves. This past Saturday I was approached by a woman looking for advice for her husband. Her story went like this:
My husband has horrible eczema on the index finger of his right hand. It is so bad. It oozes all the time and it extremely painful. Nothing has been able to help him. We have been to all the specialists. And then he had pneumonia and was in the hospital, but that is better... but now he has a horrible ear infection. It never stops. And his finger hurts so bad. They have even suggested cutting off the finger because nothing else helps.
I quickly told her that I didn't think it was necessary. I showed her a few of the common remedies for ecezma and explained how based on the complexity of his health conditions he would benefit most from coming in and seeing me for a complete intake. Her response was that he wouldn't come in because he thought all this stuff was voodoo. Before I could stop myself, I said, "well then, tell him to cut his finger off."
I feel it was a bit of a harsh response, but it wasn't me that suggested cutting the finger off as a legitimate option for the painful eczema on his fingers. We truly do have options when it comes to our health. It is frightening that the overwhelming majority of the population will hardly consider seeking a second or alternative opinion when it comes to choices regarding their health. I do believe this trend is shifting and we are slowly recognizing the power we have in creating our own ideal life. I just hope it is not going to happen too late... 10 fingers seem like a lot to loose.

The Appearance of Health

One must make a huge distinction between the appearance of health and the actual state of health. Too often, we become blinded to the true nature of illness and dis-ease, by the outward illusion of health. I was most recently thinking of this dilemma in regards to weight loss. The epidemic of eating disorders and diet mania is a prime example. Individuals starve themselves, deprive the body of essential nutrients, and generally spiral out of control toward an ever widening state of illness, under the guise of creating heath by being skinny. It is a sham. Health is independent of weight, and it is more important to live a healthy life at any weight than it is to be at the bottom of the BMI.
I do not mean to imply that we should be skinny or fat, that one is good while the other is bad. It is just as likely the case that a 220 lb woman is as healthy as a 150 lb counterpart. I have worked with patients that are "rail thin" with chronic aches and pains, and triglycerides and cholesterol off the charts. We can not, nor should we judge a book by its cover.
It is true that when we begin to move towards a more ideal state of health, we will often loose excess weight. This is an expected result and if the lifestyle changes are permanent, the weight loss should be too. So begin your journey to find the balance of health, internal and external, and enjoy a more complete way of living.

No Surprise, but second-hand smoke damages Endothelial function in Children

I am not surprised by this statement recently disclosed in Heartwire, a professional service of medscape. This conclusion was based on the results from a study in Finland looking at the correlation between a metabolite of nicotine found in the urine of children and the ability of the same children's endothelial cells to dilate. It is no surprise that those children with a higher concentration of the urinary metabolite, had poorer functioning endothelial cells. What is significant, is that they began to notice these effects in children as young as 8 years old (the age when they first started to test), with levels indicating that their overall exposure to smoke was minimal.

It doesn't take much to start our children off in the wrong direction. This study illustrates just how susceptible children are to influences both within and beyond our control. It is vital to do what we can to minimize the unnecessary exposure to toxins that will effect our children down the road. This requires a strong degree of awareness on the part of adults because as the study illustrated, we may not observe the subtle damage that is taking place until it is too late.

Ready or Not, Here Health Comes

Today is my first day seeing patients in my new office location in Central Square in Cambridge. I don't feel ready. My printer/fax/copy machine isn't here yet. I don't have my credit card machine. And while filling my first homeopathic remedy in my new office I realized that I didn't have any labels to put on the vial. For the past two days I have been wishing for an extra day to pull things together, to catch my breath and get all the little things... and then I would be ready to begin seeing patients.
But you know what? Now is as good a time as any. This is an important lesson to learn. Especially concerning our health. Too often we want to wait to begin making those changes that will benefit us or others until everything is just right. We want it to be perfect. We have to first get through the holiday, or the weekend, or the project, or until the extra money is there. The problem is that there will always be another project, another distraction, just one more thing that you need until the time will be just right. When you keep waiting and putting it off, the time won't necessarily become right, too often it becomes too late.
Don't wait until tomorrow. We can start working these things out together, today.