Wednesdays Off

By Jacob Schor ND, FABNO
Convention Speaker Selection Committee Chair

I’ve taken Wednesdays off since our first year in practice. It was easy at first. We didn’t have many patients and it made more sense to squeeze them together on the schedule. Wednesdays became my ski day and over the last twenty-one years it’s been a rare Winter Wednesday that I haven’t been on skis.

Summer Wednesdays are different - they are my dog days.  The dog and I head for the mountains and go for a walk, though in Colorado there isn’t really such a thing as a walk; we hike. These days off are essential for my mental well-being and probably for my health as well.  I’m not one for gyms or exercise machines but am content to spend a day on the trail. It gives me time to think, time to let those inner dialogues roll.

We hiked up Herman Gulch last Wednesday and I found myself thinking about which presentations are going to be on my ‘gotta see’ list at the AANP conference.  I realized that I’ve been looking forward to hearing what Britta Zimmer is going to have to say ever since reading her abstract last winter. Dr. Zimmer is the medical director of Pacific Quest, an adolescent and young adult wilderness and residential living program located on the Big Island of Hawaii.

I believe deeply that there is something innately healing about being outside in nature and I assume that many of you do as well.  There is something about the experience of fresh air, wind, rain, snow (though probably not so much snow in Hawaii), fresh running water and the sound of the ocean (not so much in Colorado), that enhances our well being. To turn this belief into a practice, now, that is a challenge. Thus I want to hear what Dr. Zimmer has to say. Is what they are doing really working?  Has she and this group at Pacific Quest figured out the appropriate dose of ‘outside’ required to help a troubled teen? I’ve got a thousand questions and I’m hoping she will be able to answer them.

Towards a Greater AANP

As you have been hearing, there has been a flurry of new energy and activity going on at the AANP in the last few months. The recently formed Public Education and Media Outreach (PEMO) Committee is made of board members and general members who all have the goal of improving internal relationships within our profession, reinvigorating and increasing the AANP membership, and propelling the naturopathic profession into the public eye.

The PEMO Committee has been meeting regularly with great intention and strong goals to strengthen and unite our naturopathic community, reaching out to state leaders to foster communication and gain important feedback about how the AANP can better serve you. Our goal is that these efforts will create a ripple effect of outreach. We are encouraging everyone to start discussions among ND colleagues in your state, old classmates from naturopathic school, and general supporters of the profession. We are grateful for your membership in our national association and welcome all input as we work towards a better AANP.

We know that there is still much more to do! The PEMO Committee is paying attention to the branding conversations happening on Nat Chat and in other forums and conversations. We agree that increased awareness of naturopathic doctors across the country is the ultimate goal that will allow our doctors to see more patients and our profession to grow in number. We were equally inspired by the presentation given at last year’s AANP Convention by Dr. Rick Kirschner and encourage all members to watch, or re-watch, his lecture. Please do not wait to give yourself a brand such as “natural medicine expert” (coined by Dr. Oz when he referred to Pina LoGuidice, ND), or “America’s natural medicine doctors” per naturopathic doctor Dennis Godby’s advice. Add it to your business card, website, elevator speech, and state association website. Let us know what messaging is working and we look forward to coming together with renewed conversation and relationships to move our individual and collective agendas forward for our beloved profession.

We look forward to seeing you at the 2012 AANP Convention in Bellevue where we will be thrilled to introduce our new CEO, Jud Richland. As always, the convention will be a fantastic learning experience, community building event, and a hotbed of new ideas and energy about our future; you don’t want to miss it!

With gratitude and appreciation,

Drs. Carrie Runde and Holly Lucille
Co-Chairs Public Education and Media Outreach

Yin, Yang and the AANP

By Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc
AANP Past President

It is the nature of the universe to see periods of expansion and contraction. There is a time for expending energy and growth and a time for rest, reflection and recharge. We see this in the cycles all around us. An athlete must rest before and after a strenuous event. When replanted, a plant with vigorous growth will pause as it sets its new roots, preparing for the next growth spurt. In eastern philosophies this is conceptualized under the theory of Yin and Yang, and the energy from this interaction of complementary opposites drives the dynamics of our world and lives.

So it is with the AANP.

Almost a year ago our association was handed a challenge and opportunity with the resignation of our long time Executive Director, Karen Howard. Her vision, hard work and leadership moved the AANP forward through a period of vigorous growth and development. During this time we grew from a relatively small association to one with headquarters in Washington, DC, visibility on a national stage, and a solid financial base. She was the right person at the right time and we will always be thankful for the role she played in the evolution of the AANP.

As the AANP leadership and Board accepted the challenges of change, we used it as a time for deep reflection regarding the future of the AANP. We asked ourselves many questions like, "What are the challenges that lie ahead for the AANP? What political and societal forces will shape our inclusion in  health care systems and in peoples lives? How do we address internal divisions and struggles typical of any growing profession? How can we look ahead and make conscious choices to maximize our potential to change the health care system in the US? What kind of leadership do we need to face these challenges as we move forward?"

Here we are, 11 months later and getting ready for our 27th AANP Convention. We have a new CEO, Jud Richland, whose past experience and vision for our profession could not have fit our hopes and expectations any better. We have an active Board whose members are engaged in strategies for, among other things, developing our public education and media affairs messaging, working on a national level for inclusion in the Affordable Care Act  and other programs, promoting state licensing and improved relations with our state affiliate associations, and setting a vision for the growth of naturopathic medicine. We have a revitalized House of Delegates examining the issues that face us as an association and a profession. And we have naturopathic doctors across the US, working with their patients to improve their health, educating those in their local communities, and advocating for licensure or improvements in their state laws in order to better serve their patients. 

I have served on the AANP Board for 4 1/2 years, two of those as President, and have witnessed the Yin and Yang of the AANP.  I believe we are on the cusp of great and positive change, and after a time of "setting our roots" we are prepared for vigorous growth and expansion. Great things lie ahead and we are ready to embrace the future.

Be a part of that change. Join the AANP and your state association. Come to the AANP convention and meet our new CEO, Jud Richland. Let your Board members know what your dreams, goals and expectations are for the naturopathic profession. Vote and make your voice be heard. Tell us what we are doing right and where you'd like to see things improve. Ask questions. Learn a few new things you can use in your practice your first day back in the office. Reinvigorate and renew ties with your friends and colleagues. 

We are the naturopathic profession and are strongest when we come together for common purpose. Be there with us as we take our next steps forward.

Celebrate our New Beginning, Meet and Greet Jud

By Michael Cronin, ND
AANP President

The end of July, beginning of August, is the most exciting time of year. Our Board, volunteers and staff are hard at work making sure all of the “t’s are crossed and i’s are dotted” as we draw closer to the Annual Convention.

Every time we come together, I am reminded of the great things we can accomplish when we work together. I look forward to conquering our next goals. Let’s make Lorilee Schoenbeck’s chant, “50 in 15,” into a reality and bring all citizens’ awareness to what naturopathic medicine is! Every American should know that physicians and patients can work together to facilitate the integration of health and healing. Patients should know that they do not have to settle for only their symptoms being treated. There are doctors who will target the root causes of disease so that a full and healthy life can be lived.

One of the main goals at this year’s Conference, in addition to connecting face-to-face, is to gather your feedback on how we can strengthen the AANP to achieve our goals. Additionally, we will celebrate the beginning of a new era with Jud Richland, our new chief executive officer. We would like as many of you as possible to be able to attend. With this in mind, we are extending the early bird registration for the AANP Conference through Friday, July 20, 2012.

I can barely contain my excitement to introduce Jud Richland to you. Here is what he has said so far about our community after only a few days in office, “You have chosen to commit to a profession that is truly transformational. To honor your commitment, your professional association must also commit to being transformational. Thus, for AANP the greatest danger is not that our goals are too lofty and we miss them, but that they are too low and we reach them. The association has a thoughtful and impactful blueprint for action.”

Come and celebrate with us at the AANP conference! Learn about our “thoughtful and impactful blueprint.” Find out how you can be part of the "action." Share in the enthusiasm of the AANP team and become a volunteer for a project that fires your passion.

We have an excellent CE Program and there will be lots of social and fun things to take part in like our opening and exhibit hall receptions, the “all schools” dance, and more. While in Seattle area, I would also recommend you take some time to visit the Bastyr Center for Natural Health. A new study affirms our commitment to patient centeredness. The Puget Sound Health Alliance found the Center at the top of their lists for patient experience with communication, getting timely appointments, care and information, and helpful, courteous office staff. Congratulations to the Bastyr team!

It is time to renew old friendships and to help AANP get off to a fresh start.  Meet us in Bellevue and be part of the discussion on how our community can come together to achieve success. Help us expand the influence and impact of naturopathic physicians. 


See you in August!

Keynote Presentations at AANP Convention

By Jacob Schor, ND, FABNO

Chair, AANP Conference Speaker Committee

Something unique is about to occur at this year’s AANP convention in Bellevue, Washington.  A number of the keynote speakers have presentations that revolve around and attempt to inform a common theme, the question of how our medicine works.  To my knowledge this has never been attempted at our conferences before. 

Actually William Mitchell, ND, spoke at length about the vis medicatrix naturae but this is going to be different because we are trying to understand and explain our medicine in the context of modern science. I have been asked to write briefly about these presentations and how they will tie together, so that’s what I will attempt here.

Valter Longo, PhD, from the University of Southern California, is going to review his research on fasting and cancer chemotherapy.  Fasting triggers an adaptive response that reduces the damage chemotherapy causes in healthy cells while increasing the cytotoxic impact it has on cancer cells.  While Longo’s results are of great interest to those of us who work with cancer patients, the concept of adaptive response is of interest to all of us.  This same adaptive response triggered by fasting underlies many of the traditional nature cures our profession has long endorsed. 

Robert Rountree, MD, is going to lecture on hormesis and how this applies to the action of many of the modern phytochemicals we use in practice.  Hormesis is the idea that small amounts of seemingly toxic substances can have the opposite effect, triggering an adaptive response that benefits the organism rather than harming it. 

Dana Ullman is going to take this idea of hormesis a step further and apply it to homeopathy.  Could homeopathy be another example of hormetic action used to elicit an adaptive response, just using smaller and weaker triggers?   Dana tells me he is ready to try. 

These three presentations focus on triggering an adaptive response by either stressing the organism or pretending to stress it in order to elicit a healing response.  There is another approach we employ in our practices that is the opposite.

More and more what we try to do is to remove stress and the resulting absence of stress allows restoration of health.  We have two presentations that examine this approach.  David Katz, MD, of the Yale School of Public Health will focus on basic lifestyle modifications.  Getting a patient to stop smoking or lose weight reduces the physical stress on their body.  Our own Lise Alschuler, ND, will speak on the effects of emotional stress and its impact on health and, in particular, on cancer.

We have two additional keynote speakers scheduled.  Dave Macallan, ND, is what I would describe as a serious “talker.”  A one time BBC correspondent, Dr. Macallan will help us define naturopathy to the public. 

Our last speaker is Clemont Bezold who is a part of a unique profession. He is a Futurist and will describe the potential future of naturopathic medicine.

Waging Peace

By Michael Cronin, ND, AANP President

I love the idea that what we are doing in our professional activities is “waging peace.”  This has always been how I have approached my organizing work in the naturopathic profession.  I feel this even stronger since my visit to India. While there, I learned that Mahatma Gandhi is India’s “Father of Naturopathy” and that he imported it from us.

Naturopathic physicians are an essential component in creating a better future. We are forwarding practical solutions that make our communities and our world a better, healthier place. We do this by promoting health and wellness and by treating disease with natural medicine to improve a person’s well-being. We pursue and promote a healthy lifestyle, organic eating, sustainable agriculture, healthy medicines and a sustainable healthcare system accessible to all.

We each have much to offer and we are learning to coordinate our efforts for greater effectiveness. This coordination continues to increase public awareness about naturopathic medicine. A recent article by John Weeks, former AANP Executive Director,  in the Huffington Post highlights naturopathic research  and how it is proving the value of integrative medicine. There are more books being written by NDs now than ever before; some of these texts are getting astronomical circulation. NDs are presenting in several professional arenas. For example, May 16, 2012, a group of NDs presented a systematic review of naturopathic care at the International Research Congress on Integrated Medicine and Health in Portland, OR. In October, there will be two naturopathic workshops at the American Medical Student Association’s pre-medical and pre-health professions national conference: Guiding Your Passion For Medicine.

To continue our coordination of efforts and increase our effectiveness, I invite you to attend the AANP conference August 15 – 18, 2012, in Bellevue, WA. For those who wish to engage with the AANP more intimately, I invite you to attend our pre-conference leadership day on Tuesday, August 14. There you will have the chance to meet, greet and engage with our new CEO, Jud Richland. We have created this day to establish improved communication and unification with AANP members and the leadership of the AANP. I hope to see you there.