Welcome to the Party

By Bill Benda, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Photo by LS Lam via Flickr, used under the Creative Commons License.

I spent this past weekend at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, where I teach a 50-hour emergency medicine course to students who must sit there and wonder, “Why am I learning this stuff?” But today’s rant is not about conventional vs. alternative or botanical vs. pharmaceutical, but about a more pervasive political movement apparently sweeping the country and, yes, our own little naturopathic family.

I often break up the classroom monotony of trauma and myocardial infarctions and wound closure with philosophical diversions – public policy, healthcare reform, influence of the neutraceutical industry on medical education, and such. But this past weekend we talked a bit about the Tea Party, and how its not just for mainstream politics anymore.

You see, this strange wave of populism that has taken us all by surprise is lapping at the shores of our particular profession as well as flooding the red and blue bastions of conservative and liberal thinking across the land. As an MD, I have limited interest in such important clinical ND issues as CPT codes and scope of practice – these simply do not impact my personal life. But I am fascinated by the internal politics of this field and the personalities that nudge and pull on the ship of naturopathic medicine like tugboats, each chugging towards its own desired destination. And what I see in today’s political horizon is our own little populist movement announcing unhappiness with the status quo and calling rather insistently for that nebulous yet ubiquitous concept of change.

What kind of change is, as with the rest of the country, still a bit nebulous and undefined, but we will let this detail work itself out over the ensuing months. The fact is that, as an AANP Board member for the past four years, I have been able to identify and get to know a few of the players and a few of the issues. The AANP, its Board, its executive director, the state associations, their Boards, their executive directors, the schools, their presidents, past AANP presidents, future AANP presidents, journalists (including myself), the Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care (ACCAHC), the Integrative Healthcare Policy Consortium (IHPC), the Naturopathic Coordinating Council (NCC), the Naturopathic Medical Student Association (NMSA) and on. And on. Tugboats pulling and pushing on the good ship Naturopathy. Stay the course. Change direction. Return to the past. Dive into the future. Toot toot.

Before any of the above mentioned begin to take this analogy a bit too personally, I wish to make one point quite clear: This is all a very, very good thing. Should we take a look at our national political system as a larger illustration, I believe we must come to the conclusion that no matter our individual views on the Tea Party movement and its leaders, we cannot but admit that our current political system has become mired in dysfunction and inertia, and it may well take an entity as disruptive as the Tea Party to shake some sense into us. In the same vein, I believe it is time for the profession of naturopathic medicine, at the national, state, academic, political, media, and individual levels to take a long, hard look at our own dysfunctions and inertia (We all have them! Yes we do!) and come to a communal course of, well, change. Naturopathy is no longer under the social and professional assault from that it was twenty years ago. Conventional medicine is no longer the ogre trying to eat our children (well, maybe the AMA might still be). We must put past thinking where it belongs – in the past.

So change is in the air, as it must be. But we must realize that change does not mean returning to past thinking, or past policies. It does, however, require transparency and openness on the part of those instigating change. Personal agendas have no place here, and will serve only to create further dysfunction and inertia. Unfortunately for me, I will no longer have a front row seat after December 31st, when my Board term expires.

But I’ll be watching from the sidelines nonetheless . . .

President's Message: Remembering Dr. Konrad Kail and "The Run" Takes Off

By Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc
AANP President

Dr. Konrad Kail

In just the past several days, two events have occurred that have a profound impact on the naturopathic community.

I’m sad to report that the first is the passing of Dr. Konrad Kail on the morning of July 18th. Dr. Kail was diagnosed with malignant brain cancer several years ago and, with the dedicated support of his wife Petie, used both conventional and naturopathic treatments to fight this terrible disease. Unfortunately he finally succumbed and died peacefully in Petie’s arms in their home in the Phoenix area.

Dr. Kail was a force in our profession and a true leader who has left a mark that will endure for many years. He was a founder of SCNM and later chaired SCNM's Board of Trustees. He also chaired the Arizona State Board of Examiners and was the first naturopathic physician to sit on an NIH Advisory Council. Dr. Kail served a term as President of the AANP, which I remember well with his “One Person, One Project” campaign. Whenever there was a call for help to move some project forward, Dr. Kail was in the front of the line.

Konrad was a personal mentor for me, and he and Petie gave their time and wisdom generously. After California passed the Naturopathic Practice Act and I was making plans with my colleagues to expand our practice and transform it into a larger naturopathic medical clinic, they spent time with us sharing their experiences running a naturopathic practice, giving encouragement and advice on what worked for them, and helping us see the pitfalls and challenges that would lie ahead. They wanted to see this profession expand and see other doctors meet with success, and actively worked toward making that happen. I am sure we were not the only ones to benefit from Konrad and Petie's wisdom and experience.

Konrad was also an avid golfer, and I had the good fortune to play golf with him on multiple occasions when I visited Phoenix. On the golf course he was much the same as in his life as a naturopathic physician: bigger than life, bold, and a teacher. I will miss those outings.

Dr. Kail touched many of us in our journey in naturopathic medicine as a teacher, mentor, leader, scientist, researcher and entrepreneur. He will live on in our hearts and our history, and his wife Petie will always be a member of our naturopathic family. We will sorely miss his presence.

There’s one final note on Konrad that many of you may not know. In 1983, shortly after completing his studies at NCNM, he and a small group of NDs took a bicycle trip across the United States on their “Wheeling and Healing Tour” to introduce the public to naturopathic medicine. Through his radio and in-person interviews and connections with people along the way, many Americans got their first exposure to naturopathic medicine.

Similarly, on Sunday morning, July 17th, Dr. Dennis Godby, his sons Isaiah and Jeremiah, and his nephew Jonas Ely began their cross-country run from San Francisco, California, to raise awareness of naturopathic medicine and the true choices people have to empower themselves, improve their health, and prevent chronic disease such as diabetes and obesity. I had the pleasure and privilege to sponsor and plan the opening event as we sent Dennis and his entourage on its way, and along with David Schleich from NCNM, headed to Marin County to meet them at the end of the first day of their run.

The Run: Moving Natural Medicine Forward

As most of you know, they will pass through many small towns and big cities, from the streets of San Francisco to Main Street USA, carrying this message to thousands, perhaps millions of people along the way before ending in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in mid-November.

This is a win-win situation for our profession. Not only will their run raise awareness about naturopathic medicine and the choices it offers, it is also an opportunity for naturopathic physicians both along the route and in general to raise public awareness about their individual practices.

I urge you all to get involved and support The Run. If you are along the route, plan and sponsor a local event celebrating the runners as they pass through your town. Donate to their effort; Dr. Godby is sacrificing for this in many ways and needs our support. I donated a penny a mile for each of the 4 runners, a mere $130. If we all did this it would go a long way to meeting the goals for this historic run.

We had a lot of fun on Sunday and look forward to following Dr. Godby on his journey, and wish him all the best.

Village People

By Bill Benda, MD

Photo by ArizonaMentor via Flickr, used under the Creative Commons License.

I have a sort of interesting gig. I teach emergency medicine, my particular specialty for the past 35 years, to students at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. 20 hours the first term, 30 hours the second, bopping down to Phoenix from Big Sur every month or two to impart information based more on experience than textbook teachings to future clinicians who may, or may not, someday witness a patient in the throes of a myocardial infarction or anaphylactic shock. This has given me a unique, and most valuable, insight into the machinations of naturopathic medical education, and an appreciation for both the similarities and differences between your students and ours (I’m an MD).

Each term I elect to spend a bit of time discussing health care politics once the “required” information is neatly tucked away in their inquisitive minds. The topics range from D.C.’s recent legislation, to the AMA, to the AANP, to the NMSA, to the AHMA, to the medical school SGAs, and all acronyms in between. It’s amazing how the energy in the room shifts from somewhat bored attention to intellectual engagement – instead of two or three in the audience raising their hands in response to some clinical query, half the class at any one time vie to be called upon to state their personal perspectives on all things non-clinical. These young (and not-so-young) scholars are hungry for real-world social and political discourse, a very good omen for the future of the field.

But something is missing. This hunger for information as to how the real world actually works is actually a referendum on where we have fallen a bit short as mentors. Yes, there are caring, passionate practitioners willing and available to impart clinical knowledge, and a cadre of political junkies at the state and national level available to provide direction if asked. The AANP and NCC (Naturopathic Coordinating Council) have both invited the president of the NMSA to sit at the boardroom table, and the AANMC is working to ensure fiscal support to the national student organization. But resources are stretched to their limits, and each aforementioned soul who volunteers their time and energy to students also has a medical practice and teaching duties and family and financial responsibilities. There simply is not enough human resource to shepherd this profession through the national and state and local and academic labyrinths, and still find the time to parent our students as we do our own children.

The thing is, though, they are our virtual children, as well as the future of naturopathic medicine. And to be quite honest, their inexperience is a stumbling block on their path to becoming our legacy and future leaders. So I believe this to be an opportune moment for those of you reading this blog to consider what it is you might contribute to their, and your, coming success in navigating this big, confusing world of ours. If you live near a medical college, volunteer your clinic or office and have them shadow you on your rounds. If you are part of a state association, invite them to your next meeting and solicit their input. If you are a national leader, push for fiscal and political support for their fledgling organizations.

It takes a village, people . . .

Remembering Daniel Leek

By Christine Girard, ND
AANP 2010 Physician of the Year

Daniel Leek, SCNM second year medical student. Photo courtesy of SCNM.

The Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine mourns the loss of Daniel Leek, a second year medical student, in a tragic car crash that occurred Thanksgiving morning.

Dan grew up in Rockford, IL, and attended Southern Illinois University – Carbondale where he received three Bachelor’s of Arts Degrees: in psychology, physiology and biochemistry. He started his professional life as a senior research associate at the University of Chicago, conducting research in muscle physiology and molecular biology.

Dan started SCNM in the fall 2008 and made an immediate impression with his exuberance for experiential learning and his passion for research. Dan worked closely with Drs. Langland and Waters on research projects both at SCNM and at the ASU Biodesign Institute. He is an author on a recently submitted article, “Quantitative evaluation of the broad-spectrum anti-microbial activity of colloidal silver.”

In August 2010, Dan had the opportunity to speak before researchers and clinicians at the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians conference. He presented “The Regulation of Inflammatory Gene Expression by Immunostimulatory Botanicals” – and won the student research award which was presented at the formal awards ceremony that concludes the conference. He also presented research findings at the September 2010 SCNM Board of Trustees meeting – and wowed the Board members. Dr. Schwalm, the president of the Board, when informed of Dan’s passing extended his and the Board’s deepest sympathies for the loss our community has sustained.

Dan’s ultimate goal was to pursue a career in research, through an NIH post-doctoral fellowship, to expand knowledge in the area of naturopathic medicine.

Those who knew Dan, knew that he was a spiritual guy – and a guy with a big brain for big teachings whether the Bible, the Upanishads, Ram Dass, or quantum mechanics. Many of the stories about Dan involve hours-long conversations. He loved to talk about where we might go with a topic, be it spiritual or scientific.

Dan paraphrased Ram Dass by saying, “Moments of suffering in life are the fuel for bliss if interpreted spiritually.” Dan would want everyone to remember that.

Dan is well respected and well loved. He remains with us as an integral part of the fabric of the SCNM community. Memory Eternal!