Monday, October 31, 2011

Data Points

By Shiva Barton, ND, LAc
2011 AANP Physician

A few things happened to me recently that made me very happy to be a naturopathic doctor, and made me wonder about what's up with the rest of medicine. I will present my conclusion first in case you want to cut to the chase:

CONCLUSION
It is really so evident that by easily employing even the simplest tools of nature and naturopathic medicine you can have a tremendous positive impact on a person's health, either in conjunction with or instead of conventional medicine, depending on the situation. The influences of pharmaceutical marketing and the social glorification of technology have sent our culture looking for health-care saviors in the completely opposite direction to that which will "cure the cure."

The rest of the story, with a common theme....

Monday, October 24, 2011

Pre-Conception Testing: A Naturopathic Perspective

By Sara Thyr, ND

Photo by lunar caustic via Flickr, used under the Creative Commons License.
When couples decide to get pregnant, most think that they just need to take good care of the baby in utero. Some only worry about nutrition and toxins after the child is born. New research about epigenetics tells us that what you bring into the pregnancy can be even more important for the long-term health of your baby. Diseases like diabetes and heart disease have been linked to toxins to which babies are exposed in the womb. Asthma and allergies are inflammatory disorders with which many children suffer, and the health of the mom during pregnancy can have a great bearing on them.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

President's Message: Changes at the AANP and in the Health Industry Landscape

By Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc
AANP President

It’s a busy time at the AANP (as always) and has been particularly busy for me with the leadership changes on the horizon. Many wheels are turning and progress is being made. Let me bring you up to date on a few key events and activities.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Renewal

By Lise Alschuler, ND, FABNO
AANP Past-President (2008-2009)

Photo by Katherine via Flickr, used under the Creative Commons License.
October is the month of my birthday. As such, I have long experienced October as a unique flow of emotions and reflections. As my birthday approaches, I find myself awash in the incoming tide of anticipation and the receding tide of closure. As my current year runs itself out, a peaceful sense of finality spreads its way into my consciousness. I reflect on my prior year with feelings of gratitude and deep appreciation for all of my experiences. I find myself letting go of unresolved issues and troublesome questions. It is as if I am at a door looking back into a room that holds all the experiences of my past year. I see the way the room has been arranged; I note the piles and the empty spots; I see the shafts of sunlight streaming in here and there; I notice dust in a few places. I see all this with quiet, peaceful eyes, and then, I gently close the door behind me.