The Circle Game

By Bill Benda, MD, FACEP, FAAEM
2011 Naturopathic Champion Award Winner

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

So. It’s time to find a topic for the next edition of the Physicians Who Listen blog. I know because a week or so ago I received the gracefully worded request from Matthew Santoro, the Communications and Media Associate of the AANP, gently reminding me that Friday is the deadline.

President's Message: Thanking and Honoring Karen Howard

By Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc
AANP President

Exiting Executive Director Karen Howard poses with AANP President Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc (left),
and Bill Benda, MD, FACEP, FAAEM (right), at the 2010 AANP Convention.

It is a time of great change for the AANP and perhaps the most significant is that Karen Howard, our Executive Director for the past nine years, will be moving on at the end of November. Karen has left a huge mark on the AANP and the naturopathic profession and she will be missed. As I pondered what fitting words to say to mark this occasion, I turned to other AANP Past-Presidents to ask them what they would like for us to remember about Karen as we thank her and honor her work. So, without further ado...

Red Leaves in Fall

By Jacob Schor, ND, FABNO

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

We traveled to the east coast recently. Ostensibly we were going to a wedding and for Parents Weekend the following weekend at our daughter’s college, with the days between spent at the family cabin in Maine. In truth, we were going to see the leaves.

The leaves of deciduous trees change colors in autumn before they fall off the trees. Obviously this process gives name to the season. Less obviously, the Greek term for this leaf falling phenomenon is the etymologic base for the modern term ‘apoptosis,’ which describes the process of cellular suicide, an honorable and desirable decision when initiated in cancer cells. Why trees exhibit such a wide range of colors has been one of those unanswered questions for both the questioning mind and modern biologists.

The Run Hits Capitol Hill

By Dennis Godby, ND, MA

The Run: Moving Natural Medicine Forward

The Run: Moving Natural Medicine Forward has just left Washington, D.C., seven days from the first end of The Run in New York City 11-11-11 (Veteran's Day), and just 15 days from the end in Bridgeport, CT (11/17/11)!

We left Capitol Hill at 5 pm on Wednesday after a full day of meetings and photo opportunities with ten Members of Congress (Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Rep. Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN), Rep. Lacy Clay (D-MO), Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Rep. Tim Johnson (R-IL), and their staffs, exhausted, but extremely grateful for a wonderful, action-packed day! The staff and Members of Congress were extremely enthusiastic about The Run and our message!