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I was registered and attempted to attend some of it. I have never been to this event before, and it was free for me because I work for the University that hosted it. The keynote talk was Friday night, and the speaker was intriguing and beautiful, but it was held in Radelet Hall which holds about 200 people, but has air exchange sufficient for about 20. When I went in the room was very warm already, and the talk was just beginning. The O2 content had to be low, because I immediately felt sleeply. Perhaps all those young brains can withstand a high CO2 environment for 2 hours to get the wisdom, but I cannot. The University should improve the ventilation systems for that space, as it has no windows to open and doors only on one side.  It is stuffy even with a small crowd.

I hung out near the back door long enough to hear the theme of Ola Obasi's talk which was Deconstructing Reductionism. The theme continued to resonate from the entire gathering. I went to Paul Bergner's talk because his was a name that I have long heard in herbalist circles. I had no conscious expectation, but his appearance surprised me. Most famous herbalists are gaunt and woodsy looking, and he had a pot belly on a stocky frame and a collared shirt that made him look like a gas station attendant. Bergner was perhaps a little surprised at the turnout, for he was in a room that held 40 and there were 60 of us in there. I was stationed near the door because that is my rule when inside the academic building which is an old masonry structure that is likely to crumble in a quake. They're planning to replace it but that's years out.

Bergner talked a bit about how science is applied to herbal medicine. "A scientific trial is like a serial killer" he said, "because it kills the complexity of the herb." He said that all botanical science falls into one of two groups, 1. pharmaceutical companies prospecting for useful constituents, and 2. supplement manufacturers shoring up the plausibility of their formulations. In other words, the profit motive is always at hand. When Big Pharma finds a useful constituent, they extract or synthesize it and sell it as a drug. They are always looking for another blockbuster drug. When supplement companies conduct their own studies, they are usually trying to prove that one of their products works for a particular condition. In both groups the tendency is to bury negative results and exaggerate positive ones in order to generate sales and profits. It is no wonder that herbalists in general have a bad attitude about science when it is said to be reductionistic and corrupt.

What I hope that the herbalists will integrate is the fact that each one of those studies that does give us a result--this plant has that constituent which has such and such an effect--gives us an evidence base upon which we can build a case for herbal medicine. Sure, the studies are not done for our benefit. But we can learn from that and build upon it, even while keeping close the traditional knowledge upon which the studies are built. If we know from all that corrupt research that Scutellaria baicalensis lowers inflammation in the liver and the brain, awesome! We can use it for those purposes, and extrapolate that it might help with inflammation systemically. We can also remember all the indications for that herb in ancient Chinese and western eclectic traditions, and extrapolate beyond what the science says as to what the herb in its fullness (and not just one constituent) might do.

We need both. We need the subjective and the objective. Science does not have to be reductionistic. I suppose there are scientists that will say that everything is reducible to chemistry and physics. But there are just as many scientists who will tell you that we just don't know everything that is out there, and there could be surprises. The fact that we just don't know is not a rational reason to believe in nonsense, but it is a reason to stay humble and reject reductionism. Everything is more complex than we know. When we find out one detail about something through the scientific process, we know one tiny piece in a very big puzzle. Nobody knows how complicated things are better than scientists.

Berner's talk was officially about herbal pairings (and triplets). To him this means pairs of herbs with complimentary actions which he can see no contraindications for giving together, and no situations in which he would want one and not the other. One of the pairs he mentioned was dandelion and Oregon grape, aka taraxacum and mahonia. In general his pairings have a function so that he can grab that mixture off the shelf and add it to a more complex formulation, saving time in the formulation process.

I tried to go to a couple of other lectures but ended up walking out. One speaker's voice was practically sedating--though I imagine some in his audience might have been hypnotized. Social justice is a major theme for this group, and there was a lot of talk about finding our roots so that we could extract ourselves from the white supremacy paradigm.  I imagine the goal would be to begin to operate as a conglomeration of cooperative and complimentary minorities; a modern civil society. I appreciate this message, and I do not need to sit through another 2 hour lecture in which someone recites their entire lineage and teaches us their family traditions. I am fully aware that there is great variety in human life. And I have been quite educted enough about the advantages I have in this society because of my pale skin tone and heterosexuality. Berate me no more, instead go out into the world and be awesome. Run for office and help us bring nuance back to government. Model your own kind of success.

After I left the lectures I went home and processed my own herbs. I learn more from handling the plants than I do from lay-level herbal lectures. It makes me appreciate the difference between CE and not.  At least continuing education classes allow for the possibility that we might actually talk about how to treat a condition, because we have licenses that allow us to practice medicine. I believe I need to offer an herbal class, and I'm sorting out a topic.  Probably herbs for the mind, perhaps herbs for the aging mind.  The kiddos won't be interested yet but I'm interested.

liveonearth: (Default)
sponsored by the Aesthetic Medicine club
one year old at NCNM, Aimee Bonneval is new president
tonight's speakers from doTERRA
water with lemon and fennel EO: yummy
their cough drops: spicey and good
sharing wild orange and recommending putting drops in palms and rubbing together

RESOURCES
BOOK: Modern Essentials
www.myoilbuisness.com
www.aromatools.com
www.builddoterra.com
www.everthingessential.me
doTERRAPDX (facebook page)
mostly unsubstantiated assertions about the indications of EOs but tap this for black book ideas )
liveonearth: (i buy books)
The name plaques given to graduates of my school denotes us each as an alumnus, and I was just informed by a fellow graduate that this use is incorrect. I looked it up. By my assessment it is correct enough. In the English language it is quite traditional to lump females under the male gender term when combining genders in a word. My personal hobby of using she/her as the generic is still quite radical and is likely to be misunderstood. It is worth noting that the gender distribution at NCNM is significantly female preponderant.

Alumnus = a (male or generic) graduate or former student of a specific school, college, or university, or a former associate, employee or member of a group. Alumni is the male or generic plural. Alumna is the feminine individual noun and alumnae is the feminine plural. The word originates from the Latin for foster son or pupil, dating back to 1635–45. Back then girls were even less likely to get edumacated.
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Just spent the weekend studying herbs on an elective course in my program. The teachers were Nome McBride of Pharmacopia Herbals and Glen Nagel, ND. Both of these gents are awesomely knowledgeable about herbs, and fine string players. We spent the weekend camping at a property called Riversong on the Hood River between Dee and Tucker, wandering in the woods and meadows, sitting around a campfire and in a hot tub, singing and dancing, processing herbs into medicine under the group tent, swimming in the cold river. Twas relaxing and educational at the same time. Previously I said that the liver elective was my favorite, but this is my new favorite elective. Thankfully I had a tip from my friend Dr Curry who said "they never have enough jars or booze for making tinctures, so bring your own". I did, and I was glad. I came back with enough lomatium root to give the population of Oregon a pruritic rash. I was fascinated with the roots , collecting and processing Inula root (Elecampagne), Arctium (Black Cohosh/Dong Quai) and Armoracia (Horseradish). I wanted to get some Rumex crispa (Yellow dock) root to add to my gut formula but all I ended up with is seeds. I can plant some nasty medicinal weeds somewhere along a meadow edge, so that I can return to harvest it later. I didn't know that it is illegal to have or grow Hypericum perforatum (St John's Wort) in many ranching states! It causes sun sensitivity in livestock and can kill them. Oh yes, learned lots. Processing herbs and ideas still. And the FOOD at the retreat was amazing, locally sourced, fresh and whole, and magnificently blended and prepared. Doesn't get any better than that.

Photos at: https://picasaweb.google.com/107817939472480554937/CascadeMtnHerbalRetreat11?authkey=Gv1sRgCMjd2--NzZmhOQ#5641516937243346930
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The GPA 1 is the first of three major practical exams in which students are expected to interview and examine a patient while being observed and graded. My exam was last Saturday morning. I received a score of 70.5 (70.0 is minimum to pass). As far as I'm concerned, 70.5 is just as good as 100%. I passed!!! Phew.
more )
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In Ayurveda, “Traditionally, one method of administering Ashwagandha and milk was to boil them together.” According to (Heather) Zwickey, investigations into herbal remedies rarely take into account how the herb has been administered throughout the tradition of the medicine’s life cycle, such as mixing it with water, tea, or oil. While many consumers today may consume the herb with water or no liquid at all, researchers know that Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) has typically been taken with an anupana substance. It is believed to aid in the digestion and effectiveness of the plant.
more )
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From Laurie McGrath, Director of Institutional Research and Compliance
Dear NCNM Community,

As many of you may be aware, NCNM’s past President, Dr. William Keppler, was on the Carnegie Commission Technical Review Panel that paved the way for the reclassification of the naturopathic medical degree to be aligned with that of other medical and professional degrees. The Carnegie Classifications are used with the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). IPEDS is the core postsecondary education data collection program for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. As a requirement for financial aid, NCNM must complete quarterly reports to IPEDS.
saved for my records, about the ND degee )
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It's all the buzz.....somebody scratched swastikas and anti-gay words on walls in a new gender neutral bathroom on the 2nd floor, and in the "energy medicine" room on the 3rd floor. The gender neutral bathroom came into being because of efforts of the Queers and Allies group on campus, and the way in which it was promoted seems to have alienated a few people. The responses to an anonymous survey revealed substantial tension around the subject, and yet this tension was publicly not addressed. I did not know until today that the creation of this restroom took away the only faculty lounge. There is a plan to have a campus-wide meeting to discuss the incident and what to do about it. I can guarantee you that the perp will not be in attendance.

In this student population the assumption is that we are all environmentalists, eat organic food, ride our bikes, are liberals and progressives, and that we are nondiscriminatory toward all people including gays, other races, genders, religions. But this stereotype of the naturopathic/Chinese medicine student is just that, a stereotype. We are all different. Some of our population are very young people who have not yet separated their values from their parents'. Worldwide the trend is toward greater bigotry and lesser tolerance.....so this is not a one time issue, this is forever, this is for life. We won't win people over to tolerance by being intolerant. I am worried that the school's efforts to reduce hate-oriented actions of all kinds may backfire. I hope not.
the email that came today )
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National College of Natural Medicine to Expand Portland Campus

South Waterfront Area Growing as a Hub for Higher Education & Research

PORTLAND, Ore. (October 1, 2008)—National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) announced today that it completed negotiations with Andrew and Deborah Davis of Portland for the purchase of three office buildings on 1.5 acres of land adjacent to the NCNM campus and a quarter-acre lot across from the property. NCNM is located near the South Waterfront in an urban renewal area that the Portland Development Commission refers to as “the Educational Triangle,” between OHSU and Portland State University. The new buildings will consolidate NCNM’s two primary teaching clinics now located some distance from the campus. Property renovation and groundbreaking are anticipated to begin at the end of October following the due diligence period, with a completion date of December 2009.
the rest )
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It's kind of a bluesy number, directed at Obama...
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I got my grades in the mail yesterday. I passed everything, and was pleased to find that I rated honors in both Immunology and Hydrotherapy. I wasn't even really going for honors, I was just trying to pass. That is a hopeful thing. Having passed all my first year classes, I am now officially an ND2.
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Flunked a microbio exam yesterday. I was busy over the weekend and didn't even realize that there would be an exam. I was not the only one who bombed it: the format was a complete surprise and the majority of people probably failed. Today I came in for an Organ Systems exam, probably passed that one though it was tough. Then Organ Systems lecture was cancelled due to technical difficulties. Then in Intro to Clinic class we had an entertaining lecture on OSHA requirements for a clinic. Lots of work to do to fulfill OSHA requirements if you're going to open your own clinic. Now waiting for lecture to begin in Microbio. We didn't start class on time because some people were taking the test and the rest of us who took it when scheduled had to wait so that the late people could attend the lecture. The prof is a researcher and has no idea how to teach a class or write an exam, or deal with competing interests. He is showing the stress of being a pleaser when we can't possibly be pleased.

More hours of my day have been wasted by this school than have been educational. It is days like that that make me really wonder what on earth is going on.
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So much has been happening lately that I can't even come close to keeping up with my journal. This weekend I'm attending a conference at NCNM on "Transforming the Mind" and the presentations today were fascinating. I think the most interesting one for me was this wild mathematician guy who has decided to represent aspects of dynamic living systems in three dimensional moving lines as drawn by his computer. But I don't want to write about this too much now. There will be more of this conference, and I'll have more insight after I finish the whole thing.
long and rambling, about movies, studying, Governor Kitzhauber's talk on the future of healthcare and the Archimides Movement, and a couple of vocabulary words (grok and transmogrify) )

Grrrrmph

Jan. 14th, 2008 07:59 am
liveonearth: (Default)
Came into school for an 8am class and discovered from a sign on the door that it was cancelled. Would have liked to have still been in bed.

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