Decker Weiss, NMD, director of Global Medical, in Shehyni, Ukraine, a border crossing between Ukraine and Poland (Image: Decker Weiss/Global Medical)
For
the past decade, Dr. Decker Weiss has been splitting his time between his home
base in Carefree, AZ, and makeshift emergency clinics on the borders of Hell.
Weiss,
a naturopathic physician (Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine ’97) with
advanced training in cardiology, has undertaken multiple medical missions to
refugee camps, disaster sites, and regions of conflict across the globe.
Through
his independent non-profit organization, Global Medical (formerly Peace Possible), he has provided holistic medical care
to refugees and marginalized people in
A massive online survey of more than 5 million Americans shows that political affiliation is a major factor influencing peoples’ decisions about the Covid-19 vaccines. Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the University of Pittsburgh, in partnership with CMU’s Delphi Group, culled and analyzed data on vaccine attitudes from a larger national Covid survey […]
What do apples, onions, hummus, and ice cream have in common? They’re all rich in FODMAPs: a set of short-chain carbohydrates that can set off the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), such as bloating, gas, cramping, constipation and/or diarrhea. Short-term adherence to FODMAP-free diets can be very effective in reducing the symptom burden associated […]
Holistic
medicine is built on trust. Your patients trust that you are guiding them
toward safe, effective therapies. You,
as a clinician must trust that the modalities that you advocate, and the
nutraceutical and botanical products you recommend are made to the highest
quality and purity standards.
So
how can you rest assured that the products you recommend are authentic, pure,
safe, and effective?
That’s
where lab testing comes in.
The
leading nutraceutical brands—especially those working closely with medical
practitioners—invest vast resources into analytical testing to ensure that the
raw materials they use are clean, and that they are what the suppliers say they
are. But analytical testing itself is an evolving field and there are many
methodological questions still to be resolved.
As part of our Practitioner Channel Forum online series, Holistic Primary Care has assembled three leaders in the field to discuss the state of the science in analytical testing, particularly as it applies to botanical medicines.
This program will give you in-depth insight into the validated methods used by the world’s top independent labs to validate the identity and purity of herbal ingredients. We’ll also learn about the current status of “DNA fingerprinting” for plants—a set of methods that gained a lot of attention several years ago but has since been called into question.
Élan M. Sudberg is CEO of Alkemist Labs, a
passionately committed contract testing laboratory specializing in plant
authentication, botanical ingredient identification and quantitative analytical
services to the Food & Beverage, Nutraceutical and Cosmeceutical
Industries. Now in its 25th year, Alkemist Labs provides state of
the art identity, purity, and potency testing for a vast range of plants and
the phytochemicals derived from them. Élan holds a degree in chemistry from
California State University Long Beach and has authored numerous journal articles
on phytochemistry and analytical techniques for the natural products and
nutraceutical industry.
Mark Blumenthal is the founder and executive director
of the American Botanical Council. Established in 1988, ABC is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit education organization committed to science-based education about and
promotion of the responsible use of herbal medicine. With more than 45 years of
diverse experience as an herbal advocate, consultant, educator, researcher,
writer, and advisor, Mr. Blumenthal has an extensive comprehensive background
in herbs and medicinal plants. He is the director of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR
Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program, a consortium of organizations focused
on the widespread problem of adulteration of botanical raw materials, extracts,
and essential oils in the global supply network. Mark is Editor and Publisher
of HerbalGram, the ABC’s international peer-reviewed quarterly journal.
Stefan Gafner, PhD, is an analytical chemist who is Chief
Science Officer for the American Botanical Council. Dr. Gafner
received his degree in pharmacy at the University of Bern School of Pharmacy in
Bern, Switzerland. He earned his doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences — with a
focus on phytochemistry (the chemistry of plants) — at the University of Lausanne
in Switzerland, from the internationally respected phytochemist Professor Kurt
Hostettmann. His doctoral thesis focused on novel antibacterial and antifungal
compounds from African medicinal plants. Prior to joining ABC, Dr. Gafner was
director of research and product development for Tom’s of Maine.