“Dr. Bastyr was a true a physician-healer. And he was always learning,” Dr. Joe Pizzorno told Holistic Primary Care. The founder of Bastyr University, now celebrating it’s 40th year, reflects on his mentor and main inspiration.
It began with a dream, the zeal of youth, and the knowledge of a few elders. Oh, and $200 in cash. Forty years later, Bastyr University is a vibrant nucleus of naturopathic medicine, with two thriving campuses, thousands of graduates, multiple degree tracks, a robust research agenda, and an uncanny knack for making waves far greater than its modest size would predict. In this in-depth feature, HPC talked to the school’s founders, current students, and early supporters to reflect on the vast legacy of this institution and its future directions.
Over the last 10 years, the naturopathic profession has experienced major advances and significant challenges. Some are unique to our profession; others we share with all holistically minded professionals as we take our places in American health care.
Regenerative Injection Therapy (RIT), also known as prolotherapy, is an effective, low-cost treatment for treating musculoskeletal problems, and to truly repair overuse injuries. Yet it remains sadly underutilized in the US.
Last year, Hawaii naturopaths won a major victory when the state legislature expanded their independent prescribing authority. No sooner had the ink dried then the Hawaii Medical Assocation, with blessings from the AMA, sought to repeal the new law. The opposition is troubling given the dire shortage of primary care MDs in Hawaii and many other states.
What happens when a naturopathic doctor & his girlfriend get the H1N1 flu? A whole lot of coughing, sneezing, fevering and bed rest, that’s what. Swine flu is nasty, says Dr. Michael Traub, but for most people it’s not likely to be life-threatening.
Health policy experts are concerned that health care reform efforts could be stymied by a severe lack of primary care doctors. The problem could be attenuated if those presiding over reform would allow the thousands of licensed or license-eligible naturopaths and other holistic non-MD practitioners help to shape and then participate in a reformed health care system.
As we’ve learned more about the importance of vitamin D in preventing heart disease, colon cancer, diabetes and depression, some people have begun to challenge skin cancer reduction efforts focused on sun avoidance. But careful review of the science shows that oral vitamin D supplements can more than compensate for any vitamin D lost through sun-avoidance. For light skinned people, sun protection makes most sense—just make sure to use eco-friendly products.
Use of bioidentical hormones – estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone derived from plants such as soy or yam – has grown rapidly over the last decade. According to a new FDA rule, claims that bioidentical hormones are safer or more effective than conventional HRT are false and misleading. The issue has become one of the hottest women’s health controversies.
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked with everything from psoriasis and osteoporosis to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and autoimmune diseases. But the relationships may not be as simple as we’d like to believe. Neither is the relationship between sun exposure and vitamin D production in the skin.
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