In This Issue…
Editor's Note: Food as Medicine
Is it just me, or are we becoming obsessed with our chow?
Food as medicine. Food as ritual. Food as pleasure. Food as fuel. In fact, food is now literally becoming fuel, as more and more of us pump corn and soy into our gas tanks. Just ask Daryl Hannah, former owner of a biodiesel El Camino.
How many of you are snacking while you read this? How many of you turned to food at some point this week to help you feel better? And after eating, how many of you immediately felt better…or worse?
To state that Americans are becoming fixated on their food is not an exaggeration. It’s everywhere: Michael Pollan’s recent talk with the Bastyr community, which examined the forces behind our shifting perception of food; Francis Moore Lappe’s philosophy regarding hunger, poverty and climate change, which she discussed at a recent Green Festival and in her book, Diet for a Small Planet; and even my dear pregnant friend’s latest Facebook post, a desperate search for blue and red Superman ice cream. Yes, it’s official: we’re obsessed. But that’s not such a bad thing. It’s about time we realize that what we eat is a major contributing factor to our health.
First Lady Michelle Obama’s White House Kitchen Garden is inspiring gardens in dwellings across the country, from average homes to governor’s mansions. What’s more, the movement is highlighting the crucial connections between nutrition and health care. If food can create diseases – such as obesity, diabetes and cancer – and if these diseases are a significant factor in the challenge of national health care, then isn’t it time to start paying attention to how food can create wellness?
To your health and your future,
Coquina Deger
Managing Editor, AANMC
Meet Two of North America's Top NDs: Using food to heal
As a future naturopathic doctor, how will you use food as medicine to treat your patients? This issue, through interviews with two leading NDs who recognize food as medicine, explores two very different means of doing just that:
- Bestselling author of Eat Right 4 Your Type
Doctor Peter J. D'Adamo, ND
Perhaps no one is more passionate about putting nutrition at the forefront of naturopathic medicine – and changing the role that food plays in treating patients – than Dr. Peter D’Adamo. Somewhat of a study in contrasts, he’s a vegetarian naturopath who recommends eating plenty of meat to a number of his patients. He’s written both ballet music and computer software. His bestseller, Eat Right 4 Your Type, is considered one of the 10 most influential health books of all time and outlines optimal diets for each of the four blood types.
A second-generation naturopathic physician, Dr. D’Adamo took his father’s blood type diet discovery to the next level in both scientific research and in practice. A member of Bastyr University’s very first graduating class, he’s been interviewed by Dr. Mehmet Oz on Oprah and Friends, by Regis and Kathie Lee, and now by the AANMC. READ THE INTERVIEW >
- You really are what you eat - your body as a cookbook
Doctor Marnie Loomis, ND
Dr. Loomis specializes in providing for the specific health needs of highly sensitive patients. In her work, she recognizes and promotes the key role of food in maintaining a healthy nervous system. (Think electrolytes, magnesium, amino acids and other nutrients.)
Having recently ceased private practice, Dr. Loomis currently serves as the director of professional formation at National College of Natural Medicine, where she helps students develop the skills they’ll need to operate the professional side of a private practice. Dr. Loomis is an exciting and sought-after public speaker and is often featured at AANMC Naturopathic Medicine Informational Forums. READ THE INTERVIEW >
August Prospective Student Days
It's that time of year again! The AANMC invites you to the 2009 AANP Conference AANMC Prospective Student Days, to be held in Tacoma, Wash. Please join us for a fun-filled experience of information sessions and presentations on naturopathic medicine, along with a visit through the natural products exhibit hall.
Prospective Student Days is an important opportunity to learn more about the world of naturopathic medicine from the leaders in the profession. Attend panel dialogues with leading naturopathic physicians to discuss today’s important topics in naturopathic medicine. Get your questions about naturopathic medical school answered by representatives of the AANMC schools. Register today!
Your Questions Answered: Local events?
Q: Are there any plans to hold a Naturopathic Medical Informational Forum in Idaho? I live in Boise, and I would love to attend one, but they never seem to be scheduled in my area.
A: As much as we would love to hold Forums in every single state, it is just not feasible. However, this year we have introduced new virtual events that you’ll be able to attend no matter where you are: interactive, online Naturopathic Medicine Informational Webinars. Find out about our next scheduled Webinar! READ ABOUT VIRTUAL EVENTS IN YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED >
And please keep the good questions coming!
E-mail Coquina Deger at editor@aanmc.org.
Next Up: Spotlight on naturopathic students
Ever wanted to know what naturopathic medical school is really like? Of course you have! So be sure read our next e-newsletter, which will feature our very first interviews with the naturopathic medical students of the AANMC schools!
"The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease." - Thomas Edison
“One of my dearest patients passed away from breast cancer after 11 years. During her illness, her oncologist would roll his eyes when she would come to me for treatments. But then at the end, he said, ‘If it wasn’t for the other guy, this would have happened years ago.’”
– Peter D’Adamo, ND
“Nutrition is a big part of the big picture…Think of your body as a cookbook. You have several different recipes, and your body makes its decisions based on the nutrients available, your genetics and your stress and energy levels.”
- Marnie Loomis, ND
Food as Medicine in Movies, Books & Celebrity Blogs
Let’s face it: green is the new black. Health is in, and tinsel town is full of movies and movie stars who are just as obsessed with food as the rest of us. Check out how society’s upper crust is joining and promoting the food as medicine movement.
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