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on Natural Medicine?
Using the words "indoctrination" is a brillient choice. That is IT. ND's certainly have the training to safely and sanely prescribe when a pharmaceutical agent is called for. MD's have much more indoctrination because pharmaceutical agents are their primary modality. Naturopaths have SO MANY things in their "medical bags" to choose from. Again stating that there is room for both: Crisis medicine and wellness care! Thanks Jeff!
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Natural Medicine?
That is absolutely true!
Dr Donna Beck (OBNE board member)
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Natural Medicine?
Please ask the DO how much continuing education they receive on a yearly basis in the area of pharmacology?
Donna Beck ND
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Natural Medicine?
This is certainly not "common thinking among ND's." Dr Stargrove was emphasizing the point of collaberation amongst practitioners of various disciplines." Synthetic drugs and naturally derived drugs are BOTH drugs. Drugs are strong. They have both risks and benefits when used. Training to prescribe either is exactly the same. Formal training is a MUST for all prescribers. I am a member of the Oregon Board of Naturopathic Examiners. We are required to monitor the continuing education of our licensees by state statute and by laws.
Dr Donna Beck
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Natural Medicine?
The debate over "science" verses "art" in medicine is far from a new subject. It can be traced back to the Caduceus itself; the Greek symbol of the two intertwining snakes. One snake represents the mechanistic and one represents vitalism. Even this is debated in some conventional medicine circles as there are those who say the medical symbol should have only one snake on the staff! But which one is the "Real" medicine? How about honoring BOTH? What a concept! The fascinating history of medicine tells us also of the "fathers of these medicines:" Nathan Smith Davis 1817-1094 is the father of the AMA. Andrew Taylor Still MD DO1828-1917 is considered the father of Osteopathy. Daniel David Palmer DC 1845-1913 is the father of Chiropractic and Benedict Lust MD DO ND, 1872-1945 is the father of Naturopathy. A biographical read on these men will show that they were on the "medical playing field" at the same time in history. Each were trained by a combination of apprenticeship and what formal education was available. The MD's of the day used bloodletting, leeches and mercuial compounds as their main modalities. There were also the "barber surgeons." The first accomplishement of science historically was to save us from these horendous modalities!The term "allopathic" verses "homeopathic" terms evolved in relation to one another because "homeo" meant "same" and "alleo" meant "different. Science serves us all, or should. If natural medicine had a fraction of the fundinng that pharmaceutical medicine has had then I can only barely imagine the benefits to the world in relation to the health of people and the planet! Today's conventional medicine does it's best work when their is a crisis. Natural medicine does it's best work in preventing a crisis and in restoring wellness after a crisis has past. Real integrative medicine is an approach to medicine in which providers from different whole medical systems, network with one another for the purpose of sharing their knowledge and skills in a way that treats disease, prevents disease and promotes healthy living in the safest and most cost efficient way for the patient. Let us unite in respect!
Donna L Beck ND
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Natural Medicine?
Does anyone ask their MD how many hours of pharmacognosy that they had in medical school when they give an opinion on herbs? How about how many hours of biochemisty and nutrition they have had in relation to the nutritional recommendations that come from an MD? I don't think so but perhaps they should. It seems only fair here! I am a 1992 graduate of National College of Naturopathic Medicine. It took 8 years to aquire my ND degree. My pharmacology classes were taught by Gae Ryan PharmD. Dr Ryan taught our pharmacology classes at NCNM concurrently with the classes she taught at OSHU. We received the same training from exactly the same teacher! Every single year ND's are required to complete a minimun of 25 hours of continuing education with 5 of those hours being in pharmacy topics. I often attend training at OSHU, sitting in the very same room with my MD, DO and NP counterparts learning exactly what they learn! All you have to do is look at NCNM's website to see what academic rigor is reqired of today's ND students. I have been in practice for almost 20 years now and I love networking with my MD collegues who are open minded. There is no "turf" when it comes to helping a beloved patient! Not for me anyway. If I don't know something I tell my patients that I will find out who does and I stick to my word. That often means that I talk with an MD or another ND or my pharmacist. It means research on the topic at hand, just like it does for EVERY doctor who faces an unknown. Sometimes it means that I refer. I have MD's and Dentists and DO's who actually refer to me. It is called networking! We appreciate each other so much because no one has to be god! As an ND I spend time with my patients. I took an oath to do no harm, to educate, to treat the whole person, and to apply treatment plans that are in line with the healing power of nature and prevention of future disease. I will always choose a pharmaceutical agent as a last resort, rather than a first and with the greatest of respect for the risk-benefit ratio. If a synthetic is cheaper and safer than a naturally derived pharmaceutical then that is the smarter choice to make. Knowledge does not always impart wisdom. We desperately need more wisdom in todays health care picture!
Sinserely, Donna L Beck ND
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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