By Kate Nolan
Apr 11, 2005

The Arizona Republic

SCOTTSDALE - One way to spot new trends is to keep an eye on trade magazines.

Hot trade titles describe the cutting edge of the new economy. For example, Frozen Food Age, Software Development Times, Petfood Industry and Call Center. They wouldn't succeed without certain trends in lifestyle and business.

The latest trend indicator is a new health-focused publication based in Scottsdale.

Naturopathic Doctor News & Review is a national monthly for licensed naturopathic doctors, the physicians trained to address underlying causes of disease through natural therapies.

Naturopathic doctors study the same pathologies and use the same diagnostic methods as medical doctors, but their treatments include nutritional approaches, herbal medicine, injections, manipulations such as massage, and spiritual therapies.

There are about 4,000 licensed naturopaths, or N.D.s, in the United States today, 450 in Arizona.

Those figures pale beside the 800,000 conventional medical doctors in the country, but publisher Razi Ann Berry is betting her success on the field's growth, said to be 12 percent a year.

"There's a need for a forum that naturopathic doctors can use to share information," said Berry, whose business partner is her husband, David Tallman, a Scottsdale N.D.

The publication, which premieres in June, will be a mix of practice tips, case studies and news on research, clinical tools and nutriceuticals, the herbal compounds prescribed by naturopaths. Tallman will write a column on treating joint diseases, and other doctors will submit articles in their specialties, although no peer-reviewed studies will appear. Practical information on leasing new office space or continuing education will also be given.

"It sounds like a great idea," said Dr. Margot Longenecker, who is with the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians in Washington, D.C. "But I wonder about the small numbers and whether it's viable."

Everyone agrees the profession is growing, including the educators who are producing the doctors.

"We've had a 40 percent increase in our student body over the last three years," said Dr. Paul Mittman, president of Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, one of four naturopathic schools in the country.

Mittman credits the growth to three factors.

"There has been an explosion of chronic diseases in which people have to make lifestyle changes, such as diet and stress relief, that are in line with the basic foundation of naturopathic medicine," Mittman said.

He also cited a statewide and national physician shortage and, in Arizona, the generally progressive tendency of the medical community toward alternative treatments.

Public interest undoubtedly is growing. Even the American Medical Association, the largest organization for medical doctors, reports that a third of medical doctors' patients use natural therapies, and the number rises to 65 percent when prayer and spirituality are counted. A handful of medical doctors take courses at Southwest College, according to Mittman.

Berry herself is a convert to naturopathy through experience.

Nearly six years ago, at age 26, she fell ill and was diagnosed with Lyme disease, lupus and fibromyalgia. Treated for a year with nine medications, she didn't improve. Her doctor suggested she leave her job in real estate sales and apply for disability benefits.

She stopped working, but as a last-ditch effort she saw a naturopath (not Tallman), who said that her adrenal glands were malfunctioning and that she was anemic and sensitive to chemicals such as insect sprays. After a change of diet and a year of detoxifying therapies, she started feeling better.

She went back to selling real estate and married Tallman. After Berry started producing newsletters to market her real estate business and Tallman's practice, one thing led to another. Soon she hired an editor and designer.

The idea for the publication originated with Tallman, who is also a licensed chiropractor.

Four chiropractic trade publications have kept him up to date on chiropractic news, but for naturopathy, no specific publication existed, and Tallman began to notice.

The fact was driven home when a medical journal asked him to research and write an article on a special type of injection he uses. Tallman found an article about a study at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine on a natural injection for tennis elbow, a malady he typically treats.

"I couldn't believe I didn't know anything about it," he said. "I researched every possible natural injectable and came across things I'd never heard of and felt I should have heard about."

He mentioned his "aha" moment to Berry, and the idea for the publication was born.

The 30-page News & Review will be sent to every licensed naturopath in the United States and Canada for free, at least in the beginning, Berry said.

She's looking to advertisers to pay the freight.

Much like medical journals and the trade magazines for doctors, Berry is focusing on drug companies for revenues. Rather than pharmaceuticals, the preparations are called nutriceuticals and are generally made from herbs or other substances found in growing things. Often they are individually compounded according to a naturopath's prescription.

"People are seeking nutriceuticals more because so many new products are on the market, but they need naturopaths to get the right individual mixture," Berry said.

The compounding companies, which are growing as fast as the number of naturopaths, have not previously had a publication that specifically reached the N.D.s.

"Naturopaths are among our main clients," said Joe Gallucci, chief pharmacist for ApothéCure, an independent Dallas pharmacy that grosses $5 million a year. "We make a lot of effort to promote to naturopaths, and our business with them has tripled in the past three years.

"We'd be crazy not to be advertising in this publication."

Whether other potential advertisers share Gallucci's enthusiasm, only time will tell.



Reach the reporter at kate.nolan@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-6863.