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Tieraona Low Dog, MD is the keynote speaker at this year’s Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine April 14 - 15 at SCNM. Tieraona’s study of herbal medicine and its role in modern health care began more than 25 years ago, when she started an herbal practice in New Mexico and ran a not-for-profit teaching clinic there. She received her MD at University of New Mexico, and is now the director of education for the program in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona and a nationally recognized speaker on alternative medicine. In her keynote address she will examine the role of alternative therapies in the medical practice of the future.
The conference at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine offers a wealth of indoor and outdoor presentations on botanical medicine. Mark Blumenthal of the American Botanical Council in Austin, Texas presents the latest information on herb-drug interactions and up to date findings in herbal research.
Tori Hudson, ND, who practices in Portland, Oregon and teaches botanical medicine at all three naturopathic colleges in the western states, presents topics focused on women’s health: infections in women; common problems in primary care for women (migraines, hyperlipidemia and depression); and a women’s health botanical update covering such diverse subjects as updates on black cohosh, cervical dysphasia, and interactions between St John’s wort and oral contraceptives.
Donald Yance is an herbalist and nutritionist who practices in Ashland, Oregon, where he uses nutrition and botanical medicine in managing cancer, heart disease and other chronic conditions. His presentations include: “Restoring the Balance of Testosterone and Estrogen in the Aging Male and Female”; “Healthy Weight through an Understanding of Body Mass, Genomics and Aging”; and “Botanicals for Age-Related Neurological Disease including Dementia and Alzheimer’s”.
Outdoors in the herb garden at the college, Rhonda Pallas Downey, founder of Living Flower Essences and author of two books on the subject, presents a workshop on ways to connect herbalism, flower essences and the human energy system in healing practice. Garden talks are also presented by Cascade Anderson Geller (herbalist from Portland, Oregon) and JoAnn Sanchez (herbalist from Phoenix who teachers at the college).
A highlight of the weekend for many people is a visit to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Four herb walks, led by Phyllis Hogan, Mimi Kamp or Pam Hyde Nakai (local Arizona herbalists with many years experience working with plants of the Sonoran desert) will take groups through the springtime garden identifying the plants and describing their medicinal uses. For the last few years the garden has been in spectacular bloom for the herb walks, and we hope with this year’s rain, the desert bloom will be in full swing again!
Continuing education credits are available at the conference for naturopathic physicians, nurses and acupuncturists.
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