SCNM Continuing to Build Relations

Dr. Deng Serves Community with Acupuncture at Free Integrated Medical Clinic for the Homeless and Uninsured

By Judy Hinojosa, 11th Quarter

On Saturday, February 3, 2007 the Phoenix Chapter of the Tzu Chi Buddhist Compassionate Foundation hosted a free integrated medical clinic for the medically needy and the uninsured. This is a yearly event in which health care practitioners from the Phoenix community come together to provide their medical services to the community in need. The medical specialties provided at this Clinic included internal medicine, dermatology, pediatrics, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, gynecological exams, dental services, and basic health screenings.

The Clinic opened its doors at 9 AM with a long line of patients from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. There were many volunteers that helped organize this event. Each patient had an initial interview and screening followed up by a referral to one of the practitioners from an internal medicine doctor. A total of 225 patients were seen in a period of six hours.

This is the second year that SCNM students have volunteered their services at this Free Clinic. By the request of Dr. Deng a group of students came together to do acupuncture treatments and help with translations (English-Spanish). Among the volunteers were Tracy Robinson, Marie Niechwiadowicz, Judy Hinojosa, Matthew Caviola, Kimberly Palka, DeAnna Woeller, Danya Epstein, Wendy Wang and Rebecca Welchel.

Dr. Deng treated a total of 41 patients with the assistance of SCNM volunteers. The Clinic was organized in a manner which allowed students to conduct an acupuncture intake with each patient. A large percentage of patients were Spanish speaking only, and when needed three of our SCNM students were able to assist with translations. Cases were then presented to Dr. Deng at which point he would make a diagnosis and decide an appropriate treatment protocol for each patient. Four acupuncture stations were set up at a time allowing SCNM Clinic Students to work on patients at each of the acupuncture stations. Among the most common conditions treated were headaches, insomnia, back pain, menstrual irregularities, fatigue, and GI complaints, among others. For many of the patients this was their first exposure to acupuncture, and many referrals were made to the Southwest Medical Center for follow-up treatments.

Between the continuous influx of patients, the smell of moxa, the rapid dictation of points by Dr. Deng and the insertion of needles, the day flew by. Working with those in need and seeing the faces of relief and gratitude after each treatment was a satisfying experience that made every effort to volunteer at this Clinic memorable. There were a large number of people who attended the Free Clinic who typically have no access to healthcare. Dr. Deng and SCNM students provided a service that allowed these people to come and receive medical care that otherwise they would never receive. For this incredible opportunity, both to serve the community and practice the skills we learn on a daily basis, we are truly thankful to Dr. Deng. It is through giving back to the community and coming in contact with those in need that Naturopathic Medicine continues to touch lives. We look forward to next year’s event and we hope to see more students volunteer. We thank all students that gave their time to this Clinic. You have made a difference!!

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Southwest Conference on
Botanical Medicine

By Linnea Wardwell

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 PallasDowney, 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. For more information on the program and a free brochure, please call the conference office at 800-252-0688 or visit www.botanicalmedicine.org.

Donations for Hamilton Clinic

By Dr. Paul Mittman, President/CEO

The end of 2006 turned out to be a great time for our college. In Phoenix a wonderful donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, donated $100,000 to completely renovate the Hamilton Elementary School Clinic. Licensed since 2003, the Hamilton Clinic is the sole provider of health care to many of the 600 children at Hamilton and another 1,800 in the Murphy school district. Dr. Matt Baral, Residents and SCNM Student clinicians, currently operate in a rather makeshift environment. This new funding will cover architectural and construction costs, functional and beautiful medical equipment, computers and a small medical library.

In New York Warren Adelson pledged $100,000 to expand our services at Hamilton and expand Pediatric education for SCNM Naturopathic medical students. In addition to adding new clinic rotations at Hamilton, we will be developing a Pediatric fellowship that will bring additional expertise and patient care capacity to our Clinical education program. This will play a vital role in helping staff the Phoenix Rotary 100 Welcome Center and Clinic scheduled to open in late 2007. Once again the South Phoenix community is entrusting SCNM to help transform their health and healthcare. When I thanked Warren from the bottom of my heart, he simply said that he’s honored to be a part of this important work. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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New York Legislative Update: Senate Passes
Out of Committee to the Senate Floor

New York Association of Naturopathic Physicians
Legislative Update from Vice President, JoAnn Yanez, ND
Blog from President, Doni Wilson, ND

On February 28, 2007 Senate Higher Education Chairman, Senator Kenneth LaValle and his committee reported S2790 out of committee. Even better is that there were zero negative votes against the bill. This is the direct result of your support! Thanks to our online email tool, 700 emails were sent in 3 days to members of the Senate Higher Education Committee.

Thank you for making this a priority. We cannot succeed in this effort without your help.

The NYANP Legislative Committee is busy planning execution of the same swift movement in the Assembly. We await appointment of the chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee. The bill will then need to be placed on the committee agenda, passed out of committee, and then pass two other committees in the Assembly – Ways & Means and then Codes – before it goes to the Assembly floor. The Senate will likely wait to vote on the bill until there is some movement in the Assembly. The legislative session goes through the third week of June.

We can’t afford to lose momentum now. We need your continued help now more than ever to educate legislators and staffers on the need to license Naturopathic Doctors. We will be in touch about support memos for the Assembly.

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Your 2007 SGA

By Olivette Aviso, Quarter 1 Representative

Your Student Government Association (SGA) has been creating great opportunities for SCNM! Representatives from each Quarter make up the SGA and have been working on a lot of activities for the student body

Insurance
An insurance presentation seminar was held on February 28th. The insurance broker, Charles Pascu, will be back to council students individually on health insurance options such as Health Care Savings Accounts, Catastrophic Coverage and full-coverage health care for students who need private health insurance. Individual appointment days will be announced by email.

Lunch Truck
A lunch truck is now making stops at the SCNM parking lot. The truck has a variety of foods and will arrive on campus between 12 and 12:15 PM and the company prides itself on speedy service!

Yoga
Every Wednesday at 4 PM, Marie Niechwiadowicz, Quarter 13 student and yoga instructor, will hold a FREE yoga class in Annex 1. As participation increases, the room may need to change, so check your emails.

Study Hall
SGA is working on extending the school hours so that students can study later at the school. The SGA is also working on an idea brought to us by Imhotep Circle, a student-run service organization, and Quarter 1 Representatives for a 24-hour study hall. More details to come!

Staying Healthy through Medical School
This is a project currently in the works with support of Dean Robinson. Workshops and Clinic visits will be a core of this activity which will initially be offered to the entire School and ultimately be a part of the entering students’ welcoming agenda.

Your SGA exists to help us all have a more fulfilling experience in medical school, so lend your support to your student organizations to benefit us all!

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SCNM on MySpace

Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine is keeping up with the mainstream communication and has a place on MySpace.com. Members of the Student Advancement Team created a site for SCNM on MySpace and it is visited daily by students, staff, faculty, alumni and others interested in Naturopathic Medicine.

Melissa Coats, 11th quarter student, is currently the main content editor of the SCNM MySpace site and encourages students, clubs/groups, faculty, staff and alumni to submit any information or bulletins they feel is important for the SCNM community. E-mail your news, updates, events, etc. to m.coats@scnm.edu.

Don’t forget to check out SCNM’s site at HTTP://MYSPACE.COM/NATURESMEDICINE.

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Exceptional Staff Voted Employees of the Year

By Michelle Haff, Chair, Employee Recognition Committee, Staff Senate

Congratulations to Jenny Frederick and Phyllis Higgins, winners of the 2006 Employee Recognition Award! Sponsored by Staff Senate, this annual award recognizes one employee from each of our campuses for his or her dedication and outstanding service to SCNM. Nominations were submitted by administrators, faculty, and staff and the final winners were then selected by members of Staff Senate.

Jenny Frederick, Medicinary Manager at the Medical Center, was chosen for her exemplary managerial skills, customer service, and enthusiasm. In her four years working for the college, Jenny has excelled in expanding her department and developing a positive rapport with customers. Originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jenny moved to Arizona in 1998. She enjoys traveling, reading, movies, hiking, and spending time in the outdoors. Her favorite part of working at the Medicinary is the relationships she has with many patients, especially her elderly customers.

Phyllis Higgins, Payroll and Accounting Coordinator in the Business Center, was selected for her willingness to adapt to bumps in the road with enthusiasm, optimism, kindness, and grace. She is a team player, works well under pressure, and is always willing to go the extra mile. Phyllis has been with the college for almost two years and says her favorite thing about working here is the people! She is A+ Certified and has taken numerous courses in accounting and information technology. Hailing from Urbandale, Iowa, Phyllis moved to Arizona 22 years ago. She and her husband of 23 years are the proud parents of their daughter Sarah, 20, who is studying at ASU East for a BA in Kinesiology. In her spare time, Phyllis enjoys remodeling her house and reading.

Jenny and Phyllis were bestowed the Employee Recognition Award at the college-wide Synergy meeting in November, 2006. In recognition of this honor, their names hang on a plaque which is displayed in the main hallway of the college. Jenny and Phyllis also received a framed certificate, a t-shirt donated by SGA, and a gift certificate to Westcor Malls. Special thanks to Dr. Mittman and the Office of the President for his support in recognizing our exceptional staff.

Other nominees for the Employee Recognition Award included Teara Canning, Nellie Foster, and Carolyn Paige of the Medical Center, as well as Linda Atwood, Michelle Haff, Jane Hawthorne, Kaye Moore, Debbie Richards, George Richards, and Kalyani Sury, from the college.

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SCNM Library’s Reference Collection

By Dr. Bryan Stansfield, Library Director

The College Library now has about 840 volumes in its Reference Collection, with some really choice volumes there that I wanted to mention. Among them is the APA Dictionary of Psychology, put out by the American Psychological Association, of course, and copyrighted in 2007, Black’s Law Dictionary, 2004, and, for anyone who likes etymology—which is not the study of insects and other bugs, but rather word derivations, the two-volume Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. That one truly is compact and the print is, shall we say, “microscopic,” but the Library also has a large magnifying glass that may be borrowed for in-house use. We also have the four-volume Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 3rd edition, 2001, the four-volume Encyclopedia of Microbiology (Academic Press, 2000), the three-volume Encyclopedia of Virology, also by the Academic Press, 1999, on acid-free paper, the four-volume Encyclopedia of Immunology, the two-volume Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer, 2nd edition, 2005, and Cecil’s Textbooks of Medicine, in two volumes, the 22nd edition, 2004.

For those of you would might be curious about medicine from an historical point of view, the Library now has the ten-volume set, Practice of Medicine, edited by Frederick Tice, M.D., at Hagerstown, Maryland, published in 1924, with also two supplements and an additional medical volume from the same year. This major historical set of thirteen items was donated by Herbert I Schuck, N.D., not long ago. If that compendious set of aging medical lore should somehow proves disappointing, we also have a more compact and up-to-date but still historical eight-volume set entitled Encyclopedia of health and Physical Culture, Bernarr McFadden, editor-in-chief published in 1937.

Beyond these standouts, we have a wealth of other handy reference items, of which I want to mention the Encyclopedia of Medical Organizations and Agencies, 16th edition, 2006, Phyllis A Balch’s entry, Prescription for Nutritional healing, 4th edition, 2006, Natural Standard’s Herb & Supplement Reference : Evidence-Based Clinical Reviews, 2005, the Complete Mental Health Directory, 5th ed, 2006, and Daniel E. Moerman’s classic title, Native American Ethnobotany, 927 pages, 2000 printing. And what about those multi-volume homeopathy sets that never seem to be new but are always good? Yes, we have those, too.

Still can’t find it? How about the six-volume Subject Guide to Books in Print, 2006, with also the publisher volume? Besides that, we have the two-volume Medical and health Care Books and Serials in Print, 2006. And, of course, we have our sixteen user computer workstations. Libraries have also become portals to the outside, global world of learning. Most people like to hunt and find things, but librarians are among the chosen few who actually enjoy going on and on hunting, so let us know if you need help. Finally, if you don’t have a pressing information or research need at the moment, you can always come to study (if space is available) and enjoy the ambiance of accumulated knowledge and about health, medicine, and related subjects and the hard work and extraordinary professional dedication those volumes represent.

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Medical Journals and Related Services at the SCNM Library

By Robert Wilbanks, Library Assistant

Did you know that the SCNM Library has an extensive Journal Collection?

Whether as student or practicing physician, you are going to be interested in, and will be seeking out, current research studies and other current medical information. These studies and newer medical findings usually can only be found in journal articles. The SCNM Library has a very nice journal collection with current subscriptions to 99 titles, and extensive back-issues of 121 other titles.

We have almost every Naturopathic modality and subject covered such as Homeopathy, Mind-Body Medicine, Nutrition, Chinese Medicine, Herbal Medicine, etc. We also have five core Allopathic medical journals: The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), New England Journal of Medicine, The British Medical Journal (BMJ), The Lancet, and The American Family Physician. As well as helping to provide information on diseases and conditions, these Allopathic titles are beginning to include more and more research and studies on Naturopathic subjects. We also have journals on several core areas of specific health issues such as diabetes, environmental medicine, cancer, allergies, public health, women’s health, internal medicine, sports medicine, and psychology. And we even have journals on a few other interesting and related areas such as Science, Nature, and Educational Technology; and of course the Journal of the Medical Library Association.

You can search for journal articles in our three available online databases: PubMed, AMed and Alt-Health Watch. PubMed indexes 16 million medical journal articles, both Allopathic and Naturopathic, and about 1/4 of those abstracts include links to free full text availability online. AMed indexes and abstracts about 500 Naturopathic journal titles. Alt-Health Watch includes full text articles to Naturopathic Journal Titles, including about another 100 titles that we don’t have in our collection. You can have access to these databases from home, so come to the Library and ask about our quick guide with URLs and codes.

Also ask about our Journals Holding List and Guide which identifies every journal title in our collection with brief description and holdings information, ie. years covered. It also identifies which above databases it is indexed in, and includes any online access information with usernames and passwords as needed accordingly per title.

While we have a lot of medical journals, we of course don’t have everything. But if we don’t have it, we can direct you to another local area medical library that has it, or we can get it for you on Inter-Library Loan (ILL).

Close by SCNM is Arizona State University. ASU has a nursing school, and so their library has an extensive collection of medical and health science journals in their Noble Science Library. And yes, as a local area resident you are free to use that Library most anytime. In fact, for $60 you can purchase a community borrower’s card good for one year, allowing you to check out materials. But it is not necessary to have this card to just go into the Library to use it. A number of years ago, our Library Director spent a few days there identifying any and all health science journals and created a list of 533 such titles that is available in the Library. However, the list is strictly limited to their hardcopy titles. They have extensively more health science titles available electronically full text which can only be accessed from a computer onsite at ASU. You can always check the ASU Library’s Catalog online and search just by journal title: http://library.lib.asu.edu/screens/mainmenu.html

Did you know that most all Hospitals have a medical library which is open to Physicians, Patients and the General Public? And there are other such medical libraries in the Phoenix Metro Area. The SCNM Library has a book that lists every medical journal at any such facility anywhere in the Phoenix Metro area. Any nearby Hospital Library should have the same book. It is called “Arizona Health Sciences Journals: Union List of Serials”. Some of these medical libraries will let you copy the articles for free. If you can identify a handful of the journals you need in one location, it can be an added time and money saver.

And finally, the most extensive collection of medical and health science journals both in hardcopy and electronically exists at the University of Arizona’s Arizona Health Sciences Library in Tucson. Their collection exceeds ASU and the Phoenix Metro Areas Hospitals combined. If you are searching for a lot of articles, it could be worthwhile driving down there for a day. But before you go, here is the online link to that library and their online catalog: http://www.ahsl.arizona.edu/

And lastly, we can get just about any medical and health sciences journal article for you through a service called Inter-Library Loan (ILL). Come in to the SCNM Library and fill out a form for us providing the citation details of the article you wish to obtain, including the PubMed identification number (PMID), and we can submit a request to just about any medical college or university, or hospital library, across the country. Some respond electronically, sending us the article the same day or within a couple of days. Some respond by regular U.S. postal mail which could take up to a week or two. While those institutions may charge us as much as $12 or $15 per article, we only charge students and alumni $4.00 per article.

For those alumni who don’t live in the Phoenix area, or Arizona, you will find similar such resources wherever you live. Seek out the hospital or the University library near you. Even your local Public Library should be able to get medical journal articles for you on inter-library loan.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Come In And Enjoy Your SCNM Library Privileges!

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A Family Affair at Southwest Naturopathic Medical Center

Meet Nick, Tajana and Sanela; three bright faces you will see when you are at Southwest Naturopathic Medical Center. Nick is a lab assistant, Tajana and Sanela are Patient Service Representatives and the three are family. Each has their own story, but strong family ties and Naturopathic Medicine brought them to us!

I started working here shortly after graduating college. I was looking for a way to break into the medical field, but had trepidation about allopathic practice. When my cousin came to me with interest in finding a Naturopathic doctor, I began to research the field, which led me to my job at the medicinary. Since then I have moved into the medical center’s lab and am happily finding the experience I sought. But I stay here because of the people. Never have I worked for a group with such communicable ideologies. Everyone here is in it together, and is always ready to help each other. In a large way, I owe my finding this job to my cousin and so it gives me great pleasure knowing that they now work here as well and are a part of the growing field of Naturopathic Medicine.
-Nick

Two years ago I was going through a lot of frustrations with the lack of medical care out there. I found it very frustrating that no doctor seemed to want to even listen to me. I couldn’t understand how the doctor would know how to help me if he wasn’t even willing to listen to what I had to say. I found myself feeling very dissatisfied with the typical 5-minute doctors visit followed by a prescription for some kind of drug that in the end would not really help at all for what my problems were. Around that time I happened to read a book that mentioned Naturopathic Medicine. The whole idea seemed amazing to me but I found myself at a loss as to where I could actually find a doctor like this. I shared my frustrations with my cousin Nick and the next thing you know he cam to me and said how he had just gotten a job at a medical center associated with a Naturopathic medical school. Little did I know that there was an actual Naturopathic medical school located right in our city! After a couple of months a job opened up at the front desk and Nick referred me for the position. I feel very lucky to have been given the opportunity to be exposed to the world of Naturopathic Medicine. Being in such close contact with the doctors on a daily basis shows me even more how much they actually care about their patients. The most rewarding part of the job, though, is interacting with the actual patients. As they are leaving they love to tell us how much they love their doctor and how much they love that they have found a place that actually wants to help them get better. We have many patients come through our doors that were once as lost as I was when it cam e to finding good medical care, and it is extremely satisfying for me to be part of a place that provides so much value to so many people. In fact, I liked its so much that once another position opened up at the front desk I recommended my cousin Sonela to come work here.
-Tajana

I started working at SCNM a little over a year ago. Before working here I had different jobs with children. After high school I worked at an after school program with kids K-5. After that I taught gymnastics, so working in the SCNM environment is very different from anything I have done before. I never knew anything about Naturopathic Medicine so I feel very lucky that I get to learn about it and I learn something new everyday. I also get to work with great people including my cousins, Nick and Tajana, who introduce me to SCNM and who I love very much!
-Sanela

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