April 2014 John Weeks Integrator Round-Up: Miscellaneous

John Weeks

April 14, 2014

Former FDA official Daniel Fabricant, PhD named to direct Natural Products AllianceIn a case of classic revolving doors, the Natural Products Association (NPA) announced on April 8, 2014 that Daniel Fabricant, PhD, until recently the director of the Division of

Former FDA official Daniel Fabricant, PhD named to direct Natural Products Alliance

In a case of classic revolving doors, the Natural Products Association (NPA) announced on April 8, 2014 that Daniel Fabricant, PhD, until recently the director of the Division of Dietary Supplement Programs at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will be the organization's new chief executive officer (CEO). According to this notice from the American Botanical Council, prior to his FDA post, Fabricant was vice president of global government and scientific affairs for NPA, during which time he served as acting CEO for several months in 2009. Natural products industry maven Loren Israelson, head of the United Natural Products Association offered this perspective: "Dr. Fabricant knows the Natural Products Association and the industry well, and his skills will only be enhanced by his work at the Food and Drug Administration." NPA is the largest and oldest organization representing the entire natural products industry, with more than 2,000 members in all 50 states and internationally, accounting for over 10,000 retail, manufacturing, wholesale, and distribution locations of natural products, including foods, dietary supplements, and health/beauty aids.

Community acupuncturists respond to community stress from the Oso, Washington, mudslides

My colleague and friend William Wulsin, MA, ND, LAc, MPH included me in an electronic update on efforts in which he has been involved with Seattle-based acupuncturist Jordan Van Voast, LAc, founder of Communi-chi, to provide stress-reducing support services for the families and workers involved with the devastating mudslides in Oso, Washington. The acupuncturists, using the 5 point needle technique, served patients at the Oso Command Center and at community centers in Darrington and Arlington. The team found that shifts between 4:00-8:00 PM are the best. The group organized through a Facebook page here. The April 2, 2014 e-note from Van Voast and Wulsin concludes: "Over the past week, we have participated in an unprecedented coordinated action for Washington state acupuncturists." Over 40 deaths have been associated with the mudslides.

Comment: Good to see this level of integration into an incredibly important community horror story. I can only imagine the value that sitting in the chair with a few other nearby, getting needled, has had.
About the Author:

John Weeks

John Weeks

John Weeks is a writer, speaker, chronicler and organizer with 32 years of experience in the movement for integrative health and medicine. the long-time founder/editor of The Integrator Blog News & Reports, a primary connective terrain for the diverse stakeholders and professions in the field and was invited in May 2016 to serve as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Besides his Integrative Practitioner column, he presently writes for Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, the Huffington Post and elsewhere.

He increasingly enjoys teaching and mentoring. He has keynoted, led plenary sessions, breakouts, and offered guest lectures for dozens of organizations ranging from the Bastyr University to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the UCLA School of Medicine to the Institute for Health and Productivity Management, the AANP and AIHM to the American Hospital Association. He has consulted with insurers, employers, professional organizations, universities and government agencies at all levels.

As an organizer, Weeks convened the Integrative Medicine Industry Leadership Summits (2000-2002), directed the National Education Dialogue to Advance Integrated Care (2004-2006), fund-raised the start-up of the Integrated Healthcare Policy Consortium (2002), and co-founded the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health, which he directed 2007-2015. In 2014, three consortia and others combined to grant him a Lifetime Achievement Living Tribute Award. Four academic institutions have granted Weeks honorary doctorates for his work. Seattle-based, he considers himself a particularly lucky soul to have worked remotely while living with his spouse Jeana Kimball, ND, MPH, and their children in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico for 6 of the last 15 years.

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