August 2014 John Weeks Integrator Round-Up: Professions

by John Weeks, Publisher Editor of The Integrator Blog News & Reports   American Herbalists Guild celebrating its 25th year  In early November 2014 members of the American Herbalist Guild (AHG) will celebrate the organization’s 25th year.  Founded in the home of

by John Weeks, Publisher/Editor of The Integrator Blog News & Reports

American Herbalists Guild celebrating its 25^th year

In early November 2014 members of the American Herbalist Guild (AHG) will celebrate the organization’s 25^th year.  Founded in the home of Christopher Hobbs and Beth Baugh, AHG was dedicated to “growing herbalism in the United States, thereby, establishing herbal practices as a viable source of health care in every community.” Today the AHG has, according to a release on the celebration, “over 1,750 members all over the world, more than 225 professional members, and over 12 active state chapters.” On November 6-10, 2014, in Pine Mountain, Georgia, the AHG will gather in its annual conference to educate and celebrate.

Comment: The AHG fills an important place in the evolving integrative health and medicine world, especially as the pressures and biases in research push the herbs as phytomedicines and thus as standardized extracts, and each removes us from the ground from which they sprout. The best of integrative health thinking is deeply connected to our communities and to the earth. A part of the AHG’s work is to take the big and sometimes abstracted picture of a healthy and whole earth and put it under our fingernails.

Nutritionists win first battle, in Michigan, following federal opening to non-RD nutritionists

In a July 17, 2014 release, the American Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists announced that Michigan governor Rick Snyder “signed legislation (HB 4688) repealing Michigan’s nutrition and dietetics licensing law, which had prohibited a broad range of nutrition practitioners from providing nutrition counseling.” The release added that “with his action, Michigan becomes the first state in the nation to roll back a law that made it illegal for essentially all nutrition professionals other than Registered Dietitians®—no matter how highly qualified—to practice individualized nutrition counseling.

Naturopathic organizations to form World Naturopathic Federation with sights on W.H.O.

At the 2nd International Congress on Naturopathic Medicine (ICNM) in early July 2014 in Paris, over 30 participants representing national associations from around the world voted unanimous to form the World Naturopathic Federation (WNF). The mission of the WNF is to:

“ … support the growth and diversity of naturopathic medicine worldwide; support the regulation of naturopathy and naturopathic medicine; promote accreditation and the highest educational standards for our global profession; encourage naturopathic research; establish and maintain a database of Naturopathic organizations, regulation, accreditation, conferences and research activities and work with world agencies (World Health Organization, United Nations, UNESCO) and governments to promote naturopathic medicine.”

The group established an organizing team, with members from 8 nations.  The group declared that the first general assembly where Charter members will convene to ratify the constitution/bylaws and elect an executive council will take place within 2 years. Tabatha Parker, ND, a member of the organizing committee from the U.S., shares that one value of a worldwide organization for her profession is that one’s needs such an organization to represent to the W.H.O.

Comment:  Two possible names for the organization were not selected: “World Federation of Naturopathic Medicine” and “World Federation of Naturopathy.” The reason: in many countries naturopathy is not recognized as a field of “medicine” (nor the practitioners as “physicians” or “doctors” as they are in most U.S. jurisdictions in which they are licensed). The strength and viability of this global organization will rest on the ability to merge the less educated and the physician-level versions of the field.