The Naturocrit Podcast - Episode 004c (Part 3 of 5) - Script & Annotations

here, I provide an annotated script for the third part of the fourth episode of The Naturocrit Podcast, "The NYANP: Their 2014 Bill Fabrication and Content History". I compare the NYANP draft bill language describing naturopathy to that of NYANP principals': 

001. the Episode 004c (Part 3 of 5) script and annotations:

Standard Intro.:

Welcome to, as that robot voice says, The Naturocrit Podcast, and thank you for boldly listening. 

What ARE we even talking about?

Well, this podcast series is my take on naturopathic medicine, an area I've been studying for about twenty years, including my time in so-called 'scientific nonsectarian naturopathic medical school'.

My approach is a pairing of scientific skepticism and a deep knowledge of naturopathy's intimate details.

In previous episodes of this series, I established that naturopathy is, essentially, a kind of knowledge blending, misrepresentation, and irrationality.

I have termed naturopathy both 'an epistemic conflation falsely posing itself as an epistemic delineation' and 'the naturopathillogical':

the science-exterior is mixed with what is scientific, then that whole muddle is absurdly claimed to be science as an entire category, while particular sectarian science-ejected oath-obligations and -requirements are coded or camouflaged, therein effectively disguising naturopathy's system of beliefs in public view.

Naturopathy's ultimate achievement is a profound erosion of scientific integrity and freedom of belief packaged in the marketing veneer "natural" and improperly embedded in the academic category "science".

Episode Synopsis:

In this Part Three of this five-part Naturocrit Podcast Episode 004, which I have titled "The NYANP: Their 2014 Bill Fabrication and Content History",

II.

I will now compare the NYANP draft bill language describing naturopathy to that of NYANP principals'.

I will deal with the language describing naturopathy at NYU, those principals' alma maters' and those schools' state organizations in part 004 of this episode.

This Part Three will be unusually longer than my typical 30-ish minutes [46 minutes, actually].

But First, A Small Summary of the Language Used So Far:

As I stated in Part Two of this episode, "the self-healing process" draft bill language appears to be ND Koda's chosen CODING for that core vitalistic-supernatural belief that is at the heart of naturopathy's principles, oath, and therapeutic order.

If you recall from Episode 003b when I covered Bastyr University's founding President ND Pizzorno -- which is ND Koda's alma mater, and who [Pizzorno, that is] is self-proclaimed as "one of the world's leading authorities on science-based natural medicine" -- Pizzorno wrote in his 1997 book "Total Wellness" that naturopathy's core vitalistic belief of a "life force" is essentially "spirit."

[There also is a 2005 archived web page, authored by ND Pizzorno [vsc 2014-01-12], excerpting the book, which states:

"each of us needs to become more aware of the activity of the vis medicatrix naturae (life-force) deep within us [...] our life-force (or spirit)"].

Yet, naturopathic schools were LATER founded with "science" as part of their proper names or the name of the academic divisions their naturopathy programs were housed within.

There's UB and its Division of Health Sciences housing the naturopathic college [this is the collection] and there's NUHS housing their naturopathy program [this is the collection].

There you can find, academically: science subset abject nonscience!

So, PREPONDERANTLY, for decades, there's been this language game MO naturopathy employs which goes something like this:

there's what we'll tell the public at the 'front' of the naturopathic store in terms of commerce both clinically and academically SCIENCE, and there's what we ESSENTIALLY ARE buried in our writings and teachings STARKLY NONSCIENCE.

I chose the term MO or the word strategy because, after all, ND Koda did say, regarding the CHOOSING of draft bill language and his GOALS:

"we didn't use the exact words that you may have used in our naturopathic philosophy classes [as I'd mentioned...and he also says] a lot of thought went into this bill for 2014: the definition of the practice of the profession is substantially being rewritten [00.15.04...] REFRAMING the practice of the profession [...] in my view the whole notion is about protecting the profession [00.16.14...] we are giving ourselves permission [00.35.40...] there are exceptions that we've carved out [01.08.41...] we purposefully put in [01.23.35...] we had to make sure we carved out that permission [01.10.29...] so we needed to make sure that we carved out that exception [01.10.50...] there's provision that I put in there [...] my attempt was to protect us in allowing us to use [etc. 00.38.21]."

I've no doubt that every 'supposedly descriptive' word of ND Koda's and company, in the NYANP draft bill, has been quite CHOSEN, and ends up chosen to be similarly NOT to the point, at least when we deal with naturopathy's CORE supposed 'philosophy' and its TRULY science-exterior status.

Continuing the coding of that vitalism-supernaturalism in naturalistic and secular language, ND Koda states in the NYANP webinar:

"if you document hydrotherapy as being a process for facilitating the self-healing process, then in effect you'll have given yourself COVER for choosing that particular modality because by law that's part of your role as a naturopathic doctor is the permission to and the authority to facilitate the self-healing process [again remember that is the life-force spirit figmentation!]. Without that it becomes vague as to 'why are you really doing this?' 'Are you doing some unnecessary treatment?' 'Are you going overboard?' And so, by documenting it as one of these processes, these self-healing processes, one of these purposes, you are protecting yourself [000.28.59]."

And this, again, is being broadly labeled "scientific" and "humanistic."

How is it EVEN POSSIBLE to SCIENTIFICALLY-MEDICALLY treat a VFSF that runs physiology intelligently?

I GUESS it is, in terms of SECTARIAN PRACTICE, if you remove the white lab coat of science and put on the black vestment of religion.

If you believe in magic beans and unicorn tears.

If you replace science in method and preponderance with supernatural creeds, dogmas and doctrines.

I GUESS because I'm not a believer in or observant of the figmentations and prescientific activities that they PRACTICE and believe.

Anyway, the ND schools' language I'd previously mentioned in Part Two reveals those beliefs and therapeutic goals as:

"the practice of promoting health through stimulation of the vital force [at NCNM...and the VERY MUCH absurd] the vitalistic context of science-based naturopathic medicine [at Bastyr]."

That language is QUITE DIFFERENT from what ND Koda employs as bill draft language:

"the profession's mandate [is] to facilitate the identification, establishment and maintenance of optimal health and wellness [01.24.56]."

That just doesn't get us to what we need to ESSENTIALLY know about the context of naturopathy's "self-healing process."

ND Koda's 'language strategy' is simply continuation of naturopathy's historical pattern: that MO of opacity, of an 'unequal equation', that riddles naturopathy from top to bottom.

HOW can people can make an INFORMED decision about naturopathy when its DEFINING language is veiling, coding, and miscategorizing?

I choose the gerund form of those words because such obfuscation and FABRICATION, which I find quite manipulative, is a continuous ACTIVITY and that activity is NOT EQUAL – as in an unequal equation -- to DEFININGS that are transparent and accurate contextually.

So again, to end this 'reflection so far', so much for INFORMED consent by way of accurate language choices.

II.a. The NYANP Vimeo ND Principals:

As I'd mentioned, three NDs feature prominently in the Vimeo videos of NYANP as of 2013-12:

Brinkman, Koda who I've already covered, and Wilson.

So, let's look at ND Brinkman first, then ND Wilson.

ND Brinkman (NCNM 1980), the Current NYANP President:

ND Brinkman's activity, apparently, is mainly "performing seminars" and not practicing as a naturopath.

His Youtube channel [vsc 2014-01-13] tells us he's a "a professional keynote speaker".

Though, his rickbrinkman.com has a page titled "Naturopathic Medicine" [archived here, vsc 2014-01-13] and there he states:

"as a naturopathic physician, I practiced [past tense, etc...] for those of you who may not know my professional training is as a naturopathic physician.  A licensed naturopath goes to a 4 year medical school [and] is trained in all the same science and diagnostics as an MD."

So, there is the profession and broad science claims, but ND Brinkman's online presence deals with other topics mainly and not specifically naturopathy.

Rickbrinkman.com does, though, link to the AANP and the AANMC, and we're told in his biography page [vsc 2014-01-13] that he graduated from NCNM.

His contact page phone number [vsc 2014-01-13] is an Oregon area code, whatever that means.

[So this is sort of telelobbying: we're also told in the recent Vimeo video "The NYANP Needs You!" [vsc 2014-01-13]: "out of staters [...] myself [...and] Paul Mittman [...who are, respectively] never going to practice in New York and we don't even practice"]. 

It's a strange region, in my experience, the Pacific Northwest, when it comes to what "science" is used as a label upon.

Even Oregon Health and Science University, "the state's only health and research university", employs naturopaths from Bastyr and has web pages that state such things as, in this 2005 archived page "Naturopathic Medicine: The Basics" by way of Meletis, C.D. (ND NCNM 1992), also the former NCNM dean of naturopathic medicine and AANP 2003 Naturopathic Physician of the Year, so he's quite a luminary:

"vital force: the inherent ability of the body to heal and regain life sustaining homeostasis. An individual's ability to heal is dependent upon the quantity of vital force present at the time of onset and during the course of an illness. The greater the vital force the more able the body is to heal with minimal external intervention [...] vis medicatrix naturae, simply defined as the healing power of nature. It speaks to the belief that the body has been instilled with the innate ability to heal. It is thus the goal of the physician to support and bolster the vital force, ideally doing so first and foremost with nature cure techniques and then progressively more aggressive interventions [...] if a host subject is well nourished and possesses sufficient vital force, they can be exposed to a pathogen and shall not get ill."

And OHSU lists some interesting holdings shared with NCNM such as "Asthma And Plant Spirit Medicine : Vis Medicatrix Naturae", which is apparently an NCNM thesis listed under such MESH terms as "shamanism" and "spiritual therapies".

ND Wilson (Bastyr 2000), the Current Legislative Chair and Past NYANP President:

ND Wilson has quite A LOT of available web content, enough for, really, hours of 'Naturocrit Podcast guerrilla skeptical musings' (tm), but for the sake of representing a variety of NDs from that NYANP member list, I've narrowed down the examples used here.

On her biography page [vsc 2014-01-13], we're told:

"[she practices] in three locations (Manhattan, Stamford, CT, and Port Jefferson, NY) [...] Dr. Donielle Wilson’s professional credentials as a wellness health expert include a doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University."

So, practicing interstate, there's the professions claim, and Bastyr as an alma mater. 

We're also told there:

"she has become an expert in hormone and neurotransmitter balancing, as well as gluten intolerance, chronic digestive issues and immune system disorders, such as autoimmunity. Dr. Doni is a sought-after expert in natural therapies for Behcet's Disease [a vasculitis] and cancer."

Sounds seriously MEDICAL: endocrinology, neurology, immunology, gastroenterology and oncology.

And we're also told there:

"[she's a past] a BOARD member for the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians [...and] in 2004, Dr. Doni was awarded the NYANP Naturopathic Doctor of the Year award [...] Dr. Doni faithfully follows the naturopathic mantra to 'first, do no harm' [...] and designs treatment plans that honor the inherent healing power of the body."

So, there's that TYPICAL coded vitalism, and there will be more of that.

I guess 'first do no harm' doesn't apply to the harm done to transparency of definition aka informed consent when that core naturopathic vitalism-supernaturalism is coded or veiled.

In "Frequently Asked Questions" [vsc 2014-01-13], my favorite page because so much is said there, we're told:

"I graduated from a five-year naturopathic medical program at the leading accredited university for science-based natural medicine, Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington [...our] all natural remedies [...include] homeopathic treatments [...] homeopathic remedies and other natural therapies [...] naturopathic doctors base their practice on six timeless principles founded on medical tradition and scientific evidence [...#1] let nature heal: our bodies have such a powerful, innate instinct for self-healing [...] this self-healing [...] naturopathic doctors can nurture this process [...and #3] first, do no harm [...#6] treat the whole person: we each have a unique physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental, social, sexual and spiritual makeup. The naturopathic doctor knows that all these factors affect our health [...] the core philosophy of naturopathic medicine is to assess and support the body’s ability to heal and to promote wellness, physically, mentally and spiritually [...] naturopathic education emphasizes the role of a doctor as teacher, educating people about health, disease, treatment options and prevention [...] licensure will allow naturopathic doctors to provide you with the services they are trained to provide after completing a 4-year doctorate program at a naturopathic medical school. They are trained as general practitioners who specialize in natural medicine and are held to federally recognized standards of education and professional accountability [...] how will New Yorkers benefit from a license? [...] New Yorkers will be able to easily identify naturopathic doctors with doctor level training [...] public safety will be ensured by requiring NDs to meet rigorous educational standards and pass national board exams [...] naturopathic doctors pass a national board exam and attain a license in those states [where] it is available."

Were to begin?

Oh, the TYPICAL science-based categorical claim of Bastyr, the ACADEMIC institution that has the mission content of teaching:

"the natural health sciences with an emphasis on integrating mind, body, spirit and nature."

Nature, of course, including that HPN-VMN-VFSF.

Integrating, of course, meaning blending.

One could even muse: muddling science and nonscience.

That ND Wilson entry also had homeopathy, overt supernaturalism, coded vitalism as "let nature heal", a professional claim, and 'the rigor-the rigor'!

How are naturopathy's educational standards RIGOROUS and their knowledge CONFLATION a basis for SAFETY when patent nonscience is claimed academically and clinically as SCIENCE?

How?

Miseducated, NDs then teach the meme of 'the science-based science-exterior'!

And as far as I'm concerned, the Federal recognition of naturopathy schools, the Federal PERMISSION, is a kind of complicity to and partnership with all this nonsense.

And that board exam that's mentioned twice?

It labels homeopathy a "core clinical science", so I think its epistemic labels are QUITE suspect.

As those labels should be SUSPECTED: this is naturopathy after all.

And we're warned by ND Wilson:

"I may discuss substances that have not been subject to double blind clinical studies or FDA approval or regulation. You then assume the responsibility for the decision to take any natural remedy. If you feel you are having any adverse reaction, stop taking all supplements immediately. If you are pregnant or nursing, confirm the safety of any supplements with your obstetrician or pediatrician [...yet we're also told] naturopathic doctors are experts in drug/nutrient and drug/herb interactions and we are trained to know when to refer for further medical care [...] the practice of the profession of medicine is defined as diagnosing, treating, operating or prescribing for any human disease, pain, injury, deformity or physical condition. I am not an MD and do not practice medicine in the state of New York [...] my services are not meant to replace or be a substitute for those of a licensed medical practitioner. If you seek care with me in New York, I advise that you seek the concurrent care of a health care provider licensed in New York."

The game of not medicine but doing medicine: the legal wigglings of 'I told you I'm not a doctor, but seeing how you're still sitting their, lets get cracking...'

And I CRINGE at the idea of patients being, essentially, experimental subjects in individual human trials that lack proper institutional review board parameters.

Oh the slime!

It's so HUMANISTIC!

In "Naturopathic Medicine Awareness Week" [vsc 2014-01-13] ND Wilson tells us:

"this medicine is naturopathic medicine [...] naturopathic medicine is all about finding solutions and restoring health [...] a type of medicine that supports your body to heal [...] a medicine that utilizes science and our understanding of how our bodies work [....] we are trained at the highest level of science and medicine to understand disease processes and what bodies need to be healthy mind, body and spirit [...] everyone should have the opportunity to understand their bodies and to benefit from naturopathy [...] naturopathy, healing with nature [...] empowering wellness, naturally [...] it includes the use of all sorts of natural approaches, including nutrition, herbs and homeopathy, as well as the use of water, temperature and light [...] naturopathic medicine is not in exclusion of other forms of medicine, but without it, we are missing the wellness that we seek, and that can help our country during a health care crisis."

So, there's more of that coded vitalism, a SUPER-SCIENCE claim of "the highest level of science and medicine", overt supernaturalism, and homeopathy.

A REMEDY in this time of CRISIS: but, I can't imagine what aspect of our "wellness" would be MISSING without naturopathy, this area of epistemic conflation.

Because anything that it does within its umbrella that is legitimate, is already done by various practitioners in the health care system WITHOUT the disempowerment of its misrepresentations!

Yet, in "Empowering Patients with Chronic Health Issues – Naturally" [vsc 2014-01-13] we're told by ND Wilson:

"naturopathic medicine is a system of healing that involves a scientific approach."

And, in "Natural Therapies for Menopause" [vsc 2014-01-13] we're told:

"appropriate natural therapies based on scientific evidence are then recommended."

You keep saying science!

Science, science, science, science.

And ND Wilson does have an online store page [vsc 2014-01-13] and there we're told:

"welcome to Dr. Donielle Wilson's Online Store! Bringing you quick and easy access to [the] highest quality supplements for your health. Check out Dr. Doni's Tips for Picking a High Quality Product:Some products can not be posted in the online store, so if you can't find what you need, please email us at orders@doctordoni.com. Shipping is free for orders over $200. Questions or need help? Call us today [...] or email us your order at orders@doctordoni.com."

So, I think that covers dispensing.

And finally, a recent newspaper article featured a quote by ND Wilson.

In "Healing, Balance, Prevention are Goals of Naturopathic Doctor" (2013-12-24) [vsc 2014-01-13], Deborah Botti reports:

"Dr. Doni Wilson, N.D. [...the past] president of the New York State Association of Naturopathic Physicians [...stated] 'we're very scientific. We look at the body based on what is known scientifically. We look at the research. We look at the body. And we ask, 'what makes sense to support the body to heal?'"

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, not just scientific, VERY scientific, up-to-date, and making sense!

And the coded vitalism, the science label upon it, that COMPLETE reversal of values!

NYANP Board of Directors NDs':

I will be briefer with the rest of the NYANP list, picking certain aspects of the parameters I'd said I'd tabulate.

Bongiorno, P.B. (Bastyr 2003), the NYANP Vice President:

On his biography page, there's that science claim:

"Dr. Peter Bongiorno graduated from Bastyr University, the leading accredited university for science-based natural medicine [...and he] is Vice-President of the New York Association of Naturopathic Physicians and is active in gaining legislation to license naturopathic doctors in New York State. He is a member of the American Association for Naturopathic Physicians, Physicians for Social Responsibility and is a Diplomat in Acupuncture [...] Dr. Bongiorno helped create the first elective natural and integrative medicine class at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, and he regularly guest lectures to medical students about natural medicine and acupuncture. Dr. Bongiorno is an adjunct faculty member at New York University."

NYU!

I attended NYU for half a Masters degree in "Humanities and Social Thought" before deciding to head off to study naturopathy at UB, as I recounted in Episode 001a.

I will cite from NYU's naturopathy pages in part 004 of this episode 004, and from NYU physicist Alan Sokal in part five of this Episode 004.

Now, ND Bongiorno hosts a version of the article "Naturopathic Medicine and Acupuncture: Brian Carter's Pulse of Oriental Medicine" [vsc 2014-01-13] which states [in a synopsis]:

"the term naturopathy refers to the idea of nature cure, which uses the healing power of nature in an effort to allow the patient to cure their own illness by stimulating the body's vital force, or qi. The tenets of naturopathy hail from a number of healing traditions, including Ayurveda, European eclectic medicines, the Greeks, and the Chinese taoist tradition."

Some distinct prescientific vitalism, wherein 'life' was considered an unquantifiable and ethereal substance, energy, force or fluid.

The article itself at innersourcehealth.com [vsc 2014-01-13] and we're assured by ND Bongiorno of course:

"Dr. Peter Bongiorno graduated from Bastyr University, the leading accredited university for science-based natural medicine [...of] rigorous coursework and includes basic and clinical sciences [...YET we're told] although its practitioners are quite eclectic in style, the foundation of naturopathy rests in philosophical principles shared by all naturopathic doctors [...] these are: [#1] the healing power of nature (vis medicatrix naturae): nature works through innate systems of healing in the body, and it is the ND's job to access this vital healing energy [...] both naturopathic and Chinese medicine thinking are generally very supportive of the vital qi energy and are quite complementary to each other [...] naturopathic doctors are generally taught at least one class of Chinese Medicine fundamentals [...] naturopathic therapies tend to work slowly by building and nourishing the body, and improving the patient's vital force."

And ND Bongiorno calls his acupuncture degree "a standard Masters of Science program."

That masters is from Bastyr University.

[Here's his CV page].

Science subset qi and vital force, academically!

And [categorically] labeled science-based.

In "Naturopathic Medicine: A New York Natural State of Mind" [archived here], an article from New York Naturally Spring / Summer 2005 written by ND Bongiorno, which perhaps should read "a NYS of Crazy Mind" epistemically speaking, we're told:

"the term 'naturopathic' refers to the healing power of nature that allows the patient to cure one’s own illness by stimulating the body’s vital force. Naturopathic doctors treat the whole person body, mind and spirit [...the] physiological, psychological, spiritual, genetic, dietary, lifestyle and other factors."

Ah, the science subset vital force and supernatural!

And there's a professions claim link by way of:

"licensing NDs benefits New Yorkers' public safety: defining educational standards, a scope of practice and professional oversight for naturopathic doctors."

Oh the irony: redefining academic science, by essentially destroying the boundaries between science and abject nonscience, so it can include sectarian figmentation!

Heerey, S. (NCNM), the Treasurer:

His page "Naturopathic Medicine" [vsc 2014-01-13] tells us:

"understanding naturopathic medicine: naturopathic medicine’s philosophy is fundamentally different from conventional medicine. As naturopathic doctors, we are guided by the following six principles [...] these principles guide each clinical interaction [...#1] the healing power of nature (vis medicatrix naturae): naturopathic medicine recognizes an inherent ability in the body, which is ordered and intelligent. Naturopathic physicians act to identify and remove obstacles to recovery and to facilitate and augment this healing ability [...#5] treat the whole person [...] since total health also includes spiritual health, naturopathic physicians encourage individuals to pursue their personal spiritual path [...] treatments include safe and effective natural remedies and therapies: [including, at top of the list] craniosacral therapy [and] homeopathic drainage [...] a licensed naturopathic doctor attends a four-year professional level naturopathic medical school, earning the graduate degree doctor of naturopathic medicine. Naturopathic medical students receive training in the same basic sciences as conventional medical students."

A profession claim, science as a base, quite veiled and coded vitalism, craniosacral therapy, homeopathy, and overt supernaturalism of a kind.

Pimentel Selassie, P.M. (Bastyr 2005), the Secretary:

Her biography page [vsc 2014-01-13] states:

"Dr. Selassie is devoted to the progression and development of the naturopathic profession. She plays an integral role in the New York Association of Naturopathic Physicians (NYANP) as an executive Board member. She is also an examiner who writes questions for the National Naturopathic Licensing Exam Board (NPLEX) responsible for board certification of all naturopathic doctors in the United States."

So, there's that profession claim, and mention of that 'homeopathy claimed as a clinical science' board exam.

And that page also states:

"naturopathic medicine is based on the six principles of naturopathic medicine [...#2] the vis medicatrix naturae: the human body has an innate ability to heal itself, the doctor is just the assistant, providing the natural tools for the body to do so [...] treat the whole person: a disease states has many factors; emotional, spiritual, mental, as well as physical [...] NDs learn all the same basic sciences and diagnostic skills as a conventional medical doctor in terms of subjects and hours of training. NDs learn the same medical sciences."

So, coded vitalism, overt supernaturalism, and science science science science.

D’Adamo, P. (ND Bastyr 1982):

ND D'Adamo's web page is titled "Eat Right For Your Type: Official Website of Dr. Peter D'Adamo and The Blood Type Diet".

Dadamo.com hosts the page by UK ND Dr. Tom Greenfield [vsc 2014-01-13] who states:

"nature-cure or the healing power of nature is the guiding principle behind naturopathic medicine. It is present in every living thing as the ability to restore health and balance: it keeps us alive. As inherent healing forces are not easy to measure using scientific instruments [I'll say], this idea tends to be dismissed by science as a vitalistic concept [which it is], and as a result many of us have become distanced from the natural world [huh?]."

There's a little admission there, I think!

Naturopathy, a kind of science based on things that cannot be found or measured.

Nature, at the heart of which is supernaturalism.

As in LACKING evidence?

As in figmentation.

But my favorite things relating to ND D'Adamo are these reviews of his blood type and genotype diets:

The Skeptic's Dictionary states:

"the blood type diet is based on the belief of naturopath James D'Adamo [who was ND D'Adamo's father] that one's diet should be determined by one's blood type. Like many self-confident mavericks before him, D'Adamo appealed to intuition for his brainstorm [...] and anecdotes rather than controlled studies to support the validity of his ideas. His son, also a naturopath, Peter J. D'Adamo [...] is a fruit that did not fall far from the tree. He has written several books, and travels the world promoting the blood type diet. There is no reasonable scientific basis for the claim that blood type should determine one's diet."

And regarding the genotype diet, Time Magazine's Andrea Sachs wrote in "The GenoType Diet":

"naturopathic physician and researcher D'Adamo has identified six 'GenoTypes': the Hunter, the Gatherer, the Teacher, the Explorer, the Warrior, and the Nomad [...] in analyses that sound a bit like horoscopes [...] the author gives food dos and don'ts for each Genotype. If there's anything scientifically sound about any of this, we haven't seen the signs."

Ouch!

The new D'Adamo product is called "Generative Medicine."

And we're told at generativemedicine.org, which is a partnership with the University of Bridgeport, my alma mater:

"for the students of UB’s Health Sciences programs with the goal of better understanding the unique and complex self-healing behaviors that are the basis of naturopathic philosophy and therapy [...those] the latent healing powers of the body [...] Dr. Peter D’Adamo is a naturopathic physician well known for his best-selling books including Eat Right for Your Type [...and is] a Distinguished Professor of Clinical Sciences at the University of Bridgeport."

Oh the coding, the mislabeling, the miseducating, based on science that has "no reasonable scientific basis"!

Speaking of bases, there are, in fact though, now submerged but perpetually archived web pages explicitly communicating UB's naturopathic vitalism.

Those are my classmates in the pictures!

The current UB SCHOOL CATALOG [vsc 2014-01-13], by the way, states:

"Principles And Practice 522, Philosophy of Naturopathic Medicine II: Nature acts powerfully through healing mechanisms in the body and mind to maintain and restore health. Students will receive a more in-depth utilization of naturopathic methods and medicinal substances, which work in harmony with the human system, thus facilitating long-lasting health and recovery [...] students will gain an important perspective of the vital force and its role in the healing process, when used in conjunction with naturopathic principles. Prerequisite: PP512. 1 lecture hour; 1 semester credit."

Yes, health SCIENCE. 

Mittman, P. (ND NCNM 1985):

So, I'd mentioned that ND Mittman is a bigwig as:

"president of Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) and the founding president of the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC)."

 Those colleges or universities are in the United States or Canada. 

His perspective must carry a little more weight, perhaps!

His biography at SCNM and it states:

"the Naturopathic Therapeutic Order, as developed by Jared Zeff, ND, with Pamela Snider, ND [...its #] 2. stimulate the vis [...] a discussion of the naturopathic therapeutic order, a guideline for treatment of individual patients, inspired Mittman to incorporate a version of the order into his clinical rotation to guide students in thinking naturopathically. Mittman presented this adapted therapeutic order to legislators in New York as a vehicle to explain naturopathic medicine as a unique paradigm different from conventional medicine. The items in the Order are arranged in the shape of a five-pointed star with 'identify the cause' in the center. The presentation to legislators explained how the naturopathic curriculum is oriented around the Therapeutic Order [...] Dr. Mittman joined SCNM in as a faculty member [teaching homeopathy by the way] and became the college’s President / CEO in 1999."

Now, you can decode what "vis" is from SCNM's 2003 archived homepage [vsc 2014-01-13] which states:

"first described in western medicine by Hippocrates, the vis medicatrix naturae, is also referred to as chi in Chinese medicine, prana in ayurveda, and vital force in homeopathy. When alive, the vis medicatrix naturae enables humans and other living beings to resist entropy and decay, unlike inanimate objects that are subject to these effects. Creating treatment plans that harness the healing power of nature [...] is the art, the heart and the essence of naturopathic medicine."

Mittman was SCNM president THEN, obviously.

ND Mittman writes in a 1997 review titled "Organon of the Medical Art' by Samuel Hahnemann" (1997; vol. 6, no. 1 Winter):

"[citing Hahnemann] here is an example comparing paragraph 9, first from Kunzli and then from O'Reilly:

‘in the state of health the spirit-like vital force (dynamis) animating the material human organism reigns in supreme sovereignty. It maintains the sensations and activities of all the parts of the living organism in a harmony that obliges wonderment. The reasoning spirit who inhabits the organism can thus freely use this healthy living instrument to reach the lofty goal of human existence’ [that was Kunzli...]

‘in the healthy human state, the spirit-like force (autocracy) that enlivens the material organism as dynamis, governs without restriction and keeps all parts of the organism in admirable, harmonious, vital operation, as regards both feelings and functions, so that our indwelling, rational spirit can freely avail itself of this living, healthy instrument for the higher purposes of our existence [that was O'Reilly...and Mittman adds]

I have adjusted to this new edition and appreciate the literalness of the text. Its like reading the Organon as a contemporary of Hahnemann."

And Mittman is a DHANP, which means he's a diplomat of the Homeopathy Academy of Naturopathic Physicians.

So there we go again dovetailing naturopathy's essential vitalism with spiritism supernaturalism.

Also from 1997, ND Mittman writes in "Naturopathic Medicine, Vitalism, and Homeopathy" (1997; Townsend Letter For Doctors and Patients, #165, p.122-3), which I own in paper:

"how we define the core and essence of naturopathy to ourselves [...] Hahnemann's homeopathy linked the disturbed vital force to the diseased body, and D.D. Palmer's chiropractic saw the spine as a conduit for the 'innate wisdom' [...] alternative medical practices stepped in and linked the healing power of nature with the human spirit [...] what forms the heart of our healing art [...we have] more than a belief in the healing power of nature [...we] directly stimulate the vis medicatrix naturae [...per] working directly with chi, prana or the vital force [...] science and medicine have spent the last 500 years divorced from religion and spirituality. [Appositely] as naturopaths, we must openly acknowledge and unabashedly embrace our partnership with a higher power

[this starts to resemble the autoentheism that I discussed in Episode 001b of ND Sensenig, who, by the way, teaches the naturopathic philosophy course at SCNM, and was recently awarded distinctions for his activities].

The only way to accomplish this is to establish ENERGETIC therapies like homeopathy, Chinese and ayurvedic medicine and hydrotherapy at the center of our definition of naturopathy [...] energy medicines [like] the practice of homeopathy

[so obviously, energy here is being used to represent the VFSF and not being used in the scientific sense of energy...]
 
there is no philosophical conflict between homeopathy and naturopathic medicine

[I completely agree, naturopathy's essential core is from homeopathy...]

in fact, homeopathy is probably the clearest example of the healing power of nature [...] the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians gave us a clear definition of naturopathic medicine [...] patients get well because their healing begins at the deepest level of being, at the point where the body and its animating spirit meet."

But I have MORE.

I have this JEWEL.

Here's an very interesting entry hosted at scnm.edu that ND Mittman submitted to the NPR project "This I BELIEVE" as archived in 2007 and titled "Naturopathic Medicine -- This I Believe" [vsc 2013-12-27] which states:

"Dr. Paul Mittman's essay for 'This I Believe,' the NPR media project intended to create a national discussion about beliefs and values [...] I believe in the healing power of nature [...] something inside me coordinated the healing and repair, without me even thinking about it, completely involuntarily. Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, described that 'something' as the vis medicatrix naturae, the healing power of nature. It is that same force that helped my wife's broken leg mend and grow straight when she was a teenager, and my father heal from coronary by-pass surgery last year. Nearly every culture has a name for it: the Chinese call it chi, in India they refer to it as prana, the Japanese call it ki. Present when we are born and gone when we die, this animating force exists in every living plant and animal, including humans [...] this powerful, healing force in people [...] therapeutic lifestyle changes remove obstacles to cure, permitting the vis medicatrix naturae, the healing power of nature to flow freely and help us regain that equilibrium we call health."

Now, the AANP-Alliance, of which SCNM was a member, had stated, as I recounted in Episode 003a in the late 1990s, that naturopathy WASN'T a belief system.

And yet here we have an article titled "This I BELIEVE."

And we have the naturopath stating "I BELIEVE in the healing power of nature", that VFSF which is the core of naturopathy.

And which is, in sum, the supernaturalizing of healing and life.

Which sounds to me quite beliefy, quite science-exterior, and quite NOT humanistic.

This has been part three of this five-part Episode 004.

And...

---