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A New York-based artist-slash-engineer is taking a typical visit to the doctor’s office and turning it on its head.  According to the New York Times:

“Dr. [Natalie] Jeremijenko, an Australian artist, designer and engineer, invites members of the public to the clinic to discuss personal environmental concerns like air and water quality. Sitting at the consultation desk, she also offers them concrete remedies or ‘prescriptions’ for change, much as a medical clinic might offer prescriptions for drugs.”

Until profound legislative and social changes occur, Dr. Jeremijenko’s clinic serves as a place for people to act now to improve their local environment, from installing “butterfly gardens” in no-parking zones to halt storm-water runoff, to using solar energy to power LED lights.  This kind of prescription for change is an idea well worth emulating.

Sometimes, the sheer enormity of the problems in the world can make you feel that your efforts to help out are a bit trifling.  How can small changes on an individual level possibly make a dent?  Michael Pollan, journalist, author, and localvore, takes this mindset to task in a recent article that argues that little steps, individual actions and yes, even changing your light bulbs, really can save the world.  Pollan maintains that one of the “most powerful things an individual can do” is plant a garden.  He admits that it sounds pretty trivial, but says that it’s actually the key to “reduce your carbon footprint, sure, but more important, to reduce your sense of dependence and dividedness: to change the cheap-energy mind.”

I can vouch for this: container gardening changed the entire way I look at food, food production and my part in the whole system.  It didn’t happen overnight of course.  Just like my tomato plants, my concept of gardening took a while to flower.  I started out small – just a few herbs, like basil, parsley and cilantro.  I felt like an abject failure for a while because my coriander plants yielded nothing but a few spindly stems and then promptly bolted in about a month.  Why did my plant look nothing like the lavish bunches of cilantro I see at the grocery store?  It was maddening. Undeterred, I went bigger and gave lettuce, onions, tomatoes and jalapeno peppers a go. 

Little by little, my “separateness” from the food I eat became smaller.  I witnessed the entire process – seed to plant to flower to food to table – right there in front of me. Embarrassingly enough, until I actually grew veggies, I didn’t realize how different they actually look compared to the more processed versions available in stores.  I had a vague idea of how peppers come to fruition, but now, I get to check in on the whole process as I leave my apartment each morning for work.  And I still can’t quite believe how much lettuce six small plants can produce.  “I don’t think we have to buy any lettuce until October,” Chris, my significant other, said to me last week, almost giddily.   

 I recently went to a free container gardening workshop put on by a Portland organization called Growing Gardens.  There, I learned how to fertilize the soil, what times of the year are best to plant different veggies, and just how much food one can yield from very small spaces.  During the workshop, the teacher mentioned that a local restaurant called Rocket grows the majority of their veggies on the roof of their space using a range of containers, including kiddie pools.  That absolutely threw me for a loop.  If a container garden system can provide a restaurant with enough food to feed hundreds of stomachs each week, then surely I can feed my two-person household with some dirt, a few planters, and a little bit of know-how.

While I’m not quite at the level where I can forgo trips to the grocery store, I envision a summer when all the veggies I eat come from my backyard.  Container gardening definitely increased my sense of self-sufficiency and, at the same time, my concept of integration with the natural rhythms of life.  None of this is groundbreaking, and it certainly won’t be responsible for saving the world.  I can tell you though that my little corner of the world is different.  There are thousands of container gardens just like mine dotting the city of Portland and millions across the country.  All of those gardeners’ little corners of the world are better for it.  Pollan says, “The Big Problem is nothing more or less than the sum total of countless little everyday choices.”  Like a virus, or just a really good pop song, making better “little everyday choices” can stick with you and spread, transforming “The Big Problem” into a “Large But Not Intimidating Issue That Can Be Fixed.”

Lisa Rohleder licensed acupuncturist (LAc), took the time out of her busy schedule to discuss social inequities and her strategy to meet the challenge of integrating holistic medicine into the Portland community. Lisa is far from intimidated by obstacles, and as a leader within the acupuncture community, she has clearly paved a path for others to follow with her book: The Remedy: Integrating Acupuncture into American Health Care. Here are a few gems detailing how she continues to make her pet-project, Working Class Acupuncture, a smashing success.

Reach out to your community. Become an integral piece of the puzzle making your practitioner-patient relationships feel more familial and genuine.

Actions speak louder than words. Connections and communication draw people to your medical practice, and of equal of importance, it is your principles and values that keep patients coming back for more treatments.

Gain the trust of your community. Possessing keen perception skills and an effective treatment plan will enable you to deliver quality care to your patients. This builds unshakable trust. Word-of-mouth is the strongest referral system and will naturally occur if you are consistently present, listening to the needs of your patients.

Tighten standards for your patients. In order to meet continual demand and increased influx of patients, create a sustainable infrastructure so that every patient has a satisfying visit. This entails consistency among practitioners and a code of ethics that everyone follows, from the initial greeting by front staff to the medical practitioners who perform the treatments.

Think long-term. Grow as a seed would, developing your practice in a sustainable manner, so that you can reliably depend upon your business despite the inevitable winds of change.

Dr. Tabatha Parker, ND, founder and Executive Director of Natural Doctors International (NDI), stopped by my cubical the other day and I’ve got one word to sum up the encounter: Wow!

Do you ever have one of those moments where you are actually amazed by the greatness that resides within an individual? You can literally feel the courage, compassion, and charisma exude from their presence, such that you honestly believe that anything is possible. Tabatha is a walking representative of such a desirable quality, who puts potential where it counts. Tabatha has made the most out of her passion by creating a realistic delivery system of holistic medicine… in a developing country. This is the premise behind NDI, as it is designed to promote “global justice through natural medicine by focusing on clinical care, education, cross border collaboration, and international policy.” Yeah, I know, Tabatha certainly makes you stop and wonder where she came up with the idea behind NDI and how she successfully pulled it off.

Dr. Tabatha Parker, an NCNM graduate, pioneered new ground both in and out of the formal school setting. She knew that she wanted to practice natural medicine, and needed to complete her education at NCNM before she could create a system to adequately provide health care to underserved communities throughout the world. This didn’t stop her from traveling. As a medical student she visited Peru, an expedition that plunged her into a new paradigm of reality for health care, and ultimately changed her life. The experience took her far beyond what the rest of the world has access to, and her travels later to Nicaragua were not any different. As eloquently outlined by Tabatha:

“Too many factors keep people at a state of disharmony. Socioeconomic factors impact lives and prevent healthy choices for communities.”

Tabatha continued to volunteer, although she began to realize that practicing “suitcase medicine” was not the solution, and that a more permanent system had to be established to truly help a community. She watched well-intentioned health care practitioners make a few changes, then leave, and remaining in the wake was a temporary bandage. Tabatha debated the ethics of the situation, and worked to find a remedy that would coincide with the naturopathic philosophies of identifying and treating the causes of illness and honoring prevention as a cure. To her surprise there was no organization that offered natural medicine on an international scale. Not one to be discouraged, Dr. Parker went ahead and started her own, and a spark of imagination became a working reality.

After graduating from NCNM, she laid the foundation for NDI on the Island of Ometepe, Nicaragua. Here, Tabatha focuses on what the community needs, as described by the people of the community. For instance, women of the island wished to learn more about botanical medicine, so Dr. Parker and her team are working with the women of the community to grow, cultivate, and harvest medicinal botanicals. And it doesn’t stop there either; she’s putting together a book about the project and the proceeds will directly benefit the community. Now that’s someone who embodies the principles of community medicine and brings the definition of holistic thinking to a whole new level.

While NDI purposely does not operate based on “medical tourist” principles, or short stint medical volunteer work, Tabatha knows that experiences in developing countries provide diverse and enriching lessons for the current and future health care professionals.. For this reason, NDI organizes multiple Medical Brigades for medical students seeking such an opportunity. This, however, is not enough. In order for the system to truly work, doctors need to commit at a foundational level, and a genuine and viable solution needs to be embedded within the community. This is why NDI works: Tabatha transplanted herself and now lives full time in the Island of Ometepe, offering integrative medicine with a local conventional hospital, and training motivated medical students with the necessary skills to live, work, play, and be part of a sustainable medical model deeply embedded within a community.

Tabatha is convinced that naturopathic doctors (NDs) have a place in the international arena and she’s actively making that happen through her organization. “Western medicine cannot handle the situation, there’s a huge hole. NDs fill this hole and offer solutions to remote areas using sustainable practices.” Moreover, it’s the little things that allow NDI to be a true part of the Nicaraguan community,

Tabatha neatly states, “It’s best to find simple solutions to major health problems. Providing a community with clean water goes far beyond what a medication can provide. This is what natural medicine is about, getting to the root of the issue.”

Community building, through work and play, is an integral part of NDI’s foundation. Farming is a central part of the community and some of its practices still rely upon pesticides. Groups at NDI dispense gloves, masks, and other protective gear to limit exposure, and work to educate framers about how the chemical toxins found within these pesticides can affect the body. And to drive the point home, NDI works on building the moral of the community. Baseball in Nicaragua is big, so NDI sponsored a baseball team in the local community. Out with the old uniforms and in with the new, and needless to say, the team members were thrilled. Through these examples, NDI is able gain the community’s trust and continue to demonstrate a true level of commitment to the health and wellness for the people of Ometepe.

NDI’s revolutionary work is still in its infancy, having only 5 years under its belt, and strategic plans for the future include adding NDI outposts in locations such as India and Mexico, as well as registering with the United Nations. Honestly, there appears to be no end in site for such a well-planned and thoughtful venture aimed at delivering quality health care for communities worldwide. When asked how she is able to continue her revolutionary work with NDI, she laughs,

“I’m inspired by many people. I surround myself with others who believe in the possibilities. Having the support of my husband and family is very helpful, and remembering to take time for myself to rejuvenate keeps me going strong.”

Yep. To say the least, Dr. Tabatha Parker will not only accumulate a cornucopia of success stories for NDI, she will ultimately change the world.

If you’re interested in meeting the people of NDI, you have an opportunity this Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 8pm. It will be a night of music, fun, and an opportunity to learn more about NDI’s adventures abroad.

Directions and location to NDI’s celebration.

Naturopathic philosophy is steeped in the tradition of sustaining health and vitality with basic, natural entities- sunshine, fresh air, clean water, and nutritious food. In our modern world, access to clean food seems harder than it should be. We are very lucky here in Oregon to be leaders in agriculture. In this part of the world, we can grow nearly anything! However, why is a state with an outstanding reputation for agriculture and agricultural trade unable to adequately provide all its people good, clean locally-grown produce?

Access to high-quality, fresh food is limited by varying economic factors. In general, food prices are increasing as oil prices continue to rise. Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has relentlessly pledged his time and efforts to improve food quality and access for Oregonians with lower economic resources. Just this week he joined local chefs to cook balanced, nutritious meals using an Oregon Food Bank food box. Our Governor gets it - he understands that providing access high-quality, fresh food involves not just throwing money at the problem; it involves making resourceful connections and building important infrastructure in the food web.

Making informed choices with food dollars involves packing every dollar spent with a nutritional punch.

Supporting local agriculture and food systems keeps food dollars in Oregon and acts as a working, sustainable network for consumers and farmers in our home state. Here’s how it works: families can connect with area produce growers at local farmers markets and through local Community Supported Agriculture ( CSAs). Other resources for finding local meat include: Northwest Natural Beef, Northwest Heritage Pork, Pine Mountain Buffalo, and Oregon Salmon. Creating connections with local farmers and growers add crucial links in community food webs and ultimately, promotes supportive, community environments. Connect and learn more about what’s going on in your community!