Medicines from the Earth Herb Symposium 2023

Pre-Conference Events on Friday, June 2

Symposium registration required to attend these extra events, plus extra fee. Choose up to two that don’t overlap!.

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Morning Intensive: Management of Complex Chronic Disease: Combining TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Concepts with Modern Biomedical Analysis ($89)
Jason Miller, DACM, LAc

As a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine and an advanced practitioner of botanical medicine based on biomedical testing and research, Jason Miller is uniquely qualified to bridge the gap between TCM and modern herbal therapies. In each section he presents botanical therapies along with time-tested TCM diagnosis and treatment:

• Spleen qi deficiency – The digestive system and the microbiome
• Phlegm-dampness – Metabolic syndrome, cell membranes and fatty acid metabolism
• Blood stagnation – Coagulation and thrombosis

See more details about this intensive in the summary below.

10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Ethnobotanical and Native Plant Field Study ($79)
David Winston, RH (AHG)
Limit: 35 people

We are delighted to welcome David Winston back to Medicines from the Earth in 2023! This field study has become a treasured annual institution at Medicines from the Earth. Join this perennial outdoor favorite for a day with David Winston examining the unique flora of the southeastern mountains and hearing stories of creation and the origin of medicine. Discover how the medicine, food and useful materials provided by the plants have nurtured the Native peoples and Appalachian settlers for millennia. Explore the healing power of the herbs, the water, the earth, the trees, and how you can make them a part of your life. This event fills every year, so please register early! Limit 35 participants.

CE NOTE: Approved for 5 Contact Hours for nurses (AHNA) and approved 5 hours of continuing education credit for acupuncturists. Sorry, but Oregon (OBNM) does not grant ND CME credits for herb walks and field studies.

1:00 PM – 5:15 PM
Intensive: Botanical Influences on Cell Membranes ($89)
Jillian Stansbury, ND
Cell biology is inextricably linked with genetics, pathology, epidemiology, epistemology, taxonomy, and anthropology ― Siddhartha Mukherjee in his new book, The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human

By understanding basic interactions on the level of the cell membranes, which are the mediators of all activity within the cell, we can become better at managing a host of conditions we see regularly as practitioners. This intensive investigates four of these interactions and the botanicals and pharmaceuticals acting on them: lipids/eicosanoids; glycoproteins/antivirals; ion channels/muscle relaxation and signal transduction/second messengers. Taken together, the parts of this intensive show us how using botanical medicine to affect cell membranes can improve the overall health of our patients. See more details about this intensive in the summary below.

1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Ecology, Propagation and Cultivation of Native and Oriental Medicinal Herbs at Mountain Gardens ($69)
Joe Hollis
Limit: 20 people
Joe Hollis specializes in the cultivation and harvest of Traditional Chinese herbal medicine plants at Mountain Gardens. This forty-year-old botanical garden showcases the largest collection of Chinese medicinal herbs in the eastern US. Follow expert botanist and horticulturist Joe Hollis on a leisurely plant walk with detailed information on the ecology, propagation and cultivation of the herbs. We also look at the Mountain Gardens nursery, apothecary and seed bank.

Symposium Schedule
Please note the new schedule beginning Friday, June 2 at 6:30 PM!
The main symposium begins on Friday evening. All events listed below, including the reception and keynote, are included in the basic registration fee. Schedule subject to minor changes.

Friday, June 2

6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Welcome Reception with music
Come join the fun! Joe Hallock & friends will play old-time music.

7:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Opening meeting with speaker introductions
Meet the weekend’s speakers and find out more about them.

8:00 PM – 9:30 PM

Keynote Address: Plants, People and Places, A Web of Life
Chris Kilham
In the world of medicinal plants, or herbs, the plants themselves, people who work with them and the places where they derive form a trio. In fact the world of beneficial medicinal plants is an entire bustling web of life. In places far and wide men and women of all backgrounds and talents work with herbs by the millions, whether in arid deserts or lush rainforests. With rare images and  first-hand stories we’ll explore some popular and highly beneficial medicinal plants, where they come from, and who works with them, an ultimate insider’s tour.

Saturday, June 3
(Concurrent lectures–choose one–no need to sign up in advance.)

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Clinical Applications of Medicinal Mushrooms with Synergistic Botanicals
Lise Alschuler, ND
This session reviews some of the latest findings on medicinal mushrooms and the mechanisms by which mushrooms interact with our immunity and influence our inflammatory response. While the immune-modulating effects of mushrooms are of critical importance, mushrooms are more than beta-glucans! Each mushroom has an array of compounds which lead to distinctive indications. The clinical significance of these differentiating features is explored leading to discrete applications. Additionally, by pairing mushrooms with botanicals, we can create powerful, synergistic formulas to enhance health.

Case Studies in the Naturopathic Treatment of Neurodegenerative Conditions
Kenneth Proefrock, NMD
Several case studies in a variety of neurodegenerative conditions are presented to illustrate the pharmacology of conventional care and how we specifically strategize to implement alternatives. In each case we discuss the biochemistry and rationale for the prescribed pharmacologic agents and then the botanical and nutritional strategies that we use to eliminate the pharmaceutical, or minimize its dosage, and/or modify its side effects.

Cases included in this discussion: Parkinson’s disease (2 cases), Multiple Sclerosis (1 case with commentary on other autoimmune conditions) and Dementia/Cognitive decline/Alzheimer’s (2 cases–Lewy body and Bismuth toxicity).

NEW! 40 Years of HerbalGram: Working to Ensure Accurate Herb Information and Authentic and Sustainably-Sourced Herbs
Mark Blumenthal, Founder and Executive Director, American Botanical Council; Editor in Chief of HerbalGram

We congratulate Mark Blumenthal on the 35th anniversary of the nonprofit American Botanical Council (ABC) and the 40th anniversary of its peer-review journal HerbalGram. Under his leadership, the organization has grown from an herbal education organization to one of the leading advocates and educators for the sustainability and authenticity of herbal materials. The Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP) has seen ABC collaborating for over 12 years with leaders in the botanical field to help members of the herbal industry identify and select authentic herbal materials and avoid buying cheap, intentionally mislabeled fraudulent materials. Additionally, ABC’s Sustainable Herbs Program has inspired and educated responsible herb companies to access sustainable and regeneratively farmed botanical materials. Mark’s lively presentation will increase awareness of the positive progress in responsible sectors of the herbal community and how we, as herbal consumers, benefit from this progress.

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Senescence, Senolytics, and Aging
Mary Bove, ND
Senescent cells play a key role in the aging process and in age-related diseases. Senolytic agents selectively target dysfunctional senescent cells and aid in clearing these dysfunctional cells from the body. This looks at several botanical senolytic agents, their application, dosing, and compounding several agents in formulation and safety.

Bringing Down the Numbers – the Herbal/Nutritional Treatment of Hypercholesterolemia and Hypertension
David Winston, RH (AHG)
Heart diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death in the industrialized world and two major risk factors for myocardial infarctions and stroke are hypertension and unhealthy blood lipids.  The rise in blood pressure and LDL/VLDL cholesterol are treated primarily with medication in the US.  While medication can “bring down the numbers”, it doesn’t always effectively deal with the underlying causes (obesity, metabolic syndrome, lack of exercise, poor diet, chronic stress, smoking, etc). In this class, we discuss herbal/nutritional/dietary interventions that not only help improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels but also help inhibit elevated blood sugar, inflammation, insulin resistance, stress, nutrient deficiencies and sleep issues that promote cardiovascular and other chronic degenerative diseases.

Mast Cells – Their Role in Health and Disease and Botanical Affectors
Jillian Stansbury, ND
Mast cells are renowned contributors to hypersensitivity reactions, particularly type-I hypersensitivity, through their release of histamine and proteases, as well as potent lipid mediators. The term “Mast Cell Mediator Disorders” is being used to refer to the trickster symptoms now being shown to be contributory to a wide range of disorders, which include not just allergic reactions, but a variety of cancers and autoimmune diseases. Many of these cases stump physicians, presenting as digestive, cardiac, psychiatric or other disorders. They are found to involve a spectrum of mast cell disorders only after years of misdiagnosis and ineffective treatment. This session will take a deep dive into exploring mast cell activity and botanical agents that can help control abnormal mast cell activation.

Plant Walk: Establishing Plant Relations
Kat Maier, RH (AHG)
This experiential class teaches simple methods for developing intimate relationships with the plants around us. We employ techniques such as wide angle vision, sketching, organoleptics, journaling, and other methods in order to understand the depth of the relationships that are available to us with plants. We also pay tribute to Goethe and his study of plant morphology

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Distress, Anxiety and Depression: A Botanically-Based Approach
Lise Alschuler, ND
Is “stress” a misnomer for anxiety and depression? The modern-day solution to chronic stress is often anxiolytic medications including benzodiazepines, 5HT agonists and beta-blockers, and antidepressant medications including SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclic and atypical antidepressants. While these medications may be helpful in some cases, many people experience side effects, dependence, and… continued stress. We present a botanically-based approach to distress including strategies for supporting the discontinuance of anxiolytics and antidepressants.

Medicinal Mushrooms in Oncology: Everything You Need to Know About Mushrooms and Cancer
Donald Yance, CN, RH (AHG)
The preparation, dosages and active compounds of five mushrooms are covered in this presentation: Trametes versicolor (turkey tail), Ganoderma lucidum (reishi), Inonotus obliquus (Chaga), Cordyceps spp and Lentinula edodes (Shiitake mushroom). In Japan and China medicinal mushroom preparations have been safely used in cancer care for over 30 years, either alone or combined with chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Drawing on long clinical experience, Donald Yance reviews the impact on patient survival, symptoms, pharmaceutical side effects, and quality of life for each of these fungi, in addition to published papers illustrating their effectiveness.

Bitters as Therapeutic Tonics (Demonstration)
Teresa Boardwine, RH (AHG)
Learn to create bitter tonics for systemic health issues. Bitter herbs can be used to affect long term issues such as hyperlipidemia, allergies, the gut/brain connection, trauma and anxiety. Taking examples of the bitter tonics of Italy and Germany, we will build our formulas to be suitable for quick relief and long term change, and explore better bitters for a healthy life.

Herb Walk
Doug and Todd Elliott
Whether pointing out poison ivy, pontificating on poke sallet, crooning about creasy greens, jiving about ginseng, or extolling the virtues of dandelions, these herbalists, authors, and storytellers will delight and amaze you with their broad, practical, scientific and cultural knowledge of the area’s many useful wild plants. Doug has been leading his special brand of herb walks at this event for over 25 years and we welcome him back for another in-person fun fest!

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Saturday Panel: Mild Cognitive Impairment: Can it be Halted or Reversed?
Lise Alschuler, ND, Kenneth Proefrock, ND and Katie Stage, ND, RH (AHG), FABNG
As our population ages, millions of Americans are being diagnosed with MCI: Mild Cognitive Impairment, which does not yet interfere that much with daily tasks but can progress to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Patients are told there’s really nothing they can do. Many drugs have been tested for treating MCI and the early signs of AD, and just a handful have been approved. Is there another way? Panelists talk about their experiences in the clinical management of MCI, and the wide-ranging causes and possible solutions.

Lise Alschuler, ND
A naturopathic doctor with board certification in naturopathic oncology, Lise Alschuler has been practicing since 1994. She graduated from Brown University with an undergraduate degree in Medical Anthropology and received a doctoral degree in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University. Dr. Alschuler is past-President of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and a founding board member and current President of the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians. She is currently an independent consultant in the area of practitioner and consumer health education. More about Lise Alschuler.

1. Clinical Applications of Medicinal Mushrooms with Synergistic Botanicals
2. Distress, Anxiety and Depression: A Botanically-Based Approach
3. Saturday Panel: Mild Cognitive Impairment: Can it be Halted or Reversed?

Rebecca Beyer, MA
Rebecca Beyer is the woman behind the Blood and Spicebush School of Old Craft. She lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where she manages a homestead and teaches traditional witchcraft, foraging, and Appalachian folk medicine. She has a BS in Plant and Soil science from the University of Vermont and a Masters in Appalachian Studies and Sustainability, concentrating in Appalachian Ethnobotany at Appalachian State University. She is also a member of the Association of Foragers. She spends her days trying to learn what her ancestors did and finding ways to share traditional skills while tackling cultural appropriation and the complexities of living in the modern world. More about Rebecca Beyer.

1. Outdoor Walk: Appalachian Folk Uses of Local Plants

Mark Blumenthal
The founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council and the editor and publisher of HerbalGram (an international, peer-reviewed quarterly journal), Mark has written hundreds of articles and appears on national radio and TV. More about Mark Blumenthal.

1. 40 Years of HerbalGram: Working to Ensure Accurate Herb Information and Authentic and Sustainably-Sourced Herbs

Teresa Boardwine, RH (AHG)
Green Comfort School of Herbal Medicine in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, is where Teresa Boardwine offers classes, consultations, and online access to her workshops. She has been teaching her hands-on medicine-making classes for over 20 years. More about Teresa Boardwine.

1. Bitters as Therapeutic Tonics (Demonstration)
2. Creating an Herbal Day Spa at Home

Mary Bove, ND
A clinical medical herbalist, Mary Bove had a practice in family medicine in Brattleboro, Vermont for over 20 years. where she assisted at the birth of a whole generation of children. She is the author of An Encyclopedia of Natural Healing for Children and Infants, and co-author of Herbs for Women’s Health. Since starting her herbal journey at age 18, Mary has held firm to three tenets: “Walk your talk, believe in the plants and practice herbalism every day in your life.” More about Mary Bove.

1. Senescence, Senolytics, and Aging
2. Simplicity of Simples in Botanical Medicine
3. Sunday Panel: Self Care: One of the Most Challenging and Rewarding Aspects of Patient (and our own) Health

Doug and Todd Elliott
For many years Doug Elliott earned his living as a traveling herbalist collecting and selling herbs, teas and old-time remedies. Along with healing plants, Doug searches out old-timers and elders from various cultures. From these bearers of tradition, he has assembled an extensive body of knowledge of the botanical aspects of plants, their history, legends, and lore, their uses in various cultures, medicinal properties, food value, as well as other practical ways we can use wild plants every day. More about Doug Elliott.

Not surprisingly, Doug’s son Todd Elliott has had a passion for the natural world since childhood, which led him to co-author his first peer-reviewed scientific publication by age 14. His ongoing studies of global biodiversity and interrelationships in nature have taken him to remote corners of the world on six continents. Todd has collaborated on many publications covering this research, and his book Mushrooms of the Southeast (USA) was released in 2018. He is currently a PhD candidate in Environmental and Rural Science at the University of New England, focusing on the role of macrofungi in vertebrate diets. More about Todd Elliott

1. Two herb walks

Joe Hollis
Joe Hollis has lectured, consulted and taught workshops in medicinal herb identification, cultivation and processing at Mountain Gardens and at various colleges and conferences in North Carolina for over 30 years. Mountain Gardens sells its seeds, plants and preparations at herb fairs and medicinal herb conferences, and via the internet. More about Joe Hollis.

Presentation:
1. Friday, 1:00 – 5:00 PM: Ecology, Propagation and Cultivation of Native and Oriental Medicinal Herbs at Mountain Gardens ($69)

Chris Kilham
Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter, author, educator and TV personality who promotes natural, plant-based medicines, sustainable botanical trade and indigenous cultures. He has conducted ethnobotanical plant research in 45 countries and lectures worldwide about holistic wellness and botanical medicines. Chris helps to develop and popularize traditional medicinal plants, including kava, maca, rhodiola, ashwagandha, ayahuasca, and hundreds of others.

Chris has been featured in The New York Times, Outside Magazine, Forbes, Psychology Today, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, CNN, NBC Nightly News, The Dr. Oz Show, Fox News Health, ABC Good Morning America, ABC Nightline, and many other top-tier media venues. He has written 15 books, including The Ayahuasca Test Pilots Handbook, The Five Tibetans, and his latest, The Lotus and the Bud: Cannabis, Consciousness, and Yoga Practice. The New York Times calls Chris “Part David Attenborough, part Indiana Jones.” More about Chris Kilham.

1. Keynote Address: Plants, People and Places, A Web of Life
2. Peru’s Sacred Plant Boom and Sustainability

Kat Maier, RH (AHG)
A practicing herbalist for over twenty years, Kat Maier is currently director of Sacred Plant Traditions in Charlottesville, Virginia where she offers a three-year clinical/community herbalist training program. She began studying plants in the Peace Corps in Chile. More about Kat Maier.

1. We Are Stardust: Trace Elements as Foundational Building Blocks of Health
2. Plant Walk: Establishing Plant Relations
3. Sunday Panel: Self Care: One of the Most Challenging and Rewarding Aspects of Patient (and our own) Health

Jason Miller, DACM, LAc
Jason Miller, DACM, LAc, practices botanical and nutritional medicine, acupuncture, and Asian bodywork at his clinic, Jade Mountain Medicine, in Ashland, Oregon. He received his master’s degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in 2005 and completed a postgraduate internship at the “House of Celebrity Doctors” in Nanjing, China. He earned his Doctorate of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in 2018. His approach bridges the frameworks of traditional and modern medicine in the management of chronic disease. At Jade Mountain, he specializes in the management of cancer, diabetes and neuromuscular disorders. More about Jason Miller.

1. Friday Morning Intensive: Management of Complex Chronic Disease: Combining TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Concepts with Modern Biomedical Analysis ($89)
2. The TCM Essence / Modern Genetics Parallel: From Congenital to Post-Congenital / From Digital to Analog

Kenneth Proefrock, NMD
A naturopathic physician practicing in Sun City, Arizona, Kenneth Proefrock specializes in difficult-to-treat conditions in his clinic, Total Wellness. He is the Vice President of the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners and chair of the biochemistry portion of the naturopathic physician’s licensing exam. His lectures combine a detailed understanding of biochemistry and physiology with a passion for plant medicine. More about Kenneth Proefrock.

1. Tropane Alkaloids: From the History of Pharmacy to the Modern Practice of Botanical Medicine
2. Case Studies in the Naturopathic Treatment of Neurodegenerative Conditions
3. Saturday Panel: Mild Cognitive Impairment: Can it be Halted or Reversed?

Katie Stage, ND, RH (AHG), FABNG
Katie Stage, ND, RH (AHG), FABNG is a naturopathic physician and registered herbalist of the American Herbalists Guild. Her lectures are full of clinical information based on experience in her practice in family medicine at the SUHS Medical Center in Tempe, AZ, where she practices family medicine focusing on optimizing women’s/men’s health, gastrointestinal diseases, and mental health. Her lectures combine clinical information with a deep respect for indigenous healing and the ability to heal oneself through connection with nature and simple lifestyle practices. She is also a member of the Ric Scalzo Botanical Research Institute.More about Katie Stage.

Presentations:
1. How to Put the Brakes on the Runs: Approaches to Finding the Root Cause and Treatment of Persistent Diarrhea
2. Saturday Panel: Mild Cognitive Impairment: Can it be Halted or Reversed?

Jillian Stansbury, ND
Jillian Stansbury is a naturopathic physician who has been practicing in SW Washington State for over 30 years, specializing in women’s health, mental health, and chronic disease. She holds undergraduate degrees in Medical Illustration and Medical Assisting and graduated with honors in both programs. She was the chair of the botanical medicine department at the National University of Natural Medicine for over 20 years. Jill has recently published five herbal formularies for health professionals, comprehensive, practical reference manuals for herbalists, physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals More about Jillian Stansbury.

1. Friday Afternoon Intensive: Botanical Influences on Cell Membranes ($89)
2. Mast Cells – Their Role in Health and Disease and Botanical Affectors
3. Thought Disorders – A Survey of the Safety of Botanical Medicines in Schizophrenia

Marc Williams, MA
Ethnobiologist Marc Williams has taught hundreds of classes to thousands of people about plants, humans, other life forms and their interface. His training includes a B.A. in Environmental Studies/Sustainable Agriculture from Warren Wilson College with a minor in Business and a M.A. in Appalachian Studies/Sustainable Development from Appalachian State University with a minor in Planning/Geography. He has spent over 20 years working at various restaurants, farms, and travels throughout 30 countries in Central/North/South America, Europe and all 50 states in the USA. More about Marc Williams.

1. Invasivorism – Making Tasty Food from some Challenging Weeds (Demonstration)
2. Outdoor Walk: Identifying and Using Appalachian Medicinal Plants

David Winston, RH (AHG)
David Winston is an Herbalist and Ethnobotanist with 54 years of training in Chinese, Western/Eclectic and Southeastern herbal traditions. He has been in clinical practice for 47 years and is an herbal consultant to physicians, herbalists and researchers throughout the USA, Europe and Canada. David is the founder/director of the Herbal Therapeutics Research Library and the dean of David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies, a two-year training program in clinical herbal medicine. He is an internationally known lecturer and frequently teaches at medical schools, professional symposia and herb conferences. He is the president of Herbalist & Alchemist, Inc. a manufacturer that produces herbal products that blend the art and science of the world’s great herbal traditions. More about David Winston can be located at Herbal Studies.

1. Friday Field Study: Ethnobotanical and Native Plant Field Study ($79)
2. Bringing Down the Numbers – The Herbal/Nutritional Treatment of Hypercholesterolemia and Hypertension

Donald Yance, CN, RH (AHG)
Donnie Yance, RH (AHG) is a clinical master herbalist and certified nutritionist who is internationally recognized for his comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the healing properties of plants and nutrition. Donnie conducts his clinical practice at the Mederi Center in Ashland, Oregon, utilizing his unique integrative model known as the Eclectic Triphasic Medical System, which he evolved over more than twenty years of successful patient care. More about Donald Yance.

1. Medicinal Mushrooms in Oncology: Everything You Need to Know About Mushrooms and Cancer
2. Aging and the Immune System: Using Botanical and Dietary Compounds for Immune Enhancement and Clearance of Senescent Cells to Combat Aging, Infection, and Chronic Disease
3. Sunday Panel: Self Care: One of the Most Challenging and Rewarding Aspects of Patient (and our own) Health

Lodging, Meal and Travel Information

All inclusive lodging and meal packages start at $343 total for two nights’ lodging and 6 meals. Commuter meals are also available for $109 for the weekend.

Alternate Lodging in Asheville: View list

Cancellations
Before May 11, symposium and intensive fees will be refunded minus $50 processing fee per registrant. No refunds can be given after May 11, 2023. Please make all refund requests by email.

Continuing Education Information

• Please sign up for CE when you submit your registration form ($29 additional fee for all CE)
• We offer CE, CME and PDAs through these approvals
• Credits issued for full or partial attendance
• Totals below include attendance at Friday events

Continuing Education Credits:

NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIANS:

• Approved for up to 38.5 hours of which 11.5 can be pharmacy (OBNM)
• Full ND CE approval details

ACUPUNCTURISTS:

• Approved for up to 20.5 PDA for live event only (NCCAOM)
• Full NCCAOM approval details

NURSING:

• Approved for up to 55 Contact Hours
• Full nursing continuing education details

This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by the American Holistic Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Approved to award 55 contact hours.

Approval for contact hours through the American Holistic Nurses Association is based on an assessment of the educational merit of this program and does not constitute endorsement of the use of any specific modality in the care of clients.

We will post application status and details of approvals as they are available. Number of credits depends on which lectures are attended.

CE Questions? Contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Exhibitors

The exhibit hall will take place in the hallways of Highsmith Union this year, right in the heart of all the activity! You can shop and browse between sessions and during breaks without leaving the main building.

If you’re interested in being an exhibitor, please contact us.

Detailed Summaries of Friday Intensives

Friday, June 4
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Morning Intensive: Management of Complex Chronic Disease: Combining TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Concepts with Modern Biomedical Analysis ($89)
Jason Miller, DACM, LAc

As a Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and an advanced practitioner of botanical and nutritional medicine based on biomedical testing and research, Jason Miller is uniquely qualified to bridge the gap between TCM macroecology and modern medical analysis. In this intensive he presents a series of three modules on TCM and its biomedical correlations:

Spleen Qi Deficiency, the Digestive System, and the Microbiome:
From deep in antiquity, the TCM term, “Spleen Qi Deficiency” has been used to describe a set of symptoms that is encountered frequently in the clinic today. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been identified as a major factor in a host of modern chronic diseases, and in TCM theory, all chronic disease stems from dysfunction of the Qi. The Spleen Organ Network is a functional network, and includes functional aspects of the stomach, spleen, duodenum, and pancreas. It is literally in the center of our bodies. Through elegant and complex interactions between many interwoven systems, the Spleen refines what we eat, transforming our food into tiny, bioavailable metabolites that supply our body with nutritive Qi, Essence, and nutrition. This action is achieved through the complex interaction of many specific enzymes, the microbiota, and the diverse community of cells that make-up the human GI tract.

Phlegm-Dampness, Metabolic Syndrome, Cell Membranes, and Fatty Acid Metabolism:
For centuries, doctors of Taoist medicine have identified the pattern of phlegm/dampness in their patients. The diagnosis is made based on an extensive physical exam, thorough questioning, and an observation of the tongue and pulse. The existence of Phlegm-Damp Syndrome, often accompanied by Liver Qi Stagnation and Spleen Qi Deficiency, parallels the biomedical diagnosis of Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is defined as the existence of the following factors: hypertension, high blood sugar and insulin levels, excess body fat around the waist, plus abnormal cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels. The biomedical standard of care approach to understanding lipid metabolism and its role in cardiovascular health is often based on a superficial assessment. In this section we will delve into the complex set of factors that influence lipid metabolism, the health of the cell membrane, the cardiovascular network, and how to address them.

Blood Stagnation – Coagulation, and Thrombosis:
The TCM diagnosis of Blood Stagnation is made based on the observation of a number of specific factors in the overall physiological assessment of the patient. When coupled with a biomedical assessment of a specific set of coagulation-related biomarkers, physiological targets become more specific, and synergistic therapies can be applied effectively. In this section, we’ll cover key blood stagnation related biomarkers, their utility and application for specific conditions (including cancer), and key therapeutic strategies to address them. We will cover interventions from several toolboxes, including: botanical and nutritional medicine, diet and lifestyle, as well as pharmaceutical agents, with special focus on the integration of therapies from multiple toolboxes into synergistic protocols.

Elemental Endocrinology: The Five Organ Networks and Biomedicine:
The contents of this section will be woven throughout the intensive, and we will close with an overview of the biomedical correlations with the TCM Five Organ Networks. We will look at physiological function, organic organs versus functional networks, and we will overlay symptoms with biomarkers.

Friday, June 4
1:00 PM – 5:15 PM
Afternoon Intensive: Botanical Influences on Cell Membranes ($89)
Jillian Stansbury, ND

Understanding the basic interactions on the level of the cell membrane can help us manage a host of different conditions and understand why our therapies work, and how to wean patients from pharmaceuticals in favor of botanicals and other natural substances with similar effects.

This intensive presents an overview of four influences on cell membranes and their therapeutic applications:

1) Lipids & Eicosanoids: Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are versatile anti-inflammatory agents used to make eicosanoids (compounds derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are involved in cellular activity).  These lipids are used to synthesize prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and thromboxanes with profound impact on allergies, chronic disease, and inflammatory cascades. Important botanical sources of  membrane lipids are reviewed along with the clinical application for allergic disorders, neurodegeneration and vascular disease.

2) Glycoproteins & Antiviral Drugs –  Whisker-like glycoprotein chains project outward from cell surfaces and play important roles in cell to cell communication, pattern recognition and the entry of various substances into cells.  Viruses, for example, may trick some cells into allowing them entry by binding glycoprotein receptors.  Metabolic diseases such as diabetes involve gumming up of glycoproteins in a manner that interferes with cell function.  A survey of important glycoprotein mechanisms and relevant herbal and drug affectors are reviewed.

3) Ion Channels & Muscle Relaxation – Ion channels control the flow of sodium, calcium, potassium and chloride through the cell membrane and are especially important to the function of nerve and heart muscle cells.  Many botanical medicines calm electrical excitability and relax spastic muscles via effects at ion channels.  Common pharmaceuticals for hypertension and arrhythmias are used as examples along with botanical agents useful as hypotensive agents and muscle relaxants.

4) Signal Transduction & 2nd Messengers – The domino-cascade sequence of steps that allow cell surface events to create appropriate responses inside the cell is referred to as “signal transduction”.  Cells capable of very rapid response possess second messengers such as G proteins or cyclic AMP that speed the delivery of cell surface phenomena.   Botanical agents that improve metabolic rate, heart function, and other cellular responses via enhancing signal transduction are explored.

Taken together, the parts of this intensive form a picture of just some of the ways cell membranes have direct effects on health.