Yay! Tomorrow is the Green Sprouts fest!! Please go check it out. Dr. Jenny will be there at our table while I have a snuggle at home with our new baby boy. He’s just over a week old, so we won’t be attending this year. We are doing great! We had an amazing waterbirth at home. Our family feels truly blessed.
Hi everyone! Most of you know that we’re expecting our second baby in September, but I wanted to get the word out at any rate. Next week is my last week at the office before I go into major mama mode and bring our new little one into the world. I will be out of the office from 9/5/11-10/11/11. When I come back, I will be in the office on a very part-time basis for the month of October. I will add more hours in November and December, and will be back to my full schedule in January.
While I’m out, Dr. Jenny Maurer (at our clinic) will be covering my practice. She will be available to see you at the clinic for any of the concerns you would normally see me for. If you have well-baby, well-child, or adult wellness checkups that are due, she is happy to do those too. I will be in the office this Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday wrapping things up, so please give a ring if you have any questions!
We don’t know if our baby is a boy or a girl (YET), but I will post here when the baby is safely born. See you all this coming fall!!!
I am a firm believer that changes must be realistic and changes take practice. Check out this video from TED TV, and see if it motivates you to do something you’ve wanted to do for your health. 
Well, the good news for us here in the Pacific NW is that only miniscule amounts of radioactive iodine were detected this week. I will maintain that everyone keep some Iodine on hand because we are not done dealing with the catastrophe in Japan. Additionally, if you live on the West coast, you know that we are on the same techtonic plate as the one currently shifting about, causing the earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan. Make sure you know what to do, where to go, and how to set up a plan for your family in the event of a major earthquake or tsunami here. I like the 72 hours page, which was developed by the city of San Francisco. It has great visuals, tips, and checklists to make sure you and your family are prepared (not scared).
If you have not already done so, I urge you to help in whatever way you can for our fellow humans in Japan. It is still devastating the nation over there. Some of my favorite donation/relief websites:
So far, only tiny amounts of radiation have been detected in the US. Science likens it to the amount of radiation a person would be exposed to taking a cross country airplane flight.
This article came out today. Keep checking back for updates. My recommendations have not changed at this time regarding iodine supplementation (see below)
In health,
Dr. Roe
Hi all,
I have been reading the news this week regarding the devastation in Japan, watching some of the impact fall right into our laps here on the West Coast. Quite a few patients have contacted me this week wondering if they should be taking Potassium Iodide. The short an answer is, I don’t know.
There is very little conclusive evidence available at this time to make a definitive recommendation. However, I did come across this map that shows the likely flow of the radiation plume from the nuclear power plant. Many people want and need a plan of action.
What I do know is that it’s smart to be prepared. As a naturopathic doctor and midwife, I can’t stress that enough in any realm of health. What I also know is that I want to protect my patients and my family. So, for that reason I am recommending that each family get some Potassium Iodide. I think it’s wise to have it on hand at this point.
If your local stores are out of it, I have found some at Amazon.com. We also got a shipment this afternoon at our clinic of Potassium Iodide drops. The dosing::ONLY IN THE EVENT OF ACTUAL RADIATION EXPOSURE:: is as follows (from cdc.gov):
Many forms of Potassium Iodide that you will find in stores come in microgram dosages, so make sure to do the appropriate math. You want to take milligram dosages should we have actual radiation exposure.
In the meantime, we should be focusing on Iodine-rich foods to build our stores up a bit. I’ll be updating this blog as the story develops. So check back. I’ll leave you with this list of yummy foods to munch on:
Asparagus
Dulse
Garlic
Kelp
Lima beans
Mushrooms
Seafood
Sea salt and fortified salt
Seaweed
Sesame seeds
Soybeans
Spinach
Summer squash
Swiss chard
Turnip greens
From my kitchen (more to come):
Healthy Mac N Cheez: Dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free
Ingredients:
1 package gluten-free pasta of your choice
4 cups fresh chopped cooking greens (spinach, chard, kale, or collards)
1/3 cup nutritional yeast powder
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBS tamari sauce (this is a good wheat-free alternative to soy sauce)
Directions:
1. Cook pasta as directed. When through, drain and return pasta to saucepan.
2. Saute greens over medium heat with a little olive oil until tender and bright.
3. Add olive oil and tamari to pasta, mixing thoroughly with pasta
4. Add nutritional yeast and greens to pasta, stirring it all together!
Enjoy hot or cold as a delicious alternative to boxed mixes.
My buddy, Kurt Beil, wrote a really interesting article last summer that I don’t think I have shared here on my blog. Kurt is an ND/Acupuncturist who studied Environmental Public Health as well. His focus is on how Nature heals us. I think we all know that getting out into the fresh air and sunshine (when it does shine here in Portland) makes us feel better at a core level. Kurt’s research proves it.
I know that when I was in medical school, stressing out over some exam or research paper could easily be remedied by lacing up my running shoes and heading for one of the many green spaces and hiking trails. They’re calling it “Vitamin G”, G for green! It’s just so TRUE. So after you finish reading this article, get outside and bask in nature. It’s for your own good. 
Natural Medicine: The healing effects of the exposure to nature.
The most striking things that I noticed about healthcare in New Zealand was that naturopathic medicine is not yet licensed there. I talked to lots of folks while I was there, and it seems that the people are indeed open to (and ready for!) naturopathic medicine to take its place amongst the current healthcare options. That, my friends, will be a truly pioneering body of work.
Did you know that not all states in the U.S. are even licensed for naturopathic doctors? There are only 15 states in which qualified ND’s can work as primary care providers, with 8 additional states vying for licensure.
This year, there is an amazing event happening to raise awareness of naturopathic medicine and how crucial it is to a balanced, progressive healthcare system. 
Dr. Dennis Godby will be running across the entire United States, stopping in small towns and large cities to spread the word. You should check out his page and endorse him if you believe in the healing power of nature!
My family and I have just returned from a sunny summer trip to New Zealand to visit our relatives. It was so fun for me to check out the local plants and herbs growing there. Much of New Zealand is lush, green, and bursting with plant life, many of which I had not seen before. Some plants were relatives of the medicinal plants we have here in the Pacific NW.
One plant I did not get a good photo of was the Manuka bush. Honey made from the bees that frequent these bushes can have extremely high antibacterial qualities. You can actually find some here in the states. There is a rating system which uses UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) as a strength indicator, so you know what you’re looking for:
The UMF Ratings (measure of antibacterial strength):
It’s mostly useful for external wounds—to help with the healing process. If you’ve ever used hydrogen peroxide to clean a cut or scrape, Manuka honey will do just as well (without the free radical damage done by peroxide). In fact, Manuka honey does use some peroxide activity to kill bacteria, a very small amount mixed in with other anti-microbials. So yay for honey!
I’ll leave you with some of my own photos taken of the other plants I liked! Enjoy a little slideshow and a slice of NZ scenery.
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