February 2014 John Weeks Integrator Round-Up: People

John Weeks

February 11, 2014

by John Weeks, Publisher Editor of The Integrator Blog News & Reports Kasra Pournadeali, ND takes over as president of the American Association of Naturopathic PhysiciansThe Washington Association of Naturopathic Physicians has released a statement honoring its former president, Kasra Pournadeali, ND

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

Kasra Pournadeali, ND takes over as president of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians

The Washington Association of Naturopathic Physicians has released a statement honoring its former president, Kasra Pournadeali, ND as the new president of his profession's national association, the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. The statement shared, in part, that Pournadeali "brings to the position experience of private practice and teaching, and expertise in politics and media." The statement adds that Pournadeali is the founder of the Northwest Center for Optimal Health, in Marysville, Washington. His clinic is a naturopathic residency training center, accredited by the Council for Naturopathic Medical Education. He has been a provider for over 20 years, and has held faculty appointments at Bastyr University and the University of Washington. Pournadeali takes over for Michael Cronin, ND, whose administration brought in a new CEO, and a broader, more involved committee structure.

AHPA view - supplement critic Congressman Henry Waxman to not seek re-election

In an e-news note, the American Herbal Products Association noted the decision of Henry Waxman (D-CA) to not seek re-election after 40 years. AHPA executive director Michael McGuffin states: "Congressman Waxman always presented himself as acting with the best of intentions in his ongoing efforts to amend DSHEA. But he has been out of touch with his supplement-using constituents for many years, and though he may be missed for his intelligence and experience, his unwillingness to accept that DSHEA is a good law will be his primary legacy in the supplement industry." Waxman serves the supplement using populations of Hollywood and the surrounding beautiful people zones.

Comment: Waxman's avid antagonism toward supplements would appear to flow from a fundamental belief that industry needs regulating. This is common among his fellow Democrats. Where he went over a line was in frequently using inflammatory language in his criticism. (As an interesting side-note, AHPA's keynoter for its annual meeting will be former Mexican president Vincente Fox. Now that is a surprise.)
About the Author:

John Weeks

John Weeks

John Weeks is a writer, speaker, chronicler and organizer with 32 years of experience in the movement for integrative health and medicine. the long-time founder/editor of The Integrator Blog News & Reports, a primary connective terrain for the diverse stakeholders and professions in the field and was invited in May 2016 to serve as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Besides his Integrative Practitioner column, he presently writes for Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, the Huffington Post and elsewhere.

He increasingly enjoys teaching and mentoring. He has keynoted, led plenary sessions, breakouts, and offered guest lectures for dozens of organizations ranging from the Bastyr University to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the UCLA School of Medicine to the Institute for Health and Productivity Management, the AANP and AIHM to the American Hospital Association. He has consulted with insurers, employers, professional organizations, universities and government agencies at all levels.

As an organizer, Weeks convened the Integrative Medicine Industry Leadership Summits (2000-2002), directed the National Education Dialogue to Advance Integrated Care (2004-2006), fund-raised the start-up of the Integrated Healthcare Policy Consortium (2002), and co-founded the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health, which he directed 2007-2015. In 2014, three consortia and others combined to grant him a Lifetime Achievement Living Tribute Award. Four academic institutions have granted Weeks honorary doctorates for his work. Seattle-based, he considers himself a particularly lucky soul to have worked remotely while living with his spouse Jeana Kimball, ND, MPH, and their children in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico for 6 of the last 15 years.

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