Quotes from my Notes...

We are driven to intervene because at some level we recognize that our patients are ourselves.  ~Bill Mitchell, ND

The illness a client brings is sacred. It is his/her vessel for transformation. Don’t be afraid of where their path takes them…. This is going to depend on you having traveled your own healing journey.  ~Debra Brammer, ND

The more they attribute their issues to other people, the farther they are from healing. ~ John Dye, ND
Patients coming to us usually need massive changes in their way of living, in their choices, in their lifestyles—and only through this change can treatment and then prevention occur. ~Mona Morstein, ND
 
I try not to launch into a full-blown nutritional diatribe highlighting the fact that arrogance and ignorance should not be combined in the same meal! Or is that protein and carbs? I can never remember.  ~unknown

Use your common sense first… then get weird if you need to!  ~Bill Mitchell, ND

Another modality in medicine, and one that is particularly important in naturopathic medicine, is the human modality itself. I refer to this as the application of “people and organizations” to the patient. Giving the patient people, or groups of people, contains within itself a healing power. This may seem obvious to us, but we seldom prescribe people as a medicine or modality. In the practice of naturopathic medicine, as I view it, I often refer patients to a yoga class, not only for the exercise, a well recognized modality, but for the interaction of the patient with people who are also seeking wellness. People are each others’ medicine in the ideal world.  ~Bill Mitchell, ND

There is no cure for the common cold because the cold is the cure! ~Jared Zeff, ND
 
Adaptogens are great!  But what about prescribing an adaptogenic lifestye?  ~JoAnn Sanchez
 
Every great doctor is a good philosopher. Go back to the elders, not to learn how they did things but to discover why; what were their truths? It is our philosophy which sets us apart in the medical model, not our modalities.  ~Jim Sensenig, ND

Live in such a way that you are a model of health, not perfection. Your task is to live the most conscious life you can; to be present with your emotions, qualities and faults. To treat yourself with respect and acceptance. You can exemplify health to your patients by being who you are & can facilitate their own acceptance of their current situation.  ~ Jared Zeff, ND

I always invite the patient on a journey.  The journey is to discover the highest self they can find among the baggage and sometimes the wreckage of their lives.  ~Bill Mitchell, ND

There is little difference between healing the body and healing the spirit.  One might say that the aware person does both. The concept of spirit is metaphysical while the concept of the body healing itself has been relegated to the physical realm.  And yet, both function at the unseen level.  ~Bill Mitchell, ND
 
Intention is the mid-wife to Actualization. ~Bill Mitchell, ND

A major philosophical difference to ponder.   Nowadays, drug/natural medicine interaction is being looked at with the idea that if a nutrient interferes with a drug, it should be avoided. I would suggest that if a nutrient can replace a drug or make a drug less needed, then the natural medicine takes precedence.   ~Bill Mitchell, ND

How often do you find that your heart is closed and your mouth is still open?  ~Jim Sensenig, ND
 
Your ducks will never be in a row!  ~ Unknown
 
Does what you eat require you to lend your vital force to it? Or does it actually build yours by giving more to you?  Supplements and processed foods have very little if any vital force, and may drain you when used in excess.  ~Sara Hazel, ND
 
Look at why the person is getting sick/injured. Are they somewhere they don’t want to be? Doing something they don’t want to do? Distracted by thoughts of being somewhere else, doing something else?  ~Paul Mittman, ND
 
The patient will often retrace their steps through their pathology, “paying off old debts”. But overall, the pt will still report feeling better. For most people, the healing process will not be all roses and birds chirping.  ~Paul Mittman, ND
 
You are going to spend a lot of your time coming up with compassionate, kind, and firm ways of saying "Of course you feel aweful.  Look at how you treat yourself!"  ~Teri Davis, ND
 
If I do not know all about them, how can I first treat their illness, and also instruct them why that illness occurred and how they can prevent it from ever coming back? I can’t. Everyone doesn’t need the same diet. Everyone doesn’t need or can’t do, the same exercise programs. Everyone doesn’t need the same amount of sleep.  ~Mona Morstein, ND