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NY Licensure Bill was Held Thank you for your calls and support. Despite having a majority of supporters on the committee, the Naturopathic licensing bill was held for further consideration on the recommendation of the committee chair yesterday. In New York, the committee members would have to vote in opposition to the chair's recommendation in order to move the bill. Four members, including Assembly Member Englebright of Long Island DID vote against the "hold" and for licensure. Still, it was not enough and the bill is essentially stopped in committee once again based on concerns raised by the medical society such as "people might be confused that they are seeing an MD" and "naturopathic care overlaps with care provided by other practitioners." This is not the end for us. As President of the NYANP, I assure you that we will continue on this path to passing a law that allows NDs to practice in NY as we do in others states where a license exists. We believe New Yorkers deserve access to Naturopathic care. Please DO call the committee chair (518-455-4841) and your NY legislators and let them know how you feel about licensing NDs and the fact that the bill was not allowed to proceed. Every call counts. With much appreciation for joining me in this effort, Dr. Doni
Assembly Higher Education Committee Members Chair: Deborah Glick 518-455-4841 Non-Sponsors: They really need to hear from you! · Inez D. Barron 518-455-5912 · Michael J. Fitzpatrick 518-455-5021 · Ellen Jaffee 518-455-5118 · Charles D. Lavine 518-455-5456 · William Magee 518-455-4807 · Joel M. Miller 518-455-5725 · Joseph D. Morelle 518-455-5373 · Audrey I. Pheffer 518-455-4292 · Mike Spano 518-455-3662 · Lou Tobacco 518-455-4495 Sponsors: Let them know how much you appreciate their continued support. · Tom Alfano 518-455-4627 Sponsor
· Marc W. Butler 518-455-5393 Multisponsor; VOTED AGAINST THE HOLD
· Kevin A. Cahill 518-455-4436 Sponsor
· Michael Cusick 518-455-5526 Multisponsor
· Steve Englebright 518-455-4804 Sponsor; VOTED AGAINST THE HOLD
· Barbara Lifton 518-455-5444 Multisponsor
· Donna A. Lupardo 518-455-5431 Multisponsor
· Amy Paulin 518-455-5585 Multisponsor
· Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes 518-455-5005 Multisponsor; VOTED AGAINST THE HOLD
· Jack Quinn 518-455-4462 Multisponsor
· Al Stirpe 518-455-4505 Multisponsor
· James D. Conte 518-455-5732 Sponsor; VOTED AGAINST THE HOLD
· Nelson L. Castro 518-455-5511 Sponsor
· Richard N. Gottfried 518-455-4941
Donielle Wilson, ND, CPM
Naturopathic Doctor and Certified Professional Midwife
Empowering Women's Wellness - Naturally
NYANP President and Executive Director
Locations: NYC, Port Jefferson (Long Island) and Stamford, CT
631.682.9190
For Appointments and Orders: office@doctordoni.com
www.doctordoni.com
www.glutenfreequest.com Connect with me online!
Blog
Twitter Where I post my favorite gluten-free foods!
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 How did Lobby Day go?
(Dr. Doni pictured here with Assembly Member Gottfried, his legislative director, Monica, and Dr. Paul Mittman, President of Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine)
Each year I make a trip to Albany with my amazing colleagues. We make it our goal to talk with as many New York legislators as possible to let them know both how important it is to license Naturopathic Doctors in NY, and how to improve their health with natural approaches. It was spectacular! With every conversation, I feel one step closer to passing the law!
Please be sure to reach out to your NY State Senator and Assembly member and let them know how important naturopathic medicine is in your life. Click this link to send an email to your legislators (all you need is your address...it will know your legislators).
Here is to Naturopathy for Every New Yorker!
Dr. Doni
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Meet Dr. Doni at St. James Natural Foods
Saturday, May 15th from 1 to 3 pm
Come and ask me your questions about women's health.
Whether you have PMS, Peri-menopausal Hot Flashes, Insomnia, Anxiety, Menstrual Cramps, Irregular periods or difficulty getting pregnant, I would love to help. Come learn the secrets to balancing your hormones naturally and feel good every day of the month!
Addressing women's health for me is all about compassion. Read more about my approach in my blog!
Learn my weight loss secrets too!
I put my personal tricks for weight loss into tips that will work for everyone to create a diet for life. The goal is not only to lose weight, but to stay healthy. We'll talk all about it and grab food right off the shelves at St. James Natural Foods. What better then to have get started right there in the store. See you soon! Dr. Doni
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I went to my first Karate class today! What an awesome experience! A new and wonderfully fun and amazing friend of mine owns a Dojo in Manhattan where she teaches Karate. Getting to know her inspired me to do something I never thought I'd do: Karate! Growing up on gymnastics and dance, I love movement classes, in fact I have a minor in dance and taught both dance and gymnastics during college and naturopathic medical school. Many of my classmates remember me as a movement specialist! Over the past decade, while growing my practice and my daughter, I have kept moving in yoga classes and at the gym (weight training, and, a recent favorite, Zumba). All of which have continued to be ways to nurture myself and connect with my body. But Karate! Wow! It really knocked my socks off, in a good way! In all the various movement classes I've ever taken or taught, I've never experienced this sort of deep centeredness and at the same time ... connectedness. First we "warmed up" with stretches and positions, not so different then those that were ingrained in my system from many-a-dance class. Then we practiced punches and kicks in varying directions and orders. All the while following the count of the teacher. The language of Karate class as a student consists of yelling (where else do we get to yell?) and the word "osu," which my friend explained means everything from yes to no, and ok too. The best part was when we were paired up to "spare” with each other using the techniques just practiced. When standing across from a woman with a black belt who said to me "hit me," my reply was "really?" "Yes, please!" she said, and I did! She hit me too, and it was not at all what I expected. It was not so much a release of energy as it was an exchange of energy. As my friend explained, the hits and blocks in martial arts are about receptivity and the flow of energy. What I can tell you is that the level of acceptance, playfulness and respect all at the same has me completed impressed and wanting to go back as soon as possible!
If you haven’t thought of a new fun way to get your body moving, consider joining me at the Society for Martial Arts Instruction at 4 W. 18th in Manhattan. sfmai.org.
Osu,
Dr. Doni
 When talking with a patient yesterday, I realized what it is that makes my approach to healing unique.
This particular patient, in her thirties, has not had a period in over a year. She eats healthfully, exercises, and would like to have a baby in the near future, but she would rather get pregnant naturally then to take synthetic hormones and medications, which is the recommendation she received from conventional care.
Whether we like having our period or not, a consistent menstrual cycle is a sign of good health! When the cycle is off track, no matter what conventional medicine calls it (amenorrhea, PCOS, peri-menopause, premature ovarian failure, luteal phase defect), the bottom line is that some things are out of balance (usually not just the ovaries) and it is possible to not only figure out what is out of balance, but also to rebalance it all again. Menopause, an example of when not having a consistent menstrual cycle is normal, offers an opportunity to understand how the body shifts when estrogen and progesterone levels change. We can quickly see that everything shifts including glucose and insulin and even neurotransmitters like serotonin, are all of a sudden different then they were before, leading to abdominal weight gain, mood changes and sleep issues (to name a few).
The part that goes "unseen" are the receptors. Receptors are the locks in the doorways to your cells. If the lock won't open, the hormones (insulin for example) or neurotransmitters, are not going to be effective. “It is just that your body is off track and it is not able to find its way back. If only we could push the reset button!” I said to the patient who simply wants her period back. Instead, what we can do is listen, understand and support the body back to health. The receptors on every cell in the body are responding to the current environment in the body. When the body is stressed, the receptors adapt. So in order to help the cells and receptors to recover from a state of stress, all we have to do is create (even mimic) a healthy environment in the body. Then things start working again on their own.
Sure, forcing the body to ovulate using a medication works, however the underlying condition (that inhibited ovulation to begin with) remains. What if we step back, observe, identify what needs attention, support those areas by adjusting what is eaten and when, plus introduce nutrients, herbs and (in some cases) natural hormones that have been shown to create healthy function, and overall create a healthy environment inside the body so that the receptors can start responding in a healthy way?
I call this approach "Compassionate Healing."
Compassionate Healing involves...
1. Listening to your body: Symptoms tell us that something needs attention.
2. Understanding interconnectedness: Everything that is occurring is related in some way.
3. Providing gentle, loving support: Individualized natural therapies actually assist the body to return back to health.
That is what I do. And I find that it works!
Dr. Doni
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I often find that chasing a diagnosis isn’t always the answer. When a diagnosis is finally given, patients with health challenges are often stopped from healing due to "attachment" to the diagnosis. A diagnosis can be a label and define a person, and once a person identifies with a diagnosis, there is less and less chance of moving beyond the diagnosis to health.
A better way to approach to dealing with a health challenge, and what I believe people are really yearning to find far beyond a diagnosis, is to uncover the underlying cause of illness. Once you do that, with a little motivation and clear, specific guidance, you can make simple changes that allows the body to return to optimal health.
It reminds me of a children's book I read recently with Ella (my 7 year-old daughter). Dr. Seuss's The Lorax. In the story, while it seemed like a great idea at first, a factory uses the beautiful Truffula Trees to make fluffy sweaters eventually uses up all the trees and destroys the surroundings, with no way to return things to the way they were. Different then in The Lorax, I do find that happy endings are possible.  It is possible to take care of your body’s original parts without harming your own “eco-system.” And it starts by taking charge of your health and embracing a more holistic or “integrative” perspective to your healing plan.
I find that by establishing an internal environment that is closest to what we see in patients who are healthy and feel good, that it is possible for the body to take over with healthy function in all areas.
Here’s to your health, Dr. Doni
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Lately, when people ask what it is that I do, I describe myself as a medical detective.
I look for the root cause; the common denominator amongst a bunch of confusing symptoms.
That is what we are seeking after all, isn't it? An answer and real understanding of what caused these mysterious symptoms and how to address the cause to allow true healing.
See what one of my patients said after facing severe episodes of shortness of breath each night: “Several years ago, I was diagnosed with asthma and prescribed Advair. The medication led to exchanging one problem for another. I stopped using it and continued to suffer with nighly shortness of breath for years. Although it was persistent, it was never severe until last year. The attacks would only happen at night, between 9 p.m. and midnight and typically would go away once I went to bed. A few times, these attacks lasted into the morning hours. At that point, I was ready to "try anyting." That's when I went to see a naturopath. She actually diagnosed the root of the problem–underlying allergies that I never knew I had–and advised me to stop eating certain foods and had me start a regimen of dietary supplements. Within a week–yes, one week!–my symptoms were gone and have not returned. My naturopath actually took the scientific approach and looked for the root cause of the problem, rather than a way to treat the symptoms. She took tests and attacked the problem based on the results of the testing. Fortunately, the tests were covered by my health insurance plan, although the supplements are not. However, it's money well spent since I am 100% better, without any side effects. I recommend naturopaths and other alternative medical professionals. There are certainly problems that alternative medicine cannot address, but there may be many that they can. Asthma, especially if it's related to allergies, may be one of those cases where alternative therapies could ultimately prove to be more effective than traditional medicine.” Steve, Sugar Loaf, NY
Here are a couple distinctions for you to consider when looking for the root cause of your own health challenges: 1. There is most often more than one cause. While it may please our minds to think that there is just one "cause," I find that it is much more likely that there are multiple causes, all impacting the body at once and resulting in unpleasant symptoms, often in various locations.
2. Symptoms in different locations ARE related. How could they not be? It is all one body after all. It is by looking at symptoms in various locations and thinking about how they are related that I often find the underlying cause!
3. The underlying cause(s) act as "stressors" to the body. The brain first responds to a stress, any stress, and sends a message to the adrenal glands to respond. The response, which is temporarily helpful (in most cases), ends up perpetuating a cycle of reactivity and compensation that effectively spreads throughout the body, creating symptoms along the way.
While it may seem simple, to identify the cause and remove it, in a society filled with ways to satisfy cravings, avoid change and to "stick a bandaid" on unpleasantries, it is actually quite a shift to look for the root cause AND address it!
Examples of Root Causes (and subsequent causes):
Emotional Stress (Grief for example)
Food Intolerances (with continued exposure)
Physical Trauma (injuries and surgeries)
Infection (Lyme, Mono, Bacterial, etc)
Change in Intestinal Bacteria (after antibiotics for example)
Vaccines
Metal Toxicity
Skipping Meals (more than 3 hours between meals)
Lack of Sleep at night (less than 8 hours during darkness)
Extreme Exercise
Environmental Allergens and/or Toxic Exposure
Shift in Hormones (pregnancy, menopause)
Change in Job, Home or Relationship
Exposure to Foods contrary to Blood type
I would go so far as to say that in EVERY case that I see, at least one or more of these root causes are present or occurred within the year prior to seeking my care. Remember that you’re more than just a bunch of individual body parts. Your body is more like a concert symphony and when one thing is out of tune, it upsets the harmony and functioning of all your parts. Everything is connected and remembering this will help you find real answers to your health challenges. Here’s to your health, Dr. Doni Did you like what you read? Then don’t miss the next issue of Dr. Doni’s Health Tips for Women. Sign up here: doctordoni.com (bottom of home page)
 One of the things I enjoy most is reading or listening to books on psycho-emotional healing, on relationships and communication. In some ways it has surely been an effort to fix something about myself, and it has clearly turned out to be a way for me to discover and accept the real me that has been there all along.
While, yes, my approach tends to focus on how physical stress (lack of sleep, allergenic foods, infrequent meals) impacts the physical body (hormones, neurotransmitters and nutrients)...emotional stress is also a key instigator in the development of illness. Much of this "emotional stress" (or all of it), it turns out, we, ourselves, create.
This point is not simply another reason to be hard on ourselves, but instead, a key to transformation. If we choose to stand back, observe and be mindful of the choices we make in each moment that are actually keeping us where we don't want to be...we can create freedom for ourselves, and others.
I would like to share the books that made the biggest difference for me in recent months in the hopes that they will help you as well. Some of them are available to download to you MP3 player at audible.com.
1. The Vortex by Jerry and Esther Hicks
2. Solemate by Lauren Mackler
3. The New Codependency by Melody Beattie
4. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
5. Getting the Love You Want by Halville Hendrix
6. Radical Self-Acceptance by Tara Brach
7. Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Compassion by Marshall Rosenberg
I would also like to acknowledge Landmark Education as the courses I have completed there have been life changing.
For those of you interested in working on a psycho-emotional level, I encourage you to not only read books and attend seminars, but to also work with a therapist. I have especially benefited from therapists who specialize in Gestalt therapy, EMDR and Core Energetics.
I wish for you all to rediscover your essence and to be empowered to live a life you love.
Warmest wishes,
Dr. Doni
If you would like to start receiving my weekly health tips, please email office@doctordoni.com.
 The past month has no doubt been a clear reminder to many of us that “we are what we eat.” For me it was. While enjoying time with family in beautiful central Oregon, I drifted off my gluten-free, dairy-free diet a couple times and was quickly reminded of the impact of gluten and dairy on my body.
This time, however, I had a deeper understanding considering that I just completed further research and a presentation on gluten and its impact on the nervous system as I prepared for a presentation I will be giving in February 2010 in Manhattan.
Could it be that gluten, one of our culture’s most prized ingredients, causes anxiety, depression, insomnia, PMS, pain, attention issues, infertility, fatigue, digestive distress and much, much more?
Yes, it can be, and the research I reviewed indicates that it is so. In fact, researchers now consider gluten intolerance to be not only a severely under-diagnosed condition (1 in 7 people at least), but a neurological disease. Patients with severe and mild conditions alike have complete resolution when they remove gluten from their diet.
Considering my profound interest in how the body is impacted by stress, combined with my lifelong passion for eating healthfully, it became clear to me that...just as it is stressful when we skip meals (our bodies have to adapt to keep our brains supplied with glucose), it is also stressful when we eat foods (gluten for example) that cause inflammatory immune system reactions.
There is no doubt...stress exists in our busy lives. Our bodies respond to stress, whether from lack of sleep, a deadline or a car accident, by producing adrenaline and cortisol, both of which send subsequent messages that inhibit digestion, the immune system, all hormones and the nervous system. Research and experience tells us that minimizing stress, and assisting our bodies to adapt to stress, reduces all health conditions, including heart disease and cancer.
Still, even with the best intentions to reduce stress, one thing can lead to the next, leading to a vicious cycle. In other words... a stressful day at work, digestive upset (ie heartburn), a meal that doesn’t go over well, a bad night of sleep, or all of these things everyday for a month. Eventually the cause and the outcome are inseparable, and more bothersome health issues begin to appear. The only way out is to make dramatic steps in the direction of decreasing stress on your body overall, and often the first step is to avoid gluten.
How can you know if avoiding gluten may be a solution for you? It is now known that IgG antibodies to gluten are the best indicator. So as you might suspect, I can hardly wait to find out if my family members in Oregon, especially those with a history of health issues, are intolerant to gluten like me and my daughter.
For anyone who is intolerant to gluten and/or experiencing chronic health issues, I consider eating gluten-free to be the best stress reduction choice you can make in 2010. Yes, it is quite a shift from what you might be used to eating, which is why I have posted everything I have learned since Ella and I went gluten-free 18 months ago. Please visit: www.glutenfreequest.com.
If I can personally help you or your loved ones, please don’t hesitate to give me a call and set up a time for us to review the impact of stress on your body and, most importantly, what we can do to reverse that trend in the new year.
Warmest wishes to all of you!
Dr. Doni
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Article: Special Report: How to fight infection without antibiotics
By: Daniel Mazori
Issue: Dec/Jan 2010, Pg 52
Summary:
Considering the overuse of antibiotics and the ability to fight infections using natural therapies (diet, nutrients, herbs and homeopathics) while under the care of a trained professional, this article gives a thorough review of what natural therapies to use for infections, and how to use antibiotics safely.
Dr. Doni's Comments:
I find that, while sometimes it is necessary to turn to antibiotics and we would not want be without them as an option, it is also quite possible to fight off infections naturally. In fact, by allowing and supporting the immune system to do what it is built to do, we are actually preventing antibiotic resistance.
It can be scary at first, especially when antibiotics have been used frequently in the past, to go through an infection without reaching for antibiotics. It is most certainly important to start antibiotics if a fever remains above 100.4 and/or symptoms worsen and before a more severe infection ensues. Make sure to be in touch with your medical provider to ensure that appropriate care is given.
Meanwhile, whether on antibiotics or not, here are my five tips to give the body the best chance to fight off the infection itself.
1. Avoid sugar (sugar from sugar cane, corn syrup and sugar in juice especially), which suppresses the immune system, and food allergens (especially dairy and gluten), which add inflammation;
2. Get lots of rest (the immune system works while you sleep);
3. Take immune supportive nutrients and herbs. My favorite products are EHB for adults and liquid Respiguard (Echinacea and Goldenseal) for children. ARA (larch arabinogalactans) is also at the top of my list for both prevention and healing of infections.
4. Stimulate the immune system (as is appropriate for your case) with a hot shower/bath and/or what I call "magic socks" and
5. Take homeopathic Triple Flu Defense.
Be sure to be in contact with your medical practitioner anytime anything is concerning to you or if the symptoms are not improving. This is not intended to be a way to avoid medical care. It is instead meant to be a way to make your medical care experience more effective.
Please let me know if I can assist you to make the most out of your immune system.
Warm regards,
Dr. Doni
If you would like to start receiving my weekly health tips, please email drwilsonoffice@gmail.com.
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