National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is Changing Directions

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is "expected to focus less on the large human clinical trials common in the past and more on fundamental research," according to an article released by the American Botanical Council (ABC).

The Center, which is entering its second decade of operations, will continue to dedicate more than 50% of its research to human studies, but will move towards a more "patient-centered approach," focusing on "effectiveness-based studies emphasizing interventions in real-world settings."

Dr. Josephine P. Briggs, NCCAM Director, told ABC that "All of us recognize that assessing how modalities work in real world settings is critical,” and she noted a study that "uses existing data, including 5 years of insurance claims, to compare outcomes, quality of care, and costs of patients who use CAM providers for back pain treatment with those who do not."

You can read more about potential areas of focus for NCCAM research, as well as how these changes may influence CAM modalities and the general healthcare system, from Herbal Gram: http://cms.herbalgram.org/heg/Volume7/02%20February/NCCAM_Future.html?t=1265060114

ACHS Apothecary Shoppe College Store Donates to Mercy Corps’s Work in Haiti

ACHS President Dorene Petersen (left) and Communications Manager Lauren Shapiro (far right), both dressed in red for National Wear Red Day, hand the College's $1,000 donation to Megan McMorran, head of Programming and Operations for Mercy Corps's Action Center.

The ACHS Apothecary Shoppe College Store selected Mercy Corps as their partnership organization to raise awareness and funds for relief work in Haiti. The Apothecary Shoppe, which pledged on their website 20% of sales made between January 15-31, 2010, to Mercy Corps raised $1,000, which will help Mercy Corps’s work to bring clean water and improved sanitation to post-quake Haiti.

The American College of Healthcare Sciences founded the Apothecary Shoppe as a health resource for their students and community, and to support the mission of the College: “To provide leadership in holistic health education through comprehensive professional online and on-campus education and high quality natural products with a commitment to sustainable practices and principles.” The Shoppe sources holistic health products and supplies, including organic and sustainably wildcrafted herbs and essential oils, and works to preserve and share knowledge in natural medicine by hosting monthly community wellness events.

The Apothecary Shoppe, housed in Portland, Oregon, launched their donation campaign as an opportunity to help Mercy Corps, also Portland-based, and to promote awareness about the importance of basic healthcare for sustainable health.

“The reports were heartbreaking,” said ACHS President Dorene Petersen, “continue to be heartbreaking. I mean, we were hearing about people looting toothpaste for basic sanitation, but also to help mask the smell of wounded and dying people. We’re a holistic health college; we know that good nutrition, including clean water, stress intervention, and basic sanitation are essential for health and wellness. So we felt that donating to Mercy Corps’s work would have immediate and long-term impact for the post-recovery health of Haiti.”

The Apothecary Shoppe offers a distinguished selection of holistic health products, including certified organic herbs, organic essential oils, flower essences, homeobotanical remedies, and reference materials.

To learn more about the Apothecary Shoppe’s mission and products, visit www.apothecary-shoppe.com

ACHS Invited to Participate in the AeX-Institution Scholarship

Great news! The American College has been invited to participate in the new AeX-Institution Scholarship offered through the Education and Career Campus Foundation.

To be eligible for this $1,000 scholarship, applicants must be active duty military, retired military, or an immediate family member. For the 2009-2010 academic year, this scholarship will be limited to members of the Unites States Marine Corps or their family members.

For ACHS applicants, the application deadline has been extended to April 30, 2010, and will be awarded May 2010.

If you have friends or family who are affiliated with the Marine Corps and interested in studying with ACHS, please let them know about this funding opportunity. Tell them to call ACHS Admissions for more information at (503) 244-0726 or email admissions@achs.edu.

A Sweetheart of a Deal. New Apothecary Shoppe Pricing and Free Valentine's Goodies.

Thank you for your continued support of the ACHS Apothecary Shoppe College Store! Our mission is to provide leadership in holistic health education, which we accomplish in part through our commitment to high-quality natural products and sustainable practices and principles.

We work hard to source the best holistic health products and supplies available, and to offer them to you at the best prices we can. It has been a year or so since our last price adjustments. There have been some fluctuations in the pricing of carrier oils, so we have (happily!) reduced the pricing of all Apothecary Shoppe carrier oils.

Our new pricing reflects current market value only. The high quality you rely on is the same. We will never sacrifice quality and thoroughly investigate the harvesting, manufacturing, and product practices of our suppliers to ensure adherence to our mission.

Click here to shop our carrier oils at new pricing.

We know Valentine's Day is around the corner, and what could be more loving and romantic than a custom massage oil blend with therapeutic-grade essential oils and carrier oils. (Nothing we can think of!) All essential oil orders placed by February 14, 2010, will receive 1 oz of sweet almond oil free. Spend $50 or more, and we'll send you a complimentary link to AromaMassage, a 60-minute DVD with easy-to-follow instruction for using essential oils with an at-home massage.

Did you know...
Rose essential oil, discovered between 1582 and 1612, is used to excite low libido and lends an aphrodisiac-riddled aroma to perfume, bodycare, and massage oils. Rose also creates a romantic atmosphere when diffused into the air. To learn more about aromatherapy for Valentine's Day, including do-it-yourself recipes, create your Apothecary Shoppe account and download our article "Aromatherapy for Valentine's Day."

Become a Fan of the Apothecary Shoppe on Facebook. It's easy! Log into your Facebook account and search for Apothecary-Shoppe-Store or click here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Portland/Apothecary-Shoppe-Store/156183592205. Get exclusive online content, recipes, special promotions, and real-time updates today!

Ancient Walking to Primal Rhythms Community Wellness Workshop at ACHS on February 22

Great news! Randy Eady will be at the American College of Healthcare Sciences campus on February 22 to lead us through a workshop, Ancient Walking to Primal Rhythms. Eady is a board-certified rehabilitation counselor and therapeutic program coordinator.

Ancient Walking to Primal Rhythms uses a holistic approach to improve range of motion in walking, strength, flexibility, and proper movement alignment. The result of years of clinical research by the National Institutes of Health and the Oregon Research Institute, this program offers an easy-to-learn form of tai chi focused on building core muscle strength, body symmetry, and enhancing the integration of the body’s three organic balance centers.

This ACHS community wellness event is free to attend, but space is limited. RSVP to (503) 244-0726 or email admissions@achs.edu.

Here are the event details: Monday, February 22, from 11 am-1 pm. American College of Healthcare Sciences, 5940 SW Hood Ave., Portland.

If you can't attend in person, no worries! We will record and post the workshop presentation to our YouTube channel, ACHStv.

We look forward to seeing you on campus!

ACHS is gearing up for Better Living Show at the Expo Center March 26-28

American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) is gearing up for the 2010 Energy Trust Better Living Show at the Portland Expo Center March 26-28. The College, exhibiting for their second year, will have new this year interactive holistic health presentations and lifestyle displays, as well as holistic health experts and ACHS faculty and staff on hand to speak with attendees about holistic living.

ACHS is based in the John’s Landing area of Portland and is one of the first accredited, online colleges to offer degrees, diplomas, and career training certificates in complementary alternative medicine. Founded in 1978, the College is committed to providing “leadership in holistic health education through comprehensive professional online and on-campus education and high-quality natural products with a commitment to sustainable practices and principles.”

By connecting with Oregon’s communities, and healthcare professionals and students, ACHS “fosters competence, professionalism, and cooperation in holistic healthcare and works to preserve and share knowledge in natural medicine.”

ACHS is an approved member of Green America’s Green Business Network, “the nation’s leading non-profit educator on socially and environmentally responsible consumption and investing,” and personally sources organic and sustainably wildcrafted herbs and essential oils for the Apothecary Shoppe College Store as part of their sustainability pledge. In addition, ACHS includes developing research about native plants and sustainability in their courses; maintains an on-campus botanical garden, which preserves local plant and animal life; and hosts monthly community wellness events featuring topics like seed starting, organic gardening, plant identification, wildcrafting, and making natural products. ACHS’s full sustainability pledge is available online at www.achs.edu under About ACHS.

To learn more about sustainable living and holistic health, visit ACHS at the Better Living Show, booth 811, March 26-28, 2010, at the Portland Expo Center, 2060 North Marine Drive, Portland, OR 97217. Admission is free. For hours, a list of scheduled presentations, and information about parking, visit www.betterlivingshow.org.

For more information about holistic health courses and community wellness events from American College of Healthcare Sciences, visit: www.achs.edu

ACHS hires Amy Swinehart and Roberta Gamache as Assistants to the Registrar

Amy Swinehart (pictured far right) and Roberta Gamache have been hired as Assistants to the Registrar for the American College of Healthcare Sciences. ACHS is based in the John’s Landing area of Portland, Oregon, and is the only accredited, fully online college offering degrees, diplomas, and career-training certificates in complementary alternative medicine.

Swinehart, who had previously worked for the ACHS Student Services and Admissions Deparments for about ten years, and Gamache, who has several years’ experience working in the service industries, will job-share the Assistant to the Registrar position. Assistant to the Registrar works with current ACHS students to help them meet their financial and educational goals.

“I became familiar with holistic health while assisting prospective and current students during their studies with ACHS,” Swinehart said. “Our students are working hard to enhance or further their holistic health knowledge in order to assist others in leading natural, healthy lives. I am proud to, again, be a part of this college and look forward to reconnecting with the students, assisting them in any way with their current and/or future goals with holistic health.”

Swinehart graduated with a BA in Sociology from Washington State University in 1995, when she relocated to the Portland area. Gamache relocated to Portland more recently in 2008 to be closer to her family.

“Holistic health has been a way of life for me personally,” Gamache said. “Having grown up with illness, I learned early on to take care of myself through diet and exercise, to get to the root of the real problem. This being the case, I am very excited to work in the holistic health field, to help ACHS students gain knowledge and a career for their future.”

For more information about holistic health courses and community wellness events from the American College of Healthcare Sciences, visit: www.achs.edu