You're Invited to the First Annual ACHS On Campus Graduation Ceremony October 8, 2011

Hey there -

Just want to make sure you know about the historic ACHS event coming up ... our first annual on campus ACHS Graduation Ceremony taking place October 8, 2011, at the ACHS campus in Portland, Oregon. We hope you can make it!

Friends, family, and the local community are welcome to attend in celebration of ACHS graduates’ accomplishments. This is a relaxed, open-house style celebration and free to attend. So, if you're a recent ACHS graduate, current ACHS student, or a holistic health supporter in the Portland area, we'd love to see you on campus for this event honoring ACHS graduates.

The Details
Name: ACHS Graduation Ceremony
Date: October 8, 2011
Time: 5-8 pm, PST
Place: American College of Healthcare Sciences, 5940 SW Hood Ave., Portland OR 97239
RSVP: Contact Tracey Miller at (800) 487-8839 or via email at traceymiller@achs.edu

> Read the full-length press release online at http://www.achs.edu/news/news-detail.aspx?nid=274

If you have questions, need lodging or green travel suggestions, feel free to post your questions here. We look forward to seeing you at graduation.

Hang Out with ACHS at Spaw Day, A Fundraiser for the Oregon Humane Society

Don't have plans for tomorrow evening? Come hang out with us! American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) is participating in Spaw Day, a fundraiser for the Oregon Humane Society, hosted at Sniff Dog Hotel (1828 NW Raleigh St. Portland, OR 97209), Thursday, August 25th, from 6-8pm.

Spaw Day, an Oregon Humane Society event hosted by Sniff, is a fun opportunity for you and your dog to relax and enjoy spa activities together, including massages, aromatherapy, manicures, and other spa-like features.

Stop by and visit with us! It's going to be really fun! For directions, click here http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Sniff%20Dog%20Hotel

First Annual ACHS Graduation Ceremony October 8

The 1st Annual ACHS Graduation Ceremony is October 8, 2011 and you're invited!

In response to your positive feedback, we're moving the graduation event from the Avalon Hotel to the American College campus in John's Landing, Portland, which will allow us to host more participants, family, and friends for a fun and relaxing celebration. ACHS Graduation will take place October 8, 2011, from 5-8 pm, PST, at the American College: 5940 SW Hood Ave., Portland, OR 97239.

ACHS Graduation 2011 will be an open house-style event, free to attendees and open to all ACHS students, graduates, and the local community.

For more information about how to participate, visit http://faq.achs.edu/questions/114/ACHS+Graduation+Ceremony+Information

Planting Herbs in the Fall: Which Herbs Are Best for Your Zone?

It’s the first day of fall (already!). Can you believe how quickly the seasons are passing? Of course, it may feel a bit more of a dramatic shift here in Portland, Oregon, because we had a short summer. Cooler temperatures than normal and more rain.

But it looks like fall is here. The leaves are turning from crisp greens to fiery jewel tones and the air has more moisture. The rain in coming! But before the weather turns for good, it’s time to plant our fall herbs. Planting in the fall gives herbs the chance to root so they are ready for harvest in the spring.

The best herbs to grow depend on the grow zone you live in. Before you make your selection, we suggest you find your climate zone on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to ensure what you want to grow is compatible with your zone. Here’s the link: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html

Portland, for example, is hardiness zones 8-9. There can be lower levels of light here in the fall (and certainly in the winter), so Portlanders may want to select shade-loving herbs, such as parsley and peppermint.

Or, if you live somewhere that gets too cold for herbs to thrive and/or does not get enough direct light, consider growing your herbs in containers, so that you have the option to move them around (or even take them indoors, if needs be).

You also may want to concentrate on bulb herbs—like garlic, fennel, and saffron—which should be planted in the ground in the fall at least six weeks before the first freeze.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you may find this Monthly Garden Calendar from the Oregon State University Master Gardeners Program: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/calendar/ - september

You may also enjoy the article “The best herbs to grow in fall” for ideas about which herbs to plant: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/calendar/ - september

We hope your first day of fall is fantastic and look forward to hearing more about your fall herb garden. Post any planting tips, photos, suggestions …. here!

We’ve also started the discussion “What’s your favorite thing about fall?” on Facebook. Join the discussion here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Portland-OR/American-College-of-Healthcare-Sciences/99091122240

ACHS hires Fayne Griffiths as ACHS Director of Student Financial Services and Registrar

We're proud to announce that we have recently hired Fayne Griffiths, MBA, to join the ACHS team. Fayne will work as Director of Student Financial Services and Registrar for the American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS).

Fayne, who has resided in the Pacific Northwest for more than 30 years, has served students in several Portland-area colleges, including as Director of Student Services, Director of Financial Aid, and Director of Student Financial Services and Registrar.

"I am excited about serving ACHS," Fayne says. "Helping students who are dedicated to helping others is the highest privilege I could imagine. My goal is to energetically and usefully apply my previous experience to continuous improvement efforts of the College."

Griffiths will work with new and returning ACHS students, “providing stewardship of students' academic information,” Fayne says. “Enrollment information, grading, and student account information are all areas I will assure the controls are in place to provide complete accuracy.”

“I was first introduced to the various modalities of CAM through my work with another Portland-area complementary alternative medicine college,” Fayne adds. “Repeatedly, I have both witnessed and benefited from the profound healing provided by highly educated and caring alternative health providers. I am grateful to once again have the opportunity to serve this amazingly talented and dedicated group of students.”

**We also want to congratulate Heather Baley, who, until recently, had been ACHS's longtime Registrar. Heather has been promoted to Dean of Students! Way to go Heather!

About ACHS
American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) is one of the first accredited, fully online college offering degrees, diplomas, and career-training certificates in complementary alternative medicine. Founded in 1978, ACHS is committed to exceptional online education and is recognized as an industry leader in holistic health education worldwide. For more information about ACHS programs and community wellness events, visit www.achs.edu, call (503) 244-0726, or stop by the College campus located at 5940 SW Hood Ave., Portland OR 97239.

ACHS is now participating in Portland Composts!

The ACHS offices and Apothecary Shoppe College Store are now participating in Portland Composts!, a program through the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. Portland Composts! is a voluntary program, which will allow ACHS to keep their food wastes like food scraps and food-soiled papers out of the landfill, and to instead to keep wastes like food scraps and food-soiled papers out of the landfill and to help make nutrient-rich compost instead.

Where will the waste go for composting? It will be sent to the Cedar Grove Composting facility in Maple Valley, Washington, and the bagged compost will be available for purchase at Portland-area home improvement stores.

Click here for more information about the Portland Composts! program, FAQs, and a complete list of what can be composted: http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=41682

ACHS donates to Oregon Food Bank to help combat local hunger

In this past year, Portland, Oregon, home of ACHS, has experienced increased demand for food donations. Like many cities in the U.S., people have been displaced by economic challenges and to maintain good health, need a stable food source for themselves and their families.

To help battle hunger in our local community, ACHS collected canned food at some of our 2009 Open House events, in our Apothecary Shoppe College Store, and from our faculty and staff. All donations were deposited with the Oregon Food Bank to help feed families during the holidays.

But hunger knows no season. The Oregon Food Bank, and similar organizations, need donations year-round to help support the health and vitality of your local community. We encourage you to seek out the local food bank or donation center in your community and see what kinds of donations they are in need of. Maybe you could organize a New Year food drive in your neighborhood, among your co-workers, or even just among your friends and family. Every donation helps to make a difference.

You can use this link to find a food bank in your community: http://feedingamerica.org/foodbank-results.aspx

Image (c) http://www.flickr.com/photos/robhowells87/3632207340/sizes/l/#cc_license

Trilliums in Tryon Creek State Park: A Sunday Hike In The Rain

This is one of the main trails in Tryon Creek State Park. You can’t tell from the photo, but at the moment it was taken, freezing rain was falling. Moments after setting foot on the trail, I spot the first trillium.

Trillium is an easy plant to identify. It has a single succulent stalk and three leaves. In spring it bears a large white three petaled flower which turns slightly pink as it matures. Finding the flower is not so important to an herbalist, who will appreciate the blooms is spring, but seeks to harvest leaves, stems and roots in the fall. Trillium can be found in moist old-growth of the Pacific Northwest from the Redwoods of California, the coast of B.C., either side of the Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington, the northern part of Idaho and the mountains of Alberta, Montana and Wyoming. According to Michael Moore in Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West, “Find a creek starting in the forest, follow it down through the trees to where it begins to broaden out, and you will usually find some trillium.

Trillium, often referred to as birth root, is a member of the Liliaceae family. It is a mild remedy with minimal chronic toxicity. It has historically been used to astringe uterine bleeding, and has been used in treating fibroids. It has many uses according to Peter Holmes. It resolves mucus, damp and congestion and stops discharges and bleeding. It can harmonize menstruation and menopause (it increases progesterone), it can stimulate the uterus to promote labor and delivery. As a ‘cough root’ it is used as an expectorant to resolve thick phlegm in a difficult and dry cough. The fresh root (rhizome, actually) is best to use in a decoction or tincture. Washes and compresses can be used for sores and inflammation. Roots well worth learning about if you live in the Northwest.

What else did I see?

In the same area, I also found coltsfoot, cleavers, salal, Oregon grape, and usnea. No doubt there is much more I did not notice. After all, I was only looking for trillium flowers.

About the Author
Scott Stuart, L.A.c., teaches herbal medicine for the Australasian College of Health Sciences, and practices Oriental Medicine at Outside/In, a Portland, Oregon, social service agency.