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September I October 2011

The Portland / Vancouver Area Women’s Magazine

portlandwoman

Curtain’s Up!Our 2011-12 arts preview

Linda HornbuckleHome-grown blues legend

Who’s On Your ‘Wellness Team?’Allopathic doctors?

Alternative practitioners?All of the above?

our fall health & wellness

issue

4 portland-woman.com september/october 2011

contents

departments editor’s note 6everything old is new again

news you can use 8

a votre sante! 9

herstory 19Linda Hornbuckle

making a difference 25Go Red for Women

get a life (coach) 27mental potholes and mindfulness

great reads 28

community calendar 30

featuresWho’s On Your ‘Wellness Team?’ 10Allopathic? Alternative? All of the above?

A generation ago, most women approached wellness by the oc-casional visit to their internist and yearly check-ups with an ob/gyn, maybe coupled with a modicum of clean living. Today, women can choose from a mind-boggling array of traditional and alternative therapies to piece together their health and wellness plans.

Ways to Pay for Wellness 18

It’s all fine and good to talk about the many approaches available today for women searching for health and wellness – but how do you pay for it all?

Linda Hornbuckle 19The story behind our home-grown blues legend

She’s opened for the The Temptations, The Doobie Brothers, B.B. King, Lou Rawls, Kool & The Gang and Isaac Hayes. She’s been inducted into the Cascade Blues Association Hall of Fame. She was born and raised right here in P-Town. She’s Linda Hornbuckle – and Portland loves her.

Curtain’s Up! 22Our 2011-12 Performing Arts Preview

As fall gets underway, the area’s (countless!) performing arts orga-nizations roll out their new seasons of plays, musicals, concerts and dance productions. We’ve rounded up everything from world class dance companies to Broadway musicals to small (but talented) local theater troupes in this handy preview of coming attractions.

Go Red for Women! 25Raising Awareness of Heart Disease Among Women

Did you know that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women over 20? The goal of the Go Red for Women campaign is to ensure that you DO know – and that you also learn the steps you can take to detect heart problems – and even prevent them.

10 19

22 25

The information contained in Portland Woman is intended as general information only and should not be construed as medical advice for any specific situation or individuals. Readers should contact a health care professional for all medical concerns.


sor at the National College of

Natural Medicine in southwest

Portland.

According to the 2007

National Health Interview

Survey, about 38 percent

of Americans have used

complementary and alterna-

tive medicine (CAM). There

are no statistics specific to the

Portland metropolitan area’s

use of CAM, but experts sus-

pect CAM use is even higher

here. One of many indicators:

The Oregon Employment De-

partment reports the number

of acupuncturists in the state

rose 558 percent from 1991

to 2009 and the number

of naturopaths was up

330 percent.

Meet the new members of your health ‘team’

Who should be on your

health team and who should be

By Teresa Carson

Don’t forget: YOU are the most important member of your ‘well-ness team!’

‘Wellness Team’ continues on page 12

hen Mycal Quaempts-Miller’s perimeno-

pausal symptoms began interfering with her life, she

first went to her family practice doctor and gynecolo-

gist for relief. But dissatisfied with the pharmaceutical

options they offered, the southwest Portland resident

consulted a naturopath and happily reports, “I feel

much, much better.”

Like Quaempts-Miller, more and more women are

enlisting the advice of both traditional Western health

care providers and alternative care practitioners as part

of their complete approach to good health. Conven-

tional doctors (allopaths) call the inclusion “integrative

medicine” and, more and more, it’s being taught in

medical schools. Working on wellness has, essentially,

become a team effort.

“When I began my practice 27 years ago, alterna-

tive medicine was a distant player, used mostly by those

already in an alternative lifestyle. Now it’s more ac-

cessible and acceptable,” explains Dr. Tori Hudson, a na-

turopath and medical director at A Woman’s Time clinic

in northwest Portland. “There’s less bias and criticism.

Now, middle class, better educated people are big con-

sumers of alternative medicine,” Hudson adds. Patients

are asking about alternatives because “they hear about

something from friends or see a news report,” says Dr.

Xiaoli Chen, a Chinese medicine practitioner and profes-

The information contained in Portland Woman is intended as general information only and should not be construed as medical advice for any specific situation or in-dividuals. Readers should contact a health care professional for all medical concerns.

Dr. Cheri Oellrich of Adventist Health Medical Group says it’s important for women to have a “medical home” – to have someone who is coor-dinating your health care.

Allopathic? Alternative? All of the above?

Who’s On Your ‘Wellness

Team?’

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Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) are a broad and changing array of therapies. Many alternative therapies are controversial, some more accepted than others.

Most CAMs focus on prevention and wellness. Treating the “whole” person, recognizing the spiritual aspect of health and reducing stress are also key in many CAMs. We’ve listed just a few CAMs below.

PLEASE NOTE: The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine cautions that some therapies and products – including some Ayurvedic and Chinese remedies – can be potentially dangerous.

Ayurveda. Going strong for more than 5,000 years, the traditional medicine of India focuses on health by balancing the body through diet, lifestyle, exercise and body cleansing. It strives to keep a balance between mind, body and spirit.

Chinese Medicine. A basic tenet of Chinese medicine is that health de-pends on the balanced flow of energy – or qi – in the body. It includes acu-puncture, herbs, cupping, dietary therapy, acupressure, tai chi and more.

Homeopathic Medicine. Developed in Germany more than 200 years ago, homeopathy is based on the idea that “like cures like” (i.e. a min-

ute amount of the substance that harms you could actually help you). Practitioners dose patients with highly diluted substances from plants, minerals or animals. Common remedies include red onion, stinging nettle and arnica.

Manipulative Therapies. This can include chiropractic, massage and more. Osteopathic physicians move muscles and joints to diagnose and treat. Chiropractic medicine focuses on the relationship between the body structure, especially the spine, and health. Chiropractors adjust or manipulate the spine to alleviate pain and improve health. Craniosacral therapy works on the patient’s spine and skull to treat conditions from migraines to fibromyalgia.

Mind-Body. This broad category can include yoga, meditation, prayer and more.

Naturopathic Medicine. Naturopathy emphasizes the body’s own power to heal itself and maintain health. Practitioners strive to use the least invasive and most natural treatments. They focus on treating the “whole” person. Treatments include dietary changes, herbs, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, manipulative medicine and more.

A Glossary of Alternative Therapies


the coach? There’s no one answer. “Of course, I have a bias, I think it (the coach) should be a (traditional) primary care physician. It’s important to have a medi-cal home and it’s important that someone coordinate all of a person’s care,” says Dr. Cheri Oellrich, a family practice doctor at Adventist Health Medical Group at Fishers Landing in Vancouver.

But naturopaths and others feel they, too, are qualified for the job. “I strive to be the team leader and to help create and manage a person’s wellness plan,” Hudson says, “but I have colleagues that feel differently and just want to confine the patient to homeopathy or manipulative therapies.”

Your wellness team and coach also depends upon your health, of course. If you have a serious illness, such as cancer, then your team should include an on-cologist. Pregnant? Choices include a Western-trained obstetrician or a midwife. Back pain? The team could include a massage therapist, yoga instructor, chiro-practor, acupuncturist or others.

And remember: your wellness plan should do more than address illness; it should also promote good health. Massage, for example, “fits in as a preventative, self-care treatment. It reduces stress,” says Lisa Garofalo, a licensed massage therapist and instructor at the Oregon School of Massage. (Massage

can be used to treat injury or pain, too.)

Oellrich says it’s important to discuss issues with

your doctor before rushing off to a practitioner or

the supplements aisle. For example, if someone is

refusing a drug or mammogram, Oellrich says “I like

to ask, ‘what is your concern about this.’ You have to

have someone who is comfortable talking about the

options.”

The (ancient?) dawn of complementary approaches

CAM covers a broad and changing range of

therapies (see “A Glossary of Alternative Therapies” on

page 11). Dr. Oz enlightened Oprah and many of her

TV viewers when he touted the lowly Neti pot, a small

vessel that looks like a gravy boat and naturally cleans

clogged up nasal passages. Trendy, but hardly new,

the Neti pot comes from the Ayurvedic/yoga medi-

cal tradition which has been around for thousands of

years.

CAM is gaining greater acceptance with patients

and Western-trained doctors, partly due to more sci-

entific study. In the case of the Neti pot, for example,

several studies have found nasal irrigation to be an

effective treatment for some nasal problems. The

National Center for Complementary and Alternative

Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health,

Dr. Kimberly Windstar, a naturopathic doctor

and professor at the National College of

Natural Medicine, notes that, in her

practice, she does a complete work-up of the patient – “a thor-ough investigation.”

“ Of course, I have a bias, I think it (the coach) should be a (traditional) primary care physician. It’s important to have a medical home and it’s important that someone coordinate all of a person’s care.”

— Dr. Cheri Oellrich, Adventist Health Medical Group

‘Wellness Team’ continued from page 10


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funds research and acts as an informational clearing house for pa-

tients and providers. Licensing CAM practitioners by state boards

is also becoming more common, Hudson says, adding a level of

comfort and acceptance. Both Oregon and Washington license

naturopathic physicians, massage therapists, acupuncturists (East

Asian medicine practitioners in Washington), midwives and more.

A focus on ‘the whole package’ …Quaempts-Miller, 42, likes and respects her Western doc-

tors, but feels “they are bound by their limitations.” Seeking

additional treatment options for her perimenopause issues, she

consulted naturopath Dr. Lynne Shinto at the Oregon Health

and Science University Center for Women’s Health and got a

thorough work up. Quaempts-Miller is now taking vitamin D,

the amino acid 5-HTP and the herb black cohosh, which have

eased her peri-menopause symptoms. Quaempts-Miller con-

siders Shinto her primary care physician and wellness coach.


Lisa Garofalo, a licensed massage

therapist and instructor at the Oregon School

of Massage, says that massage has multiple wellness

benefits – from stress relief to pain

management.

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Naturopathic physician Dr. Tori Hudson (pictured below) is a highly respected member of Portland’s alternative medicine community. She’s the co-founder and medical director of A Woman’s Time clinic in northwest Portland.

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177 N.E. 102nd AvenuePortland, Oregon 97220

Office 503-254-1399Toll Free 800-652-1399

Fax 503-256-1340www.gatewaywomensclinic.com

Robert D. Dyson, M.D., Ph.D., FACOG

Asma S. Ahmad, M.D., MPH, FACOG

Kimberlynn M. Heller, D.O., FACOG

Clea Caldwell, D.O., JFACOG

Jennine M. Varhola, DO, FACOG

Natalia Korneeva, MD, JFACOG

Karen M. Rash-Gitner, C.N.M.


“I feel like there’s more of

a focus on you as a person,”

Quaempts-Miller says of natu-

ropathy. “They listen to your

spiritual needs as well. It’s the

whole package,” she adds. Often

alternative practitioners are more

likely to have a broader defini-

tion of wellness than allopaths

and are more apt to treat the

whole person, not just a set of

symptoms, practitioners and

patients say.

“I just had two new patients

that were disappointed with

the traditional work up they

received. We work the patient up

completely and do a thorough

investigation,” says Dr. Kimberly Windstar, a professor at the National

College of Natural Medicine and a practicing naturopathic doctor in its

clinic. Windstar says she not only treats the medical problem, such as

a thyroid condition, for example, but looks into why the thyroid is not

functioning properly in the first place.

Pam Savory, a 54 year-old from West Linn agrees. She sought addi-

tional treatment options for her fibromyalgia and food sensitivities with

Windstar. “I was probably there for two hours, my first visit,” she says.

Savory also has a Western-trained doctor who embraces her naturopath-

ic treatment and collaborates on tests and treatments.

… and on specific issuesSavory has used CAM before. Years ago, Savory used acupuncture

for fertility problems, which joyfully resulted in a little girl. That little girl

grew up, also had fertility issues and also used acupuncture. Savory is

now the doting grandmother of a beautiful baby girl.

Women turn to acupuncture and other Chinese remedies to help

with irregular menstruation, premenstrual syndrome, cramps, fertility

problems and more, Chen says. Acupuncture “is not just for pain,” she

says.

CAM can be helpful for people with serious medical conditions such

as cancer, diabetes or heart problems. Those with life-threatening medi-

cal issues should always seek conventional medical attention, the practi-

tioners agreed. But, with cancer, for example, the traditional treatments

of surgery, radiation or chemotherapy can produce nasty side effects.

Naturopathy, acupuncture, yoga and other CAM treatments can relieve

pain and ease those side effects.

“ I feel like there’s

more of a focus on

you as a person

(with naturopathy).

They listen to your

spiritual needs as

well. It’s the whole

package.” — Mycal Quaempts-Miller


A cautionary note

Both allopathic and alternative practitioners advise patients seek-

ing treatment to be careful. Some diagnostic tools and treatments

billed as alternative can be ineffective or even dangerous. It’s unlikely

anyone would warn against yoga or meditation, but receiving advice

to sit under a pyramid to cure liver disease should set off warning

bells.

“You want to make sure a practitioner is trained and licensed,”

OHSU’s Shinto says. If you’re trolling the Internet, make sure your

source is a trusted site like Mayoclinic.com. And, just because some-

thing is called “natural,” doesn’t mean it’s safe.

One more member of your ‘team’

And remember this: All of the practitioners interviewed for this

article emphasize that YOU are a key part of your wellness team.


What is Wellness?

Wellness can be defined narrowly as the absence of disease or pain. But many people define it more broadly, including spiritual and emotional well being.

According to a definition of wellness from the McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, wellness is “a state of optimal well-being that is oriented toward maximizing an individual’s potential. This is a life-long process of moving towards enhancing your physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual and environmental well-being.

“Wellness is a journey, a path, a process,” says Dr. Lynne Shinto, a naturopath at Oregon Health Science University. “It’s a balance of the physical, emotional and spiritual,” she adds. Shinto always looks to improve a patient’s diet, exercise and reduce stress as part of the journey toward wellness.

“From the Chinese medical perspective, we always consider balance. We look at the person physically and spiritually,” notes Dr. Xiaoli Chen, a professor at the National College of Natural Medicine in southwest Portland. A big focus of Chinese medicine is to prevent disease.

Dr. Tori Hudson, a naturopath and medical director of A Woman’s Time clinic, emphasizes that wellness also needs to be considered individually. For example, what is wellness for a person living with cancer? “How can we help this person feel as well as possible?” is the question that Hudson poses for cancer patients.


Discuss with your health care pro-

viders everything you’re taking or

doing. That multiple vitamin or fish

oil capsule may seem benign, but the

fact that you’re taking it should be

disclosed to anyone treating you.

And, if you hope to use both a

CAM and a traditional Western doc-

tor, everyone should be comfortable

with the arrangement. As Hudson

says “I think it’s clear that the optimal

situation is that the patient and all

the practitioners are working together

and supporting each other for the

patient’s benefit.”

Teresa Carson is an award-winning

Portland freelance writer.

“ I think it’s clear that the optimal situation is that the patient and all the practitioners are working together and supporting each other for the patient’s benefit.”

— Dr. Tori Hudson, A Woman’s Time



he topic of how to pay for health care has been at the forefront of the national politi-cal stage for many years. As women expand their wellness approaches to encompass alternative therapies, the question of how to pay for wellness sometimes becomes complicated, depending on numerous factors from the type of insurance coverage you have (or don’t have) to the conditions for which you’re seeking treatment to the extent of your use of alternative therapies.

“Insurance coverage (for complementary and alternative medi-cine) has changed drastically in 30 years,” according to Dr. Tori Hud-son, a naturopath at A Woman’s Time clinic in Northwest Portland. Health insurers simply did not pay for complementary and alterna-tive medicine (CAM) in the past, “but now about 75 percent of my patients have insurance coverage” for naturopathy, Hudson says. OSHU naturopath Dr. Lynne Shinto estimates that 50 to 60 percent of her patients have insurance covering her services.

Coverage for CAM varies wildly. A few companies cover some CAM in their regular policies. Some insurance companies sell riders that cover some CAM services. Insurance often pays for CAM only if it’s prescribed by a conventional medical doctor. Deductibles and co-pays may be higher than for conventional care and there may be limits on the number of visits or annual payment. “Consumers are demanding this. It’s the most consumer-driven part of health insurance,” explains Jay Monteblanco, a health insurance broker and owner of Jay L. Monteblanco Insurance Services (jlminsurance.com).

The more widely accepted CAMs are more likely to be covered. “Chiropractic, naturopathy, massage, that kind of thing is being covered,” adds Monteblanco, “when it gets into things like crystal healing, that’s less likely to be covered.” For example, Dr. Xiaoli Chen, a Chinese medicine practitioner and professor at the National College of Natural Medicine in southwest Portland, points out that often acupuncture is covered for pain management. And Lisa Ga-rofalo, an instructor at the Oregon School of Massage, notes that it’s also becoming more common for insurance companies to provide coverage for massage.

The Oregon Health Plan (OHP), a state-administered program that provides health care coverage to low-income Oregonians, generally covers services by licensed health care providers, says Dr. Walter Shaffer, medical director of the Division of Medical Assistance Programs. Some OHP coverage is administered by managed care plans, such as Kaiser Permanente, and “they have the authority to say who is on their provider roster,” Shaffer says. Also, OHP pri-oritizes what it covers from the most to least life-threatening. So, for example, low back pain is not generally covered by any kind of treatment with OHP.

Patient Pam Savory’s health insurance does not pay for her natu-ropathic visits. She sees Dr. Kimberly Windstar at the National Col-lege of Natural Medicine and the cost “is very reasonable,” accord-ing to Savory. Patient Mycal Quaempts-Miller, who works at Powell’s Books, was covered for naturopathy by her workplace insurance. “In the past I’ve had to pay out of my own pocket (for CAM). Honestly, I don’t think I would be able to afford this care otherwise,” she says. If your insurance doesn’t cover your CAM visits, Monteblanco advises patients to investigate using health savings accounts, which can result in paying for your CAM payments with pre-tax dollars.

For those without insurance (or those who have plans with very high deductibles) one option is Sprig Health (sprighealth.com), a company that offers a variety of health care services (including alter-native medicine care) at competitive prices for those without health insurance. (Joining the Sprig Health community is free.)

CAM is generally less expensive than conventional medicine. An average acupuncture treatment might cost $60 to $80. Naturopaths charge typically about $150 to $200 for a first visit work-up. Many massage therapists charge between $70 and $100 for an hour treat-ment. — Teresa Carson


Linda Hornbuckle

t Ways to Pay for Wellness

Many insurance plans now include comple-mentary care. For ex-

ample, Dr. Xiaoli Chen, a professor at the National College of Natural Medi-

cine in southwest Port-land, says acupuncture is

often covered as a pain management method.

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ortland/Vancouv omen’ · This can include chiropractic, massage and more. Osteopathic physicians...

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