Graduate Spotlight
Brian MacNamara, M.S. in Natural Health, and Doctor of Naturopathy candidate
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As far back as Brian MacNamara can recall, their family remedy for bumps and bruises was arnica rather than baby aspirin. Raised under the care of as a homeopathic physician, the youngster grew up observing many more natural health interventions than allopathic ones. Brian further observes that, beyond a very occasional round of antibiotics, his 77- year-old father has never taken medication.
Brian’s own evolution into natural health follows his father’s crusade:
- to broaden the thinking of conventional healthcare practitioners through a scientific, systematic approach; and
- to help “reel in” the occasional overzealous alternative health practitioner, using the same step-to-step, replicable concept of careful and thorough methodologies.
Just last year Brian MacNamara testified before the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (WHCCAMP). Brian admits that he sometimes holds the media responsible for part of the shadowy mystique concerning the noble profession of naturopathy. Detrimental messages can result from lax or exaggerated reporting (“hype”) or from a reporter’s adversarial mindset that covertly seeks to discredit alternative approaches in general or a specific practitioner in particular.
The good news, he adds, is that the veil of mystery is slowly being lifted from many valid naturopathic assessment tools, such as Iridology. Brian considers his Clayton College coursework, including Dr. Bernard Jensen’s The Science and Practice of Iridology, as turning points in his professional development. “I was able to study with Dr. Jensen during the last years of his life. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”
The late Dr. Bernard Jensen is considered the Father of Iridology. Brian MacNamara is a certified iridologist who is now seeking instructor status with the International Iridology Practitioners Association (IIPA).
It was MacNamara’s first love, holistic nutrition, that led him to study and assist in developing nutritional regimens that functioned as immuno-modulators for individuals with AIDS and HIV. During the 1980s, studies by Dr. Bogden documented deficiencies in seven nutrients, indicating the need to study the synergy of these substances in health. Ongoing blood tests confirmed their progress.
In the 1990s, MacNamara began working with elderly populations and individuals who are mentally challenged, incorporating the tenets of natural health and holistic nutrition within their care plans.
These days his Pennsylvania-based Nutritional Assessment Services, Ltd. is an educational consulting firm that seeks to guide motivated individuals in modifying their diet for optimal health, while also dispelling widely held misconceptions regarding safe detoxification versus “the quick fix.”
The short answer? “There is no such thing as a quick fix,” he says.
Brian MacNamara adds that he can honestly quote a 100% success rate with his holistic nutrition clients because he is a discerning practitioner. “I will only agree to counsel a new client when I am convinced that he or she eagerly embraces the notion of changing one’s life by changing one’s health choices.
“Robust health is uniquely up to each individual,” he concludes.
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