The Run 2011 took Dr Dennis Godby and his family on a marathon-a-day experience across the country to spread the word about natural medicine. From high speed chases and RV breakdowns in the desert to surprising support for natural medicine and the planning for future runs YOU could be a part of, Dr Dennis Godby has written the following for those of you who want to know what happened this year in this record breaking event... and for those who wish to relive it.  Read more!

The Run: Moving Natural Medicine Forward

An Epic Run across America, as summarized by Dr. Dennis Godby, Founder and Runner

Imagine, two older men drinking beer in a western Ohio bar, being inspired and quickly becoming emotional and raising their hands to give a "high five" as if their favorite team just scored a point- all to show their enthusiasm and support for The Run: Moving Natural Medicine Forward! These men got “it” – how desperately it was time for the American people to take their health into their own hands and DO SOMETHING about it and how encouraged they were that 4 men would run across the country to promote health and natural medicine!

“Medicine is a social science, and politics is nothing more than medicine on a large scale.  The physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor, and the social problems should largely be solved by them.”

                        ~Rudolph Virchow

As medical practitioners and healers we are activists and organizers.  We give a voice to the voiceless, whether it be validating the experiences of a patient, advocating for the right to healthcare, or paving the way for natural medicine in America.  In school we learn about disease and its pathological mechanisms, but in the end all disease is an issue of powerlessness.  We contract disease in the unoccupied parts of our body, the parts where the light of our Shen, our spirit-consciousness, is absent.  These are the parts we have forgotten and ignored, that in turn give us pain or problems as a reminder of their existence.  On a larger scale this is also true in our society; the organism of America contracts disease as well.  There are many places where spirit is absent, where power is taken from people and oppression occurs.  I believe as a healer it is my responsibility to address disease on every level and I see Oriental medicine as a mighty instrument for this work.  I use the term “Oriental medicine” specifically to include all the various healing arts that have sprouted from the roots of Eastern philosophy.   There is a time and place for philosophical debate, but for the purpose of this discussion let us broaden our perspective to survey our role as healthcare providers in the current landscape of America.