Media release from Well Park College

Tired of old rhetoric that natural healing `lacks scientific evidence', New Zealand's foremost natural health businessman and educator Phillip Cottingham is funding this country's first dedicated natural healing research centre.

First up among a range of short and long terms aims for the research unit are:

•    Developing new scientific evidence parameters that incorporate traditional wisdom and clinical experience alongside hard laboratory data

•    Patient reported outcomes measuring natural health treatments

•    A push for natural health practitioners to be able to access their patient's GP medical records online - and share their findings with GPs in return

•    A nationwide survey of natural health practitioners regarding integrating their work alongside medical doctors

•    A global conference to draw together the best minds on natural healing from across the planet - to be held in New Zealand next year

To head the unit, Phillip Cottingham who owns Wellpark College of Natural Therapies searched across the world to find the best mind available.

Ram Vempati won the job, a 37-year-old from whose searing ambition for the past 15 years has been for just such a research role.

"Ram has just the high grade skills we need to help inform this natural health revolution currently underway," says Phillip. "He has doctoral degrees in natural medicine and human physiology, has led a scientific writing team for a US pharmaceutical multinational, has researched integrating natural therapies into palliative cancer care and has an MBA.

"He has a deep understanding of pharmacology, physiology and biochemistry and investigating safety profiles of different medicines - and was also named a leading young scientist by India's Ministry of Health."

The ultimate aim of Ram and Phillip's drive for change is better health care for New Zealanders. The unit is already engaged in clinical research work for a large natural health manufacturer on one of its products.

"The development of the research unit comes amidst a rapidly changing health landscape," says Phillip. "We are now seeing major health insurers paying for selected natural health treatments and we know many GPs will utilise natural therapies and medicines - if we can put the hard data about their effectiveness in front of them."
Another key aim of the research unit is to make all its findings available online to the public (www.wellpark.co.nz).

Within the last year Wellpark has introduced New Zealand's first Bachelor of Naturopathy degree and purchased a large block of land in Auckland to expand College activities.

Background
Phillip Cottingham first began teaching students in natural medicine 30 years ago. Today Wellpark College turns over $2.5 million annually with a 300 plus student population, four faculty heads and 40 academic tutors - including medical doctors.
In 2010 10% of Wellpark's students are from overseas including Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, China, Norway, Malaysia, Iraq, Greece, Thailand and USA.
Phillip says New Zealand's green image, visionary natural health industry, respected practitioners and strong stance against restrictive legislation imposed elsewhere have all positioned this country as a global leader in the natural healing field.