Treatment Tuesday 3: Drink Up!

Want to know how much water you are drinking in a day?

Drink from a measuring cup!

At the restaurant  The Works, they serve their water in big measuring cups. Thanks to these cups, I now know that I drank a liter over the course of my dinner (2 of these cups = 1 L). 

If you struggle to consume 2 L of water a day (the recommended amount for healthy adults) maybe a measured drinking device would help you keep track of the water you are consuming. 

5 Easy Ways to Support Earth Day

The grass is greener on the [out]side! 

1) Download a thirty-day 'green living' challenge here. Lots of great tips for becoming more green in that guide. I recently committed myself to the challenge listed on Day 3. No more dryer sheets. Instead I'm going to be using wool balls that are reusable and made by independent artists. I bought mine off of Etsy. 

2) Check out EarthDay.ca and look for events happening in your area. There weren't too many events registered for Toronto, which made me sad because over 3 million people live in the city! I thought there would have been tons of events listed. 

3) Commit yourself to a green challenge. EarthDay.org has several pledges you can make here. Easy ones like pledging to recycle E-waste.

4) Seeing as today is Monday, make today a meatless-Monday! Reducing your overall meat consumption is always good for the environment. I'm cooking up some tempeh tonight. 

5) Get outside and enjoy the beautiful Earth we live on! Garden, walk, sit on the deck/patio, bike, etc. Now that is Spring, it's time to soak up the fresh, fragrant, and floral air! 

My New Home

Formal lectures and classes are officially over! 

Instead of hanging out in the Lecture Theatre all day, this will be my new home come May: the clinic!

 Treatment room of the RSNC (my school's teaching clinic). Rooms feature chairs for chatting, a treatment table (for physical exams, manipulations, acupuncture, massages, and more), and a sink area where basic medical equipment is kept (gloves, swabs, tongue depressors, etc). 

In the conference rooms where we debrief after a shift, a copy of the Naturopathic Doctor's Oath (pictured on the right) hangs to inspire us and keep us on track. 

Music to the Madness

In a perfect world, we'd all have lots of down time, meditate, relax more, and be less stressed. But everyone is so busy, go-go-go, and strapped for time. There is little time to kick up your feet and meditate. Recently a patient I saw while shadowing complained of stress and fatigue, but absolutely could not slow down due to family demands and long-work hours. My suggestion to slow down without actually slowing down: play soft music in the background. 

Add some music to your madness!

When life is so busy, you can at least try playing calming, soothing music in the background. Even if physically you aren't on the coach relaxing, a part of your brain will be able to unwind with the soft tunes. Subconsciously  on some brain level, you'll be relaxing with the help of the music.

Music suggestions: audio meditations (may work in some situations), ocean sounds, nature sounds, orchestra music, classical music, or instrumental music.  If none of these examples interest you, then play your favorite music (only music that gets you in your happy place; nothing too upbeat or fast, however). The more calming and soothing the better.

10 Tricks to Eat More Vegetables

Fruit and Vegetable Heart. Source unknown; found this image on Pinterest months ago.

1. Sneaky, Soups and Stews: When vegetables are in chili, soups, and stews, they get really soft and usually undetectable. Think about a pot of chicken noodle soup: there are loads of vegetables in this soup, yet is very loved, even among so called veggie haters. Same goes for chili; very popular, yet is full of tomatoes, onions, peppers, sometimes sweet potatoes, etc. Butternut squash soup is a very yummy (and even a bit sweet) soup that masks several veggies (squash, onions, celery, etc). 

2. Availability: Make sure the veggies are on hand and available. When you're hungry and open the fridge to get a snack and all you see are baby carrots, celery sticks, left over baked root veggies, salsa and guacamole, and salad ingredients, you'll be more tempted to eat veggies for your snack! 

3. Super Sneaky Smoothies: Hide vegetables in smoothies. I promise you that you won't be able to taste a handful of spinach in your smoothie if it is paired with some protein powder, berries, bananas, mylk, etc. I've added all kinds of greens to my smoothies and never taste them. I've also added zucchinis and carrots without any detection. 

4. Crunch, Crunch! Dehydrate or bake veggies so that they are crunchy and chip or french fry-like. Kale chips are awesome, but you also make homemade sweet potato fries, cauliflower "crack", plantain chips, and even green bean fries. 

5. Sauces and Dips Galore: If you don't like the vegetables plain, consider them instead as a vehicle for awesome dips and sauces. Hummus is delish, but rather than eat it with pita or crackers, try baby carrots or red bell peppers. If salads aren't your thing, maybe you need to explore some new salad dressings to jazz up the greens. Same goes with the dinner time vegetables on your plate: before you toss your peas or asparagus, try dousing them in some awesome sauce! 

6. Weekly New Veggie Challenge: Commit to one new vegetable a week. Baby steps, right? One veggie at a time might be a good way to ease yourself into a more vegetable-rich diet. Make this week cauliflower, for example, and commit to giving this vegetable a fair chance all week, aiming to eat it daily. They say that kids need to be exposed to a new food ten times before they really know if they like it or not (and most of the time after ten tries they end up liking it); maybe adults who don't like cauliflower just haven't tried it ten times yet! Well a week of cauliflower can help with that. And after cauliflower week, how about a week of eggplant? 

7. Pureed Power: Kraft came out with a vegetable Kraft Dinner a few years back. It was normal KD with purred vegetables added. When a vegetable is pureed, you can easily "sneak it" into dishes you normally like. Pureed veggies obviously can be added to soups and stews, but also pasta sauces, gravies, salad dressings, casseroles, and even used in baking. Here is a recipe for a chocolate beet torte, sweet potato brownies, and of course, pumpkin pie made with fresh pumpkin is great. 

8. Creative Cooking: If you claim to not like broccoli, for instance, maybe you just haven't prepared it the right way! You could try it raw, steamed, boiled, baked, roasted, stir-fried, or pureed (maybe make a Cream of Broccoli soup). Personally, I don't really like broccoli that is raw or steamed, but roasted or stir-fried broccoli is awesome! I also know people who love fresh green peas, but absolutely despise canned peas. So try prepping your hated vegetable in other ways and see how it differs in taste. 

9. Up the Ante: If you really, really hate most vegetables and you've tried all of my suggestions, then focus on which vegetables you actually do like and increase your consumption of these veggies. Even if your veggie diet isn't varied, you can still benefit from having more vegetables on a regular basis. 

10. Focus on Fruits: And my last suggestion, is that if you can't tolerate vegetables but love fruits, then focus on eating a wide-variety of fruits. Fruits are slightly less healthy than vegetables because of their high sugar content (even though it is 'natural' sugar, sugar is still sugar and acts similarly in the body, wrecking havoc when in excess). But, fruits are still loaded in vitamins, water, and fiber, so if you can't do a lot of vegetables, try to regularly get fruit in your diet.

I Dream of Chickens

Chicken Coop Image from Wikipedia

I'm jealous of my friend J who is installing a chicken coop this Summer.

In the future, I definitely want chickens and a coop. I'd take great care of them and would love their company. I suppose you treat them like you would any other pets? Harvesting their eggs would be so much fun too!

The little chicken coop above is absolutely adorable, but I'd need to read more about my county's bylaws regarding chicken housing. Obviously, I have lots of questions before I build my coop: Is the above structure too small? How far from property lines must the chickens be? How much grazing room do they need?

I'd also love to be able to sell my fresh eggs to my patients. Is this even allowed? My parents' neighbor sells eggs on the side of the road... wonder if he ever looked into the legality of it? If I can't sell them, hopefully I can at least give them away!

Dog Walking

Last week, on my current Thursday clinic shift, we chatted about strategies to get someone who doesn't exercise to start. We brainstormed lots of ideas and took notes for when I am in practice and begin coaching non-exercises. So, exercise motivation has been on my mind lately.

Then, on the weekend, when it was nice, bright, and somewhat warm outside, I noticed lots of dog walkers. This got me thinking: would owning a dog help with exercise motivation?

Throw a dog a bone ...then chase after it with him/her!

If you are a good dog owner, then you take your dog on walks to stretch their legs, frolic and be free, and use the bathroom of course. Having a dog basically forces the human to get outside (unless you have a hired dog walker or a big, fenced-backyard where you can let your dog roam unattended... but let's not think of too many counter points; that'll defeat the point of my argument :P). So yes, owning a dog forces you (if you want to take good care of your dog) to get outside and go on walks on a regular basis.

My conclusion: maybe non-exercisers just need a dog to get them moving! Especially a dog that definitely needs to be walked (i.e. not one of these lower energy dogs, but if you read the attached article, you'll see that even teeny-tiny pups also need a good stretch!).

Women's Health Week: Concluding Thoughts

Women’s Health Week 2013 took place from March 11^th to 15^th at CCNM (my school). During that period, women’s health took the focus, through a variety of events. The loose theme this year was to address the more controversial aspects of women’s health, such as natural birth, body image, alternative menstruation management, abandoning fad-diets, and the glamourization of our health concerns.

On Monday, the Canadian documentary Pink Ribbons, Inc, was shown. This film critiqued pink ribbons movement, discussed pink washing, and featured women with breast cancer who don’t appreciate their disease being turned into something that is ‘pretty, pink, and perky’.

On Wednesday, at the Moms’ Panel, six CCNM students shared their birth experiences and gave advice to the future moms and health care practionners (who will be caring for new moms) in the audience. DivaCups were also handed out. Thank you to DivaCup for donating! 

Finally, on Thursday, Meghan Telpner, Nutritionista, gave us ten simple steps to share with patients to improve overall health. Immediately after her talk, members of the CCNM family shared their body monologues at the first ever BMcompanion event. It was full of both tear-jerking and laugh-out-loud moments. If you missed it, you can hear more body monologues at the downtown Toronto, April 11^th show. Learn more about this show here. 

A big shout-out to the volunteers that helped with WHW and to all who attended the events. Thanks!

This board featuring women's health research was displayed in the school lobby all week long. 

Spring Dietary Transition

I've been saying all Fall and Winter that cooked foods are best. We crave warming, hearty foods during cold months, and prefer lighter and cooler foods during hot months of the year. These foods are easier on the Spleen according to Chinese Medicine.

Mmm, stir-fry and lemon water: two Spring and Liver-friendly foods!

Since it is almost Spring (yippee!), we can now transition out of soup, stews, and heavy casseroles. However, don't get ahead of your body too, too fast: we're not quite ready for crisp salads, watermelon, and popsicles. Now that it slightly warmer, it's time for transition foods to more lighter, cooler Summer-food fare, by eating semi-cooked, semi-raw foods. For instance, rather than roasting or baking your veggies, try lightly lightly stir-frying or sauteing your food, which warms the outside, but leave the inside a bit crisp. Stir-fries are not much more than warmed salads anyways. Feel free to eat more fruit and add more salads to your diet too. And since it is still March, continue to focus on all things green!

Also according to TCM dietary principles, Spring is the Liver time of the year. Therefore, try to increase your Liver-friendly foods for optimal health. Liver-friendly foods are bitter and sour foods, like lemons, vinegar, greens, artichokes, coffee and coffee-like substances (like dandelion tea or roasted chicory root), etc.

Daffodils in My Future

There are daffodils in my future... 

The daffodil is the symbol of the Canadian Cancer Society

...and my future holds a lot of time with this book: 

Naturopathic Oncology by Dr. Neil McKinney, ND

As my class' (CCNM class of 2014) fourth-year clinic schedule will be published on Monday, I think it is an appropriate time to announce that next year I will be treating cancer patients at my school's Adjunctive Cancer Care Clinic Shift located in the RSNC teaching clinic.

Way back in January, I submitted my essay and resume to the selection committee, and was shortly after short-listed for an interview. I was then interviewed by the supervisors of this shift (who are naturopathic oncologists). Then, about 2-3 weeks after that, I was notified that I was selected to partake on the Cancer Care Focus Shift. Hooray!

What an opportunity! I am so happy to be partaking in this shift next year and I can't wait to learn from these experienced NDs who've been working with cancer patients for years. I definitely plan to offer naturopathic cancer care to patients in my future clinic and with this shift under my belt, I am well on my way to learning the cancer-care ropes!  

Women's Health Week 2013

It's here! 
CCNM's Women's Health Week, March 11-15, 2013

If you are a CCNMer or living in Toronto, please come out to our FREE events this week.
They're sure to be informative, fun, and inspiring! 

The Month of Green

'Tis March, the month of all things green! 

I talk a lot about diet, food, nutrition, health, and healthy eating on this blog a lot. I know, I know, most of you must be sick of it. But I'm a foodie and a (future) naturopathic doctor, so food is always going to play a big part of my life and career. 

Mmm, green veggie overload!

Nevertheless, as an outsider, healthy eating can seem overwhelming. Chia seeds, paleo, buckwheat, avocados, veganism, pomegranates? What diet is best, what foods to eat, how about supplements? There's a lot ...but where to begin!

This month, if you are interested in improving your health through diet and nutrition, the one-and-only recommendation I can give is to EAT MORE GREENS!

Honestly, out of all of the dietary changes you could make and new foods you could start eating, adding more GREENS to your diet is by far the most important and easiest thing you can do. If you choose to do one healthy thing during the month of March, make it eating more green veggies (though especially leafy green ones). Yesterday, I kicked off the month with a leafy green, kale salad recipe. You can expect more green-veggie coming up this month. 

Green Veg Examples: kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, arugula, micro greens, sprouts, bok choy, broccoli, green peas, herbs (cilantro, parsley, mint, basil, etc), rapini, swiss chard, beet greens, collard greens, mustard greens, zuchinni, asparagus, savory cabbage, green pepper, leeks, green onions, green beans, cucumber, celery, lettuce, artichoke, turnip greens, jalapenos, edamame, etc...

It's March. It's time to get our green on!

5 Tips to (Remember to) Breath Better

Deep breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, fully inhaling, fully exhaling, belly breathing... 

...we've all heard that we don't breath properly and that better breathing is linked to better overall health; it oxygenates and detoxifies your whole body.  But how do we get better at breathing? It's one thing to say you should breath through your belly and not your chest, but when you've spent your whole life chest-breathing, it's a hard habit to break. So, I've compiled 5 ways/tips to help you remember to breath better: slower, deeper, and using your belly.  

Ready to become a better breather? Then take a deep breath in and let's go!

Start incorporating these 5 tricks into your life to help you to remember to breath better. Maybe start with 1 tip, then add another, etc, until you're doing all 5. Once they all become habits that stick, you'll be belly breathing pro! 

1) Take a deep, belly breath in every time you look at yourself in the mirror. That will likely be every time you use the washroom. 

2) While stopped at a red light (or stopped at a TTC station for Toronto commuters), place your hand on your tummy and try to lift it with your breath.

3) Every time you get up from sitting (either when on the coach, eating, reading, doing work on a computer, etc) take a deep breath in upon the initial rise from your seat.

4) Make brushing-your-teeth-time also be belly-breathing-time. 

5) Don't consider line-waiting time as useless time. Consider any time you have wait as an opportunity to take deep, belly breaths. 

This cute image was found on the adorably illustrated blog, GoodDayGoldfish. 

Morning vs Night Self-Control

"The self-control of morning people is impaired at night; 
the reverse is true of night people". 

--- Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow, 2011, page 41

To my Early Bird readers and to the Night Owls out there, does this statement ring true?

It does for me. I'm such a morning person (early bird) and I definitely notice that my self-discipline/self-control totally goes out the window after 8 PM. I'm so determined, focused, and controlled in the morning hours and into the early evening, but then "night time" comes and I'm a goner. I abandon my to-do lists, indulge more, and laze around neglecting chores/tasks... things I would never do in the morning hours when I am so focused! 

I'd love to hear a night owl's impression of Kahneman's idea; do they feel less disciplined in the morning?

Phew, January is over!

Well, January is officially over.

It was the busiest month that I have ever had at CCNM. You can expect way more blog posts now that February is here because I will certainly now have more free-time. It was a month of challenges, being put on the spot, and testing my "doctor skills". Overall, despite being busy, it was a super fun month!

I am actually loving third-year. It is challenging and fast-paced, but it is very motivating and "real". No more learning the theory behind something... instead we are actually doing that something. When I first started third-year I absolutely dreaded the Winter semester (what I am going through now). However, as I was going through the worst of it (the month of January) I found myself really enjoying the process! I was rarely stressed or worried. I guess my confidence has been built up high enough that I am  actually feeling great about my abilities to "play doctor" and therefore I don't worry or fret about the times when I will have to perform what I've learned in a timed and tested environment. For example, OSCE 3 is coming up and I am not feeling the least bit worried. It is nothing more than another hurdle that I will have to get-over in order to becoming a ND.

January featured...

1) Performing three phlebotomies (aka blood draws from a vein)

2) Being Scribe in Primary Care for a disc hernation case

3) Being Doctor in Primary Care for a positive HIV patient case

4) Performed my first spinal adjustment (and have since done three adjustments a week on my partner)

5) Continued to see patients in Clinic while shadowing a fourth-year intern

6) Attended two pediatric appointments; during one I got to perform a physical exam on a 2-year old. So adorable!

7) Volunteered several times at a chocolate company here in Toronto and also at the naturopathic medicine-geared business class

8) Conducted another Chinese Medicine patient intake and provided treatment regarding my patient's TCM diagnosis

9) Finished 99% of the organizing for Women's Health Week (coming up in March!)

10) Worked on CCNM's formal committee (an annual formal-dress dance/dinner), keeping the volunteers in track and working on ticket sales (also in March!)
11) Performed my first gynelogical exam on a female patient
12) Performed my first genitourinary exam and digital rectal exam on a male patient
13) Spent a lot of time on my cookbook. Things are now moving along nicely!

 

Well, it's pretty much smooth sailing from now until the mid-March. Come mid-March I'll get super busy again due to Women's Health Week, formal, and our third and final OSCE exam!

Semester Books

My Year 3, Semester 1 Notebook. 

Another semester about to wrap up, which means that I've completed yet another semester book.

What is a year book? When I started at CCNM in the Fall of 2010, I found myself learning so many cool things that I needed a place to document them all! Plus, my mind was racing at the start of CCNM and I find journaling (and blogging!) to be very therapeutic; I'm the type of person why needs to write things down. I wanted something small enough that I could carry it with me too (I don't always bring my laptop to class). I decided to start bringing a little notebook around with me where I could jot down these important notes because some things are just too important to be lost in the kerfuffle of course notes.

What I have included in these books over the past 3ish years: funny things profs said or did, blog post ideas, to-do lists, goals, memories, inspiring quotes, fun facts, reminders for fourth year, and future practice ideas. Many of my interesting tid-bits were taken straight from these notebooks!

Don't forget that ACE-inhibitor drugs cause coughs... purchase a tabletop dishwasher for tea mugs in my future clinic... recommend the book The Easy Way to Quit Smoking by Alan Carr to patients who want to quit smoking... talk about orange peels on the blog... 

...these are a few examples of things that are written down daily in my semester-long notebooks (I thought I would have one book per year, but I guess there are too many cool things to document during my time at CCNM that I ended up needing a new book every semester. The book featured above has two unfilled pages left and there is only one week left of classes: what perfect timing!

Now when it comes to time to look back at my time at CCNM, not only do I have this blog, but I'll have eight little notebooks to remind me of what was important, inspiring, blog-worthy, and so on.  I am especially grateful that I kept a running list of "future practice ideas" because almost daily something comes up that is important but I know that I'll forget about if it doesn't get written down. I also don't want to have to rummage through thousands and thousands of course notes to remember what is the best supplement brand of 5-HTP (a mood enhancing supplement), for instance. Hopefully I've kept the best notes in these little books, which means I'll only have to read eight little books instead of potentially hundreds in order to find out that brand (which is Natural Factors, by the way).

Potato Chip Hierarchy

With Halloween on the horizon, junk food can be found all around. I had been thinking about doing a post about potato chips for awhile now, and what better time to finally write it with the junkiest of all holidays less than a week away.

Potato chips are without a doubt one of the most popular junk foods in North America. What is it about that crunch, grease, and salt that makes them so appealing to the public? Grocery stores have whole aisles devoted to them, they are always served at parties, and they've wedged their way into being the perfect side dish for otherwise healthy sandwiches and subs.

But as much as society loves chips, they are just no good for the body. They are too high in salt, fried, and contain empty calories. Nevertheless, for so many people, giving up potato chips 'cold turkey' is simply not going to happen. They are a comfort food, a social food, and a commonly craved food.

Since I know that late-night snacks aren't going anywhere (society loves them too much), I have created this list to highlight some of the best and worst chip options.  Next time you are buying chips, please consider my hierarchy when selecting a variety.  Where are you on this list?  Is there a chance you would consider moving down a level?

In order of worst to best:

Party mixes --> seasoned chips --> plain chips (+ 'baked' chips) --> organic tortilla chips --> organic plain --> root veggie chips --> lentil or bean chips --> salted nuts or seeds --> rice crackers --> organic popcorn --> kale chips

In order of worst to best (plus the reasons behind their rankings): 

10. Party mixes - the worst snack food because of the gluten in the pretzels  the fake 'cheeses', the heavy seasonings full of monosodium glutamate (MSG), and all sorts of other mystery ingredients.
9. Seasoned chips - BBQ, All-Dressed, Ketchup, etc are big no-nos because of their artificial flavorings, food dyes, and especially their chemicals like MSG.
8. Plain chips - If you want chips, plain or salt & vinegar are the cleanest varieties. They usually contain only three ingredients: salt, oil, and potatoes (and vinegar). Plain and simple, no hidden chemicals. Also clumped into spot #8 are any sort of 'baked' potato chip because even they often don't even contain potatoes (instead are made of potato 'flour' and a bunch of other fillers).
7. Organic tortilla chips - corn chips/tortillas are slightly worse than potato chips because corn is a common allergen. Lots of people are sensitive to corn without even knowing it. Since the majority of corn today is genetically modified, be sure to buy organic because that ensures that it is GMO-free (in Canada, organic means GMO-free).
6. Organic chips - potatoes are on the dirty dozen list, so technically any time you buy potatoes, they should be organic; same goes when buying potato chips.
5. Root veggie chips - you can buy all kinds of nifty root veggie chips like beet, sweet potato, and taro root chips. These will give you slightly more vitamins, but remember  they are still junk food and don't count towards your five-to-ten fruits and vegetable servings a day!
4. Lentil or bean chips - you can buy chips made out of lentil and bean flours which give you a bit of protein during your munching. Some chips pack in a lot of seeds too, like flax and sesame, which is an added plus.
3. Nuts or seeds - how about snacking on (lightly) salted nuts or seeds instead? This snack will give you some protein and a good dose of healthy oils. However, portion control is super important when snacking on nuts and seeds. Aim for no more than a 1/4 cup when snacking.
2. Plan rice crackers - now while rice crackers are nutritionally empty (they just contain rice...), the reason why I placed them so high on the list is because rarely do people eat rice crackers alone. They are usually paired with either hummus, cheese, salsa, or guacamole... making this snack a source of protein and/or vegetables!
1. Organic popcorn - popcorn is awesome because it satisfies the salty craving and the crunch, but it won't break your caloric bank, which is important to consider because most times snacking is out of boredom or sociallness and not hunger. Organic is important to keep it GMO-free.
0. Kale chips - and the ultimate winner of the chip countdown is the kale chip. Kale chips are tasty, chip-like, and super nutritious (kale is one of the healthiest foods ever). I would eat kale chips everyday if I had access to them. Unfortunately, they are expense to buy...but thankfully they are extremely easy to make. Recipe coming soon!

N > M

Love this picture, but don't remember where I got it...

My Nutrition professor said "...you're all going to be NDs, that's one letter better than MDs!"  Ha ha.  

In all seriousness, we NDs get along quite well with MDs.  It's just not true that we are anti-MDs!  In the perfect medical world, we'd work hand in hand, offering a "whole health" package for patients, with the NDs handling some health concerns, while the MDs tackle others.  We are miles and miles away from this dreamy-sounding medical situation, but it's happening, slowly but surely.

On the topic of NDs differing from MDs, check out this article (written by an ND), published in the Huffington Post.  I think it is a great summary of what it takes to become and ND and what we can offer our patients.  I'd love it you could read it. You can find it here! 

If you are feeling really keen, you can also read this similar article (also explaining what we do, in a nutshell) found here. 

Solve, Not Sell (+ NPLEX Results).

In my Practice Management (aka Business) class, my professor says that as doctors, we won't be trying to "sell" ourselves to future patients, instead we'll be trying to "solve" their problems. Solve, not sell. Our job is to connect with members of the community and try to solve their problems rather than sell them on why naturopathic medicine is for them. Our goal is to share and educate (hopefully future) patients on the benefits naturopathic medicine and how it can help to solve their problems, and then the (hopefully future) patient will then sell the idea to themselves and book an appointment to see you. We just need to plant the wellness seed in their head and then they must decide whether or not they want to make an appointment and start their health journey!

___________________________________________

I thought I would take the time to let my readers know that I passed my board exam, NPLEX 1 (written on August 7, 2012)!  I found out the news a couple of weeks ago, but many of my classmates didn't find out until late last week, so I wanted to wait until everyone heard before spreading the news of my own results. Thanks again for following along my journey to become a Naturopathic Doctor.  With this big exam out of the way, I am well on my way (over 50%) of achieving my dream job!

Letter to the Future.

In my Health Psychology class, we learned a tool to help patients overcome problems in their life.  The tool is called the "Letter to the Future". You are supposed to write a letter to someone important in your life as if it were 5 years in the future. The goal of writing this letter is to look forward to the future, when life is better, when you have resolved or overcome problem X. 

How the exercise works:

- Write a short letter to someone important in your life.
- Write the letter as if it was 5 years into the future and at this time, you have overcome problem X that is currently in your life.
- Describe (in the letter) what life is like without this problem.
- Focus on what is good and new, rather than what is no longer in your life (i.e. let the letter be more positive than negative).

*** Now, go and write the letter before reading the following steps. Spoiler alert! ***

- Once the letter is written, take a look at how you've described this new life.
- What was the first thing you said about your new life? Was this something that you could actually do today? Why wait 5 years? Take the first step in creating this new life now. 
- If not, what about the second thing you wrote? ...the third? ...the fourth?
- E.g. In five years time, I start my day eating breakfast while reading the newspaper... hold that thought!  Can start eating breakfast over the newspaper today? If so, that would be one small step to reaching your future when problem X is gone. If gives you hope and the satisfaction that the problem X-free future is real, attainable, and at your fingertips.