Body Monologues, On Stage

Last night, I volunteered at (and later sat in the audience and watched) this show. I'm kind of obsessed with Body Monologues (BM), the charity behind the 'On Stage' show that took place last night. What is BM? Well, according to their website: Body monologues is a space for sharing and creating awareness and dialogue about our experiences in our bodies. It is about learning to take care of our bodies, learning to enjoy them, learning to appreciate them, and learning to honor them. It is about the journey from self hate and self abuse to self acceptance and self love. 

Image retrieved from the BM website

If you've ever seen the Vagina Monologues, BM is sort of similar. But not... Allow me to explain: First of all, they are REAL stories. Second, the monologues talk about much, much more than vaginas! Heck, at last night's show, a man presented his own body's monologue! There are stories about every body part you can think of. Third, the way in which the monologues are presented varies heavily. Some are sad, funny, accompanied by music, song, video, props, and/or dance. 

What I love most about BM is the bravery of those who present. They are so brave to share their personal struggles with complete strangers, and so, so brave to say what they are feeling out-loud. The power of talking out-loud about your body struggles is huge and can be incredibly healing. The performers must have completed a lot of personal reflection in order to reach a level of comfort within their body to be able to share their story.

If you have a body struggle and are not ready to share it on stage, in front of strangers (albeit incredibly supportive strangers!) and if you are not ready to talk about it to a friend, family member, colleague, doctor, or counselor, then I encourage you to at least journal about it. Expression of any kind, whether it be in text, art, movement, or spoken-word, is helpful in healing. It gets the struggle that may be buried deep within us, out to the surface, a place where it can more easily be released... to be let go. You could even try writing your own body monologue in private and maybe one day, at a future BM show, you'll be ready to share it!

For more information about Body Monologues, please check out their website.

You're Beautiful!

Have you heard of Operation Beautiful? 

It is a powerful movement of sticking post-it notes with positive messages in random spots in order to surprise and inspire strangers to think more positively about their body. I encourage you to check out the compilation of post-its on the website above and to one day post a note yourself! 

Found this stretch mark caption on Pinterest, source unknown. 

Goodbye Food Boutiques

A famous vegan shop closed shop closed late last year. This shop was located in Montreal, Quebec. They only sold vegan foods, but mostly treats like veggie "beef" jerky, a variety egg substitutes, dairy free "milk" chocolate, cheese-less cheese, and other goodies.

When I became vegan in 2007, I really longed for some sort of cheese substitution. After reading about this product called Daiya on food blogs over and over again and hearing about its "amazingness", I really, really wanted to try it. I searched online and came across the recently closed vegan shop who not only sold it in Canada, but shipped it to anywhere in the country. I ordered 5 lbs of the stuff (luckily it can be frozen) and had it shipped with ice packs to Nova Scotia (where I was living at the time); the total delivery cost somewhere between $60 and $80. Yikes.

I now find this story hilarious. That "brand new" cheese-product that I died to try, Daiya, is now sold at my local convenience store. No joke. For about $5. I can't believe I once had to have it shipped from across the country and pay an exorbitant price in order to taste it. And now, even though it is super accessible, I don't even eat it anymore. Funny that.

Now, I was never a vegan "veteran", but apparently I still started my vegan journey at a time when it wasn't all that well-known or popular. I can't imagine how vegans functioned in the eighties or nineties  A time when the only way you could get tofu was to find an Asian grocery store I'm sure. I bet these vegans were a heck of a lot healthier though; they didn't fill up on all the junky "fake" foods that now exist.

While some vegans cried out at the closure of this shop, I think it was a positive development. Does the closure of a large vegan food vendor mean that the diet is fading away? That fewer people are vegan? Not necessarily.

I think that the shop's closing is positive because it means that vegans (and those who can't eat eggs, dairy, certain forms of meat, Celiacs, follow restricted diets, etc) no longer have to order fake foods from thousands of miles away and pay ridiculous fees for said foods. They don't have to search online for special treats because they are now offered at Starbucks, Second Cup, Loblaws, Metro, on airplanes, and in convenience stores.

With the rise of food intolerances and allergies, big box stores and large food chains are taking notice and making non-allergenic foods available to their customers (obviously they are doing it for profit reasons as allergen-friendly food is a growing market, but whatever).

The three-aisle convenience store by my house sells almond milk, tofu dogs, and gluten-free flour (to name only a few special-diet foods, they sell many other awesome products). And this isn't so just because I live in the big city of Toronto. When I visited relatives over Xmas, who live in a very rural town, I still managed to find Daiya, coconut milk yogurt, and even a whole shelf devoted to Udi's gluten-free breads in the bakery section of their small grocery store.

A whole shelf devoted to Udi's gluten-free breads, muffins, and more.

While I am very sad for the owners of the vegan shop and worried for small business owners everywhere who have to compete with big corporations, I still like to think that the closure of niche food boutiques like this vegan one is positive. I think it is a sign that it is becoming easier to be vegan and easier to follow a diet that is dairy-free, egg-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, etc).

Goodbye niche food boutiques, hello more accommodating grocery stores!

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!).

Salty Suds

Epsom salts (which aren't actually salt but minerals, specifically magnesium sulfate) are salts that when added to bath water. They help relax, physically and mentally, by relaxing both the mind and muscles (see below for a more thorough explanation). The use of Epsom salts originated from observing the use natural mineral baths or soaking in hot springs to treat conditions in Europe.

Directions: Simply add a 1 cup (or 2) of the salts to a warm bath. Those with high blood pressure or those taking blood thinning medications should talk to their doctor before initiating this treatment.

Mental Effects: The body's magnesium levels get depleted during stress, causing fatigue both mentally and physically. When the salts are dissolved in the bath water, they are absorbed through the skin. When absorbed, they increased the level of magnesium in the body. Magnesium is a cofactor in the enzymatic reaction that produces serotonin. Serotonin is a bodily chemical that helps regulate our mood and improves overall energy.

Physical Effects: Magnesium is a known muscle relaxant. When absorbed into the skin from the bath water, the magnesium relaxes the muscles, making Epsom salt baths great for menstrual cramps, sports injuries, body pain, upper body muscle tension, and even constipation (especially if the constipation is linked to stress and an inability to "let go").

I was at Dollarama last month and saw them on the shelf for $1! So they are an extremely cheap treatment option. The one at Dollarama something looked like this:

Source here. 

Around the time that I saw these cheap (and effective!) salts at the dollar-store, was also when I had a disagreement with a teaching assistant (TA) over the cost effectiveness of naturopathic medicine.

I had said "Naturopathic Medicine is very cost effective" and the TA thought this was false. I still disagree. While some naturopathic treatments can yes be very costly and while seeing an ND ($100-150 for the initial visit, $80-100 for follow-up visits) is pricey, a good ND should be following the doctor as teacher principle: teaching the patient ways to take care of their health without relying in their ND for every ache and pain for the rest of their life. There are many, many frugal and sustainable health tips that a doctor can teach a patient during the first few visits that the patient can use throughout the rest of their life. Take my Naturopathic Pantry post for instance. Once a patient has been educated and guided by their doctor about simple and cheap home remedies, and aside from follow-up appointments with the ND, naturopathic medicine should be very cost effective as it relies heavily on lifestyle changes, and using items straight from nature to heal.

Next year, students will complete rotations in clinics that serve low-income and even homeless individuals. If we are able to help these patients, then cost-effective treatment strategies must exist!

Anywho, just my thoughts now. I'm curious to see how my outlook on the cost-effectiveness of my profession may change as I enter clinic starting in May!

Doctor, Heal Thy Self

“Doctors, it seems, are to treat sick people; they are simply not allowed to get sick themselves.”               

           

- Marzuk, PM. When the patient is a physician. N Eng J Med. 1987.

One of the tenants of naturopathic medicine is Doctor, heal thy self but it is often the case that the doctor forgets to apply his or her own knowledge, tools, and skills to the treatment of his or her self. Just last week, I had a professor say that he had become sick and he didn't even think to use any of the wonderful cold remedies naturopathic medicine has to offer; the same remedies that he had recommended to a patient that very day to use to combat  a cold. I can see it being hard at times to step away from all the cases and conditions you are treating, and to simply sit back and think about your own health and what can apply. Personally, I think self-care is of utmost importance, but I am learning more and more that as I progress through my career, that self-care may fall by the wayside. Evidently, it is a problem if naturopathic doctors had to make Heal thy self one of their guiding principals in order to remind them of this very problem!

Setting Intentions & Giving Gratitude

More de-stressing and mood boosting mental exercises today. These are also courtesy of my clinic intern!

Exercise 1: Start your day off right by setting intentions

Set the tone of your day by setting your day's intentions when you wake up in the morning. Right when you wake up, while you are snoozing and procrastinating getting out of bed, think about what kind of day you want to have. Set your intentions by defining the type of day you want to have. Will it be an active day? A stress-less day? A fun-loving day? A motivated day? A family-focused day? Etc, etc...

Exercise 2: Sleep better after giving gratitude

You may improve your sleep if you make happy thoughts be the last thing you think about before falling asleep. Achieve these happy thoughts by giving gratitude while lying in bed at night. You can give gratitude by answering these questions: What made you smile? What are you thankful for? What  about today made you proud? What did you do well? Etc, etc...

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).

10 Things Learned from Minor Surgery

10 Things I Learned from my Minor Surgery

I had a very minor, teeny-weeny surgery on the weekend.  From this experience I've learned 10 things: 

1) Everybody's got a story: whenever I told people about my upcoming surgery, every had their own story to tell about their own relevant surgeries. I loved hearing these stories and tucked all of their advice in the back of my mind in case my situation was anything like their situation. 

2) Everyone's unique: although I learned a lot from the stories I heard (see #1), my story was, of course, unlike any of the stories I had heard. 

3) Expect the unexpected: my recovery was nothing like I expected it to be (different symptoms, sensations, etc). However, it also was much better than I expected. Hooray!

4) A nurse is needed: I had a wonderful 'nurse' during my recovery period. If you don't have access to an actual human-being to be your 'nurse', then a fluffy teddy bear will do. However, the best situation is a human-nurse plus a fluffy teddy bear :)

5) Excitement beats nervousness: (maybe it is just because I am in med-school and am super interested in all things medical, but...) weeks before the surgery I was nervous, but days before the surgery I was actually excited ...because it was a new experience and an opportunity to learn more about medicine and surgical protocol! 

6) Television helps: Even if you aren't a TV person, you will become a TV person during recovery. Hello afternoon figuring skating! 

7) Have a well-stocked kitchen: I did a major grocery run before my surgery, but my food preferences and appetite changed (due to nausea), meaning a second grocery run was in order. 

8) Ice cream makes everything better. Coconut milk ice cream for the win. 

9) No wait, 'get well' balloons make everything better.

10) Increased thankfulness: it's true that whenever you are sick, you become so thankful for your health. Now that I am recovered, I am so happy to be 'back' to my old self. I am also very thankful that my surgery and recovery were both successful. Lastly, I'm forever grateful for all of the love and support I received from my family and friends during this time. 

Themes from The Curious Cook.

Months ago I read a book called The Curious Cook by Harold McGee. The book examines common chef tips and kitchen myths. With the use of some simple kitchen experiments, the author tries to discover the science behind these cooking claims.

The book also discussed diets, nutrition, and art of eating, at great lengths. Here are some of my favorite ideas from the book regarding our current food/diet views (note that the ideas have been modified and expanded with my own thoughts; the themes are the same, but the wording has been heavily changed):

Image source unknown.

- Diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, are those of affluence. Instead of eating to live, we now answer a different hunger, the hunger for a pleasurable life. But our mind must lend to the arteries, heart, and liver. Our vital organs! Our bodies are not designed to handle this abundance.
- We now use the adjective fat to describe ourselves; it now a negative adjective, and no longer means "...a pleasing abundance of flesh..." like it did in the past. 
- Affluence can be just as lethal as famine.
- We must learn to adjust our pleasure cravings to our body's limit. 
- It's easy to accept the idea that serious diseases are caused by virulent microbes, by the poisons in cigarette smoke, and by deficiencies in essential nutrients. But most diseases in the Western world are not. They are instead caused by common, everyday foods. Foods that our bodies were designed to exploit and those that contribute most to the appeal of our food.
- The most desirable nutrients can also the most dangerous (i.e. certain types of fat). Our once vital-to-life nutrients now have overtones of disease and death (when consumed in excess).
- Today, we eat excessive amounts of fat for the delectable mouth-feel. But when that instant gratification goes away, the fat does not. We spend too much time living in the moment; our palates overrule. "We ready ourselves for the slaughter...". We sacrifice years of life for moments with food.

Kitchen Quotes.

Last month, I stumbled across these two framed quotes for sale in a craft store.
 Wouldn't they look lovely hanging in a kitchen?

The F Word.

...no, no. Not that word, silly.  The Father F word. 

Love the cogs in this graphic! Image source here. 

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers!

I don't know about other children out there, but I always have a particularly hard time finding father's day gifts/cards/mementos/celebration ideas.  I think this is probably because of the stereotypical depiction of Fathers and their 'day'.  When we think about the way Father's Day is portrayed by the media (in the form of cards, gift ideas, etc), we think of neck ties (the big one!), golfing, sports, fishing/hunting, cologne, gadgets, cars, beer, and tools. In contrast with Mother's Day, which is all flowers (the big one!), perfume, chocolate, jewelry, stuffed animals, and sentimental goods. Is it unfortunate that fathers are stereotyped as 'manly' and 'tough'? Should fathers instead be given more delicate, pretty, and warming gifts similar to the mothers?

With my own father, most of the stereotypical father's day gifts and ideas just didn't apply to him; making celebrating his day more difficult.  But what is this day all about? Showering with gifts? Reminding pop of his 'manly and tough' role? Nahh, it's about saying have a great day, you mean a lot, I appreciate you, I care about you, thanks for everything, I love you, etc. And no stereotypical gift can ever represent that.

Given today's rant, I had a hard time finding a graphic to display today on the blog that didn't represent fishing, sports, or neck ties (so, so many neck tie-themed father's day things!).  I settled with the one above.  Maybe the cogs/gears represent the insides of gadgets, machinery, or the mechanics of a car. 

...but let's say instead that they represent something deeper, like: the interworkings of a mind; a mind that is shaped by the support of a father; or let's say that the different shapes and sizes of the cogs represent the diversity of fathers in the world; or that they represent the necessity of parental love to keep a child motoring along.  

Whatever the cogs/gears represent, let's assume that it is something deeper and more meaningful than a gadget or car.

Halfway.

Today is the halfway point of the 30x30 Nature Challenge!  Congratulations to all those participating.  

Image source here.

Here's a recap of some ways that I've completed my 30 minutes a day (hopefully to give you some inspiration):

- walks (SO many walks)
- sat under a tree (yep, I just sat there (and ate a snack). Took in the sights and sounds of the world around me)
- Frisbee (the perfect Summer 'sport')
- did work outside (I sat outside and sent emails, etc. Feeling the breeze and sun while 'working' was enjoyable)
- sightseeing (went somewhere new and just took in the outdoorsy 'sights'. No need to go far to 'sight-see')
- read a book in a park (on a park bench)

Still on my list to try this month:

- picnic!
- bicycle? ...or garden?
- more reading outdoors (note the picture shown above)
- explore a new park in the city (hopefully going to do that TODAY)

...and even if you aren't registered for the challenge, that doesn't mean that today isn't the perfect day to spend some time in nature.  You got to start somewhere, am I right? ;)

Good Food.

 

Good Food Isn't Cheap, 

Cheap Food Isn't Good.

It's a celebration of Good Food today on Navigating Naturopathy! 

To my left: a pictured I took of a lunchbox that reads "Food is Medicine: your health is in this bag" (so true!). To my right: are you ready to make the switch? I found this graphic online (unfortunately can't remember where). Lastly, in the center: an awesome quote I recently found here.

On the topic of good food and similar to the quote in the center, Tony came up with this slogan: "you can either have good food, fast food, or cheap food, but not all three". 

Let's break it down: Good and fast food isn't cheap (e.g. eating at Chipotle, buying pre-made salads), fast and cheap food isn't good (e.g. typical fast food fare, Kraft Dinner), and cheap and good food isn't fast (e.g. cooking beans from scratch, baking gluten-free bread at home).

Jealous.

I'm jealous.

While at school this week for my NPLEX course, I had the opportunity to jealously observe the third-year students.  This week they are back at school too, but under much better circumstances: they are completing their clinic orientation!  That's right, next week the former third-year students will become fourth-year clinic interns; counseling patients, writing prescriptions, drawing blood, creating tinctures ...and all that jazz. While watching them receive cool clinic gadgets (prescription pads, pagers, etc) wasn't fun, I had to remind myself that in only one year I will be in their shoes.

I'm still jealous.

But I'm so close. 

A jealously-themed cartoon for today's post. Poor mustard, I still love you! Image source here.

Success Stories.

I picked up this Viva magazine (for free!) at the grocery store, found in the health food section.  The Inspired Living section of the magazine is great: it's where readers write in to share their stories of healing using more natural means (through diet, counseling, exercise, meditation, supplements, etc). This month's section was particularly special because all four writers attributed their health successes to the care of a Naturopathic Doctor (ND)!  I got excited and decided to highlight the shout-outs to their NDs with a green highlighter (shown faintly below).

E-Day Video?

I thought of this adorable video soon after publishing my boring Earth Day blog post on Sunday... perhaps it is Earth-friendly enough to share as part of a belated Earth Day Celebration?

This video was shown to my class by Dr. Phil in my Clinical Nutrition class.  He showed the video during our environmental medicine lecture (I wonder why :P).  Chipotle is a burrito fast-food chain.  There are two locations in Toronto.  I will be visiting one of the locations this Summer that's for sure!

Please watch the video and let me know what you think!  

  It actually makes me a bit teary-eyed, especially when I see those sweet pink piggies are on the screen! 

Best Part(s) of My Day.

Best part of my day: Got to ask patients questions! I love the conversation/interview aspect of  appointments. Much better than the physical exam aspect.

...no, wait! Best part of my day was: Wearing a white coat & toting around medical equipment, like a boss.
  
...no, wait! Best part of my day was: Feeling very confident in the assessments of my two patients.  

...no, wait! Best part of my day was: Today's high of 25*C.  Hello warm weather!

...no, wait! Best part of my day was: Realizing that I only have three major exams left on the road to becoming an ND (OSCE 3, NPLEX 1, and NPLEX 2 remain... OSCE 1 & 2 are done and done!)

Worst part of my day: The subway breaking down on the way to my biggest and most important exam of this semester, resulting in me having to run to my exam in order to make it on time (and feeling like I was 'dying' from the additional stress that the subway stall added to my already stressed state). Not fun, but in hindsight it's a funny story to tell!

Overall, 'twas a good day.  A good day indeed given the circumstances. Hope your Mondays had best parts too!

It's OSCE Time!

Tomorrow is my OSCE exam (I talked a bit about OSCEs before on the blog, here is one entry and here's another) ...and I am pretty nervous!  This exam pretty much summarizes everything I learned over this past year. All of the year's material is evaluated at once in this massive exam (this practical exam takes 1.5 hours to complete and consists of three stations).

There is a diagnostic station (listening to heart sounds, lung sounds, palpating breast and genital simulators, looking into fake ears and eyes, charting, etc) and two case stations.  In the case stations, I will be presented with a real patient and a case (patient complains of diarrhea, fatigue, sore throat, etc).  It will then be up to me to ask the right questions and perform the right physical exams in order to diagnose the patient.  

Can we say nerve-wrecking?! Anywho, confidence is key in this exam, so I just have to muster up the courage and calmness and it should all be fine. In the meantime, here are some laughs to lighten the mood: 

Scary Motivation for Change.

•“For 2 weeks after they’ve had a _____, people will do anything the doctor asks them to do because they’re afraid. There is a window of opportunity when patients first find out that they have a _____ problem that can be a magical moment, a therapeutic moment, if they are reached with information that goes beyond simply stabilizing them with drugs and surgery”.

This quote was presented during my Clinical Nutrition class (I can't remember where the quote came from... a journal article about heart disease, I believe). My professor said that this quote demonstrated the "in" that Naturopathic Doctors have with most patients. Most people aren't willing to give up ____ or start doing ____. However, when a serious illness presents its evil eye in their direction, patients suddenly are willing to do anything to get better. The other interesting thing is that most people don't want to have to under surgery or take a bunch of drugs to get better; hospitals are frightening places and people mostly try to avoid them if they can. This is where Naturopathic Doctors are often consulted. Patient has been diagnosed with A, Medical Doctor wants to treat with B, but they want to seek out another opinion, because maybe an option C exists? I strongly believe that the majority of time, there is an option C, and that a Naturopathic Doctor can help the patient find it.

My Clinical Nutrition professor also said that 25% of the population will actively seek out Naturopathic Doctors, even when they are in good health, because they believe in integrative medicine and holistic living. Another 25% of the population do not trust Naturopathic Doctors and no matter what you do, they won't respect you or your profession (forget about these people, don't try to convince them because you are wasting your time). Lastly, the remaining 50% of the population is on the fence. They either don't know about NDs or they haven't sought out your expertise. These are the people that need convincing. These are the people that will run to you to find option C. With time, these are the people that good NDs will treat and turn into firm believers of natural medicines.

On that note, my Clinical Nutrition classes have been bursting with amazing information lately. Info that I can't wait to share on the blog! Life changing stuff, people; life changing stuff indeed.