The Power of Gratitude
I don't know about you but the word "gratitude" carries a fair amount of guilt and resentment for me. Being citizens of privileged countries like Canada, we're constantly told that we should be grateful, as in, "finish your food, there are starving children in...
“Eating Rainbow” Curry
Colombian food mainly consists of: white rice, a large portion of bland, unseasoned, tough meat, potatoes and a "salad" (which means one leaf of iceburg lettuce and a pale, sad tomato slice). Throughout the time I called this colourful country my home, I continuously...
Puppies or Painkillers?
A university called Chapman U organizes and program called "Furry Friends for Finals" in which students can pet one of ten puppies stationed outside the library the week before exams as a means to de-stress. Petting and playing with puppies has shown to increase...
Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Spleen
According to the Five Elements Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, as taught to us in ASM 202 by Dr. Kassam, the Spleen and Stomach belong to the Earth element and are both responsible for digestion (the transportation and transformation of food into energy, or...
Lemon Cayenne Detox Water
Like all of the mothers of naturopathic medical students, my mother is reading the book The Supercharged Hormone Diet by Dr. Natasha Turner, N.D. I had the chance to flip through it and discovered a recipe for this easy "detox water" that Dr. Turner recommends to...
Going Rogue
Another naturopathic exam session has come and gone. The end of our last midterm week tucked an uncomfortable 49 exams (in less than two years) under our already stuffed belts. Despite the over-stuffing of knowledge (taxing our Spleens, according to TCM, which is the...
Sock Therapy
There's never really a good time to get sick, but I suppose the end of a vacation is as good a time as any. After all, I usually get a cold once a year, especially if I'm in school, and it usually hits at the end of a stressful period, saddling me with a stuffy...
Gone Fishing: The Benefits of Fish Oils
My Italian grandmother ("La Nonna") remembers a time when, during World War II in rural Italy, she and her sister were given a daily supplement of cod liver oil, as part of a public health campaign under Mussolini's government. While remembering the taste of her daily...
The Evergreen Brick Works
After being enchanted by Montreal, I was determined to show Joe that Toronto isn't all concrete and business suits. I may not be an expert on all that Toronto has to offer as a city; I don't frequent clubs, I'm not that into high fashion and I don't eat out often....
Naturopathic Doctors as Health Advocates?
Walking down University Avenue in Toronto past all the major hospitals, including the Princess Margaret, a hospital that specializes in oncology, one can't help but notice the lines of smokers puffing away outside, in front of the hospital doors, in the frigid...
Finding My Motivation
This morning I dropped J off at the airport as he caught the 8am flight back to Bogotá, Colombia. These past two weeks, where I showed him a bit of my world, after sharing his for two years, in both Bogotá and Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, were a whirlwind of...
Chili Chocolate Chai Latte!
Now that the temperature is dropping, it is important to maintain agni, our digestive fire, in order to keep us energized, warm and free from colds and flu. One of the most amazing herbs for stimulating agni is cayenne pepper. Cayenne has amazing health benefits,...
Uchuva: The Inca Berry or Goldenberry
After drinking Caribbean tap water for about 6 months in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, I ended up with an amoebic infection. Not having a decent healthcare plan in Colombia I had to content myself with visiting the local pharmacist to help me deal with my problem....
Montreal: Art, Coffee and Chocolate
I don't really have an excuse as to why, having been born and raised in Toronto and having studied in Kingston, Ontario, a stone's throw from Montreal, I'd never visited this vibrant city. I finally made the trek with Joe when he came to visit Canada this February....
Get a Winter Glow with Hydrotherapy
One of the best ways I've ever ended a hectic exam-period was by going to the female-only hydrotherapy spa; Body Blitz! Scandinavian (Hydrotherapy) Spas involve putting the body through a series of hot and cold cycles (a sauna/warm bath followed by a roll in the snow...
Toronto Restaurant: Ethiopian House
I was first brought to this little pocket of African culture in the city of Toronto by my good friend, K. I had the good fortune to meet my friend K while studying Life Sciences at Queen's University. K is from a dynamic family background consisting of Armenian and...
Glorious Kale Chips!
Sometimes I wonder about the so-called "health food" that we encounter in health food restaurants like Fresh in Toronto. I mean, what exactly constitutes a health food? Are fried onion rings healthy just because they were breaded with quinoa instead of corn batter? ...
The Kitchen Spa
Maybe it's the stress from being in class for long hours, the assignment deadlines and almost monthly exams we have, but CCNM really takes a toll on my skin. Flawless skin is a tricky thing to achieve, as factors such as stress levels, hormone balance and food...
Creating Balanced Meals: The 6 Tastes of Ayurveda
I'm sure all of you can name the 4 taste receptors that scientists have discovered on the tongue: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. However, Ayurvedic medicine has categorized food properties into 6 distinct tastes. Some of the constitutional doshas require more of...
Gluten-Free Apple Squares
After reading and, therefore, being terrified by the book "Wheat Belly" by William Davis, MD, I decided to continue with my attempt to jump on the gluten-free bandwagon (or just run alongside it from time to time). While shopping with my brother and Nonna at The No...