The Art & Practice Blog
“Poof! All Better!”: The Allure of the Panacea
"Once Henry discovered that the autoimmune disease was a manifestation of his own self-criticism, his symptoms slowly began to subside." "I told the couple to stop spending so much time together. They were then able to rekindle their desire and found that their sex...
A Meditation on Appearances
From the Art & Practice draft archives. Things aren't always what they seem. So goes the old adage. The smiling mother chasing her kids in the park may be battling an ugly divorce or struggling with the guilt of a turbid affair. The white picket fence may not...
Yes, I Drink Coffee
I've had two coffees today and I'm not ashamed. Sometimes I even have three. Today was a good day. The caffeine flowing through my veins powers my legs down Yonge Street as my calves tighten - good thing I'm on magnesium - and my spine bends in response to the weight...
10 Tips for A Vibrant NPLEXperience!
1) Stimulate your Liver Qi. Embarrass yourself at grad formal. Have them reprint your award with the same word misspelled. Create an online dating profile. Get a day job and surround yourself by a species of human that is still trying to figure out what gluten is....
7 Reasons For MDs to Collaborate with NDs
Dear Medical Doctor, I am a naturopathic physician. On a Facebook page hosted by some peers in my profession, a young naturopathic doctor expressed distress at having her attempt to forge ties with one of her patients' medical doctor thwarted. Needing her patient to...
We Are
We are recycled star dust That reshapes our entire body every 7 years. Which means I'm just about finished with my 4th body. And when I stare at the night sky, I might be looking at body number 5 Or reminiscing with the previous 3. I am the wind, the rain, the earth,...
Ode to NPLEX 2 (an acrostic poem)
Nalexone or naproxen: one's an NSAID. After a month, they're not straight in my head. Porphyria is different from diphtheria. Now who can remember which diagnostic criteria includes Left shifts? Or is it left shunts? And what's that condition where the intestinal...
Gratitude Journal
im grateful for long flowing skirts that blow in the summer breeze and weather that's appropriate for wearing them. im grateful for the spanish language and the smiling people who speak it and the songs sung in it with deep, crooning voices. im grateful for playlists...
On trust, control, yerba mate and other interesting things
"There are a lot of things up in the air in my life right now." My friend, S, told me as we sat on the grass enjoying the first of two yerba mate-and-chit-chat experiences I'd partake in in the following two days. "I just have to trust that things will eventually...
A Letter to an ND Graduate
If any of you have been my patients you know that I love assigning letter-writing homework. There is something powerful in expressing yourself to some person or entity with the written word and then being able to look back and reflect on your thoughts and feelings at...
On Climbing Mountains
There is nothing wrong with living on flat ground. In fact, it can be quite gratifying and liberating. You can walk in whichever direction you choose: right, left, east, west, diagonally. Flat ground is safe. It's familiar. However, after a while, it becomes...
How to Train Your Dragon
I woke up in the middle of the night to find the dragon lying in my bed. Snoring politely, he looked very small, about the size of a beagle. He was staying on his side of the bed, so I tried to get back to sleep. I'd met this beast before and knew he often brought...
What is a Naturopathic Doctor? (+ video)
The class of 2014 has graduated! I've received an email showing that I've officially completed my clinic numbers for the term. What has followed in the past few weeks has been a whirlwind of emotions: euphoria, exhaustion, excitement, sadness, grief, accomplishment,...
Art Therapy for Stress
I know about the healing power of art. Sitting in front of a painting and quietly filling in a private world of colour helps to open up the right side of the brain, dissolving the hard edges of worn thought patterns and softening us to possibility. I know that...
Reflections of a 2nd Year Student
When I was in my 2nd year at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, one of our professors, Dr. Leslie Solomonian, had our class answer 9 reflection questions. Once we had finished she collected them and told us we'd get them back once we were ready to...
The Used Sweater (fiction)
I enter the used clothing store, my expectations healthily repressed; it is better to approach the vintage-shopping experience from a position of openness to possibility, devoid of excessive hope and need. If one starts in this way then one has nowhere to go but to...
C is for Cancer
This piece was meant for the CCNM Body Monologues during the 2014 Women's Health Week. It is an important story for me to tell, so I decided to finish the final edits and publish it here. It was in Kingston, Ontario on the campus of Queen’s University, my alma mater,...
5 Detoxifying Herbs for Spring
Spring is about cleaning. The April rains wash away the dirt and grime from the winter, people emerge in fresh, light clothing, we tackle the stacks of papers on our desks, sweep out dust and clutter, open the windows to allow fresh air to ventilate our lives and...
What to Bring to Your Naturopathic Visit
I remember sitting in the walk-in clinic. I'd been waiting for over an hour, not to mention the time lost denying my symptoms, waiting until they got bad enough to warrant the visit in the first place. Finally, it was my turn. I walk into the treatment room, where a...
4 Women’s Health Reads
Women's Health Week and International Women's Day have both come and gone. At the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, Women's Health Week is usually accented with the popular event, the Body Monologues. Body Monologues, like its vagina-specific counterpart,...