Autumn Colours
October 19, 2012 ends another successful midterm week at CCNM. Not including our NPLEX 1 board exam, which was written in August, our first midterm week of 3rd year ticks a grand total of 61 CCNM exams off our growing lists.
Forest Bath
Now that we’re into fall it seems like I have a to-do list a mile long. Fortunately, even in a city like Toronto, there is still the opportunity to find the space between all the things that have to be done and slow down by doing some Shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing”.
Colombian Nature Cure Photography
Treat yourself to some visual nature cure with green scenes from Colombian towns around Bogotá and Medellín. 2012.
How to Improve Your Colon Health in 4 Easy Steps
I remember being weighed down by a horrifying feeling of inferiority during an Asian Medicine lecture one day. You see, I have always been proud of a strong and reliable digestive system until I learned that the Chinese believe that one should experience an elimination – you know, when you make “a #2” – at least 2-3 times a day.
The Ecology of the Body: Extracting One Part from the Whole
Did you know that women who have a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) can suffer from lack of creativity and a decrease in overall motivation after the organ has been removed?
“Eat Me”
In Alice’s world there was a pill to make you smaller and another to make you taller. In the world we live, however, we have pills that cover us for virtually everything – even racism. My pharmacology group recently presented an article on how blood pressure medication reduced racial prejudice by 66%. (An aside: perhaps more people should be on this medication.)
The Many Uses of Castor Oil
Castor oil is one of the best kept secrets of naturopathic medicine. Taken from the bean of the castor plant, this oil is rich in ricinoleic acid, an important active constituent that makes castor oil so special.
Feeling Just Beachy!
There’s something to be said for good company, sun and sand to bring you out of a dark, rainy slump. Last week was a particularly emotional one for me, which in part is due to my Reiki initiation, which can cause some energetic side effects, and some events happening on the home front.
Treat the Individual
I can’t really say that I’m a creature of habit. I easily tire of routine and consistency. Maybe it was for this reason that I felt the need to take off from Canada for a few years and travel, why I remain a perpetual student (no two days are the same and we get a 4-month summer of something radically different). The student life serves me well in breaking up the routine.
Almond Shells
When I was small I used to sit in a shopping cart, eating almonds off of the pile in the grocery store, while Nonna shopped for food. She would hand me shelled almonds to snack on, but she would buy them in bulk, with their shells, and we’d crack them at home.