Christmas Break

Christmas is one of my favourite times of year.  Unfortunately, it is too often an exhausting, over-commercialized pressure to buy everyone that "perfect gift."  So, I try to ignore that extra stress!  For me, Christmas provides an opportunity to spend time with family and friends, time to relax and time to reflect on what is really important in life.  And, it cannot come soon enough!I have to admit that I was naive about the...

Continual Improvement

The format of the 4th year internship at CCNM gives the interns more patient interaction compared to some of the other naturopathic medical schools (where the supervising ND does the initial patient intake and the interns only do follow-up visits or work in pairs instead of alone).  Although the supervisor does make an appearance during the visit at CCNM, is available for consultation and is ultimately responsible for the patient, there is still...

CCNM Christmas Play

Come out and support the graduating class of 2011 who brings you the original holiday play, Jingle Bell Rock - A CCNM Holiday Tale, on Thursday Dec. 2, 2010 and Friday December 3, 2010. Doors open at 7pm with the play starting promptly at 8:00pm (Location: Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine). Tickets on sale at CCNM for $10 in advance and $15 at the door. VIP tickets are available for...

Resisting Burn-Out

As my  posts have slowly dwindled to a monthly endeavor, I feel the need to come clean about the toll this program has taken on my enthusiasm for extracurricular - even naturopathic related - activities.  Nearly every day for the last month or so seems to be a struggle to resist burn-out.  Unfortunately, it appears as if this is a common theme with this years' graduating class possibly due to several new program requirements. ...

Here to Stay

Today I took my family to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.  It was at least 15 years since I was there last, at that time with my siblings and parents.  The fair is a celebration of agriculture in Ontario where awards are presented to the finest specimens of farm produce and animals and includes a number of fantastic animal shows.  Complementing the food and agricultural theme this year was the �Journey to Your Good Health�...

Maintaining Mentorship

Most highly skilled professions have some framework of mentorship set in place to ensure that things which are not easily picked up in the classroom, or from reading a book, are taught in a practical setting. Naturopathic Medicine is no different. Mentorship maintained naturopathic medicine in the United States in the years following the 1910 Flexner Report when naturopathic schools could not afford to operate (the Flexner Report also shut down...

Slow Down!

Three years ago my wife flew into Toronto from Calgary (while I was finishing my undergraduate degree) and she picked the apartment we would be living at during the next 4 years of school at CCNM. On arriving a month later, I was so impressed with her choice as she selected a location with the beautiful Don Valley literally off our balcony. The Don Valley has hiking trails, mature maple forests...

Thorough Competency

Over the last three years of writing this blog and speaking with potential students, I have had many people express their fears about the unknown journey into naturopathic medicine. How difficult is the program? Since you learn so many things, is it possible to be effective at anything? Is it really harder than conventional medical school? Do you learn enough science? Is the art of medicine still taught?I understand where these questions stem...

New Beginnings

As I came in to the school this week I saw a sea of new faces excitedly awaiting their journey in naturopathic medical school. CCNM is now set to graduate the most students per year of all the accredited naturopathic colleges in North America. I clearly remember how exciting that first month of school was and how it was such a paradigm shift for many people depending on their background. Very soon though, it becomes a lot of stress and an unbelievable...

Choosing the ND Generalist

Naturopathic Doctors in Canada (and the States where ND�s are a regulated practice) have worked hard to maintain a large scope of practice that includes extensive training in conventional biomedical sciences as well as alternative medical techniques. Until recently I have always wondered why someone would want to give up that freedom for a focused discipline that often requires the same years of post secondary schooling, like a registered dietitian...

Book Review 10

Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher by Gwen Olsen.As more provinces in Canada, and states in the U.S.A., grant naturopathic doctors prescription rights, and after seeing several patients after only 2 months in clinic with side effects from prescription medications, I decided to read another book on the topic of pharmaceutical drugs.This book is an autobiographical account of how drugs, both pharmaceutical & recreational, have permeated society...

Schooled by an MD!

I recently watched a debate on the effectiveness, safety and merits of complementary medicine. The panel included a medical doctor and a scientific sceptic on the con side, and two naturopathic doctors for the pro side. It was apparent to me early into the debate that the conventional medical community has a serious lack of understanding of what ND's actually do. ND's know what MD's do, and for the most part are familiar with the conventional...

�Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."Michael Pollan - In Defense of F...

The [CCNM] Hour

As an ND intern, I have the privilege to spend an hour visit with my patients. Initially, I thought this would allow ample time to ask all the pertinent questions, perform a relevant physical exam and ensure the proper care was provided for the patient by the end of the visit. Although this may be true in some straight forward cases, I have found that patients often see us as a last resort and have an extensive story and medical history to share....

Meet the New Naturopathic Interns

Come on down to the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (click for directions) on Monday June 14th at noon to meet the new interns. After 4 years of university and 3 years of naturopathic medical education, we are now entering our 12 month internship and are accepting patients. CCNM has one of the largest naturopathic teaching clinics in North America which has over 26, 000 patients visits per year.During the event there will be an opportunity...

The first clinical impression

Keeping in mind that my first impressions of clinic are highly influenced by the kinds of health care issues the patients I have seen thus far have presented with, my first thoughts traveling home after my clinic shifts were much more melancholy than I was expecting. Some people are really in need of a significant amount of help. Another realization I have been continually reminded of is the critical state of our current health care system and...

Quote of the Month

�If you are traveling down a path without obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere." ~Unknown Aut...

NPLEX Nastalgia

As Dr. Anderson's Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examinations (NPLEX) prep course wrapped up here at CCNM for the 2nd year students, I clearly remembered last summer and a small part of me wished I could do it all again. Even though some of the same material was tested in my undergraduate, after 2 months of extensively studying the basic medical sciences, last summer was the 1st time I really felt like I knew what I was taking about!In fact,...

A New Leaf

Today we completed the first of two days of clinic orientation. While biking to school this morning, the routine was so familiar, and our final exam marathon still so fresh in my mind, that I did not feel ready to be back at school. However, after the morning introductions, I realized that although the setting was the same, everything was different now. We are not only students, we are now health care providers. In fact, we were informed that 44%...

Quote of the Month

�We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are." Adelle Da...

One Last Push!

Six final exams down and 5 to go! The full-time 4-year naturopathic program at CCNM is not for the faint of heart and may not be advisable for anybody intending to keep one foot in the 'real world' and the other in naturopathic school (note: more part-time options are becoming available).Focused curiosity is everything! Nearly every day I made a short list of things that were 'interesting' to me and I researched them. Also, I found that I...

Calm before the final storm

There is only a week and a half to go before the final exams of 3rd year. This will be the last set of final exams we will write. Sure, after graduation next year there will be licensing exams and provincial exams, which may be very difficult, but this is a huge mile stone. Beginning on April 19, our grand finale is 11 exams in 9 days.I'm hoping to begin to live more of a balanced life once clinic starts in May. These past 3 years have been a...

Quote of the Month

�Wellness is not a race but a journey."~Unkn...

TCM and Acupuncture Progress

As would be expected before entry into clinic, completing 3rd year means completing quite a few practical exams. Still remaining is our emergency medicine practical, in-office procedures practical, manipulation (chiropractic) practical, and the one that I am studying daily for, the Asian medicine acupuncture practical.I did not know until recently that not all the accredited Naturopathy schools offer Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture...

OSCE Follow-up

What an experience! If it wasn't for the nearly crippling anticipatory anxiety, I could almost say it was fun - the kind of exhilaration that happens during an important performance. Being sequestered in a meeting room for an hour, in a group of nine, prior to the official start of the exams did not help. However, I heard many other groups used much better coping tactics than mine did and they were able to laugh off some of the tension. I will...

OSCE Time

Next week, the third year class will undergo the Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE). Passing the OSCE's are another one of those checks we require before entering into clinic in May...a really, really big check!These exams were implemented 3 years ago as part of the continued progress towards ensuring ND's are ready for the field of being a Primary Care Doctor. The exams are the summation of all of our Primary Care knowledge up...

The Learning Curve

As most of my colleagues in 3rd year at CCNM will be simultaneously pounding out the last details of their Relevant Clinical Inquiry Assignment (RCIA) due tomorrow morning, I have paused for a moment to reflect on the journey. Maybe I'm pacing myself, or still recovering from burn-out, but I just needed to take a moment and see the forest through the trees.At this point in 3rd year, the focus is about checking off mandatory requirements before clinic...

Quote of the Month

�Practice does not make perfect, or necessarily improvement, but rather practice makes permanent. Only perfect practice results in perfection."~A Wise Co...

Integrative Health Institute

Last week I had the privilege to preceptor with Dr. Walker who is a co-founder and clinic director of the Integrative Health Institute (IHI) on King and Sherbourne downtown Toronto. I believe the model of care established to be one of a kind so far in the Toronto area, if not Ontario. Although there are other multidisciplinary clinics that revolve around a Chiropractic approach or a Medical Doctor's paradigm, the IHI is based on a unique collaborative...

Who Owns the Podium?

I absolutely love the Olympics. My wife and I personally know several Olympic athletes and know first hand the dedication and perseverance it takes to struggle through many hardships in order to realize their dreams. Additionally, as an exercise physiologist and coach, I have tremendous appreciation for what the human mind and body can do in sports.Although I certainly realize the necessity for their funding, one thing that slightly taints my experience...

Beyond Compartmentalization

This semester has the largest spectrum of health philosophies I have encountered yet as a CCNM student. On the one hand, we have courses that teach scientific best practices and algorithms like Emergency Medicine, Primary Care, Radiology and Phlebotomy, and on the other there is the "energetics" of Homeopathy and Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is enough to make anybody's head spin!Although one way to deal with this disparity is to compartmentalize...

Quote of the Month

�Some people find fault like there is a reward for it."Zig Zig...

Intensity of 3rd Year Practicals

Third year comes with a heightened responsibility & increased level of difficulty in the practical sessions that only the pressure of clinic around the corner could apply. Last week we performed acupuncture on the "difficult" points including inside the orbit of the eye (ST 1), above the inner canthus of the eye (UB 1) as well as beside the carotid (ST 9, LI 17 & 18) and radial arteries (LU 8 & 9). Then, today we did our 1st phlebotomy...

Need an Adjustment?

Before beginning university, and before I knew about naturopathic doctors, I originally considered becoming a chiropractor. As I had several sport injuries, I was the patient of quite a few chiropractors across Canada.This year's manipulation classes finally allow us to complete the final thrust involved in performing a spinal adjustment (or any other joint). Until now we have set the foundation and framework in place by learning: anatomy, physical...

A Learning Environment

There are occasions where I am reminded of how privileged I am to be in a learning environment where education rather than egos are encouraged. I was reading a story in a conventional medical email newsletter about how hierarchy is maintained by embarrassing (or worse) the new MD residents. Maybe it is because my school is 80% women but I have to say that I was again impressed by the atmosphere maintained during potentially awkward clinical requirements.Earlier...

Quote of the Month

"Negative feelings are like stray cats. The more you feed them, the more they hang around." Joyce R...