Priorities and Paradigms

Since moving back to Calgary I've been without a dentist and I would really like to find one.  It is certainly not that there is any shortage , but I have had so many bad experiences with dentists in the past that I have to admit that I'm overly cautious.   This is one example why networking is so important.  I find that when people can put a face to a name, and then be reassured and in agreement with my approach towards patient...

Who are Environmentalists?

With the political and environmental controversy surrounding the Keystone pipelines, I realized that the role of environmentalists often seem to be separated from general society.  I heard a CBC radio host exclaim, "I don't know what the environmentalists would think of that" referring to a statement by Keystone.  As if their view would be somehow distinct from the rest of society.What would happen if society viewed environmental scientists...

So many choices

On the one hand, waiting for my Alberta license number to arrive could be stressful if I let it bother me.  But, there are just too many exciting opportunities for naturopathic doctors now.  As such, having the time to work through some very important decisions, without seeing patients yet, has been a blessing in disguise.I believe that we are at the beginning of really being able to help the Canadian public due to an increased demand for...

The ND Generalist

One thing I have noticed when talking to potential patients lately is that our society tends to overvalue specialists.  A common question I get is, "what do you specialize in?" and people's reaction to my desire to work in Primary Care is bewilderment.  Yes, I have my interests: sports medicine, gastrointestinal health, etc., but I just enjoy helping people with a diverse set of presenting symptoms.  I find it is exciting and gratifying. ...

House Calls

Remember back in the good old days when doctors did house calls?  Well, as the provincial elections approach, several politicians are talking about mandating Medical Doctors to do a percentage of house calls.  I have no idea how they will fit house calls into their overpacked schedule but the politicians have recognized that the demand is there. The timing is appropriate in my case as I have been shocked at the leasing prices in Calgary. ...

NPLEX Results

Congratulations to everyone who wrote NPLEX (and Boards) and passed.  It was great to get the results sooner than expected and see the right number of capital "P's" on my results page.  Thank-God!!  I would age another 10 years if I had do all that again...it makes me shiver just to think about it!  However, the exams are extremely difficult and failing the first time is not necessarily a reflection of intelligence or your ability...

Post Surgery

Well, I don't intend this blog to be overly personal but I thought that I should update my mothers situation to say that she is recovering well.  She believes that her orthopedic surgeon was a perfectionist (which is a good thing!) and that he gave her good instructions before she left the hospital.  The silver lining on a horribly painful and frustrating we...

The Canadian Health Care Crisis Just Became Personal

This week has brought my family up close and personal with Canada�s overburdened and sometimes depersonalized health care system.  Last Wednesday my mother broke her leg.  My dad took her to the nearest emergency (at the Durham hospital) where she was evaluated and sent home with a partial cast to wait for surgery.  The attending MD also prescribed Ibuprofen as my mom mentioned she doesn�t tolerate some Tylenol (most likely due to...

Transition time

The last few weeks have seen a tremendous amount of change for my family and I.  After writing Board exams, we packed up our apartment in Toronto and took a cross Canada road trip to relocate to Calgary Alberta.  This has also been a time of transition from medical student life to business owner. Over last 4 years, as the title of this blog indicates, I have provided prospective students and advocates a unique inside perspective of...

Board, Board, Board!

It has nearly been a week already since taking the Ontario Board certification exams.  I should be used to people being intensely analytical and critical about my performance after years of practical sessions and exams, but somehow the Board examiners seemed to have a skill for making my mind go blank.  The experience was very, very humbling; in fact, it was somewhat traumatic!  The good news is that I'm told many of us will feel this...

Post NPLEX II

If I were to make a list of all the things I would loved to have known well while writing the 400 questions on the NPLEX exams, it would be a pretty long list!  I feel like each exam question was written by a specialist from a particular field of study and we were required to take our best stab at it with a generalist's training.  Well, I guess who better to write the perfect question anyways than a specialist!Probably one of the unforeseen...

Think three weeks of summer left

That's right, when this is all over, there are still 3 weeks of summer left to enjoy.All the best to everyone who is writing their NPLEX and Board certification exams next week.  We've made it this far so we can do ...

NPLEX & USMLE

I guess I'm competitive by nature!  I think it takes a significant amount of competitiveness just to complete 8 years of school and then continue another 3 months of intensive studying/reviewing to prepare for NPLEX and Boards.  So, I recently could not help noticing while I was studying in a Toronto Public Library that a young woman sat down at the same table to study with her laptop and a book, "Step-Up to USMLE Step 2."  Now, I...

Happy Canada Day!

I've just returned from 5 days in Calgary where I attended the CAND's Health Fusion conference.  This year's topic was Environmental Medicine and the speakers were absolutely amazing.  The conference was focused on tactics to avoid chemical and heavy metal toxins, how to recognize symptoms of toxic induced loss of tolerance and how to get the body to excrete these toxins when they are absorbed.I...

It's about the Zebras

As I'm hidden away studying in the air conditioned basement of a Toronto Public Library, I realize that 2 weeks of NPLEX review have already gone by.  This means that the Licensing and Board exams are looming that much closer.  Will I ever be able to remember all these details?  In my office, I could just look it up!But, after this many years of studying and 12 months of internship, it's now really about the zebras.  There is...

The NPLEX II Saga Begins

Well it is finally here: the final mental marathon required to become a licensed ND.  My head already feels like I'm in need of a break after a 6 day NPLEX (Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examinations) review course.  And I haven't even officially started studying yet!Like any large and difficult task, I think half the battle is overcoming the intimidation and making a plan to break it down into smaller "digestible" components. ...

Naturopathic Medicine Week 2011

May 9th - 15th is Naturopathic Medicine week in Canada.  If you are interested in learning the benefits of naturopathic medicine, take a look at these locations across Canada where Naturopathic Doctors will be giving free information seminars. This is a great opportunity for both prospective students and people who are suffering with health problems to go and get some questions answered.  Have a great we...

It's Graduation Time!

The graduating class of 2011 is done!!  It seems absolutely unbelievable...I'm sure the reality of being finished internship will quickly set in as I begin to prepare for NPLEX and board exams, but right now I'm basking in the accomplishment.  And what a journey this has been...filled with a lot of ups and downs, the appearance of gray hairs and the skills to help improve health care in Canada.One thing I was not prepared for this last...

Real Health Care in Canada

With only 2 weeks remaining in my clinical internship, and the timing of this federal election, I was paying greater attention to the politics of the profession and the vital role naturopathic doctors have in changing the course of "health care" in Canada.  I put, "health care" in quotations because what our politicians have not yet been made aware of is that healthy people are not the ones being taken care of in Canada.  Rather, our conventional...

Individual Medicine

One of the challenges in naturopathic medicine is treating every person individually.  This entails pulling together treatment ideas and prescribed changes from a host of resources and, in some respects, I often feel like I am reinventing the wheel with each patient.  For the clinician, this is a recipe for a lot of work and at the end of the day, it can be difficult to separate the "office" from home life as the realization of this...

OSCE time of year again

I would not ever want to be in the third year's shoes during the OSCE's (Objective Structured Clinical Examination).  I can clearly remember my experience last year and seeing the faces of some of the people after their exams, I feel their pain!  (My post last year stated that it was almost fun, but even after a year of seeing patients, it would take a lot of adrenalin for it to feel fun).  One of my colleagues in 4th year took it...

CCNM Growing Pains

The fact that school at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) is very difficult is something I've written about several times before.  It has been argued by some students at CCNM (who have other medical degrees) that the diversity of material in the naturopathic program adds an additional challenge on top of the tremendous course load making it one of the most difficult medical programs.  Additionally, although CCNM is over...

From Green to Transparency

One of the most powerful agents for change happens each time we buy a product - we vote with our dollars by supporting companies.  Over the past year I have noticed an explosion in the number of companies vying for customers by jumping on the "green" bandwagon.  The increased awareness and urgency of environmental issues has created public pressure on companies to make more environmentally conscious products. But are they?Products in the...

Quote of the Month

"Human nature is about the only nature some people experience."Abigail Charl...

Book Review 11

Hippocrates' Shadow. Secretes from the house of Medicine by David H. Newman, M.D.Anyone who is currently, or plans to practice, as a health care provider should read this book.  With that said, I would not recommend this book to everyone (even though my caution may inadvertently assist in perpetuating some of the medical secrets and pseudo axioms the author illuminates) as the author boldly presents some issues of huge magnitude with the potential...

Lasting Impressions

Over the last few months I have had several patients preemptively express a similar sentiment about the use of supplements.  In these particular cases, after the patients� have told me their concerns and reasons for coming to the clinic, they finish with a caveat that goes something like, �Now I don�t want to be sent home with 10 different supplements to take.�I can certainly understand the intrigue many practitioners have with supplementation...

NYGH Health & Wellness Fair

Yesterday I volunteered for our school at the North York General Hospital (NYGH) annual Health and Wellness Fair.  With the two establishments being in such a close proximity (directly across the street from each other), it was very interesting to see the range of responses to our booth.  Those who came through the fair were mostly employees of the hospital, although an occasional patient stopped by to ask questions.I was somewhat taken...

Village on a Diet

I wonder if twenty years ago we would have predicted that in 2011 people would be so fascinated with a television show about one of life's most basic physiological processes - losing weight?!  Village on a Diet has fascinated me by its simplicity.  Yet, despite a basic premise, the solutions for the town of Taylor, British Columbia are a matter of life and death for many of its citizens.Change is difficult, especially lifestyle changes,...

Quote of the Month

"To teach is to learn twice."  Joseph Joub...

The naturopathic Godfather

Today I met the Godfather of postmodern naturopathic medicine.  Dr. Joseph Pizzorno is an elder in the naturopathic community who graduated in the mid 1970's when there was only one naturopathic school in North America.  According to him, CAM is popular culture now in comparison to the persecution it suffered when he first started practicing.  He is currently the president of Bastyr University and also the author of the Textbook of...

Blood, urine & no tears.

Today I finished my last official shift at the Gamma Dynacare Lab inside the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic (CCNM's teaching clinic).  Fourth year interns are required to fulfill a mininmum amount of clinical hours in the lab and also obtain a minimum number of patient blood draws, urinalysis and other tests.  Additionally, we complete a very thorough one-on-one verbal assignment that assesses our knowledge (learned in...

Avocado...who knew?

It seems I always learn something about food when shopping at my favourite grocery store mcewans.  Even though many of the products are beyond a student's budget, I am easily persuaded when it comes to quality foods.  We usually go on Saturdays when we are certain to find a few vendors educating the customers about their products and providing samples to excite our taste buds.Since the store's opening near to our house, I have learned a...

That's not a kids meal

After Christmas my wife and I had the rare opportunity to take our children out for supper with us.  On both occasions, at two different popular restaurants, it was quite disappointing at what constituted a, "kids meal."  It would seem that kids eating out only enjoy a choice of: mini pizza, breaded mini burger on white bread (no pickle, lettuce, tomato), French Fries with ketchup or a grilled cheese sandwich on white bread.  That...

Happy New Year!

I hope 2011 will be a prosperous and healthy year for you.Thank-you to all of you who have faithfully read this blog over the last 3 years.  It is hard to believe that nearly nine years ago I began this educational journey and 3 and a half years ago I signed up to be among the CCNM graduating class of 2011.  It is an end and a beginning all at the same time!Over this next year, I will be transitioning from student to practitioner. ...