Stress vs. Strain

Naturopathic med school can be a confusing endeavor. I find that half the time we're in tune with the body-mind connection. We believe in the healing power of nature. We counsel, we teach meditation techniques... I'm even starting to look into chakra healing.

The other part of us is a clinic doctor. We use our science backgrounds with the basis of biochemistry to develop nutritional plans. We make lists of differential diagnoses and use lab tests to rule out certain pathologies.

We're trained and educated in both aspects of health and well-being, but my current challenge is to incorporate both at the same time. So after having physical exams and pathologies drilled into my head this past year, I've decided to "re-educate" myself in the realm of spiritual healing from a stress and emotional point of view.

We always blame stress for all of our problems. You ask someone what's wrong, and automatically they say "I'm just stressed."

In reality, stress is a natural part of life. You think rabbits don't have stress? They're running from wolves and foxes! And the wolves and foxes are trying to chase down the rabbit so it can eat a decent meal! Imagine having to chase down your meal every time you wanted to eat.

So really, humans aren't the only ones that have stress, but like our animal friends, our bodies are built for it. Hence why our adrenal glands secrete cortisol. But there comes a time when we're under such constant stress that our adrenals can't keep up with us. They over-secrete cortisol to the point that they become "fatigued" and eventually "exhausted" and can no longer keep up with the demands of chronic stress.

So how do we prevent this exhaustion? In The Frontiers of Health, Christine Page brings up an excellent point of stress vs strain. We can't control all sources of stress in our lives, but we can learn to control our responses to it. Page explains that stress is a force applied to a substance, while strain is to be stretched beyond the "legitimate range".

When we take on too much work - beyond what we're capable of - we see the effects of strain. Thinking about that, it seems we're left more vulnerable when faced with strain on our bodies. We take on too much in our everyday lives and when we chronically go past our capacity, our bodies have a harder time dealing with it. This leaves us vulnerable to disease (or "dis-ease").

It's a good idea for us to check in with ourselves on a daily basis. How close are you to straining? Are you able to be faced with stress and handle it? Maybe you've taken on so much that you're starting to breakdown and crumble.

There's an exercise that we've been taught in clinic: The 5 minute check-in. At least once per day, lay down or sit with your feet grounded, eyes closed and ask yourself: "Body, what do you need?" Take at least 5 seconds and be in tune with your body. It could be the most basic of necessities. Maybe you need a glass of water. Maybe it's a hug, a snack/food, rest, or activity. Maybe you're a student stuck in a library and you just want to talk to someone, or scream or cry. Whatever it is, let your body speak to you and then give it what it needs, even if only for 5 minutes.

Take that 5 minutes and do what you need to do. Get a glass of water, eat something, put your feet up and rest for 5 whole minutes.

The more in-tune we are with our bodies and ourselves, the easier it will be to manage stress when it comes along; You'll be more prepared. Think of yourself like an army. You can't go into battle without resources. You need substance before you can perform in any battle. If you go in empty-handed, dehydrated and tired, you're more likely to falter.

Step 1 when dealing with stress: make sure you're getting the basic necessities. You might think you are, but check in with yourself at least once a day just to make sure.

The power of the puppy in healthcare

Puppies make everything better. Although this started as a joke on Scrubs, I've come to realize that it's true: I believe you can cure people with a box full of puppies.

My boyfriends parents picked up their new puppy yesterday and she's the cutest and most cuddly puppy. The playfulness is infectious. The fluffiness of her fur makes her the best cuddler, and she's part poodle so she can hug your arm with her paws.

A puppy who gives hugs... I'm not making this stuff up.

Sadie the puppy

So where does this all fit in our healthcare system? I've heard of people having dogs in hospitals to keep them company, and that it actually helps in their recovery. I don't know the science behind it, so let's work it out:

How puppies may cure people: The power of the puppy

1) Although they are much like babies or small children, they make excellent companions. I think my least favourite place in the whole world is a hospital. I hate the smell of hospitals; it's lonely. The rooms are bare except for the machines and wires. Having a furry companion would make the experience much more tolerable.

2) Although they are like small children, they can't talk back to you... or ask you a million questions. Yes, they may whine or bark in the night, but hang around a 3 year old for a day and tell me you're not sick and tired of coming up with answers to the question: "Why?"

3) Dogs are loyal in general. Have a dog hang around you for a bit. Then let them go play. The puppy, although curious, will always come back to you and will protect you. This is unlike cats who strut around like they own the place and will cuddle-cheat on you with other patients in the hospital.

4) Continuing with how protective dogs are, dogs will most likely save babies and children from any harm. They're smart like that. You must never let a cat go near the section of the hospital with small children or new babies. They will suffocate them by sitting on their heads, because that's what cats do.

5) Being around a cute fluffy puppy is infectiously bubbly. Seriously, try being in a bad mood around a puppy. They will detect the negativity and then give you puppy kisses until you laugh.

6) They are so happy to see you when you come home! (or when you wake up in the morning). Imagine having a "Welcome Home!" party every time you walk through your front door. Your loyal dog is waiting for you and shows his or her puppy excitement.

7) Puppies are warm. Not that you really need it during this heat wave; but if you're stuck with the air conditioning cranked up and are bundled under blankets to protect yourself from the unnatural frigid air, a puppy will sit on your lap and it's fluffy fur will keep you warm.

So really, I can't see the downside to having puppies be incorporated into our healthcare system. Just make sure to listen to Bob Barker when he says to have your pets spayed or neutered.

Getting through sluggish days

We all have those days where you don't feel like doing anything at all. You're already tired, or are maybe just lacking in motivation. With the wacky changes in weather this week, I'm feeling it in full force.

My options were to either A) move somewhere where it is sunny and blue skies all the time. I'm pretty sure this is a decent solution that would absolutely work if I could actually make it happen. Externship in California perhaps?
or B) Kick my my own butt to do something that will make me feel better while I'm stuck in humid, cloudy, rainy, disgustingly sticky Toronto.


So I decided to kick my butt and make myself workout. This is usually preceded by a small cup of coffee made with dark chocolate almond milk - I'm not even kidding on how delicious this is. So after that joyous cup of deliciousness I had the "self-talk". I have mental check-ins and give myself a pep talk.

What I tell myself is: It doesn't matter how much you put into today's workout. Take it easy. Don't worry about how much weight you're lifting. You don't have to lunge or squat as much as you normally do. Instead of your usual 90%, maybe only give 40-50% today. And that's fine, as long as you finish the workout.

So I get through the sluggish days by forcing myself to workout, but by lowering my expectations of the workout. If I go into a workout knowing that I can take it easy this time, my endurance is so much better - even with the fatigue. Of course, what I also recommend is having time to rest before and after exercise so that you don't deplete yourself any further. Take breaks, eat protein and fruit, drink lots of water. Replenish yourself.

But moving around for those 40 minutes and doing nice slow stretches after really helped to recharge my batteries and make sure I keep active even when not feeling the greatest. And my mood was improved dramatically.

This won't work for everyone (especially those with chronic fatigue or FM/ME), but for those of us who need less recovery time and really just need some extra motivation to keep going, give yourself a friendly kick in the butt when you know you need it.

My love/hate relationship with running

Today's running achievements:

1) I actually went running. Like outside and everything. In a forest.
2) I didn't get lost in the forest.
3) I didn't fall this time!

So all in all it's been a good morning. Let me backtrack a bit.

I have this love/hate relationship with running. Runners intimidate me. They're more intense then postal service workers. Why? Because they are so effing committed to running that they will go out in absurd weather like a freak hail storm... that turns into freezing rain... with wind gushing about, and they go out there just to run around. They're not running to anything or from anything, but merely practicing in case something comes up where they will need to run 10-20k without stopping and live to tell the tale.

So their intensity intimidates me. I like to run, but I don't by any means call myself a runner. But why does that stop so many of us from getting out there? You don't have to be a professional (or stuck in a maze with no memory- James Dashner reference) to run.

A friend of mine invited me out to run a few days ago through this awesome conservation area, and I love a good outdoor adventure, so I couldn't say no (especially since I was just going to workout indoors). It was a short run, but a run none-the-less. And I did fall, but that's to be expected when you add in the fact that I'm extremely clumsy and also that the forest is filled with tree roots that stick out of the ground.

Today was gorgeous outside so I decided to venture out on my own. I started at the same spot as last time, and I swear my inner bird/turtle senses kicked in and I was able to retrace the exact route through the forest trails without getting lost. This was unbelievable. Every time I came upon a landmark that I recognized, I felt a little ping of joy and relief that I wouldn't have to call Search-and-Rescue to come find me.

My 30 minute gallivant through the woods wasn't intense. I walked up the really steep hiking hills instead of running them. I took interval walking breaks when my lungs were burning like they had been sprayed with sulphuric acid. But I did the complete loop. And truthfully, the feeling afterwards when you've just completed a run is amazing.

Image from Friends. The one where Phoebe runs.

It actually makes the whole thing worth it. I mean, it's great to be out in nature, away from the people and the sounds of traffic. I could have easily just hiked the trails instead of running them. But sometimes you wanna feel like a kid again and just run for no apparent reason. Run like no one is watching you.

I hate running because I suck at it, by a runner's definition. Tomorrow my TFLs and IT bands will be sore and achy; and yes my lungs worked harder than ever to keep up to me, but at the same time I love running because it's movement. I get antsy and I need to go do something... work my muscles... burn some energies... strengthen muscles... breath fresh air and get sunshine on my skin.

Running might be a pain in the ass (and legs) for most of us, but it's nice to get out there every once in a while. You don't have to be a track star, a chronic jogger or a marathon runner to go outside and run. I've had days where I've gotten home from work/school and literally just went for a run around the block because I needed to move. And sometimes that amount is enough for me.

Looking back on this experience, the lesson is this: Don't be intimidated to move around, workout, or get any sort of physical exercise. There's no one to measure up to. Do only what you can physically do, but do something. Even if it's just walking for 20-30 minutes. And now that the weather is beautiful again, there's no better time to start.

Long time, no blog

They said that once you get into 4th year of the ND program and are in clinic that you have so much more free time than in previous years. Seeing as how I haven't blogged in forever, I don't know how true that statement actually is.

Truthfully, I'm not quite settled in my living situation (most of my stuff is in storage), so I really haven't had that "space" yet to sit and write. I'm always so worried about working on things for my patients that whenever I actually do have free time, I have to spend it outside and give my brain a break.

What I wanted to talk about today was the power of human kindness and of human emotions in general. Last week I was walking from the park to school and at the street lights it started raining. A young girl walked up to me and sheltered me with her umbrella. It was such a sweet gesture, especially as she walked with me all the way across the street (here in Toronto that means 7 traffic lanes) making sure I wouldn't get rained on. After wishing her a good day, I realized how infectious kindness really is.

When you're a dick to someone (often times it's in your car on the 401 highway), that asshole-ishness stews around you and infects everyone you encounter. Have you ever had someone cut you off or ride your tail while driving and it just puts you in the worst mood? Well the same principle goes for kindness: Good deeds and kind gestures fill you and others up with such a happy feeling.

Contrary to what Hugh Grant claims in About a Boy, no man is an island. Although sometimes I want to run away from this city and be away from the traffic and the buildings and the people, it's not possible to run away from all of it. We need each other in society  - and if we don't... well... we're stuck with each other. So what's the point of being an asshole all the time when you're stuck running into people everywhere you go? I think we need to start being more kind to one another.

When you're in your car, remember that you're not hidden by metal and glass. We're not cars, we're people. So when someone lets you merge into a lane of traffic, give them a little wave to show your appreciation.

It's fine to be selfish in times where you need to take care of yourself, but in general we need to realize that our actions -whether good or bad - affect EVERYONE around us in that same way.

Do something nice for a stranger. Hold the door open for them. Pay for their coffee. Smile (but not in a creepy way). Whatever little act of kindness that you can do, pay it forward and ask them to do the same.

Trusting health claims in the news ... it's a Moo point.

A lot of people have approached me on the subject of substances like coffee and vitamin E. One day coffee is bad for you, the next, it saves lives (not really, but I'm trying to make a point). It's the same when patients ask me if you're suppose to take Vitamin E. We thought it was good, then the news reported it could kill you (or something like that) and now we're giving it out again, but in smaller doses. What's the deal?

So I came across an older CBC article yesterday - and honestly, over the past few years I have lost a lot of respect for CBC based on their website's health section. But for once, I actually came across a decent and truthful article that explained a lot.

The article by Kelly Crowe (which can be viewed here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/05/17/coffee-crowe.html) entitled "What's the fuss about coffee?" didn't start talking about coffee at all. It actually explained how, when and where reporters got their information when reporting on health and scientific research.

It explained the research release "embargo" - a magical date and time when reporters are allowed to publish their articles on a specific study, and as an example, used a current study that wasn't reported on properly. I honestly think that all health and science reporters should have to take a biostatistics course and learn how to properly interpret the results of a study. Crowe at least explained some of the exclusion criteria as well as the methodology - which many other newspapers didn't care about as much as coming up with attention-grabbing and FALSE titles like "Coffee drinkers live longer." There's no actual evidence that drinking coffee will make you live longer. It's a false conclusion, but hey, I guess that's the media for you.

So whenever someone shows me an article with a big flashy headline like that, I ignore the entire article. I couldn't care less what the media makes of the study. I go straight to the source and read the actual literature published by the researchers. However, you also have to take a researcher's conclusion with a grain of salt, so to speak. We're all human and we make our own conclusions. Biologists are trained to be objective, but every once in a while someone wants something to be true so badly that they make a far-fetched conclusion, based on end measures that they never sought to look at in the first place. It happens.

One of the greatest things that my biostats professor taught me was: BE CRITICAL. I think of it in the same way that Prof. Moody says "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" in Harry Potter. So what I really look for is the inclusion/exclusion criteria for the human subjects (I don't take petri dish research all that seriously when it comes to making health claims. I don't know about you, but there is no part of my body that lives in a petri dish, so why would I want to be treated medically as such?). I also look at the methodology - was it a survey (have you ever lied on a survey to make yourself look better?)? Did the methodology make sense? Who did they do it on? What did they say they were going to measure and are those results what their conclusion was based on?

A second professor taught me the importance of MAGNITUDE. Okay, so you say that coffee makes people live longer... How much coffee do they have to drink? For how long? How much longer, in days, months, years, will it allow you to live?

I'm not trying to beat a dead horse (that would be cruel and horrible), but although we're all the same species, we don't all live the same. We can't generalize one population's needs to everyone in the world. Well, except for vegetables. Your mother was right about that one: you need to eat your vegetables.

In conclusion, it's tough to know what to trust in the media. But really it's a Moo point (no, that's not a spelling error. If you have never seen that episode of Friends then shame on you... it's hilarious). The media will never change it's aim to grab you as a reader/viewer, so it's up to you to think critically, look at the methods and look at the results. Let's utilize our critical thinking skills instead of being spoon-fed extremely large claims.

The island of misfit toys

I've been away for a while, but I blame it on life. It gets in the way of everything. I've had to move out of my townhouse into a new place, which wasn't quite ready for new people, so most of my stuff is stored in a garage and shoved up against the walls of the living room and kitchen.

Looking at my thighs/legs, you could easily mistake me for a leopard with all the bruises I have from moving furniture. And I swear you could actually see the clouds of pollen in the air around the trailer that we were loading up. I'm pretty sure my white lounge chair has turned a weird shade of yellow from being coated in tree pollen. I believe it's also partially responsible for me getting sick for 36 hours (the pollen, not the chair).

Then I had to help a friend move after clinic one day and I didn't have any non-clinic clothes, so she gave me a pair of her shorts to wear with my dress shoes - And honestly, I felt like a wizard in Muggle clothing. It was ridiculous and comfortable (because it was sooo hot outside and shorts are nice and breezy), but with dress shoes, white Adidas shorts and the undershirt I had on under my blouse, I had an Arthur Weasley moment and could not stop giggling on the inside.

So all in all, it's been a ridiculous week, especially since the LA Kings have been wetting the bed for the past two games... and I wouldn't normally care about mundane things like a hockey game, except for the fact that I made a real come back in Round 2 of my hockey pool, and winning $100 (or even just my $10 entrance fee back) would really make me so happy that I would probably cry... and try to build my own Stanley Cup in memory of this occasion. Except I would have to call it the Sarah Cup.... and fill it with wine. - If I win, I promise to do this and send you all the photographic evidence. I love arts and crafts.

But the point of today's post is simply: Does anyone else ever feel like they should be cast away with people like me on an island of misfit toys?

Sometimes I feel like the most un-normal person in the world. I guess that's a good thing. I would hate to be just like everyone else. I like being quirky and different. Wearing leg warmers in the winter; cranking up the volume when I hear a George Michael or Wham song in the car; going from normal to floupy in 0.2 seconds. I'm the girl who asks for honey and almond milk in her coffee... and because of which, always gets really weird looks at Starbucks. I wear slippers in the summer, and I make sad kitten noises when I'm sad or upset about something - true story.

When I think about it, why would anyone want to be normal when it's so much fun to be different?

Seriously. I mean, I'm totally on board with work dress codes and acting appropriately in the workplace. And I know I should be representing my profession outside of school/clinic, but I can't change who I am. A school advisor told me that my website is great but I had to get rid of my stories and my Arbonne stuff and make it more about the profession and the school. I just couldn't bear to argue with her, but there's no way I'd change it. Same with this blog.

Many classmates of mine have incredible blogs that cover more naturopathic topics, but really, I need to keep my sanity and writing is my avenue. I still hope to finish some of the fictional novels I've started, but until then, pouring my heart out on the internet to dozens of countries is the best thing I have. So I might not be the greatest businessy person, but I'm a happy kitten on the Island of Misfit toys, and I'd much rather just be myself than hide all of my fun quirks and creativity.

I also recommend dressing up like a wizard in Muggle clothing. And then go out in public.