Radiant Health!

Should I Get a Flu Shot?

2010-11-01T20:34:00.000-07:00

Strengthening your immune system can help you during flu season no matter what you decide

Each year as the weather cools and “flu season” nears, the great American flu shot campaign begins. Prevailing medical wisdom presents us with a multiple-choice question that sounds something like this:

Should I get a flu shot?
a) Get a shot and be safe
b) Do nothing and be sorry

Like most things in life, whether or not to get a flu shot is not a black-and-white issue. For some people, the aftermath of a flu shot – an achy, feverish, flu-like syndrome – is as bad as the flu itself. Further, the efficacy of flu shots in reducing mortality is not clear. For example, even though the vaccination rate of people over 65 has increased from 15% in 1989 to more than 65% as of 2009, the rate of flu season mortality in this age group has increased during the same time period. Here’s a superb article considering the evidence: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/11/does-the-vaccine-matter/7723/

When someone asks me whether they should get a flu shot, I respond with a different multiple-choice question, one with more options:

Should I get a flu shot?
a) Get a shot that may or may not protect you and may cause side effects
b) Do nothing and worry
c) Get a shot, but greatly improve your odds of staying healthy by proactively supporting your immune health
d) Don’t get a shot, but greatly improve your odds of staying healthy by proactively supporting your immune health

I suggest these choices with confidence because natural medicine offers a wide array of methods for prevention of flu and other winter ailments. A natural immune system “tune-up” can not only improve your ability to fight off the flu and other viruses - it can improve your general health and energy as well. Call me today and we’ll start with these “common sense” measures that go a long way in preventing illness:

• Get enough rest: a tired body is a stressed body, and stressed bodies are more susceptible to illness. If you have trouble sleeping, let me help!
• Wash hands often with soap and water: simple, frequent hand washing is remarkably effective at reducing the chances of flu and colds, even after exposure.
• Fight bugs with bugs: probiotic supplementation is always a good idea, even more so during cold and flu season. Probiotic bacteria in our systems reinforce our immune barriers, keeping bad “bugs” from establishing a foothold. Probiotic supplements vary widely in quality and it’s important to choose one that’s effective. Beware of “probiotics-added” products that are also loaded with sugar! Refined sugars weaken the immune system and override the benefit of the probiotics. I am happy to provide you with high quality probiotics that truly make a difference.
• Optimize your vitamin D level: There is increasing evidence linking low vitamin D levels to flu susceptibility. Vitamin D is naturally produced in the body when the skin is exposed to the sun’s rays, but in the often sun-deprived northwest, low vitamin D levels are common. Let’s test your vitamin D level and determine the appropriate supplemental dose for you.

If you’ve found yourself catching every bug that comes along, you’ll need additional natural preventive measures to keep you perky right through the winter. Don’t lose workdays or be stuck in bed when you could be skiing or mingling around the fireplace – come in for your immune tune-up today!

copyright 2010

Weight Management and Cancer

2010-07-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

There is steadily-accumulating evidence that being overweight contributes to cancer occurrence, recurrence and mortality. Recent data suggest that obesity may cause as many as 20% of cancers. (footnote 1) Medscape reported a recent Danish study involving 19,000 women which concluded that having a Body Mass Index over 25, the limit for healthy weight, was associated with more advanced stage at cancer diagnosis and up to a 42% greater incidence of distant recurrence (metastasis).

Weight management for people with a recent or past diagnosis of cancer should be undertaken in full view of potential effects on cancer-promoting mechanisms in the body. While the desire to manage weight is admirable, many of the weight management programs available are, to put it bluntly, the last thing a person who has had cancer needs. Programs offering prepackaged food containing refined carbohydrates, hydrogenated oils or preservatives contribute to inflammation, which in turn may promote the development of cancer and other chronic diseases. Quality of food is key for healthy weight management in the setting of a cancer history. The closer food is to its original state, the more nutrient value it retains. When your health goals include preventing a recurrence of cancer, every bite counts. Sugars, unhealthy fats and preservatives take up space better filled with nature’s bounty of cancer-fighting (and delicious!) nutrients. Indeed, this is important for all of us as in the U.S., one-third of women and one-half of men can expect a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.(footnote 2)

When devising a nutritional plan for someone who’s had cancer, I like to recommend what CAN be eaten as well as anything that can’t. There is a rainbow of foods available to support healthy weight, fight disease and infuse health! Even shopping for these foods is more fun than tossing plastic-wrapped packages into our shopping baskets. When we orient our nutrition to including the nutritional “good guys”, weight management happens naturally and brings wellness in its wake.

I’ll be writing more specifically on foods that fight cancer while supporting weight management in future articles. In the meantime, here’s an easy-to-read book that does a wonderful job of presenting foods that are your best friends if you’ve had cancer:
http://www.amazon.com/Anticancer-New-Way-Life/dp/0670021644/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0

1 Wolin, Kathleen et al, Obesity and Cancer, The Oncologist, Vol. 15, No. 6, 556-565, June 2010
2 American Cancer Society data; see the slide show at http://www.cancer.org/Research/CancerFactsFigures/cancer-facts-figures-2009

Love Your Fat Away!

2010-07-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

“The opposite of obesity isn’t starvation – it’s compassion.” --Dr. Martha Beck

Here I was in early spring, wanting to let go of a fifteen-pound postsurgical weight gain and dreading what that meant in terms of interrupting my routine and restricting my eating patterns. Then I read the brilliant quote above from Martha Beck, O Magazine’s contributing life coach, and in a split-second I realized that I had it all wrong. The prospect of a weight loss journey wasn’t something to be dreaded at all. Because unlike stereotypical programs which invoke lack, hunger and sacrifice, my weight loss journey was going to be an exercise in total self-nourishment. I was going to love my fat away.

You can read my observations on the weight-loss aspect of the journey in my recent blog posts below. While the program I chose to follow resulted in a satisfying twenty-pound right-sizing in record time, the best part of the experience was what occurred alongside the weight loss. A number of years ago I realized that in order for me to have the resources to support other people, I had to nourish my own inner resources. My cup needed to be so full that it overflowed with blessings for others. In our hectic lives, finding space for healthful eating, exercise, adequate sleep, recharge time and all the other things that result in radiant health is no easy thing. How many of us have let go of excess weight on a short sprint toward a weight goal, only to have it reappear within weeks as we return to the hurly-burly of our routines?

The secret, then, was to follow Dr. Beck’s lead and shift the goal from weight-loss to compassion, in the form of total self-care. Rather than resist the task as an interruption to routine, I scheduled time to shop and cook as needed for my chosen nutritional plan and reveled in the colors of spring vegetables in the market and the taste of each delectable bite on my plate. Rather than resist bedtime as an interruption to accomplishing my to-do list, I made sure to be in bed at a time that allowed me to sleep my optimal number of hours, and even managed a number of baths as a relaxing wind-down. Rather than resist exercise as something to be squeezed in among more urgent tasks, exercise became a respite from the routine and a creative endeavor in its own right. Each time I dedicated time to an aspect of self-care, I reinforced to myself the message that I am important and worthy of attention. No wonder then that as the weeks passed, my energy climbed steadily and my outlook improved even as the pounds steadily fell away.

So now I offer you not only a way to let go of pounds, but to love yourself into great shape and improved health. Are you ready to begin? Just give me a call at 866.678.8577!

Smooth Landing

2010-05-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

I terminated the HCG portion of the program after 33 days, in anticipation of some travel scheduled for the following week. (Unless you bring all food with you or have a host willing to prepare food to your exact specifications, it's likely a fool's mission to expect to comply with phase I of the program while on the road.) I'll admit to dreading the discontinuance of the HCG, when the program requires that the very low calorie plan be continued for 72 additional hours. I imagined that the hunger would be so bad I'd be eating the furniture.

Not so. I've always had a very healthy appetite, one of the barriers to easy weight loss in the past. Believe it or not, the appetite-resetting effect of the HCG lasted through those 72 hours so that I was no hungrier than I'd been during the days taking HCG. Even better, my weight continued to drift downward such that by the end of those 72 hours I crossed the 20-lb weight loss line. 20 pounds easily in just over a month, eating real, healthy food. My energy is excellent. Amazing.

Now it's on to phase II, where we up the calories while consuming the same food types as in phase I.

This is fun - are you ready to start yet?

Sliding Board

2010-05-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

Good news: the upward blips I talked about in the last post have become fewer and farther between, and I'm getting clear on what might cause my weight loss to stall. In 21 days I've let go of 14 pounds. Now I feel like I'm on a sliding board rather than in a game of Chutes and Ladders.

There's no question that this plan requires total adherence. So for example, last week when we received a lovely invitation to lunch with friends, I had to advise my hostess of my requirements rather than partake - even in small portions - of the delectable fare that the rest of the company enjoyed. My hostess was very kind and prepared my little meal for me. I reminded myself many times that afternoon that this is only for another few days. I can do anything for another few days.

My husband and I are dancers, and last night we attended a blast of a contradance. What a joy to feel my body lighter and to dance with greater ease.

Now that 21 days have elapsed, it is my choice as to how long I want to continue, up to a maximum of 40 days. Although at times I have to bite my lip with determination, the reality is that this plan is not difficult to implement, and I'm doing very well. Not only do my clothes fit better, I'm sleeping better and my energy is high.

I'm going to continue. Want to come with me?

copyright 2010

Over a Wall

2010-04-25T22:38:00.000-07:00

Six days into my weight loss journey, I'd lost 8 pounds. Very gratifying! And then...I plateaued for four days. As far as I knew, I was following the nutritional instructions to the letter. Why the sudden halt in progress?

After a bit of reflection, I realized that my diet was probably not the reason for the plateau. This program is both a diet and a detoxification program. If a body is unable to excrete all of its toxins, one of the places that it stores them is in fat deposits. The HCG program's claim to fame is that it is able to mobilize and flush out some of the most "remote" fat deposits, producing a beautiful reshaping. However in mobilizing this fat, toxins stored in the fat are mobilized as well. Therefore the program has a detoxification aspect, which needs to work well for the weight loss to proceed.

To support elimination of toxins during the program, I am supposed to take regular Epsom salt baths and to dry-brush my skin nightly. Wouldn't you know, when I got busy last weekend and forgot these practices for a couple of days, my weight loss plateaued. Fortunately, as I restarted these aspects of the self-care, the progress returned as well. I'm now down 10.5 pounds, and loving how I feel both inside and out.

More to come...

copyright 2010

I'm on a Journey...

2010-04-15T15:50:00.001-07:00

...a weight-loss journey. After my knee surgery last July, I wasn't able to continue my walking regimen for more months than anticipated. And in the family I come from, if you don't exercise you gain weight. So I found myself this spring with 15 extra pounds and a body mass index (BMI) of 25.5, just over the top end of "normal", which is 25. Not the end of the world, but certainly not where I wanted to be.

Fortunately a recent change of supplementation has my knee in much better shape. So I'm starting to walk again - a great blessing during this unexpectedly long sunny patch we've had this spring. That's enough to keep my weight stable, but what about those extra 15 pounds?

My naturopathic physician, Dr. Bob, recently lost 40 pounds within a relatively short time on an HCG-based diet/detox program. HCG is short for human chorionic gonadotrophin, a human hormone. If you research weight loss with HCG on the internet, you'll find lots of talk of HCG injections. I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to endure injections or play with the balance of my hormonal system for the sake of weight loss. Dr. Bob, however, achieved his detox and weight loss using a homeopathic version of HCG, and the results were equal to the injection version of the program.

I use homeopathic remedies in practice daily, and know that they are quite safe to use in the hands of a trained practitioner. There are plenty of people who can't wrap their mind around how homeopathy works, and the truth is we don't know why it works, just that - per several centuries of documented case evidence - it does. This is a topic for another day, but bottom line is that a homeopathic preparation, even of a hormone, won't potentially upset the balance of the hormonal system as injection of hormone would; it will only further balance it.

So I began the homeopathic version of this plan last Friday afternoon. The fun thing about this program is that before starting the managed part of the diet, you get to eat extra fat and carbs for a couple of days. So I satisfied my urge for ice cream, almond Amazake and a few other things that are otherwise very rare treats for me before settling down into the regimen. Even with those couple of days of yummy treats, I've now lost five pounds in six days - here's the best part - without feeling hungry. So far so good!

If I'm as successful as Dr. Bob, I'll be offering this program to you. I'll keep you posted.

Maybe it really is the Jewish penicillin...

2010-02-10T11:28:00.000-08:00

Drs. Abraham Ohry and Jenni Tsafrir of Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine believe chicken soup meets World Health Organization criteria for classification as an "essential drug" based on 2,000 years of "evidence-based" results. Chicken soup may never undergo a randomized clinical trial, they argue, not only because it would be too difficult for scientists to settle on a definitive recipe but chiefly because "depriving the control group of chicken soup would, in our opinion, be unethical."

Amen to that!

(thanks to Moment magazine, Jan/Feb 2010)

Every Day is D-Day

2010-02-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

No, we’re not talking about a World War II European invasion. We’re talking about vitamin D, a critical but still underappreciated factor in achieving good health. According to a recent article in the New York Times, as recently as 2008 half of all adults and children may have had less than optimum vitamin D levels and as many as 10 percent of children may have been highly deficient (article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/health/02well.htmlscp=1&sq=%20D&st=cse ). Research is only beginning to appreciate the broad array of symptoms and conditions related at least in part to vitamin D deficiency, which include type II diabetes, asthma, chronic musculoskeletal pain and osteoporosis, to name a few. While these health conditions typically require more than just vitamin D to resolve, it’s fair to say that none of them will resolve satisfactorily if vitamin D levels aren’t optimized. Management of your vitamin D level is one simple and highly effective way for you to take action towards radiant health.

We’ve known for a long time about vitamin D’s role in precisely regulating the calcium level in our blood. Simply put, if even a minor blood calcium deficiency occurs and the deficiency isn’t fully compensated from dietary sources, calcium will be extracted from our bones to make up the difference. Without sufficient vitamin D, which helps replace “borrowed” calcium, we may slide towards osteoporosis. More recently we’ve become aware of vitamin D’s functions in regulating the immune system and supporting healthy cell differentiation. Cell differentiation is the process of genetic expression through which a cell develops the particular features it requires to fulfill its function. It’s what makes skin cells function as skin cells and not like liver cells, intestinal cells, or cells of any other type. Under unfavorable circumstances cells may fail to differentiate properly, over time forming a colony of dysfunctional cells which may develop into cancer. Since vitamin D promotes healthy cell differentiation, optimizing your vitamin D level is one measure you can take to reduce your risk of many common cancers, particularly cancers of the breast, colon and prostate. If you've already been diagnosed with cancer, optimization of D levels to support proper cell differentiation may be an important facet of your treatment.

Our bodies produce a precursor molecule to vitamin D, which requires activation by sunlight on bare skin to convert to the active form of the vitamin. It’s no surprise that in the Pacific Northwest, our lack of sunlight exposure during this time of year results in inadequate vitamin D levels. No matter where you live, winter is an optimal time to take the important step of measuring and optimizing your vitamin D level. Measurement entails a simple blood test available through your physician. If you’re ready to take charge of this important task, visit www.GrassRootsHealth.net . This organization, whose goal is to prevent chronic disease by supporting vitamin D-related research and empowering people to manage their vitamin D levels, will send you kits to measure your D-level from the comfort of home every six months, for a fee less than the copayment required under some insurance plans. You can also register for their newsletter to stay updated on new vitamin D discoveries.

Once you know your present D level, you’ll need a physician’s advice to determine and maintain an optimal D level for you. This entails balancing sun exposure with supplementation, knowing what form of vitamin D to supplement and assuring optimal absorption of D supplements, as well as screening for any physiological issues that may affect vitamin D metabolism. There’s no better time than now to devise your personal “Plan D”. Let me know how I can support you.

copyright 2010

Carpe Noctem: Seize the Night

2009-12-21T20:40:00.000-08:00

Chanukah, Christmas and Kwanzaa - all are holidays celebrated with lights. There are many who have written about the lovely symbolism of points of light in the dark. But on this longest night of the year, I'm reflecting on the blessings of darkness.

We speak of hibernating mammals as though they were species separate and apart from humans, but they are merely on the far end of a spectrum on which all living beings stand. On long winter nights, all living beings are meant to gather in towards home, to eat rich root vegetables and to sleep more to replenish their essence. The dark of winter is not something to be banished: it's a phase of life's cycle that renews us for the coming of the light.

At times we may find ourselves - in any season - in a winter of the soul. It's natural that at such times we might wish for light. The Buddhists have a different approach, which I've found so useful in adversity: they remind themselves in dark moments that everything at this time is exactly as it should be. When we recognize darkness as appropriate, even desirable, we open ourselves to its hidden wisdom. We evolve, and emerge into the light more deeply connected to the sources of our strength.

I know that each time I have traversed a dark tunnel, I have greatly increased my capacity to feel joy. How has the darkness blessed you?

Half-time

2009-12-06T21:24:00.000-08:00

"In the game of life, there is nothing less important than the score at half-time."

I've not been able to find a source for this quote, but how wise it is. I no longer believe in coincidences and therefore, when this quote came into my awareness this past week, I greeted it like an old friend.

It's been a busy fall, with lots of travel and other interesting and wonderful interruptions to routine. This weekend, when I checked my fall to-do list, I found that I'm not quite as far along as I'd planned to be. I can think of times in my life when this would have upset me badly. This week, as an antidote to this realization, I balanced my to-do list with a "done" list: a celebration of what I have accomplished recently, whether or not it was on the original plan. This new list included some interesting detours from my planned route: an extra lunch with a dear friend, initiation of a new exercise strategy, discovery of a fascinating new website that makes statistics - including many health statistics - friendly (www.gapminder.com), etc.

I don't want to lose sight of my original objectives, and will therefore rework my to-do list tomorrow morning so as to ensure progress on them in the near future. But I'll look carefully at the timeframe I allow for that progress to take place: short enough to make a difference, but just long enough to allow for a few more detours. After all, it's only half-time...and I'm still in the game.

copyright 2009

Activism from the Heart

2009-10-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

In the tiny California coast town of Mendocino, which I first visited back in 2003, I hardly expected to encounter a vibrant Jewish community. So I was delighted to find not only a community that cares deeply about each other but also about the world they live in, as reflected in regular, well-attended projects of heartfelt service. The foundation and inspiration for this caring ethic is their leader, Rabbi Margaret Holub, whose regular essays in the community e-newsletter I've followed ever since. This month she poses challenging and profound questions on the nature of service, which are resonating deeply with me as the year-end holiday season draws near. Rather than restate her message, I'll let Rabbi Margaret speak for herself; see her essay "Activism and Action" here: http://mcjc.org/mjoldart/Megillah/mjmm200911.htm

Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Healthcare Reform: What's the Real Issue?

2009-09-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

This week I attended a vigil for healthcare reform with a public option organized by MoveOn.org: http://moveon.org/. Quietly but with urgency, a series of people financially broken by our current healthcare system reminded those assembled that we mustn’t miss our current historic opportunity to increase accessibility to healthcare resources. Accessibility is certainly a key issue: how can we, as the wealthy nation we are, stand by a system that denies coverage to so many of our most vulnerable citizens?

Those that oppose a public option seem most concerned with the projected cost. This is a valid concern, especially as we watch Medicare, our existing model of a public option, slide towards insolvency. To address this concern, we must ask ourselves what basic factors are driving what have become out-of-control increases in the price of healthcare. While I don’t claim great expertise in such matters, it doesn’t take a genius to see this glaring issue: the care offered by the current system is too expensive and not adequately effective…and we can do better.

When did we decide that all health issues must be resolved with pharmaceuticals or surgery? In the emergency room these tools are invaluable, but in primary care they’ve been woefully ineffective. An example is the current epidemic in Type II diabetes, one of the most preventable conditions there is. Current standard practice is to throw medication at Type II patients, rather than empower them to manage their health effectively within their nutritional, exercise and stress management practices. The medications may be effective at lowering blood sugar in the short-term – although there are many exceptions to this - but in the long-term they simply create dependence on an expensive solution which often diminishes in effectiveness over time, necessitating more and more medication. Meanwhile, patients are left to continue the habits that created the diabetes in the first place, which in all probability doom them to poor health down the road, necessitating vastly more expensive healthcare interventions. In such a system, the cost of healthcare only spirals upward. (For a shocking look at the annual cost of diabetes, follow this link: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-statistics/cost-of-diabetes-in-us.jsp)

Medicine that empowers people to achieve health through lifestyle undoubtedly carries a significant upfront cost, but the benefits in improved short and long-term health and the reduced need for expensive long-term intervention are undeniable. Currently, licensed professionals that provide such preventive services – acupuncturists, naturopathic doctors, and nutritional counselors, among others – are often deemed unsuitable for reimbursement by insurance companies. Can we step away from the pharmaceutical-driven, insurance-policed model long enough to ask ourselves what it is we really want? Do we want more health, or more of the same?

Up Against a Brick Wall?

2009-08-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

A monk was assigned to build a brick wall for his monastery. Not having laid bricks before, he worked hard to learn how to lay the rows evenly. It took him a long, long time, but finally his work was done. He stepped back to survey it, and was mortified to see two bricks out of line near the bottom of the wall. At this point there was no fixing the crooked bricks; it was time for him to move on to his next project in the monastery. He felt ashamed, but there was nothing he could do.

Several months later, the monk was guiding a visitor through the monastery grounds. The visitor passed the new wall and commented how nice it looked. The monk, feeling mortified again, asked the visitor how he could say such a thing – didn’t he see the two bad bricks which spoiled the wall? “Yes”, the visitor replied, “I can see those two bricks. But I can see the 998 good bricks as well!”*

We’re in the dog days of summer. How many of us are halfway through the year and disappointed in ourselves for not making progress on our New Year’s resolutions? How many of us are chastising ourselves for carrying extra weight or not exercising as much as we could have? How many are frustrated because our to-do list is growing rather than getting shorter?

When we look at ourselves, it’s easy to see what’s negative and to focus on that to the exclusion of everything else. The trouble is that a narrow focus on the negative with accompanying self-criticism can bring us to a state of paralysis with respect to our goals. It’s never too late to achieve what you want to achieve, and you can make it easier on yourself by taking the following into account:
· Treat yourself with the compassion you’d extend to your best friend. If your friend was having trouble sticking to an exercise regimen, would you criticize her? More likely you’d listen, help evaluate why the results hadn’t yet been achieved, brainstorm possible solutions and cheer your friend on. Be your own best friend.
· Don’t do anything because you think you “should”. Act from conviction about what makes sense for you, keeping in mind that you are unique. What’s important for you to do and how you get there may or may not look like what others are doing…and that’s cool!
· Set up support. Find others you can turn to for ideas, feedback and encouragement. So many things in life are easier when shared.
· Reward yourself! Daily, acknowledge what went RIGHT today and allow yourself to feel satisfaction about it. Set up milestones along your path towards your goals, and celebrate each time you reach one.

Keep your eye on the big picture, and allow that there will be missteps along the way – we’re all human, after all! If it’s health issues you’re working on, let me know how I can support you in achieving your goals. You can count on me to listen and help you formulate solutions as unique as you are. I’ll be there to support you, reminding you of the 998 good bricks in your wall. And I’ll cheer as loud as you do when your goals are achieved!

*from the writings of Ajahn Brahm

What's the Story?

2009-08-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

At my doctor’s office this morning, I found this delectable quote from chef Dan Barber in the August ’09 Martha Stewart Living magazine:

It’s what unfolds every morning at the farmers’ market – not just food grown in the right way and picked at the perfect time, but food with a story. Even in our most auspicious moments in the kitchen, that’s better than any seasoning you or I could provide.

Storytelling is one of humanity’s earliest art forms, one that still resonates with most of us today. Most children I know love having stories read or told to them. Stories underlie many of our holidays: what would Christmas or Passover be without the retelling of the ancient stories that gave rise to the celebrations? And aren’t the most interesting people we meet people whose life is a richly-textured story?

The idea of food with a story is very appealing. The vibrant colors, textures and aromas of farmers’ market wares speak volumes about the generosity of the land, the challenge of growth in unpredictable weather conditions and the care of the farmers and food artisans. As Barber points out, there’s no comparison between open market food and the tired variety found in supermarkets, often processed beyond recognition, taste dissipated over miles of transport…food with its story silenced.

See you at the farmers’ market.

Slow Food, Slow Money, Slow Medicine

2009-07-31T17:14:00.000-07:00

“Every dollar that we send into ‘the market’, disconnected from our beliefs and our values, disconnecting us from one another, from our communities, from the land, is an act of surrender. No market victor, no Dow Jones Industrial Average record, can compensate for this surrender.”
--Woody Tasch, Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money

The above quote, written in the wake of the Madoff debacle, gives us much to ponder about our society’s preference for instant gratification in lieu of more sustainable practices. If we look, we find this tension in every major aspect of our lives. Think of our preferences for convenience foods and industrially-farmed produce over the real thing, for ego-stoking gas guzzlers over smaller vehicles or public transportation or for swallowing expensive pharmaceuticals for common ailments rather than taking day-to-day responsibility for our health.

Fortunately there are visionaries in our midst who, though they appear less in the headlines than the Madoffs, encourage us to recreate a society on the foundation of the common good. You can read more about Woody Tasch and the Slow Money Alliance at http://www.slowmoneyalliance.org/. We’ve been blessed for many years with the efforts of Carlo Petrini and the Slow Food Movement: http://www.slowfood.com/. I’m inspired by these people, whose actions are solidly grounded in their commitment to the long-term health of individuals and communities. Who inspires you to live in line with your highest values?

With the current administration’s interest in creating a more accessible, affordable healthcare system, it’s time for such visionary thinking to emerge from the medical ranks. The USA is second to none with respect to emergency care. But our primary care system, equipped only with pharmaceuticals to resolve issues with simpler, more affordable solutions, is among the most expensive and least effective in the industrialized world. It’s time for the emergence of Slow Medicine: a primary-care system that supports us in taking responsibility for our health through sustainable, life-affirming practices in our homes and communities.

Counting my Blessings

2009-03-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

I've completed my training as a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine! Next I face the challenge of creating a practice that will place Nature’s medicine into the world. At this juncture, though, I am moved to stop and recognize all the blessings I have received – still receive – that have enabled me to come this far. In that spirit, I've decided to dedicate the first dollars I earn as a doctor to charity.

There is an organization called Modest Needs whose work has captured my heart. Modest Needs serves people in financial emergencies for whom a specific dollar amount given today can mean the difference between safety and eviction, between obtaining medical care or not, or between food and hunger. A beautiful feature of this organization is that givers can log on at www.modestneeds.org and review the applicants’ requests for assistance in their own words. You will see the total dollar amount needed and how much has been raised to date. You can view the applications by type or length of time outstanding. All applications have been prescreened for legitimacy: the organization’s data tracking shows that the vast majority of donors have made only one request, during a true emergency. It also shows that many of the recipients, grateful for the help they received in their need, have become subsequent donors.

I’ve reflected on why this organization’s work so touches me. I very much like the setup, in which each giver can choose the particular recipient and cause that will receive his or her donation, and that 100% of each donation is applied to the selected application (there are separate opportunities to fund the organization’s administrative costs, for givers so inspired). Perhaps it reminds me of when I was 15 and we nearly lost my Dad in an automobile accident, which could have cost me my college education and even the family’s sustenance had he not been fortunate enough to survive. Or perhaps it reminds me of my Dad himself. After he survived that accident, he lived a life exemplary for its celebration of each day and moment. There was no wasted time, no insignificant human interaction. When I organized his records after he passed away, I found pages upon pages of charitable donations, most to small charities. Every worthy cause was significant to him and moved him to action. Raised to be fiercely independent, he would have understood what it takes for the Modest Needs applicants to swallow their pride and seek the support they need to get by.

So when I asked my friends and family to join me in counting our blessings, how moved I was when their offerings, added to mine, totaled nearly $2800. These funds covered the needs of nine Modest Needs families, keeping them from slipping into poverty in these hard economic times. There are really no words to describe the joy I felt when, one by one, I received thank you notes from each of the nine families - yes, all of them - letting me know what a difference we made.

I wish all who read this the blessing of being unafraid to ask for the support you need, the blessing of living as your largest selves, the blessing of appreciating the abundance in every person and every moment.

Fourth Year Vignette

2008-10-16T00:17:00.000-07:00

I remain busy with school, now spending more time in clinic than in the classroom. Clinic work is amazing: there’s so much that natural medicine can do, and it’s wonderful to see patients in recovery from medical issues that have dogged them for years. We aim for correction of maladapted physiology, so that symptoms don’t disappear temporarily just to reappear later, often more strongly than before. I am fortunate to be on a mentor shift this year with a doctor who requires that we write a case analysis weekly. In the best tradition of naturopathy, this requires that we reflect carefully on the patient’s history and presenting issues, why these issues have arisen and how we can best address not just the symptoms but the cause. This is not an easy task because chronic health issues often result from developmental trauma or insidious environmental insult, and more often than not have a mental/emotional component long submerged beyond conscious awareness. The irony is that it’s usually the patient, not the doctor, that ultimately discovers the cause, and the process sometimes takes months or years. But it’s by making the effort to know the tale, by patient and doctor being open to it, that we allow the unfolding to occur. And in every case the story reveals a wonder of Nature: how it wants more than anything to support life, and the lengths it’s willing to go to to do so. Even more marvelous, Nature itself provides us the means to rebalance ourselves. There is healing in food, in plants, in minerals, in water. Our sustenance is at our doorstep, if we are wise enough to see it and farsighted enough to preserve it. And there is healing within our walls as well, in the love we manifest in care of one another.

Midway

2008-04-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

I suppose the lesson of my second year in med school was that there is blessing in frustration. What frustrations there were: so many tests in school that there was little time to learn, feeling so small in view of how much there is to know, too little time to fully and committedly connect with the community, fighting to scrape together a few moments to nourish myself, half the summer break sacrificed to prepare for Science Board Exams. Meanwhile, my house became somewhat like the cast of characters in “Beauty and the Beast”: just when I was having the most trouble keeping up, the parts of the house winked at each other and decided who was going to misbehave next, just to keep things interesting!

When they interviewed me for med school, one of the questions was “How do you cope with stress?” I knew even then that it was easier to answer the question than to actually address it constructively when the need arises. At the time I had a strong repertoire of well-implemented strategies: a regular yoga practice, connecting with a friend when times got rough, asking for help from a supportive community, time out to breathe. In the move to Portland and with the start of the program, each of those strategies took near-mortal blows. Uprooting oneself from community and loved ones is a hard thing indeed. Don’t get me wrong: I love the program and can’t picture any other direction for my professional life. But the day-to-day particulars of surviving this adventure are enough to make one question one’s sanity on a near-daily basis!

When confronted with too much stress and too little time, I found my best strategy was to look for the hidden blessing. Sometimes it’s a challenge, but it never fails to put me back on the right track. School can drive me crackers, but what an opportunity to listen to great healers. No one ever knows it all, but how wonderful to learn this incredible medicine every day. Entering third year, I got to wholeheartedly serve the community through my clinical work. And after much delay, both the yoga practice and regular folkdancing are restarting. How wonderful that my body is still willing to do those things, and how wonderful to have a husband to folkdance with!

So it’s onward and upward, which no doubt will bring new and different frustrations…and opportunities to enjoy our blessings!

The Start of the Journey

2008-04-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

They say that three of life’s top stressors are divorce, moving and changing careers. In 2004, having just finished the first two, I embarked on the third. Crazy, no? But what joy there is in setting one’s course uphill, in the direction of dreams.

That year, my older child graduated college and became self-supporting while the younger left home to start undergraduate school. In anticipation of my empty nest, I did some profound thinking about what I wanted the next stage of my professional life to look like. My Accounting career had fulfilled its purpose of financing my children’s undergraduate education and while I was not unhappy, I decided that I would prefer to spend my working life making a direct difference in the lives of individuals. Allowing myself to ask the question “What would I do if I knew I could not fail?”, I realized almost immediately that I would return to my original undergraduate field of study: medicine. After 18 months of preparatory courses - all while continuing to work full-time - I was accepted to the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon.

A huge lesson I learned along this path is that if you take courage to state your dream aloud, the universe will support the dream with resources you never imagined. I am grateful daily for friends who all along saw me as I wished to see myself, offering encouragement when my determination flagged. I am still amazed that once I stated my decision to purchase a home in Portland, a city I knew nothing about at the time, I found my home within three hours. And it’s a cute one in a village-y section of the city, with a real neighborhood feel. It seems the universe indeed liked this dream.

And then the thing happened that I never would have anticipated, even in that year of blessings. In May 2004 a wonderful man entered my life. Don’t ask how I found time for that relationship during the last month of my school semester, with a huge project at work in its final stages, and while buying the house in Portland and selling the one in L.A. I’m not sure myself how I did that. Further, realizing my professional dream meant a year of long distance relationship - tricky when you're also in your first year of med school! The best things in life are never free. But he stayed the course, relocating to Oregon after we married in summer of 2005, and has been a source of support all along the way.

So in the end, perhaps the universe had the last laugh: it looks like my dream was bigger than I thought. The road to a dream is a challenging road: at every turn obstacles crop up and ask “how much do you want to do this?” There are times when my heart was in my throat as I answered "yes". I didn’t know that to embrace life, one must embrace fear. We’ve all become such experts at denying fear. It’s a damaging game, though: fear will not be stopped and if not acknowledged, manifests as tension, chronic illness, isolation. But fear acknowledged and faced results in growth. And every one of us is meant to grow - to the end of our days.