Wavelength Wellness

Great quote #17

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-07-22T21:43:48-04:00

“Cease trying to work everything out with your minds, it will get you nowhere. Live by intuition and inspiration and let your whole life be a Revelation.” Eileen Caddy

The Story of Stuff

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-07-13T18:30:15-04:00

This video has been around since 2007 and is still relevant! Every time I watch it I am still disgusted with how disposable our “stuff” has become. It is hard to change the quality/disposability of the things we buy (cell phones, iPods, computers, appliances) but we can definitely disconnect from the “newer is better” mindset and make use of these things longer and recycle as much as possible.

Alternative medicine debate on the Michael Coren show

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-07-07T22:14:03-04:00

Check out this debate on the Michael Coren show about “Alternative Medicine.” Incidentally, I prefer the term natural medicine (versus conventional medicine), since for many people, there is nothing “alternative” about it...

A few of my thoughts (in chronological order with the video):
- What do NDs do that MDs don’t? A lot! See my blog Top ten reasons you need a naturopathic doctor.
- For a comparison of the training of an MD versus and ND, see my blog Curriculum comparison.
- There is research on homeopathy and evidence to support its efficacy as a healing modality. Just because most people are ignorant of this does not mean it doesn’t exist! For more about that, see my blog Homeopathy literature review.
- Many conventional medical interventions actually lack research evidence. I wrote about this in my blog Mythology of science-based medicine.
- I’m not a chiropractor and cannot speak to much in this area, however one example of when a chiropractor may require an x-ray is not to diagnose, but to screen for/rule out any conditions that are contraindications for chiropractic treatment. This is a basic safety procedure which is prudent and responsible. Another example may be to confirm a diagnosis before proceeding with treatment, which is another valid and reasonable use of such technology.
- One of the major problems in conventional medicine is the idea of “standard of care” which denies individuals care that targets the cause of illness, which may be different for the same “disease.” The “standard of care” in conventional medicine is often inferior to even the most basic common sense... For example, if high cholesterol is caused by poor dietary habits and lack of physical activity, how does the “standard of care” prescription of statin drugs solve these issues?
- Michael Coren makes a great point that many of the cases against alternative medicine are “hysteria.” In any profession, there are practitioners who are not ethical or safe. Naturopathic medicine is a regulated health profession in most provinces and therefore naturopathic doctors are held to a professional standard of safety and ethics. For more info on naturopathic medicine, read more on my Naturopathic Medicine and FAQ pages. This marks a major difference between NDs and many other “alternative” practitioners.
- Why aren’t naturopathic doctors MDs? Because there is a fundamental philosophical difference. This is not to say that we can’t work together and that patients cannot take advantage of both, but the training and approach to treatment are vastly different. Specialization leads to greater and deeper expertise in all kinds of professions which provides value to the consumer.

The secrets of sleep

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-06-28T11:23:23-04:00

Fascinating National Geographic article about sleep. Also, check out my previous blog on Sleep and Metabolic Syndrome.

Great quote #16

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-06-15T09:24:16-04:00

“Efficiency is intelligent laziness.” Unknown

Exams! (aka what I’m doing for the next 2 months)

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-06-09T16:15:41-04:00

It’s been awhile since I’ve written a blog, mostly because I’ve been very busy finishing up my clinical year, celebrating my birthday, and graduating! It’s so exciting to finally reach this point in my four-year journey! I’m looking forward to starting practice in the fall, but first I must get licensed, which is no small feat. I bet there are a lot of people who don’t really know how a weary naturopathic graduate actually passes muster to be allowed to practice on real people, so I thought I would write a blog about it.

NPLEX
NPLEX stands for Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examinations. NPLEX is administered by NABNE which stands for the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners. As you might have gathered, NPLEX examinations are the licensing exams that graduates from accredited naturopathic colleges across North America must write to be licensed. They occur each year in February and August.

There are actually two sets of NPLEX exams. NPLEX I tests biomedical sciences: anatomy, physiology, biochemistry & genetics, microbiology & immunology, and pathology. Theses exams are usually written after two years of naturopathic medical education and fill a full day.

The second set of NPLEX exams cover clinical sciences: diagnosis (physical, clinical, and lab), diagnostic imaging, botanical medicine, nutrition, physical medicine, homeopathy, counseling, behavioral medicine, health psychology, emergency medicine, medical procedures, public health, pharmacology, and research. These exams are written after passing NPLEX I and graduating from an accredited school. There are also two elective examinations: minor surgery and acupuncture and whether you take these depends on the scope of practice in your jurisdiction. These exams take three days to complete and are entirely written (multiple choice).

Ontario Board Examinations
In provinces and states that regulate naturopathic medicine, graduates must also pass local licensing exams to obtain a license for their specific jurisdiction because different provinces and states allow different scopes of practice for naturopathic doctors.

Living in Ontario, I must pass the Ontario Board exams, administrated by the BDDT-N, which stands for Board of Directors of Drugless Therapies – Naturopathy. These exams cover Ontario Jurisprudence and three practical exams in Acupuncture, Instrumentation/Physical Exam and Naturopathic Manipulation over one day.

How do you do it???
Preparing for these examinations is a major commitment! I did a lot of work in advance to plan out my study time and resources and am now working through a nine week study schedule using study guides, flashcards, course notes, textbooks, practice (for the practical exams), pictures, rhymes, mnemonic devices, colour coding, highlighters, group study, and so on and so forth to get myself ready. In addition to studying, it is also important to take care of my overall health and well-being through these months, so I also have plans for diet (overall lots of protein, fruits, veggies, water, and green tea), exercise (lots as stress relief and to counter all the sitting I’m doing), supplements, sleep, meditation, and fun (very important)!

Great quote #15

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-05-07T00:05:15-04:00

“It’s easy to enjoy each other while on a vacation in Maui. The key is to find someone you can have fun with during the six-hour flight over there.” Tom Arnold

Great quote #14

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-04-28T12:07:06-04:00

“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” George Orwell

Success

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-04-12T19:12:32-04:00

21 Suggestions for Success
By H. Jackson Brown

1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
2. Work at something you enjoy and that’s worthy of your time and talent.
3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6. Be generous.
7. Have a grateful heart.
8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12. Commit yourself to quality.
13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
14. Be loyal.
15. Be honest.
16. Be a self-starter.
17. Be decisive even if it means you’ll sometimes be wrong.
18. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.
20. Take good care of those you love.
21. Don’t do anything that wouldn’t make your Mom proud.

Suggestion box

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-03-11T18:27:06-05:00

As I will be graduating from CCNM in May, I am thinking a lot about what my own practice will be like. So, I’d like to pose a few questions here:

What have you liked/disliked about your experiences with natural medicine, allopathic medicine, or health care in general?
What do you look for in a health care provider, or, more specifically, a naturopathic doctor?
What topics would you like to see explored in this blog? Or on this website?

Email me your ideas, suggestions, and experiences at kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com with the subject “Suggestion Box”.

Great quote #13

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-03-01T20:31:35-05:00

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive.” Anaïs Nin

Great quote #12

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-02-13T09:16:53-05:00

“Vegetables are like sex, if you can't remember the last time you had any, you're not having enough.” Unknown

Homeopathy literature review

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-02-18T09:37:21-05:00

Homeopathy is often criticized for having little research evidence available. This blog is a compilation of what I have learned in examining research evidence for homeopathy published in conventional medical journals. For more info on homeopathy, please see a previous blog entitled “Homeopathy primer.”

One of the major reasons that the results of most mainstream research on homeopathy are often inconclusive because the methods used usually do not honour the principles of homeopathy and therefore the research does not actually evaluate the practice of homeopathy. Aphorism 104 in the Organon explains how a practitioner can take and treat a case homeopathically:

“Once the totality of symptoms that principally determine and distinguish the disease case … has been exactly recorded, the most difficult work is done … He can then select … a well-aimed, similar, artificial disease potence, in the form of a homeopathically chosen medicinal means, to oppose the total disease image (1).”

Unfortunately, remedies are often not prescribed individually and are instead selected based on typical clinical presentation of pathology.

A meta-analysis published by Shang et al. in the Lancet in 2005 compared placebo-controlled homeopathy trials to conventional medicine trials matched by disorder and type and determined that “the clinical effects of homoeopathy, but not those of conventional medicine, are unspeciﬁc placebo or context effects (2).” The homeopathy trials were categorized classical, clinical, or complex homoeopathy (or as isopathy). Specifically,

“Classical homoeopathy was deﬁned as comprehensive homoeopathic history-taking, followed by the prescription of a single individualised remedy, possibly with subsequent change of remedy in response to changing symptoms. If no comprehensive homoeopathic history was taken and all patients received a single, identical remedy, interventions were classiﬁed as clinical homoeopathy (2).”

Only “classical” homeopathy trials actually reflect the use of remedies according to homeopathic principles as set out in the Organon. “Clinical” homeopathy is the substitution of homeopathic remedies for conventional medicine and therefore not the practice of homeopathy. Of 110 homeopathy trials analyzed, only 18 were categorized as “classical” while 48 “clinical” homeopathy trials were analyzed. The selection of trials for this analysis therefore precluded results that would accurately evaluate the effects of homeopathic treatment.

Rutten and Stolper analyzed post-publication data from the Shang paper and concluded that:

“Re-analysis of Shang's post-publication data did not support the conclusion that homeopathy is a placebo effect. The conclusion that homeopathy is and that conventional is not a placebo effect was not based on comparative analysis and not justified because of heterogeneity and lack of sensitivity analysis. If we confine ourselves to the predefined hypotheses and the part of the analysis that is indeed comparative, the conclusion should be that quality of homeopathic trials is better than of conventional trials, for all trials (p=0.03) as well as for smaller trials (p=0.003) (3).”

A review by Lüdtke and Rutten also came to this conclusion. Their meta-analysis determined that “homeopathy had a significant effect beyond placebo (OR=0.76; 95% CI: 0.59-0.99; p=0.039) (4).” and that, “Shang's negative results were mainly influenced by one single trial (4).” They concluded: “Shang's results and conclusions are less definite than had been presented (4).”

Linde et al. published a review of randomized controlled trials of individualized homeopathy in the Lancet in 1998. In this review, the team clarified that, “in individualized homeopathy the choice of the remedy for treatment is not based on a conventional diagnosis but on the match of the patient’s particular symptoms with the ‘remedy picture (5)’” and also conceded that, “no attempt was made to assess the ‘homeopathic’ quality of the trials. The reviewer’s knowledge and experience homeopathy are insufficient for such judgments (5).” While recognizing their limited comprehension of homeopathy, Linde et al. reviewed 32 studies, providing detailed information about each study’s methodology, including whether remedies were indeed prescribed homeopathically:

“In 20 trials, the choice of the remedy seemed to be unrestricted (approach 1), in 2 trials patients were included only if they matched the remedy picture of one of a preset range of remedies (approach 2), in 7 studies patients were included (without taking into account "homeopathic" aspects) and then the best fitting remedy had to be chosen from a range of predefined remedies was prescribed (approach 3), and in 3 trials only one remedy was applied and patients were entered only if they matched the remedy picture (approach 4) (5).”

Only 19 trials provided “sufficient data for meta-analysis (5),” although not all of these trials were of high methodological quality nor did all of them use individualized therapy. Of 12 trials categorized as “likely to have good methodological quality” or “unlikely to have major flaws,” all except two favoured homeopathy over placebo (5). Of these 12 highest quality trials, seven were individualized, and all except one favoured homeopathy. This review relied on the data from the 19 trials (both individualized and otherwise) and concluded: “while overall the results indicate that individualized homeopathy is superior to placebo, the methodologically better trials have less positive results and confirmatory independent replications are lacking. The evidence from these trials that individualized is clearly more efficacious than placebo is, therefore, not fully convincing (5).”

This review, which recognized individualization of treatment in homeopathy, is a step in the right direction. Conducting useful research on homeopathy within the conventional medical paradigm requires a greater understanding of the system of medicine being investigated in order to truly evaluate the use of homeopathy as a treatment modality.

Finally, a long-term observational study by Witt et al. assessed perceived change in complaint severity and quality of life at baseline, and after 2 and 8 years in 3,709 patients treated with homeopathy. In this study, physicians were free to choose treatment which “usually included the prescription of homeopathic medicines according to homeopathic principles, but also could include the onset, change, or withdrawal of a conventional medicine, referrals to specialists, or admission to a hospital (6).” At eight years, 32.9% of patients were still receiving homeopathic treatment, 29.2% of patients stopped treatment due to perceived major improvements in health, 26.0% stopped treatment because they did not feel homeopathy helped enough, 7.1% of patients stopped treatment for reasons unrelated to efficacy of therapy, and 3.6% stopped treatment without reason (6). The researchers concluded that, “patients who seek homeopathic treatment are likely to improve considerably, although this effect must not be attributed to homeopathic treatment alone. These effects persisted for 8 years (6).”

1. Hahnemann S. Organon of the Medical Art. Palo Alto: Birdcage Books; 1996, p. 141.
2. Shang A, Huwiler-Müntener K, Nartey L, Jüni P, Dörig S, Sterne JA, Pewsner D, Egger M. Are the clinical effects of homoeopathy placebo effects? Comparative study of placebo-controlled trials of homoeopathy and allopathy. Lancet. 2005 Aug 27-Sep 2;366(9487):726-32.
3. Rutten AL, Stolper CF. The 2005 meta-analysis of homeopathy: the importance of post-publication data. Homeopathy. 2008 Oct;97(4):169-77.
4. Lüdtke R, Rutten AL. The conclusions on the effectiveness of homeopathy highly depend on the set of analyzed trials. J Clin Epidemiol. 2008 Dec;61(12):1197-204. Epub 2008 Oct 1. Review.
5. Linde K, Melchart D. Randomized controlled trials of individualized homeopathy: a state-of-the-art review. J Altern Complement Med. 1998 Winter;4(4):371-88. Review.
6. Witt CM, Lüdtke R, Mengler N, Willich SN. How healthy are chronically ill patients after eight years of homeopathic treatment?--Results from a long term observational study. BMC Public Health. 2008 Dec 17;8:413.
7. MacRepertory. Roger Morrison. Desktop Guide to Keynotes and Confirmatory Symptoms.
8. MacRepertory. Franz Vermeuelen. Concordant Materia Medica.
9. MacRepertory. Complete Repertory 2009.
10. Bordet MF, Colas A, Marijnen P, Masson J, Trichard M. Treating hot flushes in menopausal women with homeopathic treatment--results of an observational study. Homeopathy. 2008 Jan;97(1):10-5.

Is evidence-based medicine compatible with naturopathic principles?

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-02-08T17:50:43-05:00

One of the most common criticisms of natural medicine is that it lacks supportive evidence. This is simply not true! In many cases, there is as much or more research evidence for natural medicine as conventional medicine. However, there are also areas in which the research evidence is sparse or incomplete. The purpose of this blog is to clarify the true meaning of evidence-based medicine (EBM) and explore its role in contributing to natural medicine.

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is defined as the “conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about care of individual patients (1).” Furthermore:

“The practice of evidence based medicine means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research. By individual clinical expertise we mean the proficiency and judgment that individual clinicians acquire through clinical experience and clinical practice (1).”

This definition of evidence-based medicine does not conflict with the principles of naturopathic medicine. Naturopathic medicine is based on a large body of evidence gathered through systematic research and knowledge gained through clinical experience. Its principles support the application of this information to devise the most effective treatment for our patients.

However, the colloquial understanding of EBM supports randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled studies as gold standard of knowledge and leaves little room for other forms of research or for clinical experience.

Conventionally understood EBM is limited in encouraging health care that adheres to naturopathic principles. First, EBM does not recognize holistic treatment of individuals, and in fact seeks to boil down complex information to a simple conclusion recognizing only how the majority of subjects respond to a single intervention. Not only does this ignore the knowledge that could be gained through examining all the subjects in a study and why they each responded in the way that they did, but also is not necessarily applicable to real life health care since patients are nearly never under controlled conditions and subject to only one intervention. Naturopathic doctors are interested in treating real patients in the real world and therefore in gathering knowledge in any area that will serve this purpose. In many cases, this knowledge includes clinical observation and experience with real patients.

Second, funding committed to research is not allocated based on what areas of knowledge are the most interesting, warrant the most investigation, or even may be the most beneficial to the public. Most research is conducted by pharmaceutical companies on products they hope to bring to market in order to earn profits for shareholders. Unfortunately, this capitalist drive behind health knowledge is not conducive to researching how low-cost treatments such as diet and lifestyle changes can be far more effective than any drug. It is also not conducive to gaining knowledge through “failed” experiments, such as when pharmaceutical research does not yield results favourable to the drug being researched. Currently, pharmaceutical companies are not required to publish such research, although there is a movement to change this, thankfully. Naturopathic doctors are interested in achieving results, even if there is no particular product to sell.

Finally, naturopathic doctors also act as teachers, seeking to empower patients with information so that they can care for themselves. EBM places power in a faceless research environment, removing it from clinicians with decades of experience, and therefore also removing it from individual patients who may know their unique needs best.

Therefore, while the official definition of EBM does fit with naturopathic principles, the applied definition, in terms of how the health care system actually operates, does not.

For more information and more of my thoughts on conventional medical research, please see my previous blog entitled “Mythology of science-based medicine.”

1. Sackett DL, Rosenberg WM, Gray JA, Haynes RB, Richardson WS. Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn't. BMJ. 1996;312 (7023):71–2.

Great quote #11

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-01-23T08:43:41-05:00

“Love just doesn't sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread, re-made all the time, made new.” Ursula Le Guin

Top 10 reasons you need a naturopathic doctor

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-01-13T13:36:01-05:00

1. A naturopathic doctor will explain the likely causes of your concerns, the connection between them, what treatment they advise and WHY, and what you can do to prevent future illness so that you actually understand what is going on with your own health. What a novel idea…

2. Your naturopathic doctor can answer your curious health questions, such as “what is this thing on my foot?”, “what is adrenal fatigue?”, or “does soy cause man boobs?”

3. Your naturopathic doctor will spend more than 15 minutes with you and get to know you as an individual, resulting in a personalized treatment plan addressing your unique combination of concerns.

4. Your naturopathic doctor can help you figure out which supplements are right for you so you take only what is useful and save a lot of money! And they can even help you figure out how much you need to take to see results, so you save even more money!

5. Your naturopathic doctor will seek to understand the cause of your symptoms, leading to treatment that is effective, gentle, and produces long-lasting results. No more trial and error, confusion, frustration, and hopelessness.

6. Your naturopathic doctor has the most training and experience using natural medicine (and how natural medicine interacts with conventional medicine). More than your medical doctor, Oprah, Dr. Oz, your uncle Ernie, your hairdresser, and anyone else you can find. Take advantage and get the right answers the first time.

7. Your naturopathic doctor is trained as a primary health care provider, meaning she can diagnose conditions, perform physical exams, order lab tests, and generally care for you as a family doctor. And she won’t make you wait for hours in a crowded waiting room for a 15-minute appointment.

8. Your naturopathic doctor can perform acupuncture, prescribe homeopathic remedies, interpret lab results, and much more. Don’t try this at home!

9. Your naturopathic doctor will work cooperatively with any other health care practitioners you are seeing to ensure that their treatment will be effective and everyone is on the same page.

10. Your naturopathic doctor will work to restore and support your own inherent healing abilities so that you heal YOURSELF. Never knew you were so powerful, did you?

Mythology of science-based medicine

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2010-01-12T16:30:05-05:00

This blog emerged after reading several different articles about the state of conventional medical care and some of the misperceptions surrounding efficacy of conventional medical treatments.

First, an article titled The Mythology of Science-Based Medicine provides examples of conventional medical interventions considered to be safe, valid, or effective when in fact they lack scientific basis or have been proven ineffective. This article provides links to sources and some responses from the authors and other medical experts in the comments. Here is an addendum to that article further addressing comments.

Second, an article titled How Common Are Medical Mistakes? which delves into the startling fact that the third leading cause of death of Americans is iatrogenic causes, meaning caused by doctors, medical treatment, or diagnostic procedures.

Finally, a few of my thoughts on this topic:

The “gold-standard” of medical research is the double-blind randomized controlled trial, which attempts to isolate the effect of a single intervention and control all other factors (including many features of patients such as pre-existing conditions, medications, lifestyle, diet, etc.) This makes sense in a research context but has little bearing on reality, in which medical interventions are used in conjunction with other treatments in a wide variety of patients. It is important to understand that a clinical trial is only the first step in evaluating treatment. It provides information on how something works and verifies safety in the short-term but is most definitely not a verdict on the effectiveness in the real world. This can only truly be gauged in the context of an uncontrolled patient population over time.

Something important to note about bypass surgery and angioplasty is that while they do not extend life (which is the case for many common medical treatments), this is not the only important measure to consider! Quality of life is also incredibly important and these procedures can make a major difference here. Patients with cardiovascular disease who in the past would not have these options would be severely limited by the inability to engage in even the most basic everyday activities but would also not be ill enough that they would pass away. These procedures have allowed many patients to return to a more normal level of activity and participation in life which is invaluable, even if their lifespan remains the same.

Regarding antidepressants, it should not be surprising that they are not very effective except in cases of severe depression. In most cases, antidepressants are the sole treatment prescribed despite mountains of evidence that combining them with other treatments (most notably psychotherapy) is far more effective. For many patients with depression, there are valid reasons to feel depressed, such as grief, declining health, emotional stressors, post-partum changes, etc. Depression is a natural human response to life’s ups and downs. Unfortunately most of us are just not equipped to accept and work through life’s challenges on our own. Psychotherapy can be enormously helpful in arming patients with coping and self-care skills. There are also many patients for whom antidepressants are very useful in boosting them up enough so that they can actively seek other treatments to address the underlying causes of depression, but the key here is that the cause must be addressed and corrected. Otherwise antidepressants either just don’t cut it or simply mask a problem that will re-emerge once the patient discontinues the medication. This is common considering the many uncomfortable and intolerable side-effects of these medications. There are so many proven and safe treatments for depression (such as nutrition, exercise, supplements, lifestyle changes, homeopathy, therapy) that can be used in place of or in conjunction with antidepressants to achieve much better outcomes.

Great quote #10

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-12-21T23:11:23-05:00

“What do sad people have in common? It seems they have all built a shrine to the past and often go there and do a strange wail and worship. What is the beginning of happiness? It is to stop being so religious like that.” Hafiz

The power of natural medicine

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-12-15T17:05:29-05:00

Great article on the power of natural medicine. Written by two naturopathic doctors in response to an unfounded and fanatical criticism of natural medicine, it clearly presents the facts about naturopathic medical education and the role that naturopathic medicine can play in modern health care.

Great quote #9

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-12-06T08:25:40-05:00

“Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.” Eckhart Tolle

Sleep and metabolic syndrome

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-11-24T10:56:31-05:00

I wrote a research paper looking the relationship between sleep duration and metabolic syndrome and this blog is a summary of what I learned. References are listed at the end and can be found on PubMed.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of metabolic risk factors used to identify individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease (1). A correlation between sleep duration and the development of metabolic syndrome has been observed.

The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III diagnosis of metabolic syndrome requires the presence of three or more of the following features (1):
1. Waist circumference:
- Men: Greater than or equal to 102cm (40in)
- Women: Greater than or equal to 88cm (35in)
2. Triglycerides: Greater than or equal to 1.7mmol/L (150 mg/dL)
3. HDL cholesterol:
- Men: Less than 1.0mmol/L (40mg/dL)
- Women: Less than 1.3mmol/L (50mg/dL)
4. Blood pressure: Greater than or equal to 130/85 mmHg or medicated for hypertension
5. Fasting blood glucose: Greater than or equal to 5.6mmol/L (100mg/dL) or medicated for hyperglycemia

First-line treatment focuses on lifestyle factors such as dietary modification and increased physical activity (1). However, given that “‘normal’ average sleep duration has decreased from about 9 h per night in 1910 to about 7.5 h currently, (2)” and mounting evidence that sleep deprivation causes physiological changes that lead to metabolic syndrome, sleep deprivation is another important lifestyle factor to consider.

Short sleep duration (less than 6 hours per night) is associated with the highest risk for metabolic syndrome, but long sleep duration (more than 8 or 9 hours per night) is also associated with increased risk. The lowest risk was seen in subjects sleeping 7-8 hours per night (3,4).

With regards to abdominal obesity, “very short and short sleepers were at least 1.6 times more likely to meet criteria for abdominal obesity … compared with individuals who slept 7 to 8 hours per night (4).”

There is also a correlation between insulin resistance and sleep duration, both short and long: “with the reference group, the odds of meeting the glucose criterion were at least 1.7 times greater in the very short (< 6 hours) and long (> 8 hours) sleeper groups (4).” It is also likely that insulin resistance due to altered metabolism resulting from inadequate sleep develops gradually over years. One study restricted sleep in healthy young men to four hours per night for six nights and found that sleep debt led to impaired carbohydrate tolerance. Decreased morning insulin sensitivity was observed after 6 days of sleep restriction compared to when subjects were fully rested (6). “These results suggest that insulin sensitivity was lower on the 6th than on the 5th day of sleep restriction and thus that insulin resistance may develop progressively with increasing exposure to partial sleep loss (5).”

The Sleep Heart Health Study found that sleep duration was associated with risk of hypertension, with those sleeping less than 6 and 6-7 hours and those sleeping 8-9 and 9 or more hours demonstrating increased risk (6). A longitudinal analyses of the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey demonstrated that sleep durations of “< or =5 hours per night were associated with a significantly increased risk of hypertension … in subjects between the ages of 32 and 59 years (7).”

The studies discussed above have also found a relationship between increased sleep and metabolic syndrome. When examined more closely in one study, relationships between long sleep duration and metabolic syndrome and elevated glucose “were no longer significant with adjustment for use of antihypertensive medication, which has been shown to impact fasting blood glucose levels (4).” There is also a relationship between long sleep duration and sleep apnea, suggesting that “long sleep duration is a proxy for sleep disordered breathing and that sleep apnea drives the relationship between long sleep duration and health outcomes (4).”

Sleep quality is also an important factor to consider. An observational, cross-sectional study demonstrated that “poor global sleep-quality scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were related significantly to the presence of the metabolic syndrome (8).”

Studies relating sleep duration to metabolic changes are often confounded by pre-existing conditions (such as diabetes or hypertension), lifestyle habits (such as smoking, diet, alcohol intake, and caffeine intake), and other factors affecting sleep (such as sleep apnea). It is therefore important that studies of sleep duration take these factors into account and control for them as much as possible in order to establish a clear relationship between sleep and health outcomes. One researcher has challenged the above conclusions by offering three criticisms. First, “few obese adults/children are short sleepers, and few short sleeping adults/children are obese or suffer obesity-related disorders (9).” Second, the clinical risk only emerges from very short or long sleep duration and develops over many years, so while acute sleep restriction does lead to leads to glucose intolerance and metabolic syndrome “this is too little sleep and cannot be sustained beyond a few days (9).” Finally, he offers an alternative explanation for the relationship between sleep and metabolism: “habitually insufficient sleep could contribute towards obesity, metabolic syndrome, etc., via sleepiness-related inactivity and excess energy intake (9).”

It seems obvious that sleep is an important factor in health, but it is often overlooked by both conventional and naturopathic practitioners. Based on the studies discussed, the optimal sleep duration is between 7-8 hours per night. Many patients fail to prioritize sleep or have trouble falling asleep easily, both issues that can be greatly aided by naturopathic interventions. Sleep quality is also an important consideration and naturopathic doctors are also well equipped to make recommendations in this area.

1. MD Consult. Metabolic Syndrome. Accessed 18 Nov 2008. Available at: http://www.mdconsult.com.
2. Spiegel K, Leproult R, Van Cauter E. Impact of sleep debt on metabolic and endocrine function. Lancet. 1999 Oct 23;354(9188):1435-9.
3. Choi KM, Lee JS, Park HS, Baik SH, Choi DS, Kim SM. Relationship between sleep duration and the metabolic syndrome: Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey 2001. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 Jul;32(7):1091-7. Epub 2008 May 13.
4. Hall MH, Muldoon MF, Jennings JR, Buysse DJ, Flory JD, Manuck SB. Self-reported sleep duration is associated with the metabolic syndrome in midlife adults. Sleep. 2008 May 1;31(5):635-43.
5. Knutson KL, Spiegel K, Penev P, Van Cauter E. The metabolic consequences of sleep deprivation. Sleep Med Rev. 2007 Jun;11(3):163-78. Epub 2007 Apr 17. Review.
6. Gottlieb DJ, Redline S, Nieto FJ, Baldwin CM, Newman AB, Resnick HE, Punjabi NM. Association of usual sleep duration with hypertension: the Sleep Heart Health Study. Sleep. 2006 Aug 1;29(8):1009-14.
7. Gangwisch JE, Heymsfield SB, Boden-Albala B, Buijs RM, Kreier F, Pickering TG, Rundle AG, Zammit GK, Malaspina D. Short sleep duration as a risk factor for hypertension: analyses of the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Hypertension. 2006 May;47(5):833-9. Epub 2006 Apr 3.
8. Jennings JR, Muldoon MF, Hall M, Buysse DJ, Manuck SB. Self-reported sleep quality is associated with the metabolic syndrome. Sleep. 2007 Feb 1;30(2):219-23.
9. Horne JA. Short sleep is a questionable risk factor for obesity and related disorders: statistical versus clinical signiﬁcance. Biol Psychol 2008;77:266-76.

Great quote #8

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-11-07T22:53:06-05:00

"Well behaved women rarely make history." Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Great quote #7

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-10-29T22:26:24-04:00

“If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got." Unknown

Curriculum Comparison

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-09-18T12:21:05-04:00

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between naturopathic medical education and conventional medical education? Check out this comparison of accredited naturopathic schools, conventional medical schools, and non-accredited “ND” programs.

In sciences, naturopathic and conventional medical schools are on par. Naturopathic doctors must complete required science courses and pass licensing exams in basic sciences in order to become licensed to practice in North America. These exams are administered by the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners (NABNE).

A very interesting area is nutritional education. Given that food is literally the material that fuels all the processes in our bodies and from which all our cells and bodily structures are constructed, one would expect (not unreasonably) that any professional in the health care field would be educated in the use of nutrition as medical therapy (which includes therapeutic use of vitamins and minerals in addition to diet). Nutrition is most certainly a first line therapy and is repeatedly confirmed to produce dramatic clinical improvements in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease.

Another interesting area is botanical medicine, which is included under naturopathic therapeutics. Most pharmaceuticals are inspired by or made directly from plant constituents, which is why naturopathic medical students are required to complete courses in both pharmacology and botanical medicine and also pass licensing exams in both these subjects. There is a movement now to treat botanicals as drugs since many of them have powerful actions and carry risks if used improperly. Again, one would expect that any medical professional be trained in both these areas.

The last key point here is the vast difference in education between accredited and non-accredited ND programs. The Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME) accredits naturopathic medical programs. NDs from accredited schools have a minimum of 7 years of post-secondary education. This includes at least three years of university and prerequisites in chemistry, biology, and psychology. Naturopathic medicine is a four year program offered by six schools in North America. Upon completion of the program, naturopathic doctors are qualified to work as primary care physicians.

Naturopathic medicine is a regulated profession in five Canadian provinces (BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Nova Scotia) and many states in the US. For more information on naturopathic medicine, check out the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND) and the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors (OAND).

Great quote #6

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-09-06T16:36:08-04:00

“What you do all day instead of your real job is your real job.” Unknown

Great quote #5

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-08-28T15:27:38-04:00

“Anger at lies lasts forever. Anger at truth can’t last.” Greg Evans

Alumni Career Spotlight: Peter J. D'Adamo

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-08-02T08:40:39-04:00

Great interview with Peter J. D’Adamo, ND. Covers his career, individualized nutrition, food as medicine, and philosophy of naturopathic medicine.

Thyroid, iodine, and breast health

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-07-03T10:53:35-04:00

This blog was originally published on December 2, 2008 here.

I wrote a research paper looking the relationships between thyroid function, breast pathologies, and the role of iodine supplementation. This blog is a summary of what I learned. References are listed at the end and can be found on PubMed.

First, thyroid. There is an observed correlation between thyroid dysfunction and breast cancer (1,2,3), particularly hypothyroidism (3,4). Decreased function of the thyroid gland and rising TSH are also associated with a doubling in the risk of development of fibrocystic breast disease (5).

Next, iodine and breasts. Both breast tissue and thyroid tissue concentrate iodine (6) and deficiency of iodine causes “atypical tissue and physiologic changes in both” (7). One researcher noted that “geographic differences in the rates of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer appear to be inversely correlated with dietary iodine intake” (8). For example, in Japan seaweed (high in both iodine and selenium) is a major part of the diet and may play a role in the low incidence of both benign and malignant breast disease in that country (9).

A study on rats demonstrated a reduction in breast cancer incidence with iodine treatment (10). With regard to fibrocystic breast disease, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trials (the gold-standard of conventional medicine!) have demonstrated that supplementation with iodide/iodine significantly reduced breast pain, tenderness, and nodularity (11,12).

So how does this work? One theory is that iodine deficiency leads to a state of excess estrogen (13), increasing the risk of a whole host of cancers. Iodine is also believed to suppress tumour growth (14), induce tumour cell death (15), and regulate genes that influence hormone metabolism, cell cycle, growth, and differentiation (16).

Why is this useful information? Everything in the body is connected, particularly the endocrine system. So, when something is going wrong in one area, like thyroid function, there are likely also going to be issues either immediately or down the road with another area, particularly reproductive organs. The causal mechanisms are not clear yet, but it is prudent to assess breast health when patients present with thyroid dysfunction and vice versa. There is evidence to suggest that iodine is effective nutritional treatment for fibrocystic breast disease and it may also be useful in reproductive cancers. Molecular iodine, rather than iodide, was found to be most effective and have the least adverse effects on the thyroid (12).

There is lots of other interesting information that I was not able to get to, such as a deeper look at the interaction of sex hormones with thyroid function and other influences on hormonal balance, such as sleep. Maybe one day I’ll have time to do more research and I’ll post an update!

References:
1. Turken O, NarIn Y, DemIrbas S, Onde ME, Sayan O, KandemIr EG, YaylacI M, Ozturk A. Breast cancer in association with thyroid disorders. Breast Cancer Res. 2003;5(5):R110-3. Epub 2003 Jun 5. PMID: 12927040
2. Saraiva PP, Figueiredo NB, Padovani CR, Brentani MM, Nogueira CR. Profile of thyroid hormones in breast cancer patients. Braz J Med Biol Res. 2005 May;38(5):761-5. Epub 2005 May 25. PMID: 15917958
3. Giani C, Fierabracci P, Bonacci R, Gigliotti A, Campani D, De Negri F, Cecchetti D, Martino E, Pinchera A. Relationship between breast cancer and thyroid disease: relevance of autoimmune thyroid disorders in breast malignancy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1996 Mar;81(3):990-4.
4. Kuijpens JL, Nyklíctek I, Louwman MW, Weetman TA, Pop VJ, Coebergh JW. Hypothyroidism might be related to breast cancer in post-menopausal women. Thyroid. 2005 Nov;15(11):1253-9. PMID: 16356089
5. Mardaleishvili KG, Nemsadze GG, Metreveli DS, Roinishvili TL. [About correlation of dysfunction of the thyroid gland with fibrocystic diseases in women] Georgian Med News. 2006 Nov;(140):30-2. Russian.
6. Patrick L. Iodine: deficiency and therapeutic considerations. Altern Med Rev. 2008 Jun;13(2):116-27. Review. PMID: 18590348
7. Eskin BA, Grotkowski CE, Connolly CP, Ghent WR. Different tissue responses for iodine and iodide in rat thyroid and mammary glands. Biol Trace Elem Res. 1995 Jul;49(1):9-19. PMID: 7577324
8. Stadel BV. Dietary iodine and risk of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer. Lancet. 1976 Apr 24;1(7965):890-1. PMID: 58152
9. Cann SA, van Netten JP, van Netten C. Hypothesis: iodine, selenium and the development of breast cancer. Cancer Causes Control. 2000 Feb;11(2):121-7. Review. PMID: 10710195
10. García-Solís P, Alfaro Y, Anguiano B, Delgado G, Guzman RC, Nandi S, Díaz-Muñoz M, Vázquez-Martínez O, Aceves C. Inhibition of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced mammary carcinogenesis by molecular iodine (I2) but not by iodide (I-) treatment Evidence that I2 prevents cancer promotion. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2005 May 31;236(1-2):49-57. Epub 2005 Apr 13. PMID: 15922087
11. Kessler JH. The effect of supraphysiologic levels of iodine on patients with cyclic mastalgia. Breast J. 2004 Jul-Aug;10(4):328-36. PMID: 15239792
12. Ghent WR, Eskin BA, Low DA, Hill LP. Iodine replacement in fibrocystic disease of the breast. Can J Surg. 1993 Oct;36(5):453-60. PMID: 8221402
13. Stadel BV. Dietary iodine and risk of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer. Lancet. 1976 Apr 24;1(7965):890-1. PMID: 58152
14. Funahashi H, Imai T, Tanaka Y, Tobinaga J, Wada M, Morita T, Yamada F, Tsukamura K, Oiwa M, Kikumori T, Narita T, Takagi H. Suppressive effect of iodine on DMBA-induced breast tumor growth in the rat. J Surg Oncol. 1996 Mar;61(3):209-13. PMID: 8637209
15. Shrivastava A, Tiwari M, Sinha RA, Kumar A, Balapure AK, Bajpai VK, Sharma R, Mitra K, Tandon A, Godbole MM. Molecular iodine induces caspase-independent apoptosis in human breast carcinoma cells involving the mitochondria-mediated pathway. J Biol Chem. 2006 Jul 14;281(28):19762-71. Epub 2006 May 5. PMID: 16679319
16. Stoddard FR 2nd, Brooks AD, Eskin BA, Johannes GJ. Iodine alters gene expression in the MCF7 breast cancer cell line: evidence for an anti-estrogen effect of iodine. Int J Med Sci. 2008 Jul 8;5(4):189-96. PMID: 18645607

Lessons from India

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-07-11T11:48:18-04:00

This blog was originally published on August 27, 2007 here.

The four major lessons I learned from travelling to India.

1. Be proud of yourself
I was the only naturopathic student in my month-long program. Every other person there was a student in medical school at mainstream colleges, mostly in the US. I was also one of the oldest people, having worked for years before returning to school for naturopathic medicine - most of these students had entered medical school right after university undergraduate programs. For all these reasons, I felt like the odd one out a lot of the time and this was hard for me since I was also dealing with culture shock in a new place. My interests, outlook, life experience, and attitude were so very different, even more so than I expected. What I am passionate about was either uninteresting or completely unknown to my companions. During this experience I realized how important it is to remain true to oneself and that it isn’t always necessary to prove yourself to other people.

2. Be patient (already!)
Having patience in India is key. Or else you will go insane. Things do not happen at the pace that you expect - some things are too fast (traffic!), but most things are very, very slow! For example, the distance from Delhi (where I arrived) to Dehradun is 235km. In Canada, driving this distance would take about 2.5 hours. This trip took about 8 hours by bus in India (including a stop for lunch). On my way back from Dehradun to Delhi, the trip took about 5 hours by train. So, it seems that due to poor road conditions, road closures/checkpoints, and traffic, travel by car takes about 3 times longer in India than Canada. Even travel by train (which is much nicer, except for the restrooms) takes about twice as long.

The distance from Dehradun (where I was for 2 of the 4 weeks) to Agra (where the Taj Mahal is) is 381km. In Canada, it would take about 4 hours to cover that distance. The weekend I did it, we travelled for 12 hours overnight by car. The trip went like this: left at 8pm from Dehradun and drove on bumpy, winding, congested, and LOUD roads until about 1am. Stopped for tea. At this tea stop some of us got out of the car to walk around and were instantly surrounded by random men asking us all kinds of personal questions! I got back in the car and stayed there. I managed to sleep for about 2 hours total by listening to my iPod, creating a pillow from a raincoat, putting on an eye mask, and wrapping my head in a scarf (I wish I had a photo of this!). We then continued travelling for a few more hours until we stopped at a closed gas station for a restroom break. We reached our hotel in Agra at about 8am. Quick change and breakfast, then spent the day sightseeing. Stayed in Agra that night, then left the next morning at around 7am. Our drivers tried to take a shorter route back, but it ended up being on worse roads, which ate up more time. We stopped a few times for tea and lunch, and got pretty near Dehradun by about 7pm. Then we got stuck in traffic due to either roadwork or partial flooding of the road. Our driver drove on the shoulder AROUND the traffic to another route and then on dark, winding, guard-railless mountain roads (nearly flying off a few times!) until we reached our destination by about 10pm. In total, 12 hours to Agra, 24 hours in Agra, then 15 hours back to Dehradun.

Another memorable story: I budgeted a certain amount of money for my trip, but that did not end up being enough, so I tried to use my bank card at a few Indian ATMs with no luck. So I tried talking to the banks - again no luck. Then I tried using my credit cards to get cash, but couldn't because I didn't have a PIN set up... So, I started to get a bit panicky - here I am in a foreign country running out of money! I would exchange traveller's cheques or US cash at a particular foreign exchange place and I heard that they could also do a credit card advance without a PIN, so I headed there. Usually I was served by the man who seemed like the owner or his wife, both of whom were professional, efficient, and friendly. However, this one day I rushed over there during a short break in my day (through deadly traffic amid dust and noise and chaos) desperate to get some cash before I left town for the weekend and was served by a different guy who was quite possibly the slowest human being I have ever encountered! He clearly had little idea how to do this transaction and I was so nervous that he couldn't do it, or the phone line would be down, or my credit card wouldn't go through, or whatever that I must have been shaking! I realized in this moment that this was a HUGE test of my patience! And that there was nothing I could do to make anything go faster or work better... And then I chose to stop worrying. Not an easy thing to do, for sure, but still possible! Everything worked out OK in the end and I managed to make it to my next destination on time, so worrying and being impatient would have been an unnecessary stress. I am so thankful for this and other experiences because they have given me much needed practice at being PATIENT, a skill I can definitely use in my life.

3. Remain calm/I am capable/go with the flow/be resourceful/have faith
During most of my month in India I had a cell phone provided by the program. However, on my last day in Dehradun before heading to Delhi to fly back to Canada, I no longer had my cell phone because we had to turn them in the previous day. Some other students, two coordinators, and I headed downtown to run various errands. I needed more cash (again!) while the others headed to an internet cafe and a cell phone store. I agreed to go get my cash then head to the internet cafe to meet back up with some of the others. Seems simple, right? Well, there are literally internet cafes one on top of another in this city and the one I THOUGHT I was supposed to go to was essentially empty. So where were my people? I couldn't exactly go searching for them, since I barely knew where I was or where to begin. At home if this happened to me, it wouldn't be such a big deal, but try to imagine being alone and kind of lost in a noisy, busy, chaotic, and crowded place where you can barely recognize places you know and most writing is in a language you can't read... Without my dear cell phone! Again, I realized in this moment that this was a test of my ability to fend for myself and figure myself out of my problem on my own (remain calm!). First I realized that if I could not find anyone, I could still go do the other things I needed to and head back to my house on my own (I am capable, so go with the flow!). I found and used a public phone for the first time to call one of the coordinators, whose phone number I thankfully had in my wallet (be resourceful!). Turns out the number I had was for a different coordinator (remain calm!), but he gave me the right number (have faith!). I went to a sweet shop to wait for him, but time passed and nobody showed... Was I at the wrong place? Totally possible given that businesses in India often have nearly identical names on the same street - they copycat each other frequently... By coincidence, the other coordinator I had been with earlier showed up at this shop and then a couple others did too (have faith!). Of course everything worked out fine...

4. Be prepared and keep learning
Prior to going to India, I did some research. Reading novels, how to get around, cautions, tips, packing lists, maps, history, culture, food, language, etc. While there, I REALLY wanted to learn more, so I asked my host family A LOT of questions at every opportunity. Politics, pop culture, clothing, food, arranged marriage, India perspectives on other countries, tips, language lessons, whatever. You name it, I asked it! I also decided that I would truly try to LIVE in India, instead of living as a Canadian in India. This means thinking in rupees (not dollars!): evaluating prices based on the market (and not how much cheaper things were than at home) and bargaining fairly (rather than throwing money around because I was a "rich” Westerner). This also meant learning and understanding customs in India and living by them - tipping, photos, attire, table manners, language, bargaining, attitudes, behaviour... I know that I did not manage to blend in too well, but I made an effort to be observant and adjust myself to my surroundings.

As I wrote in a previous blog, you cannot be certain that what you think is polite/rude is viewed the same way in foreign countries. This is what it means to be a conscientious traveller, I think. And I think this is where "rude Americans" (and other Westerners, although most foreigners will assume we are also American) get into trouble. I think most people are trying to be courteous and are unknowingly interpreted as rude because sometimes social norms are so different. It is important to make an effort to be polite, but on whose terms? What I think is much more difficult, but quite an important lesson, is to actually LEARN about the culture you visit and play by its rules rather than impose your own. This means avoiding value judgements ("India is so backwards") and instead making observations ("India is so different from my country"). Through observation, you can see HOW something is different. Through researching history and gaining experience, you can actually start to understand WHY. If cultures are like people, the NATURE influences are the attributes randomly granted to it (location, climate, geography, natural resources, etc). And not all countries start out with the same stuff (just as not all people do). And, just like with people, understanding NURTURE (history, interactions with neighbours, etc.) is a major puzzle piece too.

The power of choice

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-06-28T08:46:27-04:00

This blog is slightly modified from its original posting on April 27, 2007 here.

The Secret is both a book and a movie that explains the law of attraction. This law states that we attract what we think about and/or feel. Two lines from the movie are: “thoughts become things” and “feeling creates the future”. Assuming that reality is influenced by our thoughts and feelings, it is important to identify, request, and visualize what we want to happen, rather than dwell on fears, worries, and what we don’t want. To put the law of attraction into practice, we must “ask, believe, and receive”. The Secret works in every arena: financial, intellectual, relational, spiritual, and physical. The Secret and the law of attraction are all about choice; we choose what we want through our feelings. When we clarify what we want we focus our energy on moving towards it. Choice is the most powerful tool in existence because it is the one power that everyone possesses and that can never be taken away from anyone.

During first year of naturopathic college, I read Power vs. Force by David Hawkins, which focuses on the idea that everything (and everyone) is connected to and therefore a vast collective knowledge is accessible to everyone. The book provides a guide to tapping into it via kinesiologic testing. However, there is also much discussion in this book about the difference between power and force, which I found fascinating. Force is an attempt to control what cannot be controlled. Power actually arises from within and is not applied to people or things, but instead attracts them or creates them. There are abundant examples of both force and power in the news and our lives every day. For instance, the current issue of whether torture or human rights violations are valid tools of interrogation. In this case, interrogators use force to gain valuable information that belongs to prisoners. The problem with this is that the prisoners, despite having all other rights and powers removed, still retain the power of choice. In this situation, the prisoners actually possess immense power, the power to share information or not, illuminated by the lengths to which interrogators will go to trying to overcome it.

Around the same time I read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. The major theme of this book is also choice. The prime movers of the world respond to the exploitation of their creative and productive power by choosing to remove themselves from mainstream society. Despite attempts to force them into cooperation, the power of choice cannot be taken away from them and it cannot be overcome.

Healing is intimately connected with the power of choice. Despite economic status, state of health, available resources, or intelligence, the law of attraction is a tool accessible to everyone, all the time. We must determine our own destiny, rather than rely on others (doctors, medications, family, friends, job, etc.) for happiness and health. This is not as easy as it sounds. The law of attraction is common sense, really, but actually becoming skilled in its use takes awareness, practice, and consistency. Apart from our outlook, attitude, or self-image, thoughts and feelings also manifest in vocabulary, speech, posture, daydreams, worry, fear, choices, and every other area of life. In order to change these manifestations, we must also become more self aware and practice a new way of being.

The corollary of the power of choice is the power of acceptance. While we have unlimited choice to control ourselves, there are many forces in the world that cannot be controlled. In the realm of health, this is especially important because perfect physical health may not be possible in all cases. To achieve true wellness (which may occur even in the presence of physical ailments), we must accept what it. The Serenity Prayer, most associated with Alcoholics Anonymous is just one example of how acceptance is used for healing: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Great quote #4

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-06-22T10:20:52-04:00

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” Eleanor Roosevelt

Health is key to success

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-06-24T09:45:30-04:00

What do you think is the most important quality of a successful entrepreneur?

Confidence?

Creativity?

Risk taking?

Would you believe that the most important trait is good health?

Not only must entrepreneurs work hard, often for long hours, but also they are usually self-employed, so they do not have an employer subsidized health insurance plan. Plus, every moment they are off work literally costs them income. So it actually makes a lot of sense that good health is key to success! These people can’t afford to take a sick day, much less develop chronic disease! This idea holds true for many other professions too, such as contract employees, performers, and other self-employed workers.

Naturopathic medicine can be a cost effective way for self-employed people to optimize their health today and stay healthy through prevention. In the short-term, it is far better to avoid coming down with every cold or flu going around, and in the long-term it is imperative to stay healthy and vital until retirement. Health is one of the most valuable assets we have and successful entrepreneurs recognize the value of investing in health rather than only treating disease.

Check out this list of common traits of successful entrepreneurs, based on research done by Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business for more details.

Homeopathy primer

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-05-12T22:15:47-04:00

This blog is slightly modified from its original posting on October 30, 2006 here.

Homeopathy literally means “similar suffering”. It is based on the principle that “like cures like” – that a similar, but stronger, energetic force can displace a weaker one. It was created/discovered by Samuel Hahnemann who observed the relationship between the curative effects and poisoning symptoms of Cinchona (used to treat malaria). His observations were not new; however, he was the first to form these theories into a workable philosophy of medicine.

Homeopathy is energetic, rather than physical. Disease is defined as a mistunement or energetic imbalance of the life force which can be acute (self-limiting) or chronic (ingrained). Most remedies (those at 12C and higher) contain no actual molecules of the remedy substance, but instead carry the energy signature transferred to the solvent (usually alcohol) by the substance as it was sucussed (mixed) and diluted.

The mechanism is cure is this: a similar (but not same) and stronger “artificial” disease (the remedy), which has a signature vibration, is introduced to the life force, which has its own vibration (the disease). The vibration of the remedy is similar to the vibration of the life force, but stronger, so it alters the life force’s vibration (interference). The life force now responds to the artificial disease and in the process is able to throw off the natural disease. The artificial disease is removed when the remedy is completed and the life force returns to a healthy state.

Homeopathy treats people, not problems. No two people have the same disease, they only have some (perhaps many) symptoms in common. They may both be diagnosed with MS (for example), but the symptoms of MS are not the whole story because these people are not even close to being identical. It is their differences which form the unique signature of their mistunement. Therefore, the skilled homeopath must examine the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual symptoms to determine correct remedy. And because these will differ, these two MS patients will not receive the same curative remedy.

Homeopathy is difficult and time-consuming because the practitioner must thoroughly understand his or her patient and form a complete picture of the correct remedy. However, a skilled homeopath can also achieve seemingly miraculous results in so-called hopeless cases. However, it comes the closest (in my opinion) to addressing the true cause of disease and treating the whole individual and as such is a very rewarding modality to practice.

Personally, I didn’t believe in homeopathy until I learned about it and proved its efficacy on myself. I don’t believe that it is the answer to all medical woes, but I think it can be a powerful tool in the hands of people who are skilled in its use. I would like to be one of these people.

"This is broken"

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-04-21T15:13:55-04:00

Seth Godin at Gel 2006 from Gel Conference on Vimeo.

Great quote #3

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-04-12T10:37:46-04:00

“That we are not much sicker and much madder than we are is due exclusively to that most blessed and blessing of all natural graces, sleep.” Aldous Huxley

Failure and imagination

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-04-01T19:46:27-04:00

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

Body Image

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-03-30T12:45:22-04:00

This blog was originally published on August 13, 2006 here.

I used to judge the way I look and the way other people look somewhat harshly. Maybe that is part of being a teenager or being female or reading demented fashion magazines… But I no longer look at people and think about whether they are “good looking” or not. The people that I love are gorgeous to me; the people I dislike can be repulsive. But most people are neutral because I don’t know them. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.

I work in a health food store and I attend naturopathic school. So, as one might expect, I am surrounded by people who are in better physical shape and healthier looking than the average population. Yet, these people still fall victim to the body image problems that are far too common in society. Within my class alone, it seems like everyone wants to lose weight, even if it is “just 5 pounds”. At work it is even worse – our customers (mostly women) are always looking for that next “magic” weight loss supplement, but most of them are not overweight! Maybe it’s because I am a triple Taurus (Sun, moon, mercury) and have many other planets in earth signs (more on astrology in another blog!), but I just think that most people aren’t patient enough with themselves, particularly when it comes to health.

I have found (after 4+ years of following the Blood Type Diet) that I have not lost much weight (didn’t need to), but I have gained more muscle (which is why I weigh nearly the same, but look slimmer) and that the distribution of weight on my body has changed dramatically. I used to hate my legs and think my arms were too skinny, but now I am content with how I look. I feel light, strong, and energetic. There are limits to how much you can change your body shape, but I do believe (and I think I am walking proof) that you CAN change it quite a lot. But, it takes years of consistently eating right, exercising well, getting enough sleep, and dealing with stress healthily. In the short-term, your cells are the same cells you made when you were unhealthy. Or they are cells that don’t regenerate at all, so their health depends on your lifetime of health choices.

Red blood cells have a life cycle of 120 days, while bone (on the other end of the spectrum) takes 7 years to regenerate. Other cells (skin, liver, pancreas, muscle, etc) are in between. Some cells regenerate nicely (epidermis, mucus membranes, liver, fibrous connective tissues, bone), some don’t (kidney, skeletal muscle, cardiac tissue, nervous tissue).

Red blood cells carry oxygen to tissues and remove carbon dioxide. If you start exercising, you may notice improvement quickly, but imagine the results you might achieve after replacing ALL your red blood cells (120 days). Imagine how long you have to wait to see improvement in muscle function as muscle cells receive oxygen more efficiently and can therefore produce energy more efficiently. Imagine how long you have to wait to see improvement once all the cells of your body receive more oxygen more efficiently and regenerate themselves. And that is just from improved oxygenation. Imagine the changes possible for digestion and immune function once intestinal lining cells are healthier and you can break down and absorb everything you eat or drink better…

I’ve heard that 60% of how you look depends on your diet and that 40% depends on physical activity. Well, we already know that’s not quite right because there are other factors, such as sleep, stress, environmental toxins, etc that affect this. But even so, I think diet is much more important than 60%. We literally ARE what we EAT. Our bodies, all of the cells, are made from the materials that we ingest. For me, the best results did not appear even within the first YEAR of lifestyle change (much less overnight). I truly believe it takes years of consistently embracing a healthy lifestyle (rather than spurts of extreme compliance) to work “miracles”.

Great quote #2

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-03-24T10:11:00-04:00

“Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on unreasonable people.” Unknown

"I just don't have the time..."

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-03-22T13:47:35-04:00

This blog was originally published on June 29, 2006 here.

A few weeks ago, a woman came into the health food store that I work at to ask advice from the owner. Her daughter (not sure of age) has severe asthma that is sometimes so bad that it keeps her up all night and out of school frequently. She said that they had been to several doctors starting with their family doctor and moving on to various specialists, who of course prescribed all kinds of scary drugs and steroids with serious side effects. Anyway, she came to the owner of the store to find out what her daughter could take that was “natural”.

So many people come into the store and ask for detailed health advice from the owner, although it is actually illegal for him to dispense health advice. Many of these people already see an ND or some other natural medicine practitioner, but some do not. For those who do not see a professional, we recommend that they do and usually can provide several names in various parts of the city.

In the case of the woman with the asthmatic daughter, we most certainly would ask if she has seen an ND, due to the complexity of her issues. So, when the owner asked this very question, she said: “No, I don’t have time for that.” So he started to explain that asthma is a complex problem which could be rooted in several causes, so an ND could deal better with that complexity. To this she responded: “I just don’t have the time, I just need to get her through school. I need you to tell me what to give her that will help.”

I had to write this blog because, I still can’t get this scene out of my mind! I wanted to say to her, “So you have time to be up at night nursing your daughter, you have time for her to be off from school, you have time to deal with all the repercussions of her suffering, but you don’t have time to actually improve your daughter’s health and quality of life dramatically?” I am glad that I was not helping this woman, because I just don’t know how I could have avoided reacting to her that way. This poor girl is probably miserable enough due to her asthma, and because of her mother’s attitude she will be affected physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for the rest of her life.

Time is the one thing that everyone gets the same amount of (at least to start!), unlike money. How each of us uses our time is entirely a personal choice, but it does reflect what we value most. How do you use the time you have been given?

Great quote #1

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-03-19T16:10:10-04:00

“Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem more afraid of life than death.” James F. Byrnes

I have collected a lot of great quotes that I will share here periodically. Today is the first of many!

Blood Type Dieter Blog

kwhimster@wavelengthwellness.com — 2009-03-14T20:17:22-04:00

I have been blogging since 2006 at the Eat Right For Your Type website about my experiences with the Blood Type Diet. I have also discussed food, fitness, health, natural medicine, philosophy, politics, and even recipes!

I will soon start a blog here too, but for now you can check me out over there.