Smudging

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was going to delve more into the act of smudging and the benefits of performing such a ritual. It is important to be clear and state that what follows is a combination of what I've been taught from elders in the community where I grew up, from readings I've done, and from intuitive knowledge. Smudging can be as personal and as individual as you like. This is simply what works best for me. 


The use of smoke to clear energy and create a sacred place for ritual and protection is rooted deeply in many traditions worldwide. There are many different substances that can be used in the act of smudging and the only limitations on what can be used are the ones that you set for yourself. (In some cases your choice of herbs may be limited by the time of year and/or your accessibility to the herbs in question. 

Smudging can be used to clear negative energy, to help you connect with Spirit, to give thanks, to bring peace. Follow your intuition and use it as it serves you best. 

In order to smudge you will need: 

 
1. Dry herbs, resin, incense or wood to burn 
2. A fireproof container
3. Matches (a lighter can work in a pinch)
4. Something to extinguish the smudge
5. An open heart and willing spirit. 
 
I was taught to smudge using sage, in a fireproof bowl or an abalone shell. Light the sage and allow it to smoke. Waft the smoke gently towards yourself in the following manner: 

1. Cup the smoke with both of your hands and waft it over the top of your head. 
2. Waft it over your face 
3. Waft it over your throat 
4. Waft it over your heart space 
5. Finally stoop down and waft it from the earth and your feet, bringing it up over your head as you stand. 

In the act of smudging, if your intent is to clear energy and negativity from yourself or your surroundings, it is vital that you set the intent to fill the space you are creating, with positivity, however that manifests in your world. I pray while I am smudging, and delight in the response of Spirit. For those of you whom have attended ceremonies I have performed you will know that my prayer changes depending on my/our intention. The most recent ceremony was performed to remind us to be grateful, and so our ceremony held the intention that, as we smudged ourselves, we paid attention to the significance of the areas we smudged; that we would be grateful in our thoughts, in our perceptions, with our words and be filled with gratitude within our heart spaces. Finally, that we honoured the Great Spirit and Mother Earth. Whatever your prayer is, let it be filled with positive intent and love, for as we do to ourselves, we do to others and as we do to others, we do to ourselves. Such is the balance of connection.  

As previously mentioned, there are many herbs one can use while smudging. Some of the most common herbs and their general uses are: 
 
1. Sage: for cleansing and purification 
2. Cedar: to clear spirits and negative entities 
3. Sweetgrass: for invocation
4. Lavender: to help with spiritual connection and clearing
5. Palo Santo: spiritual cleansing 

Many of these herbs overlap and can be used interchangeably, although there are certain situations in which one herb or another may be the best fit for your intention. 

Smudging may not only be done for personal cleansing, but for cleansing a space such as a room, office or entire building. It can be used to clean gemstones, tarot/divination cards, or anything else that appears to be holding or collecting energy. The process is the same, but instead of wafting the smoke over only yourself, walk with the smudge to the four corners of the room/building in a clockwise direction. If you're cleansing objects, pass them into the smoke in order to clear them, all the while holding your positive intentions.  

Through ritual we are reminded of our connection with each other and the great I Am. The act of smudging helps us to tap into the purity of this connection and strengthens our awareness of it. May you find peace and remembrance in the smudge. May the Creator bless you on your journey.


All my relations,

 Mandy

Irlen Syndrome Awareness Week

It's Irlen Syndrome awareness week and so this is a great opportunity for me to discuss this virtually, as yet, unheard of disorder, and share with you a piece of my daily existence.

Irlen Syndrome, sometimes referred to as Meares-Irlen for the two teachers who discovered it individually in New Zealand and the United States, is a visual perception processing disorder. It is generally understood to be a problem with the brain, or how the information is conducted from the eyes to the brain, and not a problem with the eyes themselves.  

An estimated 12-14% of the North American population suffers with Irlen Syndrome and since it is a spectrum disorder, we all suffer differently, individually and often excruciatingly.  Irlen syndrome manifests with visual distortions, light sensitivity, issues with depth perception, physical discomfort, attention and concentration challenges and writing problems.

I was diagnosed with Irlen Syndrome in 2010. At the age of 33 I was well into my adult life full of work and bill payments. As a Massage Therapist I had the privilege of treating many people over the years, with an abundance of unique diseases and disorders. One day a client appeared on my table and shared with me a certain set of symptoms which he had been experiencing and which had been diagnosed as Irlen Syndrome. As he was sharing I remember interrupting him and asking the question, "But doesn't everyone see that way?" The truth of the matter was, and still is, no. Not everybody sees the world the way someone with Irlen Syndrome does.

As a child I was plagued with headaches, fatigue, stomachaches and a general feeling of malaise. I would rub my eyes until they were blackened and it looked as though I had been punched in the face. The optometrist suggested I wear sunglasses to school and at the skating rink in order to reduce the strain that the fluorescent lights seemed to place on my eyes. It was, after all, the 80's, and Irlen Syndrome had just been discovered. Nobody knew what it was and they certainly didn't know that I had it. Sadly, because of this, I was ordered to remove my sunglasses by my open-minded teachers and coaches and eventually learned to suffer silently at school, and openly at home.

Unlike most of my Irlen cohorts I loved reading and read voraciously, mostly in near darkness. My mother would find me curled up in bed, at night, reading my latest favourite story and ask if I didn't want more light. I always said no. Reading by the light coming in from the hallway was perfect. It was my favourite place and time to read.

As the years passed I learned techniques to help me read easier. My father taught me to use a ruler to help me keep my place while reading textbooks and non-consciously I sought out dark and cozy study places. I avoided extremely bright, hospital-esque, places and found comfort in tungsten lighting. I graduated high school and entered university and with the age of computers and technology rapidly gaining speed, my headaches turned to migraines with auras and vision loss.

I struggled to complete my exams and grew more and more frustrated that I was unable to see reflected, in my grades, my knowledge and understanding of what I had learned in my classes. I worked very hard and developed excellent study habits and eventually completed my degree, very much in need of time off from school. 

Graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology was not the best stepping-stone to a booming career, and while I planned to complete my Masters and PhD, I needed a break. A few years later I found myself changing direction and studying Massage Therapy. I was on a completely different life path than I had intended and this path would, for the next 10 years, keep me in the dark, literally. Adaptation for survival is a beautiful thing. 

Then one day I learned of Irlen Syndrome. 

On that fateful day, after my client left, I called an Irlen Specialist who assessed that it was worth my time to be tested. After a grueling 2 hour appointment I had an explanation for a lifetime of symptoms and behaviours that I assumed were normal. As it turns out I have a severe form of Irlen Syndrome. The visual distortions that I see when I read, such as rivers, blurry, halo, shaky and swirl, that are worse under fluorescent lighting and on computers, the headaches, fatigue, muscle tension and difficulty hearing under bright lights, the struggle to finish exams on time, these are not normal things. 

Click Here to See Sample Visual Distortions Experienced In Irlen Syndrome

My difficulty judging depth perception, causing me to be horrible at numerous sports, as well as my epic failures in parallel parking, all stems from having Irlen Syndrome. For me it's not because I didn't try hard enough, which is what I was constantly informed, it's because my brain works differently.

Going back to school as an adult was, on some level, terrifying. I was worried about wearing my dark glasses in class because I knew I was going to stand out. I was worried about experiencing the same challenges I experienced before. But you know what? It all worked out. Was it difficult? Yes...let's just say that studying the second semester of Organic Chemistry, taking advanced Inorganic Chemistry and Physics is never easy especially after being out of university for 12 years. Now I'm in naturopathic medical school with an intense and grueling schedule! But the emotional stress that I was worried about quickly disappeared and I love learning more than ever. I wear special glasses, designed to filter out the specific wavelengths of the light spectrum that irritate my brain. I print everything on blue paper because it lessens my distortions and I use coloured overlays when reading textbooks. These things help but they don't fix my condition. 

Some days are better than others. Irlen can change depending on the chemistry of one’s body and there are many factors that can influence its severity. On my good days, the distortions are limited to words and paper. On my bad days the distortions move to my surrounding environment and make for a pretty interesting, albeit nauseating, experience, with moving trees and pavement. It’s on these days that I have to pick myself up and remind myself of my motto: that having a disability isn’t something that I can control, but how much I allow myself to be “disabled” by it, or because of it, is something I can.

Life with Irlen Syndrome isn't easy, but I believe that life isn't supposed to be easy. It's supposed to be challenging and raw and real. What we do with that is what makes it beautiful.

All My relations,

Mandy

If you or someone you know may be suffering from Irlen Syndrome please visit this website for more information and get help today.

The Irlen Institute

A Can Do Attitude and Filter Glasses

Grounding

You know that moment? The one where you're having a fantastic day, feeling fabulous, and out of nowhere you get cornered by a friend who proceeds to dump all of the drama from their world onto your lap. It's like they verbally threw up all over you and once they've finished they turn to leave with a flippant "Oh I feel so much better now! Thanks for listening!" and waltz off whistling a merry tune while you're left feeling like a bag crap that was hit by a truck? Ya. That moment. How does that actually happen? How does listening to one person's problems make them feel better and you feel like someone just encased your feet in cement and pushed you into the Don Valley River? Suddenly your day went from being Viagra commercial happy to a scene from Walking Dead. 

It's an interesting thing that occurs at that moment and most often we are left unsure of what exactly happened and how we should deal with it. Within the energy working community we experience this phenomena frequently and it's important for us to recognize this energetical exchange quickly and to deal with it efficiently in order to carry on with the work we need to do. Whether you're working professionally with people's problems or you're the shoulder everyone cries on, these techniques will help you cope the next time you encounter an "energy vampire" (you know... the people who suck the life right out of you...even if you love them).The most important thing you can do for yourself is to learn proper grounding. There are a variety of ways one can ground. If you're an energy worker you've likely been taught some techniques that are specific to your training. What I'm presenting here are more broad, yet very effective, techniques that can be used everyday by masters and lay people alike.


 Visualization: 

One of the best techniques that I was taught involves visualization. The process begins by visualizing you are a tree that has roots that spread deep into the earth. These roots carry with them all of the excess or negative energy which has accumulated within your energetical body and not only do these roots spread deep into Mother Earth but they spread out, radiating from your core, creating a web of grounding. The branches can be thought to be calling your own energy back to you (in case you were the one who emotionally vomited on your friend...hey we all do it) clear and free from everything but your energy itself.  

This visualization is one of my favourite ways to ground. I use it often throughout the day as I feel it is needed. If I'm feeling overwhelmed or off kilter I simply, and quickly visualize this and immediately I am brought back to centre.  

Now just because I'm a tree person doesn't mean you are. Maybe you're an animal person and you want to visualize you have a tail growing out from...well.. your tail. (tailbone/tail.. potatoe/potato) In this case you visualize the energy flowing through your feet and your newly imagined tail and carrying it deep into the earth, just like in the tree visualization.  


Another very useful technique is to visualize a bubble of energy surrounding you, protecting you and keeping your energy yours. Whatever your choice of visualization just be sure that it works for you. Be creative. Have fun. Get a little freaky. 

So what if you're not only not a tree, nor an animal, but you aren't even a visualizer?  
Fear not!
I've got you covered!
There are other things you can use to help keep you grounded: 

Stones:

There are certain crystals and rocks that have energetical properties to help ground and protect you throughout the day. Typically the darker the stone the more grounding its properties but not all stones have to be dark to be grounding. Visit a rock and gem shop near you and ask the staff for suggestions. Better yet, choose a stone that you are drawn to and you can't go wrong. Once you have a stone, carry it with you throughout the day and cleanse it and recharge it at night, easily, by placing it in a bowl of sea salt or in the earth or by laying it in the moonlight. 

Some examples of grounding and protecting stones;
Obsidian
Hematite
Labradorite
Shiva Lingam 

Sage 
The history on the use of sage and the ritual of how to use it is something I'm going into in another post but for now just know that the burning of sage is extremely grounding and beneficial.  Be sure to burn it in a fireproof container and be prepared for it to smoke a lot. If you're smoke sensitive you can always buy essential oil of sage and use that instead.

So the next time you're on the receiving end of an energetical explosion or if you're feeling anxious or having difficulties concentrating, give some of these techniques a try. Each and every one of us has enough of our own things to deal with and if we can sort the issues that are ours from those that we have simply absorbed we'll be a lot better off. Besides, who really wants to be covered in energetical vomit anyway?

All my relations,

Mandy 

Food As Medicine

An interesting discussion arose the other day regarding what determines whether a substance is classified as food or medicine. At one point or another all of us have encountered anecdotal evidence about how using certain foods can make us feel better when we're sick, help us get to sleep, or aid in digestion. I've always loved gardening and plants, and well, to be honest, eating for that matter, and so during my undergraduate studies I took a couple Botany classes in an effort to learn more about these amazing and tasty resources we had growing in my childhood garden. Frankly, I don't remember much from those days and so it's been a wonderful remembrance and learning experience to study Botanical Medicine as part of being a Naturopathic Doctor. Nature has gifted us with an entire medicine chest right outside our own back doors and to learn and re-learn what herbs and plants have specific medicinal properties has been a blessing. On top of that I get to finally bring something to the table for the backwoods outdoor adventures that I embark on with my siblings, instead of my usual heatstroke.


What makes something a food or a medicine?

According to the powers that be, aka the Natural Health Products Directorate (part of the Health Products and Food Branch of the government of Canada), it's really quite straightforward. In order for a food to be considered medicine a claim has to be stated surrounding it and evidence must be provided to support that claim.

What this means is that Ginger, for example, will not be listed in your local grocery store as being useful for counteracting nausea (antiemetic), aiding in digestion (bitter), stimulating the production of saliva (silagogue) cutting gas (carminative), soothing muscle spasms (antispasmodic), or decreasing inflammation (anti-inflammatory). You won't see this because at this time it's illegal to do so. The reason it's illegal is that the Ginger we buy in the grocery store does not pass through the same controls as the Ginger that is available as a supplement. Does this mean that if I buy Ginger from the grocer and take it home and use it to treat my nausea or help counteract the side-effects of chemotherapy that it won't work the same? Not necessarily. Not for Ginger. But in the world of Herbal Medicine things can get get tricky. Two plants can have the same name in different parts of the world and yet be completely different. One might be food, the other poison. In an effort to ensure the quality of the products that we as consumers are purchasing and in an attempt to avoid this type of confusion, all natural health products undergo the same scrutinizing as pharmaceuticals. The process to receive a license to make, market and sell a natural health product is the same process that pharmaceutical companies undergo when developing a new drug. Don't believe me? It's ok, I understand. There are a lot of naysayers out there when it comes to quality control of Natural Health Products and sometimes I agree with them. How do I know if what I'm taking for myself or prescribing for my patients is really truly what it says it is? Sometimes it's not. Sometimes corners are cut by unethical companies once they have received their license. Sometimes confusion happens when it comes to determining which genus and species of the plant is the one that's supposed to be used. Is this acceptable? No. Absolutely not. Does this happen within other types of companies such as pharmaceutical companies. Absolutely. The reality is that is happens with all products. The problem with Natural Products is often the under-reporting of side effects by consumers. The general public tends to have this assumption that if it's natural then it's safe. "I want natural!" we scream from our soapboxes. "I want natural" we chant, "because those synthetic, man made items are toxic! And evil! And are destroying my body, wrecking the flow of my Qi!" "Give me natural!", we insist, "because nature is safe, and perfect and better for me". But caution must be used because this type of thinking isn't always right. What it can be is dangerous.

I may not remember much from my Undergraduate Botany classes but the one thing that stuck with me was my professor's profound statement:

A DRUG IS A DRUG.

It doesn't matter if it's made in a laboratory or made in nature. A drug is a drug. Just because it's natural doesn't mean it can't kill you.
 
Remember Ginger our old friend? 
For most of the population it's perfectly safe and effective to use. However it can aggravate heartburn, and use caution if you're taking Anticoagulants (Blood thinners) or have a bleeding disorder as Ginger can enhance their action, or make a bleeding problem worse.

A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing and used incorrectly a little pharmaceutical or a little herbal supplement can be deadly. So how do you know what's safe and what isn't? Really it's all about educating yourself and working with professionals. There are some great books out there that have excellent information in them or better yet go see your ND or a herbalist. Demand quality products from your natural supplement suppliers, and be sure to report any unexpected reactions or side effects. Be absolutely certain to tell your doctor what kinds of supplements you are taking and ask your pharmacist about possible interactions.

Most importantly respect the power of nature.

All my relations,
Mandy

Resources:

1. Godfrey A,Saunders PR, Barlow K, Gilbert C, Gowan M, Smith Fraser. Principles & Practices of Naturopathic   

    Botanical Medicine. Volume 1. Toronto, Ontario: CCNM Press; 2010.

2. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/branch-dirgen/hpfb-dgpsa/nhpd-dpsn/index-eng.php

3. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/branch-dirgen/hpfb-dgpsa/mhpd-dpsc/index-eng.php

Risk Vs Benefit - Making The Right Decision About Your Health

Weighing in on the debate of whether or not to vaccinate yourself or loved ones is always a delicate thing. How do you know that you are receiving the proper information from the media, from your ND or MD, from pharmaceutical companies? How do you wade through the loads of social media supporting or opposing such treatments? Chances are you're not a researcher, a doctor, or even have a grasp of most of the medical terminology that's bantered around. So how do you decide what's right for you?
 
For many people it's a difficult decision to vaccinate or not to vaccinate. For almost everyone it's an emotional decision.
 
And it shouldn't be.
 
So let's talk about how you can go about making the decision that's right for you based on the information that's available to you. I'll attempt to break it down for you and provide you with some tools to make the process easier....
 
Step 1:
 
Look at the research.

I fully realize that by writing that one sentence several of you are cringing in pain or cowering in fear and trust me I feel your pain. However if you want to truly understand an issue you need to educate yourself on the topic using reliable sources and you need to understand the details behind the research.
 
In the scientific community we talk a lot about something called "Evidence Based Medicine". Evidence Based Medicine is the "conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about care of individual patients" (Sackett et al, 1996). Most EBM and medical practices are based upon research conducted using randomized control studies. These studies are considered to be at the top, just behind Meta Analyses and Systematic Reviews, in the quest for sources of "best evidence". In this type of scientific study there must be at least 2 groups of comparison. The people in the experiment must be randomly assigned to each group and one of the groups must be used as a control group. Sometimes this means you will have a group that receives no intervention, a placebo or a different type of intervention. Ideally this study is double blind, meaning that neither the subject nor the investigator knows which group is which. This attempts to prevent any bias from occurring in an effort not to skew the results. Randomized control studies are the foundations that Evidence Based Medicine is built upon and when looking into something, such as vaccines, they are the best way to look at the evidence.
 
(As a side note there are some negatives to using EBM as the golden standard, especially for Naturopathic Medicine as we don't treat in a reductionistic fashion, but treat the entire being. As a result of this the argument ensues as to which modality used is creating the changes and positive results that we see. As NDs we know that it's likely the combination of techniques and treatments used to stimulate the Vis. Another problem with applying EBM to Naturopathic Medicine is that in allopathic medicine 2 people being treated, for example, for insomnia, will be treated relatively the same way, with similar, if not the same medications. In Naturopathic Medicine each person is treated differently depending upon his or her symptoms set. To use reductionistic research methods to investigate wholistic practice is nearly impossible and frankly illogical.)
 
Ok so that's great to know but how does that help me to make medical decisions?
 
When reading information about new research in the media, try to find out the details of the study. Some studies are actually available for free online. If you can't find the study to look at try to ascertain if it at least seems like the information is coming from something akin to a randomized control study. Using a formula called PICOs, ask yourself the following questions about the information that you can access:
 
P: Population Surveyed
   - how many people were involved, is the population clearly defined, etc.?
I: Intervention
   - what was the intervention that the researchers used?
C: Was there a control group and if so what are the details surrounding that group?
O: Is the outcome clearly stated?
S: Are there any safety concerns?
 
Now there's one very important thing you have to understand about research of any type. It is impossible to prove causation. What I mean by that is it is impossible to say with absolute certainty that any particular thing caused a specific result. Impossible. This is because there are always exceptions to the rule, because it is impossible or too costly or too complicated to rule out or control for all various aspects of life that may influence the outcome of any particular study. The best we can say is that there is a very good chance that the two things are related.

If this seems a bit complicated and philosophical that's because it is.
 
What you have to understand though is that to say, with absolute certainty, that A causes B then A must ALWAYS cause B.  ALWAYS.
  

Step 2:
Once you are able to determine that the information seems to be reliable do a little investigating into who did the research. The Internet is actually your friend in this arena because with a little time you can probably track down some information on the researchers, who they work for and where their funding comes from.

 

The source of funding is an important thing to consider and you should ask yourself if there might not be a conflict of interest with regards to funding. Is a study extolling the virtues of Echinacea funded by the leading producer of Echinacea capsules? Is the latest and greatest research on pharmaceutical treatment for depression funded by a pharmaceutical company? Things like this should trigger your spidey senses and make you want to dig a little deeper. It doesn't mean that something's amiss if this is the case, however it could be cause for bias and slanting and should be taken into consideration.

 
Step 3:
 

 
Opposing research. Try to find other studies that show the opposite of what the media or your study is portraying. This is important because it can help you look at the data or clinical applications of the information a bit differently. In the case of vaccinations for example, if you see in the media or in a paper that a vaccination caused an adverse reaction, are there other studies that show positive reactions? Again look who's behind the research and also be sure to consider the number of people surveyed within the study. The more people that are included, the more accurate and applicable the results will be to the population as a whole.
 
Step 4.
 
Risk vs. .
 
Once you've looked at the research consider the risk or harm of treatment compared to the benefits of treatment. Basically you need to make a list of pros and cons. Yes, sometimes people experience bad reactions to treatments. It happens and it's unfortunate, but the important thing to look at is how many people received treatment without experiencing an adverse reaction and then decide if this is a risk you're willing to take. Also try to keep numbers in perspective. How does the number of reported adverse reactions stack up to another substance that you may take regularly? It's a great idea to cross reference these statistics and you may be surprised at some of the things you find out.
 
So there you have it folks. A basic, quick and dirty breakdown of some very useful tools that you can use to better understand the mixed messages you may be receiving daily from a variety of sources. If nothing else at least it will get you looking a little deeper at the latest breakthroughs or breakdowns reported by the media. And if after all that you don't want to wade through all the nitty gritty details then ask your ND. After all, it's part of our job.
 
So wait a minute...what about whether or not you should vaccinate yourself or your loved ones?

 
In my opinion?

Absolutely.
 
Do I believe we need to be vaccinated against every thing that's out there? Not at all but I do believe that it is vital to vaccinate against the basic major players. Then again, I've done the research, have been educated in biochemical, physiological and immunological sciences, considered the risks versus harm, and made my decisions based upon what's right for me.
It's up to you to do the same.
 
 
All my relations,
Mandy

Naturopathic Medicine - Understanding our Roots

As I was contemplating my long list of topics to discuss it occurred to me that many of you may not know or understand exactly what Naturopathic Medicine is. It's possible that you have one perception or another as to what the heck I'm doing out in Toronto for the next four years and while I secretly hope that one of you truly believes I'm singing jazz in a seedy bar off Queen Street I thought it may be valuable to explain Naturopathic Medicine as a profession.

  Naturopathic Medicine has its roots in ancient practices when nature was all we had to treat ailments. The evolution of the practice itself has sprung forth from a form of treatment spearheaded in nineteenth century Europe, called Nature Cure. Nature Cure is very simply what it sounds like - using the elements of nature and natural substances to treat illness and disease within the body. True Nature Cure practitioners and doctors employed such techniques as air, water, and sunshine baths, changing of one's diet and use of herbs for healing. 

Now I know that some of you out there are skeptical of Naturopathic Medicine and for those of you who are it may be about to get very, very shocking. Air, sunshine and water baths involved...wait for it.....

NUDITY.

GASP.

OUTDOORS none the less

DOUBLE GASP.

I'm actually laughing right now because I know that some of you have dropped all skepticism and immediately jumped on the bandwagon because of that simple fact. And I applaud you! I also know that some of you are laughing because you're trying to understand how on earth people would consider that medicine. But consider this - in a time when the treatment of the day was considered "heroic" medicine and revolved mostly around blood-letting, purging (from both ends), and other aggressive techniques that simply added stress to people who were already ill and often resulted in death, better diets, air, water and sunshine baths sounded pretty darn good.

And they worked. Such simple techniques actually resulted in astounding numbers of people being healed and while the specifics of why these treatments worked were not known at the time, the simple fact that they did was enough to convince hundreds of thousands of people to seek out nature cure for their ailments.

Most Nature Cure doctors fell into the profession, so to speak, the same way myself and many of my colleagues came into Naturopathic Medicine: they themselves were very ill and were healed by the techniques they came to employ. Vincent Priessnitz, Johann Schroth, Father Sebastien Kneipp and many more all healed because they themselves were first healed and each treated patients in a different manner. This tradition of doctors treating each in their own specialized way without strict adherence to a singular regime continues within Naturopathic Medicine today and can be cause for great debate unless one considers the extremely intuitive and advanced thinking of the man considered to be the first scientific nature doctor, Heinrich Lahmann. Lahmann said:

Each one who practices the nature cure method uses it in a different way: one more complicated, one simpler; one fights a disease with low temperatures, etc...It is impossible to point to the success of one method, in order to prove its absolute correctness, when the same success is achieved with a different method; if, for example, the different methods, A, B and C all achieve the same goal, then this is proof that all three contain an unknown quantity X which guarantees that success; and that the rest of the procedure is redundant if not harmful. Our task in the future will be to find this quality X; only then will we have a theory, only then a rational, scientific nature cure and only then the guarantee for the universal dissemination and continuation of a pure method.
- Nature Doctors, 145.

Such radical thinking considering Lahmann lived from 1860-1905 and I love this quote for several reasons but mainly because it points to the existence of the vis medicatrix naturae. Lahmann, having no knowledge of any of the advanced scientific research that is ongoing today, intuitively knew that there must be a common denominator between all of these healing modalities. 

As time moved on, the Nature Doctor became the Naturopathic Doctor and in the 20th century the traditional methods of treating were combined with an allopathic understanding of the human body and Naturopathic Medicine was born. As of today we, as Naturopathic Physicians, have rigorous training in the medical sciences as well as training in Homeopathy, Nutrition, Counselling, Manipulation, Physical medicine, and Botanical Medicine. Some of us also have training in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Our hours of training, compared to that of a Medical Doctor taking the same basic medical sciences are very similar, with the focus of our practice being to treat the root cause using the least invasive treatment, educate the patient and promote prevention. We honour our roots in nature cure and in the spirituality of the Vis Medicatrix Naturae all the while continuing to pursue excellence in the field of medicine. 

But really it's more than that. At our foundation, we as Naturopathic Doctors focus on restoring health, not on treating disease, and this is where we stand apart from allopathic medicine. How is restoring health different from treating disease you ask? It all comes down to where we place our focus. We focus on the health of the person, not the disease of the person. Don't get me wrong - we will treat the immediate, acute problems, and at times we may even refer you to go see your Medical Doctor, ultimately, however, we focus on why you got sick in the first place. We see disease as a process, not an entity and believe that it encompasses the mind, body and spirit. We believe that if we remove those things causing disease then we can return to our natural state of health and well being. 

So you see, there's a place for all of us in this big ocean of life. We all have a role to play and none more so than you. What is one thing you can do for yourself, today, to make a healthier you tomorrow?

All my relations,
Mandy


 "The uniqueness of naturopathic medicine is not in its therapeutic modalities, "natural" alternatives to the drugs and surgeries of standard medicine. It is in the clinical theory that governs the selection and application of these modalities...That is, it is the way the [naturopathic doctor] thinks about illness and healing." Zeff, Sniders, Myers in TNM Section1, Chp 3