Quote of the Month

"It's bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children's health than the pediatrician."

Meryl Streep

Naturopathic Movies 10

FLOW

This award winning documentary highlights an issue that we so often take completely for granted in Canada - WATER. Fresh, unplolluted, drinkable water to be specific. Without drinkable water, there can be no life. Unfortunately, this neccesity provides an opportunity for tremendous control and profit for unscrupulous companies. Can anyone really own water?

I found that the film starts a little slow but end up presenting interesting perspectives from both scientists and community activists. Also, in case you were not ready for more bad news, the film does offer some solutions and includes ways that we all can help.


For a preview, visit FLOW online at: http://www.flowthefilm.com/

CCNM Naturopathic Student Highlight

Rachelle de Jong is currently a full-time 3rd year student at CCNM. Rachelle was born on Vancouver Island, went to high school in Regina and then did her undergraduate degree at the University of Victoria in Biology.

After competing at the elite level in rowing for 11 years, Rachelle made the pinnacle of athletic dreams - The Olympics! Rachelle took last year off school to represent Canada at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the Heavyweight Women's Quad Rowing class. CCNM is very proud to say that one of our students represented Canada on the international stage.

Next year Rachelle will take another exciting step in life by marrying her fiance who proposed on the Great Wall of China last year.

Although Rachelle likes sports medicine, she is currently most interested in other areas including Women's Health and Dermatology. She will graduate in 2010 and has an amazing, caring and approachable personality that will definitely bring patients into her practice.

Quote of the Month

"Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people. So, overweight people are now average. Which means you've met your New Year's resolution!"

Jay Leno

Merry Christmas and Eat Well!

Merry Christmas!

As you make your food choices through the holidays, it is beginning to be very important to know where your food comes from. Unfortunately, not all food is created equal. Knowing where your food comes from and how it arrives on your plate is the only sure way to know you have quality. Accordingly, I have recently included the Eat Well Guide search on my blog:



For your searching convenience, this will be permanently on the bottom left of the website. (To find local produce, click on the submit button before entering a keyword.)

Quote of the Month

"Half the modern drugs could well be thrown out the window, except that the birds might eat them."

Martin H. Fischer

Naturopathic Prescribing Rights

Estimates show that 20-30% of the Canadian population does not have a family MD. Accordingly, Naturopathic Doctors have an opportunity to provide primary health care to many people who do not have a family doctor. With talk of a new version of Bill C-51 being reintroduced to parliament, this position of primary care provider may become even more integral to naturopaths over the next several years.

Consequently, CCNM, the Ontario Association of ND's (OAND) the Canadian Association of ND's (CAND) and the Board of Directors of Drugless Therapies-Naturopaths (BDDT-N) recently collaborated to submit a proposal to the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council (HPRAC) requesting ND's privilege to prescribe drugs. If successful, this will ensure botanicals and other restricted substances will always be attainable and may include some emergency prescription pharmaceuticals as well. Consequently, with careful planning, this is yet another reason for growth of the profession.

You can read the submission online at www.ccnm.edu or HPRAC.

Maintaining Naturopathic Standards

Naturopathic Medicine in Canada is continually growing and gaining public support as a viable method of true health care. This trust begins with the quality of Naturopathic Doctors. Today representatives from the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education visited our school. The goal of this council is to provide the public with a standard of quality assurance in regards to the education of Naturopathic Doctors.

In an open discussion, students expressed their concerns about CCNM including the tremendous intensity of our 2nd year program as well as some disappointment that certain areas of wholistic medicine were not included to a greater extent in the curriculum. Many ideas were put forward including making naturopathy a five year program or including the opportunity for specialization. It was apparent that it is difficult to please everyone's expectations as each person has a different context. In regards to including even more areas of wholistic medicine in the curriculum, our program is already really packed over the 4 years. However, I can certainly understand that my colleagues want to learn about "energetics" etc. in the safe environment of an academic setting because there is so much misinformation out there.

As a student, I take pride in the fact that every step of naturopathy is evaluated and continually improved when necessary. I recognize the effort it takes to guide the focus of our education. Naturopaths in Canada are Doctors and as such have an education that prepares us for work as a primary care practitioner (although one may choose to specialize). Accordingly, I value the efforts of the Council of Naturopathic Medical Education which continures to increase the strength and integrity of the profession.

Naturopathic Movies IX

Side Effects

This movie stars Katherine Heigl (of Grey's Anatomy) in a documentary meets chick-flick style film. The plot is closely based on the true story of the writer/director's 10 years experience as a drug sales rep. The movie shows how a 23 year old political science major was not at all qualified to "educate" doctors on the pharmaceutical drugs that she sold and yet she became the top selling rep in her company. There were several excellent scenes in the movie that brought some issues of contemporary medicine to the forefront.

This small independent film offers a humorous view of a tremendously unethical problem. Here is The Trailer.

Naturopathic Movies VIII

Here are 2 movies that reframe the process of natural childbirth in a positive light:

1. The Business of Being Born

Check out www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com for more information and take a look at one of my earlier entries on Childbirth if you are interested.

2. Orgasmic Birth

I found the movie title initially shocking but the documentary is quite fantastic. Check out www.orgasmicbirth.com for a full movie review.