Toronto Marathon

Posted on by
2

Bright and early this morning, I made my way to the medical tent located at Ontario Place to volunteer for the Toronto Marathon. It was a little nerve wrecking since I did not know what to expect as my first official shift as a 4th year intern is not until Wednesday morning.

It was an amazing experience complete with chaos! I was able to witness first hand a much more medical environment when it comes to treating acute and severe injuries. First and foremost, congrats to each and every person who ran the marathon or the half marathon, that takes tremendous dedication and will power to achieve.

Secondly, it was surprising the number of athletes that had trained and completed previous runs who under estimated the heat leading to heat stroke, dehydration, dizziness, nausea and muscle cramps. I have no idea how many patients were treated in the 7 hours that I was there but once it got busy, time just flew. There were a few patients who needed more care than our make shift field hospital could provide but on the whole, majority of our patients were treated, cooled down and rehydrated before they were discharged.

It was reassuring that I know a lot more than I thought I did and hence feel ready to handle what the next week brings my way. I am excited to be on the sports medicine specialty shift for the next year and look forward to future external events to be involved with.

Cheers,

Harmi

April is Daffodil Month…

Posted on by
Reply

“Every 3 minutes Cancer picks a fight with another Canadian”. April is the month to fight back. This year the Canadian Cancer board has daffodil pins that can be worn in support of Canadians living with Cancer.

So whats the big deal?

Based upon the 2011 Cancer stats in Canada, approximately 40% of women and 45% of men will develop Cancer in their lifetime, that is almost half of us. It is also estimated that 1 in 4 Canadians will die of Cancer. This means that each and everyone will be touched by Cancer in our lives. Cancer is not a faceless disease since it our friends, grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, children or even ourself who faces this battle. Despite how common this disease is, the effects are still devastating when a loved one loses the fight.

In the last week, I lost someone in my life to the complications of Cancer and it is with a heavy heart that I write this. Lose is never easy to deal with and it’s a process that takes times to work through. This lose has hit me especially hard since it is someone who knew me for almost my entire life. I learned many things from her charismatic personality and she was a constant presence in my life as a dear friend of my mothers. This lovely lady taught me many important things over the years.

For reasons unknown, as a society we downplay the importance of friends and emphasize the significance of family. However, we do not chose our family nor have the ability to change them when we outgrow them. Friendships on the other hand are precious and carefully selected. Friendships require more than just having a blood relationship and just because you share genetics with someone does not mean they know the true meaning of family.  A friend is someone you can count on; someone you can call when you are having a bad day; someone who will do something for you without asking why; someone who knows you better than you know yourself. When that mutual friendship results in a close bond, we equate it to being like family. However instead of setting the standard as being like family, we need to aim to have our relationships to be more like our close friendships. Friends are there for you through thick and thin especially when family is not, and this is what makes these relationships cherished and special.

My heart is filled with immense sadness and grief at this moment but I have a lifetime of memories to reflect upon as I work through this lose. Just a reminder that 40-45% of us are living with Cancer so lets support them and their families and let them know they are not alone.

Harmi

 

 

 

 

Water

Posted on by
Reply

March 22 was World Water Day. The United Nations estimates that as much as 20% of the world’s population does not have access to clean drinking water. It is very easy to forget how lucky we are here in North America since when we turn on the tap, we get fresh clean water that is not infested with parasites. Bottled and filtered water is an alternative but you do not realize how much we rely on water until it becomes so polluted that it makes you sick. I was reminded of this when I was in Guatemala. Yes you can use bottled water to brush your teeth but what do you do when you shower? How about eating fish from the local lake? Or eating out at restaurants when travelling? Is the food prepared, washed and stored the same way as we are use to?

Despite all the precautions you take, you will get exposed to the toxins in the local water. If it makes you sick, imagine what it must be doing to the local people who only have access to the infected water since sanitized water does not exist. Water filtration and sanitization has become so standard in the developed world, it is unfortunate that it isn’t the global norm.

Clean water is essential for our healths. Over 70% of our bodies are made up of water and our bodies depend heavily upon water. Our brains need it to remain hydrated and work better, it helps our immune system, flushes toxins out of our system and without it we end up dehydrated. When water is polluted it can effect our health in numerous ways including headaches and digestive complaints. Gastritis had to be one of the most common complaints I saw in Guatemala. It was interesting to note, that the culture was not big on drinking water to begin with. Perhaps it was an adaptation since the water was infested with parasites or perhaps it was just the cultural love of coffee.

Most people assume bottled water is safer to drink than tap water, but a 2010 study found that more than 70% of Canadian bottled water exceeded the acceptable levels of bacteria. Not only does bottle water present unsafe levels of bacteria, it also adds unnecessary amounts of garbage to our landfills.

It is essential to drink plenty of water each day to remain healthy but also keep in mind the impact you have on the environment. The plastic waters that you throw out over time add to the toxins in our water. We are fortunate enough in Canada to have the ability to sanitize our water but for the countries that lack this ability, let’s aim to decrease the toxins as much as we can.

Stay hydrated!

Harmi

 

Things have a way of working out….

Posted on by
Reply

Thanks to Shayla Garland for taking this beautiful Picture of Ana!

The beautiful lady in the picture above is Ana. I meet her on my trip with NMGH in Guatemala on the first day of clinic. That monday morning I was triaging at the clinic we had set up in Panajachel and she was my third patient.  While I was taking her vitals, she started conversing with me in English and I was amazed at how well she spoke. It was a very welcome change since I could actually converse with my patient without having a translator relay the information for me and at that moment it was key since I was waiting for translator to help me. I was nervous that morning as it was the first day of clinic for us in Guatemala and I did not know what to expect. The unknown always seems scarier than it really is and when it was combined with the chaos of that morning, it lead to a remarkable thing.

Ana was treated that day at our clinic but as destiny would have it, she was asked to be one of the translators. Ana was definitely interested and that is the start of the beautiful relationship that started between Ana and NMGH. She translated for us all week and has remained involved with NMGH long after our brigade from CCNM left. Via Dr Carlo’s posts, I see that she is still actively involved with NMGH and the other chapters that have gone down to volunteer. This lady not only was an amazing translator, she is also one of the kindest and most caring individuals I met. She arranged for us to see the towns around Lake Atitlan on Saturday.

One of the many reasons, I am so moved by how things worked out with Ana and NMGH is that she has the same passion and dedication to providing care to the people of Guatemala and more specifically Panajachel that individuals like Dr Carlos, Dr Robinson, Dr Pryce and all us students have. Without Dr Carlo’s vision and drive, NMGH would never have been created and without the help of the amazing community health care workers and individuals like Ana who are so involved with NMGH, students such as myself on these trips would not be able to provide the care we did.

Thank you to all the dedicated, passionate and involved individuals who have a vision and follow it (This includes all those involved with NMGH and Naturopaths Without Borders)! The world is a better place thanks to their vision and dedication and they are not alone since things have a way of working out and people who share the same ideology as them happen to come along even if they start out as patients. The story of Ana is hopefully one of the many lasting effects my trip to Guatemala has for the individuals there and Naturopathic Medicine.

Harmi Kaler

 

The Naturopathic Doctor’s Oath

Posted on by
1

Each profession has its own principles or oath that its members take and abide by. Medical doctors follow the Hippocratic Oath, engineers have the iron ring and police officers take an oath to uphold the law. The Naturopathic Doctor’s Oath follows six simple principles:

1. First, Do No Harm (Primum non nocere). Simply this means to use methods and medicines that minimize the risk of harmful side effects, use the leave force to diagnose and treat, avoid the harmful suppression of symptoms and respect and work with the Vis medicatrix naturae process

2. The Healing Power of Nature (Vis medicatrix naturae). The healing power of nature is an inherent ordered and self-healing process that is present in each individual. ND’s work to identify and remove any obstacles to health and recovery thus facilitating the Vis medicatrix naturae.

3. Identify and Treat the Causes (Tolle causum). The underlying cause of any illness or disease needs to be identified and removed before complete recovery can occur. Thus Naturopathic Doctors aim to determine the underlying cause of illness and remove it rather than just treating the symptoms by elimination or suppression. This approach results in the body achieving and maintaining an optimal state of health.

4. Doctor as Teacher (Docere). Knowledge is power and Naturopathic doctors work in partnership with their patients by sharing information and knowledge to create a realistic and successful treatment through a therapeutic doctor – patient relationship.

5. Treat the Whole Person (Tolle totum). Naturopathic Doctors treat the physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental and social factors as they all contribute to each person’s health. Total health also includes spiritual health and a well-rounded approach can allow individuals to pursue their spiritual development.

6. Teach the principles of healthy living and preventive medicine (Prevenio et evito aegresco). Naturopathic medicine focuses on optimizing health to prevent diseases through education and a health lifestyle. Through the doctor patient partnership, the appropriate interventions are made to prevent future illnesses.

The above 6 simple principles are what remain at the core of all treatment that Naturopath’s provide for their patients.

Until next time,

Harmi

 

My Guatemalian Adventure

Posted on by
Reply

As most of you know, Feb 10-21 I was in Guatemala with 16 other colleagues to provide some much needed medical care in the Panajachel area with 3 awesome doctors and an amazing new organization – Naturopathic Medicine for Global Health (NMGH). It’s a beautiful country filled with beautiful people and an ancient culture that tries to find a balance in modern times.

The trip was amazing. It was the experience of a lifetime and the reminder I needed that I am right where I need to be right now. It’s been difficult over the last 3 years to stay focused on the end goal of finishing school and start practicing since so many obstacles keep arising. I never wanted just a job and that’s part of the reason it has taken so long to get where I am today. I’ve always wanted something I can remain passionate about. This trip is also the break and push I need to make it through the next 7 weeks without mentally burning out.

Could the Rolling Stones have it right? “You can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes you might find that you get what you need”. I’ve learned over the last few years through life, school and work that life has a funny way of working out when you least expect it. You cannot force things and when things don’t work out, it wasn’t meant to be at that time. We do not always understand why and we may never, but I’ve made peace with it and respect it since things always work out the way they are intended.

My trip to Guatemala was a reality check in many different ways. It was a great reminder of why I want to be a Naturopath and it was also a much needed getaway from the hustle and bustle of school. It is so easy to get caught up in the never ending day to day tasks that we can lose track of the important things.

The country is very poor and the people there work really hard at everything they do. They appreciated everything we did for them. The one constant amongst all the patients was the power of education. I couldn’t blame my patients for not drinking water or eating after 8 hours, since the information that is so common for us here, is just not available there.

Over the next little while, I will be talking more in depth about my adventures and the way I was able to observe all the different naturopathic modalities and their effectiveness.

For now, I encourage all of you to focus on the goals and not get so caught up in the details. Life isn’t about the destination, but rather the journey to get to that destination. It is easy to say but try to bring that awareness into your life at least once every day.

In Health,

Harmi

 

What is Naturopathic Medicine?

Posted on by
2

Just over three years ago I moved to Toronto to start my journey towards becoming a Naturopathic Doctor. It’s hard to believe that the time has gone by so fast, even though it seems like a lifetime ago when I started this program. In the last 3 years, I have changed tremendously, grown in ways I cannot describe and gained so much valuable knowledge.

But what exactly is Naturopathic Medicine?

I have yet to find a definition I like that fully encompasses the full scope of the profession without being a long narrative. Naturopathic Medicine basically uses the healing power of nature to treat ailments in a less invasive manner while focusing on the whole person rather than just the symptoms (for a longer description see the Naturopathic Medicine tab above).

In less than 2 weeks, I am headed to Panajachel, Guatemala with 16 other students to provide some free medical services to a community that otherwise has very limited access to medical care. I am very excited for this opportunity and look forward to the amazing learning opportunity this trip will provide and sharing my adventures and knowledge with you.