Studying with Flair

I have a big biochemistry test this week so studying has commandeered a ton of my time. I was starting to get a little restless with the usual flash card making, note reviewing, and textbook reading kind of studying so I decided to have a little fun.

Life Lived

     For those who don't know, I love to read. Everything about settling into a comfy chair, book in hand, with or without hot chocolate screams, "This is going to be awesome." And I can really tell when I've been reading a lot because my thoughts become a mental narration of my life, Not completely unlike Will Ferrel's experience in the movie Stranger Than Fiction... She walked absent-mindedly to school and as she passed the well-maintained homes and meticulously landscaped lawns she found herself daydreaming of the lives being lived behind each door; how glamorous they must be in comparison to her barely-there make-up and currently water-logged running shoes ... You know, that type of thing.

     I've realized that blogging has also changed my mental though process. I often find myself viewing my world in snapshots and story snippets that would come together to create the perfect post. That being said, I've now found myself with a phone full of photos and a notepad app overflowing with digitally scribbled thoughts and ideas. However, contrary to popular belief, my life is probably not quite exciting enough to justify bombarding you with posts detailing my every fleeting thought. So I've come up with a compromise. I'm going to do a weekly installment that I am going to call "Life Lived." I'll include a photo and a corresponding thought... a glimpse into my life lived.

     So here we go...

This is my friend Jam... during biochemistry lecture. This moment pretty much sums up everything. As a side note, Jam is from Bali... How cool is that?

Hero's Journey

     According to folklorists and other narrative scholars, the hero's journey forms the basic template for all great stories. The hero begins in the ordinary world, and receives a call to enter an unknown world of strange powers and events. The hero who accepts the call to enter this strange world must face tasks and trials, either alone or with assistance. In the most intense versions of the narrative, the hero must survive a severe challenge, often with help. If the hero survives, she may achieve a great gift. The hero must then decide whether to return to the ordinary world with this gift. If the hero does decide to return, she often faces challenges on the return journey. If the hero returns successfully, the gift may be used to improve the world.

     I can relate.

     At this time last year I was living an ordinary life, working an ordinary job, I had no idea I was about to stumble upon something amazing, something that would change the course of my life forever. A simple google search and I uncovered the world of naturopathic medicine. I had received my calling and was about to leave everything I had ever known to embark on a great adventure. I know I will undoubtedly face hard tasks and difficult trials, physically, mentally, emotionally, academically and everything in between. In some respects I already have. I know I will be pushed to the edge, but I also know I'll make it back... perhaps a little beat up, but who doesn't love a good scar story right?

     I think that's the beauty of the hero's journey, somewhere along the way an incredible transformation takes place and it becomes impossible for the hero to return in the same state in which she left. I can already see my own transformation taking place; I see it in my thought processes, I see it in my actions, and I see it in my relationships.

     The idea of the hero returning from her journey with a gift that will improve the world appeals to my inner Miss America... "world peace" style. I recognize and appreciate the importance and the power of the medical education I am receiving right now and am beyond excited to share everything I learn with anyone who'll listen but I hope that specific knowledge will only be a small portion of my gift. I hope my journey gives me the experiences and the wisdom to always try a little harder to be a little better. I hope my gift is everything that I am.

     Does that make me a hero? ... Heck yeah it does.

(not so) Bad A** Brushborders

     So I'm part of this really cool thing... actually I'm part of a lot of really cool things in my life right now but one of the really cool things is my lunch group. There are five of us and we each have a day that we are assigned to cook a mouthwatering meal and bring it to share for lunch. (I'm Thursdays... but that's really irrelevant.) This is a genius thing really... I cook one time a week and yet everyday when I show up to school there is a lovingly prepared, delightfully delicious, and nutritionally sound meal waiting just for me (and four other people... but again... irrelevant). I love it... for so many more reasons than the unimaginably delectable food. It's like Christmas everyday when I walk into the lounge and discover what tasty treat has been left for me. I've been exposed to, and now have cravings for foods I thought people only talked about... and certainly would have never prepared myself... like brussel sprouts. It's also been a life saver as far as my routine goes. Now as am rushing out the door, running behind because I undoubtedly hit snooze one too many times (Fyi... three times is one too many. Twice is fine but three puts me over the edge... I know this... and yet I can't seem to stop it from happening. On really bad days I even leave the house NOT in heels... I don't even know who I am anymore.) I don't even have to spare a moment's thought on how I'm going to get through what is probably going to be a ridiculously long day without wasting away to nothing.
    
     The standards for admittance into our amazing, and now highly coveted (seriously... there is an unofficial waiting list) lunch group were simple, yet concrete. You had to have time to cook, be good at it, and not have any crazy dietary restrictions. That last one was the doozy that eliminated just about everyone. Amongst my classmates and the population of the greater Portland area really, you will be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't subscribe to some alternative diet, whether it be vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, don't eat tomatoes on Tuesdays... whatever... everyone has something. Nonetheless, we found our five, started calling ourselves the Bad A** Brushborders (No special diets... the brush borders of our intestines can handle anything... it's a med school thing?), and got to cooking.
    
     As the group was emailing back and forth before the term started, discussing logistics and whatnot it came up that "Tuesday" had been diagnosed with a condition that required her to go gluten-free. The choice then had to be made as to whether or not we should oust and replace her (standards are standards after all... and we do have a waiting list) or if we would accomodate and all start cooking gluten-free. Now I hope everyone is imagining a huddle being called, "Little Giants" style, where we bantered back and forth over whether to keep her or leave her while she nervously looked on from about 10 feet away... because that's pretty much what happened... except over email... this is 2012. The verdict? Keep her.
    
     So that's it. The Bad A** Brushborders are now gluten-free. If you read my last post or know anything about gluten you'll know that this is no small thing. Gluten is every-freaking-where.  Gluten is a protein found in wheat, spelt, rye, barley, triticale, burghul, and kamut. Gluten binds the dough in baking and prevents crumbling. It can be found in breads, cakes, pastries, cookies, biscuits, crackers, battered foods, cereals, snack foods, pastas and pizza. Because gluten is also used as a thickener and filler it is found in soups, gravies, sauces, processed meats, pickles, sweets, instant pudding and chocolate. Quick... think of your favorite food... yep... it has gluten. I think you're getting the picture... preparing a meal gluten-free takes some thought and effort... especially for the self-appointed treat-bringer (that's me). But that's ok. I think it's going to be awesome... and at the very least, an adventure.

     There are lots of reasons to go gluten-free and it's likely that at some point in my naturopathic career I will suggest this very thing to one of my patients. It's a huge lifestyle change and a huge committment, maybe this experience will teach me that pearl of wisdom needed for the moment when I advise my patient to go gluten-free and she looks at me like I just kicked her puppy... really, really hard... twice.
   
     Gluten-free diets have been shown to be beneficial to those suffering from thyroid disease, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, anemia, autism, and irritable bowel syndrome and many autoimmune disorders. Eliminating gluten from the diet can be of great benefit to those wishing to lose weight. By eliminating gluten from your diet, it is also possible to increase your energy levels, lower bad cholesterol levels and even assist the body`s digestive processes. Eliminating products from the diet that contain gluten, and you will instead consume more fresh, whole and organic foods. This in itself will be greatly beneficial to your overall health, as it means that your chances of consuming processed foods will be virtually eliminated. Another benefit of gluten-free is your sugar and fat intake is drastically reduced... which wouldn't hurt most New Year's resolutions I know.
    
     The professor for one of my favorite classes in college assigned the New York Times as daily reading. The habit has stuck with me... I even have the New York Times app on my phone. I definitely smiled out loud when I came across this piece... Should We All Go Gluten-Free?

Lessons Learned

Ok, so I have been on winter break for just over a month now and I have to admit... it's been pretty awesome. After the whirlwind that was moving across the country, beginning my first term of medical school, and surviving that first term all while trying to set up house (I still have a box or two... or three...), meet new people, learn a new city, and generally create a life for myself, I felt like a month off was just what the doctor ordered. (Ok, so I may have been the "doctor" in this instance but it still counts.)

It was a good month. I laughed, I cried, I laughed until I cried, and spent a lot of time with a lot of amazing people... all in all, not a bad way to live life.

As I sit on my living room floor preparing both academically and emotionally to start classes again tomorrow and think about all the lectures I'll sit through and all the information that will be launched in my general direction, I can't help but reflect on all the changes in my life in the last few months and all the lessons I've already learned.

1) My car can haul an 8ft kayak... or a ridiculous amount of Ikea furniture.

I feel like no further explanation is necessary.

2) Gluten is public enemy #1.



For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats grown in soil contaminated by wheat. Our bodies sometimes have adverse reactions to this protein and a diet containing gluten takes the blame for a lot of gut related issues like leaky gut syndrome and celiac disease. However, the finger is also pointed at gluten in some autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto's thyroiditis and even autism. Being "gluten-free" is definitely "a thing" here in Portland and is as prevalent an alternative diet as vegetarianism. However you have no idea how hard it is to actually be gluten-free until you try to plan a meal. Gluten is in EVERYTHING. Think about it... anything that has any wheat or flour in it contains gluten. Any breads, or pretzels, or cookies, or pancakes...soy sauce even has gluten. Hence the need for entire aisles at the grocery store committed to products manipulated to be gluten free.

3) My kitchen doubles as a medicinary.

So... I have a Master's Degree in Human Nutrition and I firmly believe in the healing power of food. I feel like some of the best things I do for my health and overall well-being happen in my kitchen. That said, I discovered another way my kitchen is suspiciously similar to a medicinary... elderberry syrup. Elderberry syrup is an herbal remedy for cold and flu that I make in my very own kitchen. It's quick, it's easy, it's medicine, and it's delicious... Robitussin better watch its back... just sayin.

Check it out: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/15080016/

4) Greet the sun.

There is nothing more beautiful than Portland on a sunny day. I think that's probably why it rains so much here... if it didn't, everyone would be trampling one another trying to move here and there would be fights over land and angry words exchanged and everything would be chaos. Rain is the universe's way of keeping Portland a secret. That being said... it does rain... a lot. It's easy to get caught up in the drearyness of it all and become a part of the seasonal depression statistics. The remedy? Greet the sun... literally and figuratively. Upon waking, just give a quick shout out to the sun and see how you feel. Greeting the sun each morning is the catalyst for a mental and emotional shift. I find myself welcoming the day and can't help but be grateful and excited for all the potential it holds. It also makes those days when the sun is actually out that much more special... the sun greets me too.

5) It's all about people.

Naturopathic medicine touts treating the whole person, not just the disease or symptoms. Because of this we focus a lot on learning about the whole person and what exactly that means... which becomes an exercise in learning about people. And I have to say I am surrounded by some of the most amazing people all day every day. My classmates are incredible. You would be honored to know them.  They are humbly brilliant individuals, and yet, so completely supportive and fun. I cannot express enough what a lifeline their sense of community has been for me.

For our cadaver lab midterm we took the test in two shifts. I was in the first half that took the test while the second half waited in that hall. While most of the first-halfers left to complete other tasks I waited around for the second-halfers to finish so when they came out of the lab they would have someone to congratulate them. Roles were reversed for the final and I took the test in the second wave. This photo was taken after my cadaver lab final. I was surprised to find most of my classmates waiting for me in the hall with giant smiles and handmade "Congrats, you did it!" signs. They said my presence and cheering had meant so much to them after the midterm and they wanted me to know they cared. I was moved and humbled... it really is all about people.

6) You can have it all.

Life is what you make it. With some effort and perhaps a little bit of luck you can have everything... you can have your proverbial cake and eat it too. My life is busy and I work really hard but I love every moment of it. I am overwhelmed by all the opportunities I've been given to learn and grow in every way possible and I'm excited to see where this journey takes me.