1/2 Marathon Recap

I'm hoping your Sunday morning went a little more smoothly than mine! First, after a very long and treacherous drive through the fresh snowfall, a late arrival at the 1/2 marathon start line and soaking wet, slushy feet before the race even started, I ran about 4km of the 21 pain free; after which, I began to realize very quickly that I had no business being in that race this morning! This 1/2 marathon was the absolute worst 1/2 marathon that I have ever endured and my worst running performance ever!
Did I learn anything from throwing myself into a winter half-marathon without training properly? Well, yes! I learned that I will never ever, ever, ever do that again: it's way too painful, the weather is too unpredictable and it's simply demoralizing!
I also learned some compassion for those people out there that run events at a very moderate pace. Forever a runner and an athlete, I am accustomed to running a race pretty close to the front: there are a lot less people up there, which means, fewer people to dodge, fewer puddles to hit and fewer kicks in the ankles and legs! It is MUCH harder mid-pack! I honour and commend these people!
Now .. in order to completely distract you from my utter failure this morning: watch this video! It is a really cool video of a crazy downhill bike race in the slums of Brazil. I actually lost my stomach a few times on some of the jumps!! Enjoy lovely people .... :)

Moments ..

My half marathon is scheduled for early March, a week today, in fact! I've been doing a little training, but still I'm feeling rather unprepared. Anyone who has ever run a half marathon will tell you that, when it comes to distance running, the half marathon is an attainable distance. If you run regularly (4-5x/week), you could probably get a half marathon under your belt with a minimal amount of extra training. Since I've neither recently indulged in the regular running, nor the extra training, I had a long run planned for this morning (as a last ditch attempt).

When my plans went arye do an unforseen physiological event last night (more on that another day), I overslept and missed my group run. Initially, I felt rather guilty for not forcing my exhausted, depleted and drained body out of the bed and onto the road. You see, there is something about being an athlete: being an athlete assumes that you regularly push your body beyond its limit. This needs to happen for the body to become stronger, faster and better adjusted to the physical demands imposed on it. As an unfortunate result however, athletes will push themselves even when their bodies are screaming for a rest!

Since my body was screaming for a rest, this was my day of resisting the guilt and loathing that is usually experienced from missing a fundamental training run: after a double Nespresso with almond milk and a visit with the morning paper, my sin was absolved. From here, my Sunday opened up to me. This is often the beauty that comes with welcoming the moment and letting go of diligent planning.

As you can see from the photos on this post, I ended up east of the city today for a little winter hiking, fit with a friend I haven't seen in months, a few great dogs, a little campfire and herbal tea and even cute little snowmen that welcomed us along our path: all the gifts of spontaneity!

Sometimes a little rest and a little less training is the best thing: for the body and for the mind!

Attraction: "LAW" or simply "Legislation Waiting to be Passed"?!

I've been listening to the Abraham Hicks meditations lately after one of the massage therapists at our clinic has raved about the change it has affected in her life: from better communication to attracting financial abundance, apparently, these meditations are the greatest thing since sliced bread! And since the meditations were sold out the first day that they were launched, they must be worth something.

I think we all know the concept of Law of Attraction. Wikipedia defines it as "a metaphysical new thought belief that like attracts like and that positive and negative thinking bring about positive and negative physical results respectively".

So, what has my experience been with this "law". Well, it hasn't been going quite as well as I had hoped when it comes to facilitating life change. However, I am likely part of the problem when it comes to not moving forward! Esther and Jerry Hicks (the creators and inspiration behind the Abraham Hicks meditations and much of the information contained in the movie The Secret) suggest that our vibration attracts what resonates with it. They offer the example of Mike Tyson who has earned billions of dollars in his career yet struggles with debt. Esther and Jerry explain this phenomena by looking at how Mike Tyson's vibration is conditioned to be in poverty: he was poverty stricken growing up and has adopted that vibration and, as a result, he creates being in debt as his reality because it is the vibration that he resonates with most. Make sense?!

Let's take this example a little closer to home: I believe that I have some pretty bad car karma. If I was to make an illegal U-turn at exactly the same time as someone else, on that same road, with the same cops looking on, I would surely be the one pulled over and ticketed. I have it in my head - through much conditioning over many years - that my car, having my license and parking anywhere in Toronto is going to result in tickets, expenses that I haven't budgeted for and much frustration .. so - despite my listening religiously to these meditations as an attempt to change my vibration - I have, as of Thursday last week, attracted yet another unfortunate car expense!

This is not the end of the world, but continues to be an obstacle to me going forward financially. What can I do to change this vibration? Well, according to the Law of Attraction, I need to be making a more conscious attempt to change my cognitive habits from "I keep being blindsided by unexpected car expenses!" to "I like the feeling of well-being that comes with not having unexpected car expenses".

It is an interesting thing that Esther Hicks speaks about in the informational video on their website. She talks about being in the "Vortex", in "alignment" or in connection with your "vibrational source" and describes this as a feeling of being in the flow, of empowerment, joy, happiness, a connection in which everything falls in line or comes together. I think we've all had these moments: whether its getting into your zone through exercise, or doing that amazing presentation at work where there are no obstacles and everything just flows or whether it's those days with your romantic partner that feel simply perfect! We all know the feeling, but how do we create this feeling more frequently and keep in the flow when we're there? Well, instead of asking for the things that we don't have (because in doing this, we put energy into the absence that exists), we need to bring awareness to the feeling of possessing the things we want. For instance, instead of "I really want/need a new car", change that to "I like the feeling of well-being that comes with driving a new car". In this way, we are able to create the vibration of driving a new car .. and from here we can attract that into our lives.

And so my meditations will continue with the acute objective of taking myself seriously when I say that I like the feeling of well-being that comes with owning that gorgeous, little, $600 000 house that I am so in love with and not breaking the bank at the same time! And, now that the ball is rolling: I like the feeling of well-being that comes with never get wrinkly and having my lean fit body until I turn 90 years old! Enough said people, let the attraction begin ...

**FYI: the Abraham Hicks meditations are now an iPhone app .. it does use a lot of data though. For more information on Esther and Jerry Hicks and the Law of Attraction, check out their website.**

In Honour of Valentine's Day ..

Happy belated Valentine's Day to everyone out there! I am a day late in this post due to some unforeseen Valentine's Day events: editing articles for today's Markham Stouffville Hospital Health Fair, which I was honoured to be a part of. I know, I know .. it sound pathetic spending Valentine's Day engrossed in medical data! I may be pathetic .. but at least I'm pathetic and smart! :)

Considering V-day, let's talk about the heart. So, it's interesting to note that there is an undeniable correlation between depression and heart disease! When we talk mortality, depression ALONE doubles mortality risk; heart disease ALONE increases risk by two thirds. It is interesting to note, as Scientific America Mind (Jan-Feb 2011) did by summarizing a study, that, on any given day, individuals with both depression and heart disease were approximately five times more likely to die than their peers!

This peaked my curiosity so I began researching the mechanism of action of this lethal pair. Early research shows that individuals that suffer from depression are at greater risk for developing a heart condition, including arteriosclerosis, arrhythmias and MI (myocardial infarction or heart attack). As I delved a little deeper, I found that the physiological explanation to why depression leads to and can worsen heart disease is still unclear. An article called Biological Mechanisms in the Relationship Between Depression and Heart Disease reviews the scientific data and the theories associated with this correlation: it is plausible that people who have had a cardiac incident can become depressed which negatively impact lifestyle and increase their chances of another cardiac incident. On the other hand, people that are depressed already, may not be indulging in healthy eating and exercise which could contribute to them acquiring heart conditions. This, although relevant, is simply a contributing factor. The situation is seemingly more complicated that just lifestyle: depression is associated with dysregulation of the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis). Studies indicated that the feedback loop of this axis is impaired in depressed individuals resulting in an increase in glucocorticoid production. This causes a cascade of events that lead to an increase in corticotropoid releasing hormone which acts in the brain to increase your stress response. More circulating norepinephrine and epinephrine act to increase heart rate and contractility which can predispose individuals to heart disease and increase their risk of cardiac incident. I could continue with the pathophysiology of it all (the research study is 17 pages long) but I will spare you!

Considering the unfortunate circumstance of living in dark, cold Canada in the month of February and knowing that there is an nice, tidy association with heart disease and depression, what is a girl like me to do?!

According to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) there is a distinctive heart-mind connection. Balancing the heart-mind connection usually involves cooling the body with foods that are simple and nourishing: unrefined grains like wheat (germ) and brown rice will "cool" the heart and provide your body with much needed magnesium (a natural muscle relaxant that slightly dilates blood vessels) and B vitamins which mitigate stress. Mind-body techniques such as listening to uplifting music will induce a happier state of mind consequently interrupting the negative cascade of endocrine dominoes which eventually lead to heart pathology. Increasing serotonin by ingesting l-tryptophan-rich miso soup on a nightly basis will help you balance mood and avoid the winter blues that lead to seasonal depression. And if all this fails, pack up and move to a sunny, hot destination spot and fall in love over and over again to keep the positive endorphins flowing ... or just run a marathon daily, which will produce the same endorphin rush (despite the eventual need for bilateral knee replacement surgery). Regardless of which you choose, make sure you have fun doing it!

A Poke Worth Talking About!

Last weekend was a cold one in my part of the world: a perfect weekend to spend inside on a romantic getaway with one of my favorite men. Have I peaked your interest? Well, let me start by saying that, as difficult as it might be to believe, I did not end up on a romantic getaway with hot Dr. Andre La Gerche (see Breaking the Athlete's Heart)! Instead, I spent a 4-day weekend with Dr. Paul Saunders with a whole lot of poking that was absent of orgasm but full of satisfaction. Yes people, I survived the parenteral therapy course: the first step to qualifying me as an ND that practices IV therapy.

This may not seem very exciting to you: the prospect of spending a weekend with 16 of my colleagues taking turns sticking each other with intravenous lines, but .. for a geek like me .. it was a very engaging weekend that left me feeling stimulated with new information and buzzing with the fresh energy of IV nutrients coursing through my veins.

So, how does this translate into information that you guys, as active, health-seeking individuals can appreciate? Well, for those of you who are athletes, IV therapy is a beautiful way to increase your energy and improve your recovery post workout! There are a variety of substances that are used in IV therapy: from nutrients, to herbs, to amino acids, to vitamins along with a variety of reasons that a Naturopathic Doctor might prescribe IV therapy including athletic support, asthma, migraines, cancer support, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and Parkinson's. From my experience, both as a recipient and a practitioner who has witnessed the benefits of IV, this therapy is a beautiful adjunct (and occasionally sole) treatment for both healthy and compromised individuals.

A weekend of treatment (and a number of extra holes in my arms) left me feeling somewhat bruised but with an energy that I have not experienced in quite a while. A little bounce in my step is always welcome, especially a few weeks before having to run a half marathon (which I am not entirely prepared for)! And speaking of the half marathon, here is Tip #2:

Find a licensed Naturopathic Doctor who is board certified for IV therapy and get hooked up for a few treatments. The practitioner will create a cocktail appropriate for your constitution, concerns and athletic goals. Get ready to run fast and recover well!! Please take note: if you are competing in elite or pro categories, ANY IV administration is banned - it does not matter WHAT substances you are actually administering, the simple act of administering via blood infusion, is banned in higher level competition .. so save IV for your off season!

Considering my lack of training, I may have to run the half marathon with an IV line sticking out of my arm. This may increase my risk of having a little fall and breaking a wrist or leg. However, since beating my trash-talking colleague is of utmost importance, I believe the risk may be warranted!

Lifting the Roadway Restriction ..

As some of you recall from my December post, Are YOU Roadway Restricted?, I was in the process of embracing my winter weight. Well, it's now well into 2011: time to re-evaluate resigning to weight gain and embracing positive change. As every athlete knows, a period of rest from intensive exercise is important for both physical and mental rejuvenation; but how how do you get back into athletic shape after months of rest, aka: slothfulness?!

Let me tell you what not to do: when one of my beloved colleagues suggested a few weeks ago that we do a spring half marathon as a clinic .. "it'd be fun", he chimed ... I was reluctant to commit. After a bit of encouragement (more like trash-talk), I agreed to be a sport. I mean, I've done a million half marathons before .. whats one more, right? I had a plan: run a little, get in OK shape and kick my colleagues a**!

After a few short runs and inhibiting soreness, I thought it might be a good idea to change it up a little. Afterall , we live in Canada: why not get the heart pumping with some good ol' cross country skiing? A 5 hour break a the clinic a few days ago offered the perfect opportunity: change into ski stuff, take a quick drive up to the trails, get out there for 1.5 hours -a quick 15km - then back to the clinic for my last few clients: genius!

The sking itself was not the issue, it's been the inability to get out of bed, walk, put on pants, sit down and get up without looking (and sounding) 95 years old and bend to tie or zip up my boots. Yes people, going from nothing to a fast 15km ski is NOT the way to get back in shape, unless you'd like to kill yourself in the process.

I am fortunate to not have suffered long lasting injury but doing this CAN cause injury, serious injury: stress, strain, sprain (possible tear) and pain. Not a desirable consequence for any athlete!

To re-start your workout regime for the upcoming season, take tip #1:

We're still in January: No need to rush things!!! Start slow and peak well. If you've been inactive for a while, go out for a short (5km), easy run the first time or a bit of spinning on the trainer. Be sure to stretch and enjoy an Epsom salts bath after your workout (2 cups of Epsom salts for a 20-minute, warm soak).

When I can sit on the toilet without releasing embarassing groans, I'll be back to my half marathon training: follow the next few weeks for updates, to support my journey and show my colleague who is boss on the half marathon circuit! :)

Pellets or Placebo?

There is often an interesting timing that happens with certain events in life. I practice at a clinic called Balanced Living a portion of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) called "Markham". At one time, Markham was a small town with one main street, no "mall" and was moated by farmland and trees. Despite the fact that Markham has become a place of sprawling suburbia and new condos, it tries to maintain it's small town charm. It has its own little newspaper that lists it's own little community goings-on and that features it's own little yearly awards to various up and coming businesses. Included in these awards are the "Readers Choice Awards" which feature "Markham's best voted Massage Therapist" and "Markham's best voted Homeopath" and the "Markhams best voted Reflexologist". Unfortunately, there is no award "the best voted Naturopathic Doctor", however, because NDs use homeopathic medicines, yours truly was nominated for AND WON the Homeopath award! All of us at the clinic were thrilled, not only because I obtained my first award, but also because Fiona Thompson, one of our Massage Therapists also won!
The celebration of last Thursday night was short lived. 24 hours after I was informed of my new title as best "Homeopath", a 20 minute feature on CBC Marketplace discussing homeopathy as both an “unproven practice” and a “scam that is not evidence-base” was aired.
So, lets talk about this a little. First, as a Naturopathic Doctor, I have a 4-year, post graduate degree in Naturopathic Medicine which is an evidenced-based medicine that has qualified me to practice like an MD but naturally: I perform physical exams (the same ones you might get from your MD), draw blood (phlebotomy), treat with acupuncture, chinese medicine, homeopathy, botanical medicine, lifestyle counselling, nutrition, bodywork (massage), chiropractics and nutrition, to name a few. As you can see, Naturopathic Medicine encompasses a broader scope of practice than simply homeopathy.
Now let's talk a little about the homeopathy controversy: does it work? Homeopathic medicines are based on a theory on micro-dosing. This involves taking a chemical constituent and diluting it to a minuscule amount. Traditional homeopathic preparations are in the form of small pellets that are dissolved under the tongue, which contain lactose as part of their base. Interestingly, the "study" performed for CBC Marketplace involved evaluating homeopathics for the amount of active substance in them: the researcher concluded that there is no active ingredient in homeopathic preparations and that they are simply sugar pills. This is already well known by practitioners who use homeopathy: despite there being no detectable ingredient, the homeopathic still contains the energetic "blueprint" of the original substance which is undetectable in the laboratory. Sound like a scam .. well, ya, kind of sounds like it ...
The television feature went on to say that there are no research studies supporting the efficacy of homeopathic medications. This is true: most of the research out there is in the form on case studies on a variety of individuals that have had success with homeopathic preparations. But why are there no double-blind, placebo trials, you ask?? Well, for starters, homeopathics don't work the same way as pharmaceuticals: there is no one homeopathic designed for folliculitis, for instance. Homeopathics are prescribed on the basis of a collection of signs and symptoms as opposed to one pathology. So, two people with folliculitis might be given two entirely different homeopathic preparations that work equally well. Because the preparations are so individually prescribed, it would be very difficult to do a double-blind placebo trial on one homeopathic medicine for one specific pathology. Make sense?
And what about their effect? Do they really work? In my practice, I am in the habit of using homeopathic medicine in conjunction with other naturopathic interventions. So, what's working? Well, fortunately, I am not a lab and don't have to submit data! Perhaps my patients improve strictly because of the homeopathic or perhaps it's due to the counselling we often indulge in together or maybe other naturopathic nutraceuticals (natural medicines) bring success or perhaps it's even a combination of all of these things, the bottom line is that I see changes that can be measured scientifically: through blood work and through physical exams (blood pressure, etc). Would I used homeopathic in a case of breast cancer? Personally, I would not as both MDs and NDs recognize that there are more effective natural and pharmaceutical approaches for cancer care.
A significant part of what we do as Naturopathic Doctors is to encourage the body to find its own equilibrium so that it can heal itself. Encouraging the body to heal involves correcting physiological imbalances. There is extensive research supporting the mind's role in healing: meditation has been proven to assist in lowering blood pressure for instance. So, really, whether the little sugar pill assists in healing or whether the result is attributable to a placebo effect created by the mind's belief that homeopath medicine does work, doesn't really matter in practice. The bottom line is that people are getting better and, isn't that why we are in this business?

Check out the CBC Marketplace feature here:
http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2011/cureorcon/

Check out an abstract supporting the blood pressure lowering effect of meditation:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21185525