Thursday, March 5, 2009

Lecture to Medical Students

Well yesterday was an eye-opening experience for me. I went to the University of Toronto, downtown campus to speak to some of the first year and second year medical students about what naturopathic medicine is, and how I treat patients clinically. It gave me a better sense of how medical doctors are 'bred' and their fears and concerns with naturopathic doctors.

I had a powerpoint presentation about the basics of naturopathic medicine like the principles (doctor as teacher, do no harm, treat the whole person, find the root cause, the healing power of nature, etc) and the therapies (acupuncture, nutrition, homeopathy, herbs, lifestyle counselling, physical medicine). I spoke about the education that I received at CCNM: 3 years of courses that include basic medical sciences like anatomy and physiology, and clinical courses like physical diagnosis, obstetrics, pediatrics, and of course the naturopathic courses like nutrition, acupuncture, etc. I also spoke of how I would treat typical conditions I would see in my practice like chronic ear infections in children, dysmenorrhea, constipation, and of course the elusive 'fatigue'.

After the presentation I answered some of their questions and spoke to a few afterwards. Many were surprised that people would pay for health care and one great question was if I thought there was a deficit in the present conventional medical system that drove patients to come see me and potentially pay for bloodwork. I can only speak from my 6 years of experience in seeing patients and listening to their complaints of their 'conventional healthcare experiences'. Most patients are frustrated in trying to find a medical doctor, then finding a medical doctor that listens to them, then being frustrated in having 5 minutes to discuss 1 health concern and feeling rushed, frustrated with waiting over an hour for a scheduled appointment....... the list goes on.... When patients come to see me they have time to talk about all of their health concerns and they also receive great education in what potentially is going on with their health. When people come to see me for high cholesterol and we do bloodwork, or they bring in a copy of bloodwork from their MD, I sit down and actually explain their results and explain potential problems and their risk factors for heart disease.

Granted these students have not seen any patients and haven't been exposed to the healthcare system in action, they certainly had preconceived thoughts regarding naturopathic medicine and how NDs treat. I think the key is that they really don't understand the education we receive and how we are trained to know when to refer. I know what I can and can't do as an ND. If I received bloodwork and thought cancer was likely I would write a letter to their MD regarding my findings and refer the patient back to their primary care physician.

Do I think my education is adequate? Most definitely. I would like to see the program become a 5 year program with more of a compulsory residency program but I have every confidence that I can be a primary care giver and know when to refer. I gave the example yesterday of how I broke my wrist 2 years ago. A ND doesn't know how to cast.... I went to the ER, got xrays, my wrist was set properly and casted and then did follow-ups with the orthopedic surgeon. But did I use any pain medications? None. I used different homeopathic remedies along my recovery as well as traditional Chinese herbs.

I think it's fascinating to be able to step into another person's world and see where they are coming from .... I also think if both 'worlds' had a better understanding of the potential of working together a huge burden would be lifted off the present healthcare system and patients would be happier and healthier overall.

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