The Future's Medicine is Here

I have been busy busy over winter break and hope everyone has enjoyed their holiday as much as I have been enjoying mine.  The break from school has allowed me to at last spend some real quality time with my family. I think my favorite part so far was cooking a traditional southern-style dinner (where I ate meat AND cheese! lol - separate blog post on the effects of that to come! For now, it is safe to say I am officially 100% plant-based, no cheating!)

Otherwise, I have been busy training for my upcoming race and with not much progress on the ITBFS.  It looks like there will be no running for me until race day if I am to stand a chance at finishing a fifty thousand meter trail run.  Today is my first day without running and I am already going nutty

…which leads me to how I have been spending my recently acquired free-time.  Those of you who know me are aware I am in college headed toward becoming a doctor.  I have 3 semesters before I enter medical school.  I have been researching, reviewing, applying, and preparing applications for every available scholarship online.  That being said, I came across a scholarship competition for blog posts.  “I can do that!” I thought.  The requirements are to blog about how I will positively impact my community and nation upon graduating from college with minimum 300 words (which I am never at a loss for!!!)  so.. here’s my story in a nutshell:

I returned to school last fall with every intention of entering into the Associate degree Nursing Program at the local community college after a chat with my brother in law who is an E.R. Doctor.  He suggested I become a R.N. when I expressed my interest in returning to complete my undergraduate work to enter medical school.  He was thoughtful in giving his advice because of the time involved and amount of student loan debt acquired from school. 

However, through my fixated reading about health, fitness and nutrition I came upon exactly what I was supposed to be doing.  I still wanted to be a doctor; only now,  I knew the specialization I wanted to pursue.  I needed to practice Integrative Medicine to teach people how to take care of themselves in a way that allowed their body to heal itself.  

There are many traits that will allow me to make a difference in other people’s lives as a physician.  I work hard to succeed at anything that I put my mind to.  I am passionate about living life to the fullest putting my all into everything I do.  I have suffered too much because of poor decision making in my past not to live by this rule – the loss of every privilege such as reading a book, running in an open field, climbing a tree, swimming in an open stream, or relieving yourself in private (although, this privilege is sometimes lost in the longer trail running events!) brings a “certain” appreciation and respect for life and its G-d given gifts.

I maintained a 4.0 GPA this semester while waitressing, tutoring math, training for and running my very first marathon all while fundraising for American Heart Association which required many facebook posts (thank you to all that put up with me, contributed &  didn’t delete me as a friend), written letters, typed emails, business visits, and events planning which successfully earned me a spot in the New York City marathon.  Physics, Calculus and Chemistry classes were skipped multiple times to run fundraising events, and yet I still maintained an A in all three classes.  I am currently seeking a full time job at the local hospital and enrolled for a full load of 19 hours while studying for the MCAT.  I will be a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine specializing in Integrative Medicine.  I know exactly where I want to be and the path is laying itself down in front of me as I move forward.  The ability to successfully juggle all of these interests is evidence that I will be able to maintain the vigorous requirements of medical school while being such a well rounded individual builds excellent interpersonal skills that in turn make an excellent physician.

I want to be at the forefront of the much needed healthcare revolution here in the U.S. where I can be part of a research team for integrating conventional medicine with that of natural healing to empower the patient to take control of his or her own health.  This area of medicine needs additional dynamic team members who can communicate this information in a meaningful way to individuals so they can go home and better care for themselves and their families to live healthier, happier and more fulfilling lives.

I am curious about your thoughts… what are your opinions on natural healing?  Do you have any people in your life who have been affected by diseases such as Type II diabetes, cancer or heart disease who have sought out help through integrative or naturopathic medicine?  Do you believe in your body’s innate ability to heal itself?  I would like to hear some of your thoughts or stories.  Anything that comes to mind when you read this..does your area need more access to this type of care? Do you find yourself reading more and more about this type of medicine?

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease."
~Thomas A. Edison, inventor (1847-1931)

For more information on Integrative and Naturopathic medicine visit:

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Walter Crinnion, N.D.

Cleveland Clinic

Duke University Health
AANP