Health is Wealth

Who would have thought that it would be mid-December already? Time has certainly gone by quickly. I love Christmas, as you all know. Why? Definitely the time with loved ones, music, food, decorations, lights, etc. add to the season. But there is something about Christmas that is truly special to me...remembering how blessings we have encountered during the past year. As December draws to an end and January approaches, the new year begins. This is a time where I really like looking back and reflecting on the past year. What went well? What was challenging? What have I accomplished? What have I learned about myself, about others, and about life? What do I want to do differently in the next year? How have I grown as a person during these past 12 months? Looking back at 2017, I can recall many challenges that I have faced. More responsibilities as a medical student, daughter, friend, sister, and human being have all come up. I have struggled to combat negative coping skills that have b...

We've talked a lot here about weight gain, food, eating disorders, and anxiety - and the connection these have with dopamine (DA), a neurotransmitter in the brain. DA mediates many things in our bodies depending on where it acts. For example, in some areas of the brain, DA produces pleasure in response to things. In other areas, DA produces anxiety. Interestingly - but not surprisingly - a study revealed that in one aspect of the brain in people with anorexia nervosa, DA produces heightened anxiety in response to various things, including food and weight gain. Patients with ED seem to have anxiety (i.e. increased DA levels in these brain areas) around food, meals, weight gain and body changes. This is not fully surprising or new to us - after all, individuals suffering from EDs struggle to eat and gain weight because they are fearful of what will happen. Their response to food and weight gain is one of anxiety and fear. I think this study is important because it helps reaffirm...

We all struggle with moments and experiences that challenge us. That make us scared. Times when we feel frozen, stuck, and hopeless. We feel lost and confused. Think about a time when you felt this way. What was going on in your head? What emotions were you feeling? I'm sure I'm not the only one who has felt this way before. A few days ago, I was feeling sick of everything. There was too much to do. I felt like I was running from one thing to the next - and not just physically, but mentally as well. I felt angry at the circumstances I was in, and I desperately wanted it all to just STOP. I needed quiet, peace, and comfort. But in the hustle and bustle of life, I found none. I felt anxious. Tired. Scared. Angry. Confused. At one point, I even felt that there was simply no point of doing anything at all. Sleep? No. Eat? No. Play? No. Work? No. On the outside, I am sure I looked okay. I can hold things together quite well in times of stress, you see. And so can many of us....

I was in a store a few days ago and noticed that Halloween costumes and candy filled the isles. Then, I also noticed that some stores also had Christmas supplies and decorations in their isles! I personally love Christmas, so I was overjoyed at realizing that Christmas is just a few months away. If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that Christmas is my favourite holiday! But something about this bothered me - it being September, and already seeing Christmas things in the store. Don't get me wrong - I love the Christmas spirit! But isn't it strange how we aren't taking the time to enjoy the current moment, and are already jumping three months ahead? This got me thinking: we live in a world today that runs from one thing to the next. We finish one thing, only to cross it off our list and get to the other things. We anticipate holidays months in advance so much that we might not realize that another holiday - coming sooner - is just as impor...

Resilience . You may have heard of this word before. To many of us, resilience may mean something along the lines of 'being able to endure hardships and moving forward'. But for some of us, resilience might simply mean having the strength to carry on today and not even thinking about tomorrow. Resilience could mean coping with a negative experience and trying to manage our lives, despite the pain that it may have caused. I think the easiest and most basic way of looking at resilience is this: we all deal with challenging experiences. Resilience implies some form of emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental coping with these situations that enables us to acknowledge our suffering, but to cope with it and attempt to adapt and adjust our lives accordingly. Why do I put resilience this way? Because some individuals will try to say that resilience means experiencing something challenging, but then 'forgetting about it' and 'moving on' because the past is in the...

I am blessed that my writing has been again featured on Fr. Anthony's website. Read it here ! (And feel free to leave your comments/thoughts there). We all face tough moments; sometimes, these can be extremely taxing and difficult to endure. We are often told to 'stick it through' because it will get better. "The grass is greener on the other side!", we are told. But that does not always help. When we are experiencing challenging times, we need hope. And sometimes, thinking that things might get better soon (that the other side is greener) makes us more frustrated because we simply do not see a way out of our misery. Instead, it might be helpful to realize that the situation we are experiencing now is tough. YES. Validate your feelings - your emotions are real. It is okay to be tired, angry, and distraught. But then... know that whatever you are going through has a purpose. You will learn something from this. You will grow somehow. Perhaps you will gain in...

I LOVE summer weather! It just makes me so happy to see the sun shining outside, the beautiful trees and flowers, the birds singing...how lovely. Nature is truly amazing. The weather has major impacts on our mood and even motivation . Think about a rainy day: how motivated do you feel to work? Study? Clean? Do ANYTHING? Probably not much. Now think of a sunny day. All we want to do is go out and have fun, garden, see new places, enjoy new foods, spend time with family and friends, etc. It is amazing how the sun can make me feel so much happier. I have noticed that when it is sunny outside, I feel happier. I even feel more motivated to study! But when it is cloudy, I feel gloomy. I look outside, and all I want to do is sleep! There is definitely a scientific correlation to this: several studies, such as this one have shown that serotonin, one of the neurotransmitters (or brain chemicals) that makes us feel happy, is stimulated by sunshine. So, more sun might mean that more sero...

I am very honoured and blessed to have been asked by the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine to give a presentation at PriMed 2017 , the annual largest conference for healthcare professionals in Canada! I was invited to speak about my own experience with anorexia nervosa, and to integrate research and guidelines about how clinicians can identify, treat, and manage patients with eating disorders. This was a great experience! I had the opportunity to share my story, but also use this to help doctors and nurses understand how they can effectively support their patients towards recovery from this illness.  Eating disorders (EDs) are mental illnesses . There are documented brain changes that occur in patients with eating disorders, and these alterations in neurotransmitters (or brain 'chemicals') make recovery, eating, and weight gain extremely challenging. Recovery is a hard, painful process. The emotional and mental struggles that patients endure are difficult. Howeve...

Our thoughts have a major impact on our feelings and actions. I know what you're thinking - this is something we all know already! But lately, I have truly felt this happen in my life. And I wanted to reflect with you all on this important topic. It is no surprise that life can get crazy at times. Right now, I find myself being overwhelmed by many things to do. I have to study, volunteer, go to Church, spend time with friends and family, think about my future career and life goals, concentrate on my health, engage in self-care, and so forth. And at times, I simply do not want to do anything at all. Nothing. Not sleep. Not work. Not eat. Not play. Not study. Not spend time with anyone. Not spend time with myself. NOTHING. I am bored, tired, and exhausted. Life is pointless. There is too much to do and no time to do it. I am bored and frustrated. I cannot do all of these things, and I feel that it is impossible. I have no idea what the future will bring, and this makes me ...

Life. Is. Crazy. Today has been one of those days when I am absolutely exhausted. There has been so much going on. My days at school have been long and full of lectures, studying, and so forth. I've been trying to catch up with my friends, and finding time to balance this with everything else is challenging. Oh, yes. And all the while, I'm trying to make sure I stay healthy and sane! At one point today, I just had this feeling of complete exasperation. WHAT IS THE POINT OF ALL THIS?! Why do we have to be so busy? Why is life so complex? Why do we have to feel stressed? Why did I choose such a hard and busy career path? I began thinking about what I would be doing if I wasn't studying medicine, or taking care of my health. Or spending time with my friends and family. And to be honest, I couldn't think of what else I would rather be doing. YES. Life can get stressful. Yes, studying and work is hard. Yes, time is limited. Yes, there will be days when you don...

'Take it easy!" I find myself having to remember this statement often. I need to learn to 'take it easy'. Life is tough. There are so many struggles, challenges, and obstacles. Some of them are under our control. Some of them have solutions. But others are beyond our control, are unpredictable, unexpected, and difficult. Some situations become 'too much to handle', and we are left feeling hopeless and helpless. Personally, I hate feeling like I cannot do anything to address a problem that I have, or to help someone who needs assistance. Feeling like I am stuck and can do anything makes me feel powerless and vulnerable...and sad and confused. But there comes a point when I have to slow down and remember: JUST BREATHE . Take it easy. This is not your fault. This is out of your control. You cannot control the ACTION (or what happened already), but you can control your REACTION . There will always be challenges. Some days, I find that I am so busy and I ...

A common 'New Year Resolution' that many people make is to try to get more organized. To prioritize what they need to do, and to get the most important things done first. But, this is no easy task. It can be really easy to think 'today, I'm going to get xxx done. Then yyy. Then zzz'. But we neglect the facts that 1) things take time to get done; 2) our attention spans don't always allow us to begin a task and complete it in the same time period; and 3) unexpected things can happen which may deter us from completing our 'to-do's'. So, what CAN we do to prioritize our tasks? Below are some simple tips: 1) Write it out! Making a list is actually one of the best ways to start getting organized. This helps you see what things you need to do, but also helps you gain a better perspective on how much you need  to get done. After making a list, it can become easier to move things around the list in terms of priority 2) Think: what needs to get ...