This simple metaphor captures a complex concept. In a handful of words, Hafez illustrates a helpful psychological principle that also comprises the theological core of the world’s largest religion – that of relationship based on mutual delight, adoration, and love. Where long-winded explanations fall short, poetry...

I once had a season of life in which I wrestled to reconcile the trade-off between gaining the world and losing my soul. In a great act of mercy, I lost. Looking back, I realize my biggest blind spot was my stubbornness and pride. I thought I knew what was best for me and obstinately pursued it, instead of focusing...

In the ND curriculum, we are taught to prioritize treatment according to a person’s center of gravity, meaning the most pressing threat to their health at that time. In cases of emergency, stabilization is logically the center of gravity. If someone is bleeding out, stopping the bleeding is the first course of action....

One of my professors recently proposed an interesting question. He began by saying AI can now diagnose better than doctors. Algorithms generate not only the correct diagnosis, but outline the exact labs to order, how to interpret them, and provide corresponding remedy options. On top of that, our entire education could...

As future naturopathic doctors, depression is one of the most common issues we will encounter. It is rare to find someone who has not experienced at least one season of overwhelming grief in their life. I recently was in a conversation that proposed a reframing of depression, from a dreaded mental disorder that needs treated,...

This Latin aphorism is inscribed above the doorway of the weight room. When I first noticed it, I asked my friend what it meant. I revisit their response often: character over reputation. What a hard concept. As simple as it is, it is a call to integrity that I struggle with every day. We live in a culture where it is praised...

Whether by cultural obligation, religious belief, or individual conscience, everyone lives according to a set of behavioral standards. Regardless of what code of law we follow, it is useful to understand the driving force behind why we follow the rules we do, especially when it conflicts with our desires. The basic psychological...

Seeking to understand the human experience is a worthwhile pursuit for anyone, especially a future healer. Recently I have been thinking about a concept put forth by Carl Jung, that our problems are never really solved, but rather outgrown. When the idea was posited to me in conversation, I initially resisted. That’s not true...

The Harvard Study of Adult Development found that best predictor of a long life – above social class, IQ, and genes – is the presence of strong social ties and close relationships. For most people, this is intuitive based on lived experience. However as naturopathic doctors, we often neglect to construct our approaches to...