I hate making friends. Having friends is one of the biggest perks of being a human, but making them is the worst. A real friend knows you. All the good things and all the bad things. Obviously. And that’s fine. Great, even. I wish everyone knew me, knew everything. But that would mean I have … More How I learned to turn insecurity into courage. (It’s super easy)
I dropped out of my master’s degree program at NCNM after my first year. I’m still in pursuit of my doctorate in naturopathic medicine, but frankly, I’ve been seriously considering dropping out of that program as well. There would be many legitimate reasons for quitting: It’s too difficult, I can’t keep my grades up, I’m … More I’ve reached my academic limit, and it has nothing to do with my brain.
This is part of my ongoing summer project: Stumbling Through First Year I assumed that each little piece of information I picked up during my medical education at NCNM would be another little tool in my tool belt. Every time I learned something, I would be able to apply it to a medical context. Slowly, … More The time I thought it was tuberculosis.
Being accepted into the ND program at NCNM was an exciting time for me. I received a lot of personalized attention from the staff at NCNM. They called sporadically to give me information and make sure I didn’t have any questions before moving to Portland. I had going-away parties in my honor. I went to … More The time I realized that I’m not special.
The cultivation of a practitioner I will decide to be a doctor. I will pack up my things. I will leave my family, my friends. I will be nervous. I will hear a speech at orientation where the speaker says, “Look around you. These people are your family now.” I will not want a new … More I guess I write poetry now.
If you memorize the lyrics to this song, you’ll know everything you need to know about the human immune system. (My apologies for the horrendous accent) The microbe is always meaner when it is coughed in your face and gets past innate defenses, but that is a big mistake. The body has many … More How to study for an Immunology exam.
When I was in the fourth grade, I wanted to try playing basketball. My parents signed me up for a league. At the time, I was somewhere around four feet tall and about 80 pounds. That’s the nice way of saying that I was absolutely terrible at basketball. I remember one particular practice where I … More How ‘Under the Sea’ showed me that I’m not a quitter.
I recently read this article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterlipson/2013/09/14/senate-declares-naturopathic-medicine-week-wizardry-week-still-under-debate/ I was looking for a way to procrastinate studying for my upcoming exams so I decided to respond in this trendy “open-letter” format. Dear Dr. Lipson, I am a first-year naturopathic medical student at the National College of Natural Medicine. I have seen a significant amount of negative press … More An open letter to Dr. Peter Lipson (Sinead O’Connor style)
I’ve been asking people about their views on naturopathic medicine and the overwhelming response is, “I don’t know what that is.” I’ve been looking for a good reference that defines naturopathic medicine in an easy to understand article but I haven’t found one. All of the explanations I’ve found are, in my girlfriend’s words, “a … More What is a naturopathic doctor? Part 1
6 years ago I decided to be a naturopathic doctor (ND). I wanted to study at NCNM in Portland. I got an undergraduate degree. I applied to NCNM. I interviewed. I got accepted. Signed my letter of intent. Sent them a tuition deposit. Filled out my background check. I found cheap plane tickets to Portland. … More Why I’m panicking about naturopathic medical school.
James is Trying 