By: Samantha Silva, Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine student

I wake up suddenly, my face on my desk and drool dripping down my chin. I sit up, looking around carefully, not knowing for a moment where I am, what day it is, or—honestly—who I am. How long have I been asleep? My clock tells me it is 2 a.m. Ever so slowly, it all comes back to me: Oh, yeah. I’m in grad school.

Nights like these have become a part of my new normal since beginning graduate school almost two years ago. It is ironic, isn’t it? As we pursue the knowledge that will enable us to become the best practitioners and caregivers that we can possibly be, our own self-care tends to take a backseat. This is unacceptable! I have learned throughout this time to make self-care a non-negotiable aspect of my life—it is essential not only to my academic success, but to my overall health and well-being.

 

I am, of course, still a work in progress, but these are some concepts that have helped me along this journey:

 

1. Fuel Your Body

Eating well is the ultimate form of self-care, in my opinion, and I cannot emphasize enough the importance of maintaining a healthy diet while in school. The stress and lack of sleep that often ensue are sure to impact the immune system and proper nutrition can help to improve many of these effects. Because I do not have the time to prepare meals every day, meal prep has become a vital part of my weekends. I make sure to pack nutrient-dense meals with ample protein, healthy fats and gluten-free carbohydrates as well as many colorful vegetables to ensure adequate phytonutrient intake. Stocking up on snacks such as fruits, nuts and nut butters, dairy-free yogurt and other fermented foods helps support my gut. Food is fuel, food is information and food is medicine—choose accordingly!

2. Move Every Day

In all honesty, my exercise schedule has suffered the greatest since beginning graduate school. I tend to have an all-or-nothing perspective on exercise: if I am not able to get in a high-intensity workout for at least an hour, then it’s not worth it. What?! This is incredibly self-defeating and simply not true. You do not have to spend half of the day at the gym to reap the benefits of exercise. Take a study break and complete a quick circuit of body weight movements like squats, push-ups and jumping jacks. Put on some music and just dance for 30 minutes. Take a walk around your neighborhood. Any amount of movement is better than sitting all day long, so find something that you enjoy doing and work it into the nooks and crannies of your busy schedule. Taking breaks and getting the blood pumping will improve your focus and clarity as well!

3. Breathe

I had never implemented any kind of meditation or deep breathing into my daily routine until I was essentially forced to find a way to manage my stress. As I am prone to anxiety and panic attacks when I become overwhelmed, deep breathing and mindfulness have been lifesavers when it comes to getting my body out of a constant fight-or-flight response. Deep breathing creates the ability to reduce heart rate and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure by shifting the autonomic system to a parasympathetic response, thus decreasing the effect of stress on the brain and body (Sunil Naik, Gaur, & Pal, 2018). Breathing exercises may take as little as a few minutes per day, but they have profound effects on your health!

4. Make Yourself a Priority

Whenever possible, block out time in your schedule for self-care. I’ve found that if I make a specific appointment, I am much more likely to make that activity a priority. You may wish to spend this time receiving a massage or acupuncture or spending time in an infrared sauna or float tank; however, simply taking a walk, spending time with your pet, chatting with a friend or journaling are all free and can be incredibly therapeutic as well. Ask your body what it needs and listen to its response. Whatever it is, write it down in your planner or put it in your phone and stick to it.

5. Ask for Help

Last, but certainly not least: I urge you to ask for help when you need it. You are one person and while you may put it on yourself to manage every single thing in the universe, you simply cannot do it alone. Asking for help is never a sign of weakness! Surround yourself with people who support you and your goals and who will encourage you when you are struggling. Just in case no one has told you lately: You are doing a FANTASTIC job. Keep going. You can do this. Eat well. Breathe. Move your body every day. Take care of you and the rest will fall into place.

 

REFERENCE

Sunil Naik, G., Gaur, G.S., & Pal, G.K.  (2018). Effect of modified slow breathing exercise on perceived stress and basal cardiovascular parameters.  International Journal of Yoga, 11(1), 53-58.  Retrieved from: https://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.uws.idm.oclc.org/pmc/articles/PMC5769199/

By: Rebekah Wilks

Leadership and Education Program for Students in Integrative Medicine (LEAPS into IM) is sponsored by the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health. This is the conventional integrative medical community that is not officially affiliated with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). So it was phenomenal that three chiropractic students were chosen to represent medicine out of 20 spots available nationally. Knowing this, I approached LEAPS into IM with confidence that there would be a robust understanding of chiropractic, yet my experience revealed that there is much, much more work needed to raise awareness.

Entering the conference, I was excited to learn about integrative medicine from a conventional perspective and ecstatic to represent the chiropractic profession. I expected to learn concepts and meet people, but I was blown away with the hands-on, ‘physician heal thyself’ approach used for teaching wellness concepts and philosophies. LEAPS into IM was not only a professional experience, but a personal journey into my soul as a healer.

The day began at 6:30 a.m. with silence and a mindfulness practice, such as qigong or yoga. Journaling was encouraged, and breakfast was followed with various meditation methods. Lectures explored basic concepts and philosophies such as Ayurvedic medicine, nutrition and functional medicine, osteopathic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, followed by interactive activities for application to patient care in a variety of ways. The afternoon was composed of small group discussion and exercises on various topics related to creating an integrative mentality within yourself as a physician and also the medical field. Team-building was taught through an educational group dinner and small groups. The evenings ended around 9:30 p.m. and consisted of workshops mostly centered on energetic medicine.

My eyes were opened to other forms of medicine that I can apply within my own practice or with referrals. But what I also found was a lack of awareness of what chiropractic physicians can do in an integrated medicine team. We, as chiropractic physicians, have much more work to do within the context of conventional medicine. Even though chiropractic was the only professional field represented aside from medical doctors and osteopathic physicians, none of the integrative-focused students had incorporated chiropractic into their dialogue. The closest lecture about chiropractic was the one on osteopathic manipulative technique and the chiropractic students were recruited to help with the hands-on workshop afterward. Most of the medical students had no idea about what we do and none of them knew our level of education.

Overall, I gained a unique perspective on the integrated health community that I may not have ever seen without the LEAPS into IM experience. By the end of the week, several medical students approached me and mentioned that they wished they would have known about chiropractic medicine, because it seems like we learn so much about the human body. What we do works; we just have to be confident and maintain our dignity ethically and legislatively while we continue to demonstrate a cost-effective, non-invasive alternative focused on true patient-centered care.

Rebekah Wilks’ attendance at LEAPS into IM was generously sponsored by the Nutritional Therapy Association.

UWS students love the opportunities for hands-on learning and field experience. Read some of our student experiences below.

Student: Emily Kreifels
Program: Doctor of Chiropractic/ MS Sports Medicine
Quarter: 7

I had the opportunity to represent UWS as a student intern at the USA Track and Field (USATF)  National Championships in Sacramento. It was an incredible experience for me to be able to combine my favorite sport and my future career. I saw hundreds of phenomenal athletes in peak condition, competing to improve their times or for the coveted few berths to the World Championships. These world-class athletes make running and jumping look easy.

Unfortunately, heat was an adverse factor for most of the competition. The average temperature for the duration of the championships was more than 100 degrees, with one day reaching 111. To accommodate this, the evening sessions were pushed back. Times might not have been as fast as they could have been in cooler conditions, but it didn’t seem to hinder the athletes very much.

For me, the best part of the entire experience was being able to observe all the clinicians and see what techniques they used. There were chiropractic physicians, physical therapists, massage therapists and a podiatrist, in addition to athletic trainers. The end goal was the same for everyone—to help the athlete feel better—but the path to get there was as varied as the number of providers.

While checking athletes in and ensuring that they filled out paperwork correctly, I was able to ask questions of many of the clinicians. Their advice gave me ideas for things to do in my future practice working with athletes.

---

Student: Jerrod Pucket
UWS Program: Doctor of Chiropractic/ MS of Sports Medicine
Quarter: 10

I want to become the best all-around physician possible, so naturally, the sports medicine master’s program at University of Western States appealed to me. Being an athlete since the age of 12 has brought on many injuries over the years, and I’ve treated the majority conservatively through chiropractic physicians. I knew early on that I wanted to help treat and manage athletic injuries, especially those that occur in my fellow runners. Enrolling in the doctorate of chiropractic program at UWS was one step of the process, but further education in the field of sports medicine is necessary to ensure the overall care of an athlete is at its peak.

The best way to learn is by doing. The practical part of the UWS sports medicine program opened the doors to that. My hands-on educational experience has doubled by being in the sports medicine program.

Attending the USA Track and Field National Championships (USATF) was the highlight of my sports medicine practicum thus far. Shadowing and learning treatment strategies of high-level athletes from a handful of the best sports medicine physicians out there was truly enriching. I observed athletes being treated in a multidisciplinary setting, and watching the different professions interact and handle the same patients opened my eyes to the necessity of cohesive care.

Working in a multidisciplinary setting such as a medical center or a hospital has always appealed to me. Learning to interact with patients will help guide treatment in my future office, but learning how to interact with other practitioners is paramount to the unified care of an individual. Attending the USATF championships allowed me to interact with massage therapists, athletic trainers, acupuncturists, podiatrists, physical therapists and chiropractic physicians working as one. I am truly humbled and grateful to be part of the student team that assisted the amazing sports medicine professionals at the USATF championships. Future students in the sports medicine practicum would be wise to participate in these events to open doors regarding their future practice and patient care.