student | naturopathvet

Let’s face it, life is becoming increasingly busy with work, family, social media, and things that go beep all around us. All this stimulation sets off our internal alarm buttons, and gives our physical bodies unnecessary alerts. The messages we receive tell us that it’s hard to stay afloat of all the events and time commitments around us. It can make you feel like you are drowning in paper work, or going under with financial burdens. Many feel overwhelmed with commitments or unfinished projects.

STRESS! Stress! Stress!

It’s a killer. It’s the NUMBER ONE cause of all illnesses! I must admit that I didn’t believe it until I felt the effects. Its A sneaky– under the radar– black cloud that just niggles at your adrenal glands until you have nothing more to put out, and find yourself struggling to get out of bed in the morning, or tossing and turning unable to fall asleep at night —without popping a pill. Curiously most of us just don’t recognise that we have this monkey on our back, until we actually do fall apart with some physical signs, such as autoimmune diseases, diabetes, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, allergic skin disorders, back aches, disc diseases, Digestive problems, Cancer (through lowering your immune vigilance) heart palpitations and fibrillation or Thyroid conditions.

Image by Gdudycha : The effects of stress on the body.

Stress from too much emotional, physical, or mental stimulation needs to be calmed. Stress causes your adrenals to push out the hormones of adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol. This can lead to inflammation and wear and tear on your body, it also pushes up your blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to that middle belly fat store and liver diseases.

Some stress is ok, but when we continually burn our adrenals and force them to pump out stress hormones, our bodies go to ground. PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder is a longer term effect.

Nurture and nourish your body and soul. You are here for the long haul, not just for a couple of exams or a University course, a stressful job, parenting a child with autism, or a difficult marriage, or a speeding ticket. There options and ways to handle your stress levels, even if you cannot completely control your environment/relationship/job.

Here are top 7 stress busters:

Organize- Clutter control is the key to staying organized. Keep a wastebasket close by and throw away things that you no longer need. Dedicate at least 15 minutes of your time to organizing your study area so you do not have to waste time sorting through rubbles of books and papers when looking for something. Remove and give away excess clothing, pottery, kitchen ware, magazines, newspapers.
Learn how to say “No”- Don’t get over-involved. You don’t have to join every activity, every club, and every community project. You do not have to accept all invitations to socialize with friends. Evaluate your schedule and check your to-do list to see what tasks are important and accomplish them first.
Exercise- Regular exercise releases muscle tension and will rev up your energy. Join a yoga class, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Swim, go for a walk with a friend, or get up and dance in your living room. You don’t need fancy exercise machines to get regular exercise. Any type of exercise is good for your body and mind. Take a break daily to smell the grass, roses and exercise at the same time.
Eat nutritiously- Students, nurses, doctors and busy housewives, executives and police officers are notorious for not eating right. A healthy diet can enhance your body and mental functions. A poor diet can zap you of brainpower. So grab a fruit, a veggie plate, or nutrition bar when you are hungry or have no time to prepare a healthy meal.
Get enough sleep- Students, shift workers, and Medical professionals are among the most sleep-deprived group of people due to over-commitment. Getting enough sleep will rebuild your energy and will make you feel better.
Herbal Helpers- The gardening principle comes into play when nourishing your body- to last a lifetime, you will need to spend a lifetime looking after your adrenals, “weed out” the stress by removing yourself from stressful situations, and feed them well replenish them with some of the following herbs at periods of stress with these adaptogens: Withania somnifera= Ashwaganda, Rehmannia glutinosa, Rhodiola, American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), Astragalus membranaceus, Bacopa monnieri, Eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian Ginseng). See a Naturopath for a consultation to tweak your own personal herbal formula.
Essential oils- Good quality oils and aromatherapy massages can help your brain and adrenals recover. The oils must be of a therapeutic non contaminated blend and individualised for the person’s requirements, preferably by seeing a qualified aromatherapist. Some useful blends might include some of the following: Bergamot, Patchouli, Blood Orange, Ylang Ylang, Chamomile, Jasmine, Lavender, Rose, Sandlewood, and Grapefruit essential oils.

And lastly, remember to SMILE! Life is a present. Open yourself to receiving JOY.

Hug your dog, neighbour’s dog, friends dog…..or get a nice well behaved and friendly dog- they make you smile!

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Recently someone asked me to write a chapter in a book for new Veterinary graduates.

I thought it might be useful for many people of different walks of life, so here are my

TIWI KWIP’s — This

is a mnemonic word that specialists and “older” vintage practitioners use to explain “Things I Wish I Knew When I was in Practice”

I always enjoy listening to these lecturers, as their stories given with their “retrospectroscope” are illuminating and often a relief to hear that others had gone through your situation, bringing some hilarity to our subjective failings . For instance the Professor of anaesthesiology was lecturing to us and relayed a humorous story about an Anaesthetist climbing the long ladder to heaven after he had passed away. There was a long chalkboard next to the ladder, and after each step you had to place a chalk mark next to the ladder for any mistakes you made in your life or any work related mishaps. On his way up he met a surgeon he knew coming down, and he was surprised and somewhat concerned to see that this surgeon was heading the wrong way! “Hey, are you ok? Did you get rejected at the pearly gates?” he asked. “No, I just ran out of chalk, I’m coming down to get some more!” the surgeon said.

I hope, as you travel through your working life, that you realize that all the great Veterinarians that you respect, and that have gone before you, are there because they never gave up, and that they probably made all the mistakes that you perhaps will, or are going through right now. Your licence to “practice” means just that- you will forever be “practicing” and learning. Listen to your colleagues, listen to your clients, avoid becoming judgemental, stay humble. You are still the top of your High School league, and necessarily in the top 1% academically, so be aware that Veterinary Medicine and Surgery is not always clear sailing, and it is not always your fault. This does not mean that you shouldn’t acknowledge anything that did not go 100% smoothly, but remind yourself, and your clients, that we are dealing with biology, not changing an old tyre, and we cannot guarantee immortality at any cost. We can only do our best, with our heartfelt desire to help. The vast majority of our work will be an improvement for their pet, and we are definitely more knowledgeable than any other non- veterinarian out there giving advice on pet care.

There will be many moments of mild, or even severe anxiety, and several periods of doubt, during your first few years as a Veterinary Surgeon and Physician. You will gain experience. Keep moving and seek help if you are feeling overwhelmed- because it’s actually a normal part of the process! Many “disasters” are actually a lesson which in the future will help you to help someone else. Cherish those, and remind yourself how well you recovered from that situation. Save your client thank you notes, and refer to the many outstanding successes you have had if you ever find yourself feeling down about your profession.

First off remember that you are NOT ALONE. You really do have friends and family that care, just go and find them. Get social. Talk to PEOPLE. Off load your grief. The rate of suicide in the veterinary profession is unacceptably high. It has been shown that those vets who have a more balanced life, with a social supporting structure such as church, drama clubs, book clubs, soccer, netball, football have much less stress related illness. Exercise based activities that are routinely added to your week are a survival mechanism, it might seem a chore but just DO IT! Find your TRIBE, so you have a sense of purpose and belonging. Tribes exist online (Facebook) and in real time in your community, its the niche- doing what you like together with a small group.

1) Develop an attitude of gratitude towards your boss and nurses. Bring food to share! When you graduate you do not know everything and the nurses and staff often know a heck of a lot more than you. Be kind to the nurses especially, some of them may not seem worth it (they get stressed by new grads) but time will pass and you will improve.

2) Expect the unexpected– re spay– plan everything well, and something will happen that you didn’t expect, but don’t feel bad about that because next time you will do that better. Everyone drops a spay pedicle in their first year, don’t panic, extend the incision and find the kidney in that area, its right under it. Exteriorize and have good vision of the tract. Don’t use thin monofilament suture around the uterine stump in fat/peri-oestrous as when the swelling happens (as it always does post) the material will cut into the tissue and the animal can bleed out from there.

3) There are always more options than what you have been taught at Uni, consider referring if you are stumped- no shame in that: ophthalmology, Dentistry, Dermatologist, Internist referral, also “alternative medicine” to a qualified veterinarian trained in acupuncture, Chinese herbs, western herbs, essential oils, remedial massage, chiropractic, osteopathy- refer to your colleagues it will make you look AWESOME. (not dumb) if you get a patient that you cannot think of a way forward. Visit your colleagues and watch them practice, see if you can be a trainee under their mentorship. Join the local journal club.

4) FAMILY first! Make time for dating and looking after your partner and plan family fun times- your family is more important than work. However if they are very “needy” you might have to put in place some outside help, eg. if you are caring for elderly parents, an autistic child, or disabled partner, you need back up plans for when you are scheduled to work. I have been both employer and employee, and understand both sides, however if an employer is looking after an family crisis member and their casual staff calls in at the last minute repeatedly to say they cannot work because their child has a head cold and cannot go to school – you can understand that this is really not the employer’s problem, even if government regulations in the workplace industry might allow some time off for parental leave. It’s important to be thoughtful of your colleague’s time. Be kind to your workplace and have babysitters lined up to cover these incidences. There are paid agencies such as “Dial an Angel” and lovely grandmothers nearby, figure it out in advance, prior to your need!

Remember the saying “if you fail to plan, you are plannin barista

g to fail”. Plan to make time for your family and help the practice plan to give you time off.

5) Nutrition! Don’t skip breakfast! Have 1gm of protein/kg of your body weight every day. If you need to have a smoothie on the run, then do that. Plan nutritious stews for evening meals, a slow cooker and a rice cooker with steaming basket on top are essential to your growing family. Throw everything in the crockpot before you go to bed, and its done for the day!

6) Do 7 minutes of exercise everyday- this could be 1 minute of push ups, 1 minute of star jumps, 1 minute of planking, 1 minute of running on the spot, 1 minute of stair climbs and 1 minute each of side planking

I’m in shape! (Round is a shape, right?)You can watch the morning news while doing this.

7) Find a hobby- art, painting, pottery, snorkeling etc- you need to put GOOD pictures into your brain daily, to wipe out or replace the BAD pictures that will come in- the Hit by cars, the emotional client that blames you (incorrectly usually!) for not picking up their pets disease, the euthenasia where everyone cries etc- these all affect your adrenals and will give you a type of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. You need to file these away and calm your hormones. Reset your Parasympathetic gut healing and remove the cortisol/adrenal rush.

8) See a Qualified Naturopath and an Integrative GP doctor–and ask for a referral to a specialist if necessary, to help you cope and find strategies, supplements, and diet advice to get you back on track if you are feeling not quite 100%

9) SMILE! It’s contagious–Do IT- even if you don’t feel like it. Be happy. It is a choice. Learn to meditate on that.

Good luck and be well, go for the long haul– life journey!

Feel free to pop over to my wellness sites for more advice. https://www.facebook.com/Naturopathvet?fref=ts

Naturopathvet.com

Dr Elaine Cebuliak

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Get your antioxidants in early in the day, and take large quantities!

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ANIMAL WELLNESS ph 61 7 31221997
Veterinary Integrative Care Clinic AND Advanced Veterinary Dentistry
Greenslopes Shopping Mall
Shop 6B/700 Logan Road,
Greenslopes Qld 4120
www.animalwellness.com.au
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/animalwellness

https://naturopathvet.com/

Dr Elaine Cebuliak BVSc MACVSc dentistry, Dip Ed, Dip Rem Massage, Cert Chinese Herbs, Cert IVAS Qual Acupuncture, CMAVA, Adv Dip Naturopathy, Adv Dip Herbal Med, Adv Dip Nutrition ph 61-422413404
http://www.pethealth.com.au/Page/animal-massage-brisbane

naturopathvet

A Veterinary Surgeon, and Physician, who has also taken degrees in Education and is now a Qualified Naturopath and Remedial Massage Healer shares her views and tips

Category Archives: student

Practice “Safe Stress!”

“I wish someone had told me that before I graduated”