Thank You

Autumn Girl enjoying nature on the field. Beauty Girl Outdoors rThis photo probably sums up more than words the relief that I feel right now. Why might you ask? Well, I passed all of my licensing exams! So, what does that mean? Now I need to be approved for registration with the College of Naturopaths and apply for the appropriate insurance. Once this is complete, I am ready to practice as a Naturopathic Doctor and can then officially call myself a Doctor! This has been a long time coming and has required facing my own demons, overcoming past traumas, and discovering who I am aside from my profession. I have had successes, but also made some mistakes that have helped me in the long run. Ultimately, I am truly thankful for these experiences and for the practitioner they will have helped shaped me into. No “acceptance speech” would be without its “Thank you”, and so, what follows is my condensed list.

To start with, first and foremost is to do what most Grammy – award winning artists do, and that is, thank my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I do realize that I may receive judgement, criticism, disdain, etc. for this comment; but I truly cannot take the credit for what has transpired. My strength is in Him alone, and I could not have overcome what I have without Him. That being said, I have received so many prayers and support from my family and church family over the past 8 years, and I am truly grateful to have so much love surrounding me. My family has shaped me into the woman that I am, and I cannot thank them enough for pushing me when I needed it and encouraging me along the way, even if my own mother thought I was going to be a witch doctor šŸ™‚ (it’s okay she is now my biggest fan).

Throughout this whole journey, I have had my faithful and loving husband by my side.Ā I cannot say how truly blessed I am to have had him over the past 8 years to comfort me through the tears and walk with me through the pain, but also to rejoice with me in the victories.

Finally, as always, I want to thank all of the beautiful souls that I have met along the way, specifically, theĀ patients that I have had the pleasure of working with. I have learned so much and have been so blessed by you all. Walking with you has helped shaped me into the practitioner I want to be and will be. Also, thank you and much love to you my readers for all of your constant support!

I will keep you all posted in the following weeks as to when I am accepting patients!

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Elisha Cook via the contact portion of this website.

Health Benefits of Prayer

Beautiful Summer GirlAcross cultural and religious backgrounds, prayer has been used to provide comfort, support, and healing for those in need. Prayer, can be defined as ā€œa solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship.ā€ Many do not realize that prayer has been widely researched over the years due to its mysterious nature, as well as its beneficial impact. From the definition alone, one can see that prayer could be beneficial through the simple act of giving thanks (for the health benefits of thankfulness please see my blog on the health benefits of gratitude). Prayer can also provide a means for social support, which in itself, is quite beneficial for overall health.

Provided below are 7 health benefits of prayer. In addition to providing these 7 health benefits, I want to add a personal touch. I pray daily, and in the list of people I pray for are my patients. Know that if you have been or are a patient of mine I have and will continue to pray for you. I have seen firsthand the health benefits of prayer: I have seen healing from trauma, pain, anxiety, depression, and concerns in pregnancy. As a result, I consider prayer a type of complementary and alternative therapy (CAM therapy). I hope that this list of health benefits motivates you to consider prayer as a type of complementary therapy to your health regime.

Prayer can:

  1. Prolong survival of cancer survivors and chronic illness sufferers.
  2. Decrease pain scores.
  3. Decrease blood pressure.
  4. Improve immune functioning.
  5. Improve mental health parameters including more optimistic life orientation and lower levels of anxiety.
  6. Increase perceived social support and higher resilience to stress.
  7. Increase healing speed.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Elisha Cook via the contact portion of this website.

Sources