Translated from Latin: I came, I saw, I conquered!

In other words, this is it folks! Even if I still have four finals left, and I’m still seeing patients in clinic including Wednesday, August the 15th–graduation is knocking at my door.

I guess this is the time where you look ahead and plan, but also look behind and unbelieving of all the things that we did in the last three years.

I’m not one for counting, but I can’t keep myself from staring at the mountains of handouts that I am now recycling: tons of books that I bought, all the supplies that I have already stocked in my home office soon to be moved to my “real” office, not to even mention all the trainings I took, all the patients I’ve seen and last but not least all the friendships I’ve made.

These past few days have been really packed! My financial counseling is done and I’m happy to say I actually feel ok about it. I was worried before, but then, having everything planned and starting my business as soon as possible made the worries disappear. I know most of students choose repayment based on income but I chose the graduate one meaning you start with a lower amount and then every two years there’s an increase in the monthly payment. That might not work for everyone, but I chose it based on my plans, and also because I don’t want to end up paying back way more which is the case when you go with the income based repayment. Also, my clinic exit interview is done and I’m one of the happy people that finished all the numbers and not having to worry about them. I am still seeing patients in the clinic, but I do feel more relaxed and enjoying these last days.

Even with all the finals happening I am taking my first board exam this week and another right after graduation. My plan is to finish Biomed Points and Foundations before the end of September and get my license so I can start working. The herbs exam seems more difficult for me, and I will take it later when I feel ready.

In between boards, I am flying to L.A. for training and, also to visit the campus where I plan to do my doctorate.

When all of the above is completed, I will finally be able to take a deep breath, get a flight back home to Romania, spend time with my family and friends, and allow my body to recover while I wait for my license.

I am already dreaming about not having to wake up at 5.30 a.m. so I can be in clinic at 7 a.m., eating healthier, exercising on a daily basis, yoga, meditating, and coming back to the clinic as a patient, not an intern.

Among myself and another 11 students soon to be graduates from both the MSOM and MSAc programs, the excitement is pretty big and every day we don’t miss any chance to celebrate either with donuts (lots of donuts!!!) or dinners and so, so many laughs!

If you are only starting here at 911±¬ÁĎ, I wish you good luck and a bump-less road! If our paths have crossed during these past three years, I hope to see you at graduation and have time to give you a hug. If it happens you’re not around and I won’t get the chance to say good bye, I wish you all the luck in the world, and may all your dreams come true!

The post Veni, Vidi, Vici appeared first on 911±¬ÁĎ.

The post 22 Days Until Graduation appeared first on 911±¬ÁĎ.

Having eight clinic shifts per week has been a blessing, because it revealed my real work capacity and exactly how many patients, I will be able to handle when the time comes for my schedule to be completely booked. It was a bit difficult, but insightful, and in the end, it just gave me more confidence and constantly reminded me about my skills, strengths–and also weaknesses.

I am also happy to say that I have applied for boards, and I will start taking them as soon as I hear back from .

With so much focus on business planning, it was only normal to look into business and marketing training and attend a session. And yes, I know we all had at least one business class while in school, but there are so many things out there, especially now with all the social media, SEO, leads, funnels, and so much more, that I wanted to make sure I’m not starting my practice on the wrong foot.

I’ve had business training before, but this time I opted for one focused on health care practices–and for that, I hopped on a plane to Denver and spent an entire weekend brainstorming. I know some amazing marketers, but I always felt that most of them focused on “health coach/holistic coach” type of practices, and were not really targeting medical practices–at least not ones that will include Western medicine with Oriental medicine, so that’s the reason I researched and chose a company that works with medical practices.

I have also started looking for an office space and at all business things such as the name, logo, website, etc.— all these things are in the works!

If I remember one thing from the business class, it is that you should figure out everything before graduation and not delay things waiting to do boards, getting your license, etc.

If you already passed trimesters 5-6 my advice would be start planning. Even if it seems premature, trust me, it’s not. You’ll realize time goes very fast, and if you don’t start planning now, at the end it’s going to be overwhelming to deal with everything at once.

The post One Weekend in Denver appeared first on 911±¬ÁĎ.

I got my financial package info in the mail, but to be honest I haven’t opened it yet. I don’t like the idea of working at the same time on a million things and I’m trying as much as possible to finish one thing at a time depending on deadlines and importance.

Even with such a busy schedule and almost no free time on my hands, my energy level has been steady and very good, and I really have no complaints. I might feel overwhelmed or tired at the end of a day with two clinic shifts and two herbal classes, but who cannot say they don’t feel tired by 9-10 pm after working and studying for 14 hours?

And, on a side note, did you know that for the last six months I only had one acupuncture treatment in the clinic? Yep! Here’s the future acupuncturist confessing to not liking too much stabbing. No, it’s not a joke, I still don’t like deep needling and I miss enjoying Japanese acupuncture sessions. Hopefully, after graduation, my schedule will allow me more time to take care of myself, too.

Still, even without time for acupuncture, my energy level has been so good that Saturday after my last clinic shift I stopped by the French Market in Wheaton, did some shopping, and cooked up a storm in the kitchen–even my dog enjoyed it!

June 24th was International Romanian Blouse Day. Plus, this past Thursday, the 28th, for , we were encouraged to promote our original culture and countries through food and clothing, so I found myself taking a cultural trip through my Romanian blouses and trying to choose the best one. Impossible to choose, because I love all of them, but here’s one that I wore on Sunday for an evening spent in downtown Chicago.

As I’m writing this post, I just realized that by the time you’ll read it, I will be ending another week, moving past half of this trimester and getting ready for midterms.

If you have already started them I wish you good luck, and I will see you again in week 10! Until then, you can always find me at iulianalixandru@student.nuhs.edu.

The post Lost in Time and Space appeared first on 911±¬ÁĎ.

At this point, I have to admit I am pretty tired, and these packed weekends don’t really help, but there’s not a lot that I can do…The good news is that I’m done with the first round of exams, and I even got good grades (credit to my good memory and not to the time I studied!). By next week I will be done with all my outreach hours, and I will only have one more weekend class at the end of July!

This week, I’m also working on finishing audits and papers, plus some studying for the exit exam.

Clinic time is still my favorite time, and I am starting to feel more confident about personalizing herbal formulas for patients. I haven’t changed my mind about using herbal patents or raw herbs, and I still don’t see myself using them in my practice. At this moment I’m inclined to order in bulk from one of the companies that produce herbal extracts and tinctures and maybe customizing them myself for patients, but that’s something I’m still debating. I have decided on a business name, website domain, and also the focus of my practice, but for now I’m keeping them to myself, because everything is just a work in progress. I want to have a final vision and plan before saying anything more…

Lots of things to finish, and so many things to do when it comes to the business part. Sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed, but most of the time I feel excitement and happiness that all this hard work it will pay off in the end.

The post Outreach Hours and Weekend Classes appeared first on 911±¬ÁĎ.

So, summer is here to stay, or so it seems so, and I wish I’d have more time to go outside and get some of that Vitamin D, but instead I’m already studying herbal formulas for my first exam happening this Wednesday. I have one exam this week, three more next week and then moving on to studying for my exit exam.

This trimester, the exit exam is scheduled for week eight, so it allows us more time in case we fail and need to retake it. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it won’t be the case, but you never know when it comes to Chinese herbs… Not sure how much time I’ll actually have to study, but what I do know is that the study guide lists 90 formulas that we are supposed to know — so it’s less than we had for senior exam!

I hear Homecoming is happening during week seven, but for me, right now, I can only be happy and excited that I get to skip classes half of that week — and that gives me some more time for studying.

Besides studying and seeing between 20 to 25 patients per week, two weekends ago I attended another functional medicine training in endocrinology, and I definitely feel much more confident about reading some labs and making sense when talking to a patient about them.

Last on my news list is Memorial Day weekend. It really helped me catching up on some sleep and yes, I confess I did eat way too many carbs brunching in Chicago, but I don’t regret it!

This trimester, my Saturdays are spent in clinic and then resting at home, so with a long weekend I got to enjoy a full day out with a trip to a farmers market, some shopping, brunch, a visit to my favorite French bakery — Floriole — in Lincoln Park, and then some cooking.

Do I feel rested? Not really…Did I study enough? Definitely not! Did I finish all the papers and homework? No. And, it might take me a couple more weekends to finish everything.

I’m just trying to say that perfection comes intertwined with a lot of imperfection on the same pathway, and I am learning more and more about it. Plus, the closer I get to the finish line, the more I feel the need to focus on the business part and less on the “writing endless homework” part. 

The post Heat Wave appeared first on 911±¬ÁĎ.

Months ago, after my training in acupuncture for labor and delivery, I decided I wanted to learn more about women’s health, so I registered for the Integrative Fertility Symposium. It was the first time for me, and I didn’t know what to expect. Symposium is an annual gathering (this year it ended up being sold out — with about 400 attendees) and a combination between Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Western medicine (mostly functional medicine) and naturopathy.

No matter your license and interest, you can be sure to find something new to learn. It was organized by Healthy Seminars and took place in beautiful Vancouver, Canada.

For four days I got to listen to some of the best in this field: Debra Betts, Claudia Citkovitz, Sharon Weinzebaum, Joseph Pizzorno, and many more.

Some presentations blew my mind — and as always — I was reminded how much knowledge is out there, and how little I know.

Besides the presentations, we were able to meet and network with practitioners from all over the world. We explored companies and products from the exhibitors, played with different software and lasers, and talked with admission counselors for doctorate options. I know that 911±¬ÁĎ plans to offer a doctorate program in the future, but I have decided to try a different school and explore what else is out there, and experience different teaching styles.

I haven’t decided yet on any program or school, but I am doing research, so I know my options for when I’ll be ready.

Four days went very fast, and Vancouver remains one of my favorite places in the world. It reminds me of my previous home Seattle, it reminds me of Japan, because of the large Asian population, and it reminds me of Europe, because of the fashion and all the new trends. In a way, it feels like a perfect place for someone like me who never feels home, because of all my relocations and living in so many places.

Fast forward to back to clinic for another three shifts, then another flight, and another training, but this time in Seattle. Plus, I missed the first three days of school, because of the training, took another flight to Chicago, then it was bright and early back into clinic to take care of my patients.

I always get nostalgic when I’m back in Seattle, and I see I still know all the streets, stores and cafés by heart, and there’s no need for a GPS.

I’ve been entertaining the idea of moving back to the West Coast and practicing there, but rain is still a low down for me, and I don’t know if that would be the right choice. I am actively researching openings in different clinics and locations, and while I’m open to anything, I still have some favorite cities. Until I decide on where and what, I’ll just have to focus on school, boards and the other million things that need to be done in the next three months before graduation.

I hope you all have an amazing summer, and for any questions, you can always email me at iulianalixandru@student.nuhs.edu.

The post Last Round in the Ring: AKA Last Trimester appeared first on 911±¬ÁĎ.

I can only be happy I’m done with , finals have not started yet, and the weather forecast says we’re going to have 70 degrees in about two to three days. Until then, I’ll just sit at my desk, finish all those papers that I’m supposed to do for three of my classes, have a cup of rose tea, and up my Vitamin D intake, so I make sure these differences in temperature are not going to affect my body.

It hasn’t been an easy trimester and I feel I need so much rest—but since there isn’t an actual break for me—I’ll just have to make do with all the sleep that I can have, eat healthy food and wait for a real vacation after graduation.

Spring break will be spent between clinic, then five days at the Integrative Fertility Symposium in Vancouver, and another five days at a training in Seattle. I’m excited to see the West Coast again, and I plan to make time every evening to do something fun: meet with friends, do some shopping, and have some of those real organic strawberries—and not the sad ones from Driscoll’s!

I wish you all a fun filled spring break and I’ll see you next trimester. Until then you can always find me at iulianalixandru@student.nuhs.edu.

The post Time Travelling appeared first on 911±¬ÁĎ.

I did study for the practical part, because some of the musculoskeletal tests were long gone from my memory. I took that class my first year of school, plus not being in the clinic for the last four months didn’t help my memory. I actually love the practical part, because it reminds me that I know what I’m doing, and it gives me more confidence whenever I have doubts. I can’t wait to be back in the clinic, and I’m sure I’ll have a blast at all of those eight clinic shifts next trimester!

The last part of the senior exam was the herbology part–and yes–I failed. I knew from the beginning that it’s not realistic to say I will have enough time to study more than 150 herbs, so I chose to study less for that part, knowing I will have the possibility to retake it and it will be less stressful that way. I definitely don’t recommend for you to skip studying, but for me, in the present situation this is what worked best, and I had to be honest with myself and move forward.

So, yesterday I retook the herbal part and I’m hoping everything will be ok this time, and that I can start thinking about my days back in the clinic.

Week 13 seems more relaxed, but it just seems like that; next weekend I’m taking the –required for boards–and then I’m back to studying for finals.

I won’t have an actual spring break, because I start earlier in the clinic so I can finish earlier and be done with everything before graduation. Time surely flies, and I have no idea where this trimester went, even if the weather outside doesn’t seem to agree and still thinks it is winter!

If you have any questions related to the senior exam or CNT certification, you can always find me at iulianalixandru@student.nuhs.edu.

The post Senior Exam appeared first on 911±¬ÁĎ.

My days in the corporate world were all spent in the office where I survived on coffee, energy drinks, chocolate, sodas, and sandwiches. Even if I loved veggies and greens, I never had them because that’s not the food that you could find in the cafeteria. Dinners in the evenings ended up being something similar, because I would be too tired to cook, so I would just sit in front of the TV munching on chips, chocolate croissants, and God knows what else!

Fast forward to my relocation to the U.S. and my first—and hopefully last—kidney stones. Everything changed when the doctor told me those stones appeared, because of the coffee and sodas I drink. It took a lot of effort to give up soda cold turkey and just drink nothing but still water. I wasn’t used to it. I hate it and I could barely take a couple of sips in the beginning.

Nevertheless, I stuck with it, because to avoid pain from kidney stones—trust me—you would give up soda, too! Besides sodas, I changed my diet completely and gave up any processed food; plus, I went vegetarian and felt amazing! I lost weight like crazy even without trying. My body would ask only for green things—I remember I couldn’t get enough asparagus and blueberries. Up to now, these are still two of my favorite things and never missing from my fridge.

The vegetarian diet worked really well—up to a point—when personal things in my life happened. People very close to me died, my stress level went sky-high and with it my weight, too. From that point, everything was a struggle and I jumped into a vegan diet, raw vegan and even fruitarian. The fruitarian diet damaged my blood sugar so much, that it almost put me into the hospital. At that point, I decided I should do more research and find what would work best for me. That’s the way I got into low-carb diets and biohacking.

Right before I started school, I was on a modified ketogenic diet, losing weight and feeling better than ever. The first trimester of school was so overwhelming that my cravings went through the roof! Then, an ND intern suggested the blood type diet. That experiment went horribly, but I don’t regret anything. Every struggle made me study and learn even more, and now I’m back on a modified ketogenic diet, losing weight and starting to feel like myself again.

Take a look at how my plate is looking these days! It even goes perfect with Easter that’s just around the corner! If you celebrate Easter on Sunday, I wish you a happy one; if not, happy spring!

The post Weight Loss Journey appeared first on 911±¬ÁĎ.