we are a sad lot

duke broke a paw nail (again! argh) that had to be removed and i've come down with another stye (the 2nd in two years).

if misery loves company, i'm right where i belong!

i'm not sure how common styes are, but if you ever get one, apparently the best remedy is a hot compress applied several times a day since ointments and medicine don't work as well! for me, while working onsite, bringing a face cloth to the studio just didn't seem hygienic, so instead i just cupped my hands and repeatedly applied warm/hot water to the affected area.

please go away, please, please. i hate you, stye.

getting healthy

my good food box arrived today and it was bursting with wonderful freshness! it's a super great program in toronto that delivers fresh produce on wednesdays to certain volunteer run drop off points all over the city! the produce changes from week to week, comes in different sizes and and has organic options as well!

i ordered the small box, non-organic option and i could hardly fit everything into my bike basket today! the contents were:

• 2 lbs potatoes (white)*
• 1/2 lbs tomatoes (plum)
• 1 cucumber (english)*
• 1/2 lbs bag apples (empire this week one of my favs)*
• 1 bunch bananas
• 6 oranges
• 1 bunch lettuce romaine*
• 1 bunch broccoli (more like 3)*
• 2 zucchinis*
• 1 bunch swiss chard*
• * = local produce

plus it came with a mini newsletter talking about foodshare, the non-profit that organizes the good food box program, and 2 recipes for the feature of the week: zucchini.

foodshare was originally set up as an organization that helped food banks back in the 80s. now it is an organization that advocates healthy food for people of all income levels through education and a focus on food supply through local communities.

i found out about the good food box thanks to the nutritrionista's mailing list. the nutritrionista is a health food and organic store close to me on dundas street that opened up around the same time when we moved into this neighbourhood. ... and although, i can't eat a lot of the content this time because of a crazy homeopathic diet that i'm on (don't worry i'm doing it under the supervision of a naturopath) the box keeps my fridge stocked which means less take out and heading out to restaurants!

fixing my eyes

for the past 2 months, i've been trying to cure my extreme dry eyes that have ruined the top layer, the tear film of my eyes. this breakdown of the tear film causes blurry vision that gets worse as the day goes on.

the onset of this condition was very sudden and scary. one day my contacts weren't sitting well on my eyes and the next day my vision was totally blurry even with my glasses on.

after visiting my optometrist i was told to just lubricate and patiently wait while the tear film regenerated itself. according to her, this tear film breakdown is quite common for people who wear contact lenses for many years and for prolonged periods. as i was explaining my symptoms, she nodded knowingly. this appeased my shock and i almost felt like this condition wasn't such a big deal after all.

initially she told me that my eyes would clear up in 2-3 weeks. after 2 weeks my eyes hadn't made any progress and she said that in extreme cases it could take 2-3 months for the tear film to regenerate. but just in case, i was referred to an ophthalmologist who ended up prescribing the same treatment: lubricate many times a day with artificial tears and wait. i was told that if i still had blurry vision at my one month followup appointment, then he would prescribe antibiotics.

frustrated from not seeing any progress after 7 weeks, i booked an acupuncture session with my traditional chinese medicine doctor, cindy. i'm happy to say that after 2 intensive sessions and daily doses of dry heave inducing herbal concoctions, i'm starting to see an improvement with my vision!

i also noticed a huge improvement after seeing a chiropractor who practices gentle chiropractic, which uses gentle touches to make adjustments to the spine, back and neck. she also uses the network spinal analysis to hone in on my eye problem. she believes that by having a healthy spine, you can release tension and stress build up in your body that affects the productivity, creativity and relationships in your life.

it all seems so new age-y and too good to be true, but after not seeing any improvement with my vision, the fact that i can see better in just 1 week of seeing these two doctors makes me a total believer.

western medicine: 0
eastern/alternative medicine: 1