LYW Insight | Women in Healthcare
How I Found Wellness Through Medicine
By Valerie LeComte, DO
My journey to live my well came about through modern medicine, strangely enough. It started in medical school, with the rigorous academics and the psychological pressure to succeed. I chose to be a Doctor of Osteopathic (DO) Medicine, which means I received additional training in the musculoskeletal system and a holistic approach to patient care was emphasized. However, in the reality of practice, is there is very little difference between being a Doctor of Osteopathy and a Medical Doctor, but the philosophy of DO training is more holistic.
During that time, I became very interested in nutrition (possibly as a way to avoid studying) and read everything I could get my hands on. I used that knowledge and taught myself how to be a pretty good cook. I began to view eating as a way to nourish myself instead of as just a basic necessity. Whole foods became the mainstay of my diet. And while this has evolved in small ways over the years, this is still the eating philosophy to which I subscribe. Healthy food was a major way I took care of myself through such a tough time in my life.
This continued when I started my clinical rotations. Frequently I would ask a patient their medical history and they would answer “diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol; all the normal things that happen when you get old.” This answer still surprises me. Why should this be normal? Why should any medical problem be considered normal, especially problems that are highly influenced by how one lives their life? I started to observe how people aged, and whether their stated age and their appearance lined up. I realized that if I wanted a body and mind that stayed healthy into an old age, I would need to take really good care of both of them.
This was not always easy in residency, when I was sometimes working 80 hour weeks. I wouldn’t see the sun for days at a time, and was constantly stressed, but I did what I could, and this was usually sleeping when my schedule would allow and always eating well. I would prep food on my one day off for the week so I could at least have some homemade food.
Stress management started to become a bigger issue by the year. After a few very busy months, I found myself exhausted all of the time. I knew medicine did not have much to offer me, so I turned to the wellness world and started with herbs and adaptogens. They made a big difference in restoring my energy. Working in the emergency room is not an easy job. Some days are so crazy I hardly have time to eat in a twelve hour shift. The combination of being incredibly busy with managing the sick, the dying, the mentally ill, the drug seeking, the homeless, and anyone else who walks in the door is incredibly draining.
I had been practicing yoga semi-regularly for several years, but when working consecutive twelve hour days, this usually didn’t happen because of lack of time. I started occasionally doing guided meditation or pranayama (breathing exercises) and found it really helped. For quite a while, it was something I did only when feeling particularly stressed or anxious. Eventually, it became a daily practice. It started as simple as even 5 minutes in the morning. I couldn’t believe the difference it made in my day and in my stress levels. I was calmer, more clear-headed. I was able to laugh things off while at work. I felt like I was able to see my way out of the piles of stress.
Most recently, I learned Vedic meditation, and now practice that for 20 minutes in the morning, and (sometimes) 20 minutes in the afternoon. I’ve learned that if I give myself that time in the morning I am a better doctor, friend, daughter, and sister. I am continually amazed by the difference it has made in my life and wish I would have started it sooner. Acupuncture has also become something I have started doing for stress management. I often tell people that it is the most relaxing thing I have ever done-sometimes I felt like I was floating when walking home! Wellness to me is learning to give myself the things that I need in order for me to have a better life now and in the future. To really nurture and nourish myself. To find balance in everything.