I love my naturopathic physician. She is so practical and yet so intuitive. And I always get a hug before I leave.

My gut has been plagued by an indiscreet bug of some kind for three weeks. My insurance is now fairly sparse with a killer deductible, so I'm not going to the doctor willy-nilly. But three weeks is too long so I went.

We're ruling out parasites and bacteria; if it's a rotovirus it could last another three weeks. There has been some small improvement, but until I'm all better, I get to:

- take three stool samples. The jars are cute. (Hey, I had to find something positive to say.)

- drink white miso soup every other day. I like miso soup.

- boost electrolytes by drinking tea with honey, beef broth, and chicken broth.

- take three acidophilus capsules twice daily.

- drink a tablespoon of slippery elm powder in a beverage once a day.

Don'tcha wish you were me? Actually I don't mind all this if it makes me better. I'm glad I have these options before downing a ton of Prilosec or something even worse for me. Homeopathy is worth trying.

And, to top it all off, my doctor said I seemed so much more calm than I had in my teaching life, her confirmation that I have chosen a better way for my life