Marianne Trevorrow,1 MA, ND
We have just passed the one-year anniversary since our last print edition of Vital Link and the start of our digital transition to CANDJ. This is now our fourth digital edition, and at this point, it seems fitting to look back and see what we’ve accomplished in this time, which has been truly remarkable for our small publication team. In just under a year, we’ve increased our registered readers by approximately 25% and our registered reviewers by close to 50%. We’ve also expanded our submission guidelines and editorial policies to match those of our integrative medical peers, and we’ve done it while maintaining our naturopathic principles and support for T&CM, Indigenous, and planetary health perspectives.
Still, if the COVID pandemic has made all of us aware of anything, it’s that the speed of knowledge translation in health care has been transformed, and like everyone else, we are emerging from the last two years to a vastly changed professional landscape. Beyond thinking about “long COVID,” it does seem that many more patients are struggling with anxiety and grief over the dislocations and economic shocks of the past two years, and the uncertainties of knowing when, where, and even if this pandemic will be coming to an end over the next few months. Many of our colleagues are asking these same questions, and are also dealing with the shock of inflation and higher interest rates that present challenges to practice and household finances.
Nevertheless, we have also seen colleagues step into professional and community leadership roles, volunteer to help neighbours or support their local food banks, or donate professional time to Community Health Centres or outreach clinics. As mentioned previously, we build collective resilience by fostering bonds between colleagues, as well as supporting the volunteer work of our provincial and national associations for the good of the profession.
Leading off this issue we have a thought-provoking Perspectives article from Lara Briden on polycystic ovarian syndrome, also known as PCOS. In it, she argues that current diagnostic criteria could lead to over diagnosis and poor treatment outcomes, without careful attention to underlying endocrine mechanisms and drivers, especially of hyperandrogenism.
Our second article is a critical reflection by Solomonian et al. on the value of group naturopathic visits (GMEVs). In their article, they argue that this novel care delivery structure may benefit patients and practitioners alike, particularly in the areas of lifestyle interventions and health promotion, and is consistent with naturopathic principles of care. They also touch on the potentially thorny issues of billing and regulatory considerations for GMEVs.
Finally, Gilbert, Cardozo, and Vedadi from CCNM – Toronto report on a study of the impact of cultural competency training in final-year students at their institution. This is a very topical area of concern in naturopathic medical training, and the authors reported statistically significant improvements in subjective assessment of knowledge, skills, and attitudes towards working with diverse populations. It is our hope that there will be more of these types of studies arising from naturopathic institutions across North America, to help educators work towards formulating a set of best practices to guide curriculum development in the future.
Finally, as we were moving into production for this issue, we received word that CANDJ has been approved for inclusion on EBSCOhost, a leading resource for scholarly research and libraries worldwide. Joining EBSCO will not only bring greater reach for our content, but also promote our aim to provide an accessible platform for evidence-informed Canadian naturopathic medicine. Part of our original planning for the 2022/2023 publication year, we were delighted to be able to add our entire library of digital editions to their database, dating back to our launch in September 2021.
As always, we welcome feedback and letters to the editorial team, and continue our work to raise knowledge and understanding of our profession to a broader audience.
1Editor in chief, CAND Journal.
Not applicable.
I have read and understood the CAND Journal’s policy on conflicts of interest and declare that I have none.
This research did not receive any funding.
Correspondence to: Dr. Marianne Trevorrow, MA, ND, Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors, 20 Holly Street, Suite 200, Toronto, ON M4S 3B1, Canada. E-mail: drmtrevorrow@cand.ca
To cite: Trevorrow M. Editorial: A milestone for CANDJ in a changed landscape. CAND Journal. 2022;29(2):1. https:/doi.org/10.54434/candj.117
Received: 19 May 2022; Accepted: 19 May 2022; Published: 28 June 2022
© 2022 Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors. For permissions, please contact candj@cand.ca.
CAND Journal | Volume 29, No. 2, June 2022