Don't let the Holidays get the best of you: Frugal Ways to De-Stress and Relax

If you look back to 50 years ago, one thing that will be notice was the simplicity of life that people were living. No one had cell phones or tablets, and computers weren’t a household device. Dinners were eaten as a family and life just seemed much simpler. With the evolution of technology, things took a turn. Today, you can't walk a block without seeing at least a handful of people on their cell phones. People are living lives that are way too busy, failing to realize that all we are doing is harming our minds and wellbeing. We are always too busy to engage with family and friends, but find the time to text and make daily social media statuses. Let’s be clear, I’m not saying that this lifestyle is wrong, but what I want to get across is that sometimes, once in a while it’s okay to unwind and relax from the bustling world we live in. It’s a good thing to disconnect from technology and just live in the moment, only then will we appreciate our surroundings and lives that much more.

Personally, my regular schedule doesn’t allow for much free time. My days are packed with seeing patients, travelling to host seminars around the world and attending my kids’ activities. I don’t mind the "on the go lifestyle", but sometimes it’s good to unwind and just step back from the hectic life we live. I try to give myself a day out of the month to just dedicate to myself, whether that means doing something I enjoy or something as simple as not taking too much on.

Time to relax doesn’t have to be a luxurious vacations, there are plenty of simple things you can do to clear your mind. One of my favourite ones is to turn off my phone, inconceivable to some I know, but sometimes it’s necessary!! This may seem "trivial" but believe me when I say there is a sense of freedom in turning off your phone and knowing that in that moment you are disconnected from the world. Of course this isn’t something I always do but once in a while I like to be unreachable.

I also enjoy taking long walks and hikes on my own and clearing my mind. There is something to be said about taking strolls through nature’s trail and taking in the fresh air and calming serenity. Nature truly is a beautiful thing and I highly recommend taking some time out of your day to just breathe in the fresh air and just be in your own headspace. You can take this time to reflect and really open your eyes to enjoy your surroundings.

Some other ways to just free your mind of the all the burden in your life can include: meditation, exercise, sleep, looking at old photo albums, write in a journal or even for those with the time, booking last minute travel deals and just visiting somewhere new and exotic. It’s all about what works for you.

We are, and for the most part, always will be busy. It’s inevitable. What isn’t, is finding the time to loosen up and put your feet up both literal and metaphorically and just enjoy the fruits of your labor. Everyone has a few minutes throughout the day to just sit back and relax; you’ll be doing your mind, body and soul a favor by just, for one moment today, breathing and taking it easy.

Dr. G Travels: Santiago

Thank goodness my flight to Santiago, Chile was for all purposes straight down south with no time difference. This time around, I got to sleep! This frequent flyer has no problem sleeping, especially after flying from the other side of the world the same day!

So you may be wondering why I travelled to Mendoza, Argentina?  Well, I just recently became the proud owner, with three other “strategic” partners, in a planted vineyard of 1.3 Hectares of Chardonnay and 2.6 Hectares of Malbec. Our vineyard is located smack dab in the middle of a multitude of well-known Mendoza vineyards, in the valley of Lujan de Cujo, in the town of Perdriel. The soil is so rich and so fertile that if you throw a watermelon seed into the vineyard, I’d bet my bottom dollar we would have watermelons within a very short time.

 Our vineyard is called Vinedo Los Flaneurs and our Malbec will be called El Flaneurs, while our sparkling will be called Elisabeth, with an "S". It was a timely visit as our Chardonnay now a Champenois was maturing beautifully in a contracted out Champanera into an amazing sparkling wine! We had a tasting of our sparkling and even without adding the necessary sugar, it tasted amazing! After it has matured for six months in the bottle the borras sediment will be removed and we will end up with over 3000 bottles, which should yield around 350 cases. Sparking anyone?

 My flight to Buenos Aires from Mendoza was anything but uneventful. On approach to the runway, about 30 feet from the ground, wheels up and the terminal a short distance away, the engines roared to life and the plane took off at what appeared to be a 90-degree angle straight up. The passengers along with myself started to panic. Countless scenarios ran through my head as we gained altitude back to 32,000 feet. After about 20 minutes, the captain came on over the PA system and explained in Spanish what had occurred. Have you ever had your life flash in front of your eyes?  Well mine did! However, we arrived safe, a little shook up, but safe.

I attended the COSAE Endodontic Conference, which hosts endodontists from all over Latin America and provides an opportunity for exceptional networking and learning from the most intelligent minds in our profession.

My half-day, fast paced presentation went smoothly and the ballroom filled with over 600 docs from around all over Latin America, resonated with appreciation for what I had to offer them with the latest and greatest in technique and technology. The next day, I gave a hands on workshop and then participated in a debate with three other world renowned endodontists on the merits of the technique that we each advocate.

All in all, the COSAE Endodontic conference was very successful and I look forward to returning to this world-class city real soon. Thanks to Steve Jones, VP of Sales and Marketing for SybronEndo and one of my strategic partners in the Vineyard.

Back up at 32,000 feet and heading back home. Ill arrive in Toronto at 5:30 am in the morning, just enough time to go home, unpack, throw a load of laundry in the machine then go pick up my son Cory and take him to London, Ontario to help him get settled in for his four years at the University of Western, Ontario where he got accepted into the Ivey Business School.

Dr. G Travels: Hong Kong

It all started Thursday August 21, 2014 with my usual "Thursday Rush" to Pearson International Airport in Toronto. I was on my way to Hong Kong, where I went for a full 48 hours to speak at the HKIDEAS Dental Conference. One of my "retreats from the real world" is when the plane door closes, my smart phone goes into Airplane Mode and I am disconnected from civilization, as I know it. I relish these moments when I have 15 hours of "undistracted time" to catch up on unread emails, fine tune and polish my presentations, and work on an article or two that I am planning to publish in one of the many journals worldwide that I have previously been published in. Simultaneous to this, I get to watch several "first run" movies and enjoy a few nice meals served to me in my "pod" in business class.  

 Fifteen hours later, having slept maybe a couple of hours, we touch down very smoothly at Hong Kong International Airport. In true "lifestyles of the rich and famous" fashion, an all too professional limo driver who had an electronic placard with my name on it met me. Whisked into the limo, equipped with wireless, it was only a 30-minute drive to the Grand Hyatt hotel. At this point in my travelling life, as long as the room is clean, quiet and bedbug free, I’m ok with simplicity however; the Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong on Harbour Road was anything but plain and simple. It boasted a gorgeous view of Hong Kong Harbour and had all the amenities one would need. You could essentially live in your room for at least one month! Always being offered to be wined and dine in the most exclusive restaurants by the powers that be of the local dental society, I opted for a light dinner in the hotel with my SybronEndo host, Steve Shepherd and my good friend, Hong Kong endodontist, Alex Chan.

I was up early for my daily morning workout and a breakfast buffet that is so typical of fine Asian Hotels. On the menu were fresh fruit just picked at the market an hour before, dim sum galore and made to order omelets. It was hard to resist eating all morning long but duty called, as my full day presentation would begin in 30 minutes.

In the lecture theatre, the crowd of dentists slowly filled the soon to be SRO (Standing Room Only) 400 doctor capacity, as I worked feverishly with the video technician to get my Mac computer to sync with the high-resolution projector. I had visions of one of my very first presentation I had given years ago to EndoBaja in Ensenada, Mexico. At that presentation, my brand new laptop was incompatible with the projector provided. This was a nightmare as smoke billowed from my computer as the doctors in attendance looked on in horror! Thankfully, it all worked out fine in Hong Kong and the presentation went without a hitch.

That Sunday morning couldn’t have come sooner as it offered me the opportunity to work out and chill until I had to catch my afternoon flight back to Toronto. One of my favourite things to do when I have the time is to read as many newspapers as I can while sipping lattes or cappuccinos. I had the time so I did just that.

It was now time to say goodbye to Hong Kong as my time here had now come to an end. This flight was long, which was to be expected but I made it home safe and sound. However, my travels weren’t over just yet. I arrived at 6:30 p.m. Sunday night, went home, unpacked, repacked and headed back to the airport to catch my 11:00 pm flight to Santiago, Chile. Some would venture to say INSANE but I love the action, I love the travel and I love the experiences gained from both. These are the reasons what drive me and define me. Next stop…Chile!

Dr. G on a Mission!

I want to share a most special and eventful visit that took place just last month!  I traveled to Jamaica with a team and was able to get the message across of the link between oral health care and an individual’s overall health via lectures and dialogue with the media.  Myself and fellow dentist Dr. Boksman went on a Goodwill Mission and were able to oversee our students providing services for people living in under-served communities.  It was undoubtedly a fulfilling experience.  Over 300 people were treated on one day along with an additional group on the following day.  All of these services were provided free of charge and we were told that the services amounted to over 2.3 million JMD! Its great that we were able to be of assistance and reach out to those under-served areas.

(Students perform tooth extractions…)

(Dr. Boksman and I #GetToTheRootOfIt)

Another highlight was the local media’s interest in the University of Technologies School of Oral Health Sciences and their initiatives and overall influence surrounding oral health on island.  Stories were published by the main media houses there and it was a great way to get oral health information out to the public as it’s a known issue that there generally isn’t enough emphasis placed on dental care on the island. (Below are links to some of the articles that were also posted online!)

Jamaica Observer - 2014/06/30 - Take care of your mouth and live healthier, says expert

Loop Jamaica Article - 2014/06/17 - Professor at University of Toronto heads to Jamaica for dental care mission

petchary.wordpress.com - 2014/07/08 - Wanted: More Jamaican Dentists

hpetchary.wordpress.com - 2014/07/07 - The Importance of oral health and the generosity of Dr,G

In any event, it was amazing returning to the School of Oral Health Sciences and seeing how much it has grown in terms of its infrastructure, and student population in such a short period of time.  It only continues to grow and we are all grateful for the assistance of the donors that contributed for our goodwill mission and beyond because without them none of this would be possible. 

I look forward to 2015 when the first batch of Dental Students will be graduating!  That will be a GREAT moment and I am sure they will have many more to come. 

I returned to Jamaica at the beginning of April to continue with the didactic portion of the course that I had started in February. Luckily this time I was able to bring with me all the technological equipment that customs had not let through before. It was such a relief that it went smoothly this time around so that we could complete the laboratory section of this course. The first day, Sunday, I spent the majority of the time doing a review of cleaning and shaping the root canal system, as well as obturation using warm vertical condensation of gutta percha. The students were not able to afford to purchase nickel titanium files that are necessary to create the necessary shapes of the root canals, so customs allowed me to bring down a generous, personal supply of the files from my own office in Toronto. The students spent the day doing the laboratory exercises and becoming familiar with all the various techniques that were taught.  Everyone passed the laboratory component with flying colors.

On Monday Dr. Brynne Reece, who is a visiting dentist enrolled in the endodontic program at the University of Maryland, came down for an externship program at U Tech. I spent one full day “up close and personal” giving her a crash course on how to do endodontics predictably and painlessly. The day wrapped up by performing a live patient demonstration to reinforce the concepts and techniques taught in the morning.

On Tuesday morning I administered the final exam to the second year dental students. I am happy and proud to report that they all passed with flying colors. I am looking forward to maintaining ongoing communication with the students and faculty to make sure the learning continues in the most efficient way. I will be returning in the fall when this class enters 3^rd year dentistry and they start working with live patients. I will be able to supervise them along with the other faculty members. I can not stress enough how special of an experience this has been for me and how good it feels to be a part of helping Jamaica improve its dental care for those in need.

Dr. G In the Media

Happy New Year everyone!!! I've been EXTREMELY busy over the past few months, working at my practice, as well as doing a lot of traveling for lectures and conferences. Along with many really great experiences that I'm proud of, it has also come to my attention how much lack of awareness there is about the importance of oral health and its direct relation to general health. Recently, I have taken it upon myself to try and get this message across. Thru both social media and traditional media outlets, I have made myself available for interviews, discussions and educational information, thru my own personal interviews, regarding this matter. Please join/follow me for my daily tips and researched information and help spread the word:

Here are some links so you can follow me:  

                         Twitter: @doctorg007

                         Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drgaryglassmantoronto?fref=ts

                         Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/DrGaryGlassman?feature=watch

                         

The Return of Dr. G: 1 Year later and the Future of Jamaica is Shining Brighter

This past February, 2013, I returned to Jamaica to teach endodontics to the 2nd year class at UTech in Kingston. This will be the graduating class of 2016. It was great to temporarily escape this year's harsh winter in Toronto and be back in Kingston where I was greeted by both new and familiar faces. I was also pleased that there were very no technical issues this year and everything was smooth sailing. Here is a picture of the class of 2016 and myself. They are a warm, energetic and highly motivated group of students. Their eagerness and good nature justify why this is all worthwhile for me. 

On my last day in Kingston, I was fortunate enough to attend a conference for the launch of the Diabetes and Oral Health program. This is organized by the University Diabetes Outreach Programme (UDOP) in collaboration with The University of West Indies and University of Technology Jamaica.  At the last minute I was also asked to speak at the conference and give my insights on this topic. Since I did not have a lot of time to prepare, I quickly gathered any background knowledge I already had, mixed with some internet research. I ended up giving a lecture on the relationship between diabetes and oral care and vice versa. During my talk, I also made reference to the incredible things Dr. McKenzie has done and how the UTech dental school has set their sights on adopting the best standards for dental education in the world. I made it clear that it is also my own personal goal to contribute to that same objective.

Below you will see a picture of myself in between the Minister of Health, Dr. Fenton Ferguson and Dr. Irving MacKenzie, Dean of the UTech School of Dentistry and Jamaica's Chief Dental Officer.  Below that,  one of myself with the President of The University of Technology, Jamaica, Professor the Honourable Errol Morrison. Fig. 2

                       

I look forward to returning to returning next month, in May, to not only continue with the second year grogramme but also to attend and speak at the Jamaica Dental Association Annual meeting in Montego Bay.



Dear Readers: Dr. G can now be found on Twitter. Look for his daily tweets of interesting facts, funny jokes and lots of inspiration. follow @doctorg007       .....license to drill!