Gratitude is a choice. As we close out the year, we’re wrapping up our holiday gratitude series, where we shared the stories and inspiration of women in our incredible community.

As we close our gratitude series, we’re hearing from Dr. Hélène Bertrand, M.D., C.M. She is the owner of QR Clinic, maker of QR Cream, a unique topical pain-relieving cream that contains mannitol to help relieve pain from headaches to arthritis and neuropathy. We asked her a bit about what she’s grateful for this holiday season. 

What or who are you grateful for and why?

I am grateful to Dr. John Lyftogt, who showed me how sugar injected near a painful nerve provided immediate pain relief and served as the inspiration for my research. I am grateful to all the patients with pain who came to my practice and let me try to relieve their pain around their nerves, first with sugar, then with mannitol, a plant-based sugar derivative. I am most grateful to Dr. Marylene Kyriazis, Pharm.D. who suggested we should create a mannitol-containing cream and who then developed and marketed it. I am grateful to the patients who participated in the research projects, which proved how effective the cream was, and to all my pain patients who tried the cream and reported on how well it worked for them. Finally, I am grateful to my husband, Herbert Grubel for growing the company to where it is today.

Do you have a special way of practicing gratitude in your business? What is it?

Every week, we set aside time to reflect on the patients and consumers who have reached out for help with relieving their pain. We send positive energy to each of them and thank them for the opportunity to help them. I believe I am here to help people, and I am grateful to them for allowing me to fulfill that.