Diary of an Internal Construction Crew - Understanding the Purpose of Pain

 Update: It's been tricky to have back pain during the night and there is no suitable sleeping position. As I am still in the healing, rebuilding stage, there are phases of increased pain as the body is moving out inflammatory cells that have done their part. They are being retired, so they have to be moved out so the next construction crew shows up. 

 Rather than obsess over each day's similarities and differences, I am very active during the day.  Also, when I had a headache by late afternoon, I knew I was turning a corner.  My brain boosted the process of lymphatic clean up.  

So, this gave me time to think.  Why now?  I have been mowing the lawn all summer.  Why was this the time have a to flare up in my back.  I did take a fall in the kitchen the other day too.  Adding insult to injury is the saying...

I've taken other falls that didn't leave me stiff and limited.  Why now?  This is the question that helps you think about the recent stresses that have primed the brain into a fight or flight event. 

Why now?

I could blame the humid weather. It very easily saps my energy.  But it's been humid for two months.  I've also considered this humid time of year just might be a trigger based on a prior memory of a past stressful event. 

The brain wants to be efficient.  It if believes today's combination of stressors resembles a prior experience, it will initiate the protective stage of fight or flight.  If anything is a subtle reminder, but not related, the brain picks up on it anyway.  Guilty by association, you could say. 

If the humid weather is a subtle key that opens up the flood gates of a past memory, it's possibly happening to me now.  You can't blame the brain.  It's just looking for clues from your past resolutions.  

A major life change such as a death in the family, job loss, or close call with a major health crisis has a lasting impact on the brain.  Even if you worked through it and have a sense of calm about it, your brain may have a slight sensitivity if your current stresses fall into place a certain way.  If today's events perk up the brain as a similar connection, the brain ignites the fight or flight response.  And off you go!

What is my point here with all this? The brain is a big catalog storage unit. It learns from every experience in your life. 

Knowledge of the brain allows us to be a better partner with it. 

Nerves that fire together wire together.

Psychology and biology are wired together for your survival.  

For me, I took a stroll down memory lane and evaluated some prior events that took place over 20 years ago.  I acknowledged to myself a repetitive pattern of things that concern me.

The humid weather is an innocent bystander, but it lights up your senses, that's for sure. 

While I've had trouble sleeping at night,  this morning (8/27) I realized I slept all night on my back.  This is progress.  Yay!  It was a seven day period of me scratching my head telling myself to be more patient with myself. Actually rebuilding of tissue takes time.  Pain can go away in an instant.  Right?  A strong drug.  A huge amount of alcohol.... that will numb pain.  But, the necessary rebuilding can't be rushed.  

You are perfection.  The genius of the nervous system can't be rushed. 

Your interest in chiropractic means you want to be a better partner with your brain.   The adjustment is the most profound way to disrupt a pattern so you can instill a new better pattern.  

You don't have to live on auto-pilot and hope for the best.

Be a partner with your own brain......Marvelous!!

Never Enough

We are all human, so be honest.  How self critical are you?  Do you feel as if you are just not enough?  For example, your efforts are not good enough.   At your job, with your finances, with your relationship, with your children, with your goals, with your everyday balancing of "stuff?"

When people come to me complaining of their back hurting, they are subtly saying to me that they aren't healthy enough to keep up with the demands of their life.  

When folks says they are not able to do yard work or house work, the underlying message is they are not enough.  They are not capable for whatever reason. 

This hidden self talk and unspoken anxiety are real health problems.  When your brain senses you are "not enough," it will break down the connective tissue of your body in order to build it back up again to make you stronger.

This is good news if the stress is short lived. But, if your stress is ongoing, there can be a re-triggering, relapsing issue. 

To your brain, it is equivalent to a life and death matter that requires intense strength such as running away from an attacker, or carrying an injured person to safety (for example).  

The fight or flight response picks up on your internal worry and goes into action to remedy the situation.  

If you go to the gym to begin a workout, you are telling your brain that it is crucial that you get into shape.  When you feel sore the next day, that is your body building tissue back up.  It may be that you over-exerted yourself, yet that nagging concern raises the bar and your brain does more than take the hint.  

When the "not enough" begins to be "never enough," people develop chronic dysfunction.  Most people would call this a chronic disease of some sort.  I call it an exhaustive period where you don't allow the body to rebuild adequately because of an constant re-triggering of the repeated self talk that you are not enough.  

Sorry for that run on sentence but I was on a roll.  This repeated message interrupts the rebuilding and initiates a new break down period.  Muscles, tendons, and bones start to erode again. 

But the erosion takes off where the new repair didn't occur. It's similar to jabbing a fork into a scab on your arm over and over just when the bleeding has stopped and the coagulated blood has just started to dry out. 

Chronic disease doesn't have to by a mystery.  We have to realize when the brain is in a hyperactive fight or flight at the expense of the restful healing period.  

The body is not wrong.  It is responding to perceived danger.  

We use chiropractic to relieve an overburdened nervous system so there can be more time to concentrate on reversing the depletion.

Brain first, and the body follows.  What is your brain working on right now?

--Dr. Lisa

We Don't Treat - We Complete

3 A.M. - So this is what drives people to grab a pill. The pain was worse in the middle of the night. Any position was painful.  I flopped side to side, then onto my stomach, then on my back again, and again, and again. 

I was still awake around 4:30 A.M. I did not take a pill.  I knew exactly why I was in pain.  I figured the flare up was the natural course of the rebuilding process.  Also, I was especially aware of the slice of pizza I had in the evening.  It was just an emotional decision to grab comfort food.  It was not a grain free crust, which is my preference.  It was store bought and full of chemicals. Yuck. Disappointing to say the least. 

Nothing like a little digestive distress to make my back pain even more pronounced. The supplements I took before bed must have been used up in a flash.  A lot of reconstruction going at the muscles and joints.  The increase in pain was just that, a construction crew repairing the area I injured.  Eventually I slept a couple more hours. 

I didn't want to delay this repair process.  The delay could last weeks or months. A medicine such as an anti-inflammatory would have put my brain right back into fight or flight.  There is no healing, rebuilding, repair in that state.  Sure, the pain might be dulled, but my liver would be upset by the toxins.  Why make it worse?  Unfortunately, the public so often downplays these types of consequences.  

Moving around in the morning was challenging, after sleeping late, but I would not be rushing.  I made it to the office with the full intention of doing my day. And by 11 AM I realized I was so focused on the people in front of me that I was 90% improved. 

Okay, I had that delayed onset problem of exercising too much.  I was super excited that the weather finally calmed down after the brutal humidity.  I wanted to make up for lost time.  That's not really a good idea when you're actually pushing your muscles past their comfort zone. It felt good during, but not later. 

The pain made standing, walking, and bending more work than it should have been.  Every movement was a constant reminder that my body was now attempting to re-balance with inflammation and pushing out dying cells.  This is the routine process of healing.   Yes, that's what you're feeling when you are in pain.  Moving cells hurts. It's a very active time that should not be disrupted with additional stress or other harms we think little of, such as a caffeine jolt or burning the candle at both ends.  

Was this the day I was so glad to become a chiropractor because I had back pain and could get adjusted? No, not really.  Was my severe neck sprain ten years ago another reason I was glad to be a chiropractor.  No, not really. 

Spine pain is not an isolated event.  It is a specific pattern instigated by the brain.  The brain also involves the blood circulation, immune system, different parts of liver function, your mood, hormones, and more.  Include them all in your quest for health.

Back surgeries fail because the intended goal is too narrow and valuable body functions are ignored. I can say the same thing about chiropractic care that is too narrowly focused.  It's my biggest criticism of chiropractic and my professional education.   But, I digress.

It's nice to recover quickly from a painful event, but that is not what chiropractic is about.  (That's not even what life is about.)

Most people think recovery is the ending point of an event.  That is not accurate and I do not want to set anyone up for future failure.  That would be like using a sump pump to get the water out of your basement while ignoring the gaping hole in your roof during a rainstorm.  If the rain stops is that recovery?

The Google dictionary definition of recovery is "the action or process of regaining possession or control of something stolen or lost."

Is your health stolen?  Is your health lost?  Did you misplace it? No.

Everything your brain does is correct for the situation.  Your body didn't lose its way.  Your body is responding to your brain's perception of a survival need.  How you mentally respond will make all the difference in your so called recovery.  

Recovery is not a bad word.  It's just inappropriate to use it to describe health. You don't need to recover.  You only need to complete the process.

The goal is to cooperate with the body, not disrupt purposeful body responses.

Chiropractic is not about treatment.  

We don't treat.  We complete.  And we teach you how to recognize your brain's own unique functioning based on your experiences and memories so you can prevent unnecessary stress as well as empower yourself during a healing/rebuilding event. 

A spinal adjustment is actually a brain adjustment.  We reach the brain through the spine.  Then you brain takes care of EVERYTHING!!!!  

Chiropractic care is about allowing your body to be the best it can be with a nervous system that is free to respond appropriately to its environment.  What gets in the way of that?  Anything that exhausts the brain's protective responses as well as anything that depletes the body's ability to rebuild.  

P.S. My back is on the mend and I've stayed fairly active.  What made the difference?  My wellness routine in the weeks and months prior to my injury.

The brain and body work hard for us.  We must give back.  Chiropractic is a profound way to give back.

Ready to dive in?  Give me a call.   Dr. Lisa     315-277-1362

Back to School is Not Contagious

 

Fall is around the corner and that means the kids are heading back to school. Every year people talk about how their kids get sick because they are around other kids.  

Here's the contradiction: it's not every kid.  But this belief or expectation sets up the brain to expect it. 

Here's another way to look at it.

Why do kids get the sniffles, colds, fevers, etc.?  Being thrust back into the classroom puts the brain on high alert.  Now we have kids dealing with separation anxiety, performance anxiety, territorial based anxiety.  Kids are constantly questioning their abilities and seeking approval from peers, teachers, and parents. That's enough to cause a little exhaustion especially with an entirely new schedule and probably sleep deprivation. 

Is it contagious or do they share the same fears at the same time?

Kids don't know how to express their worries.  Their bodies exhibit their worries.  They also absorb their parents' stress.  Their bodies have to sort it out somehow. 

This is the whole point of chiropractic.  Routine adjustments of the spine help the nervous system face the daily ups and downs of life.  And for kids, a lot of their ups and downs are experienced at school.

While you are teaching them how to problem solve and cope, help their nervous systems do it, too. 

F.A.Q. Let's Translate Your Pain/Anxiety Correctly

 

Are you living by default or with intention?  

Chiropractic helps you live with intention.

Click here for the F.A.Q.

My most important rule is to have goals that make you a better person today more than you were yesterday. 

We need your full participation in the world and you cannot do that with an exhausted brain.  

My Rules Are Based on GOALs.     

G  growth                            (Also, click here for the usual FAQ.)

O ownership

A  adventure

L  life style

Growth - Grow your talents everyday.   Get better at something a little bit each day. This takes intention and persistence.  Share your talents with the world everyday so we can benefit, too. Chiropractic helps you stay focused with an intentional and alert brain.

Ownership - You own your body.  Don't give it up to some other approach that takes away your confidence and independence in your own ability to rebuild and nourish your body. Don't outsource your health.  Chiropractic adds nothing to the body and takes nothing away. 

Adventure - Plan an adventure everyday. Life life as an adventure.  

Life Style - Your life style is your passion style.  Every thing you do even if it seems minimal reflects how you are living your purpose and mission.

You're teaching your nervous system everyday!!

If you understand that chiropractic is a teaching method to teach your nervous system how to perceive the world and respond to it, you're on your way to an exceptional experience!!

Are you living by default or with intention?  

Chiropractic is for the intentional. 

Looking Healthy on Paper But Feeling Like Junk

 

So your medical doctor says your blood work looks good.  But you feel lousy.  How can you explain to your doctor that something else is going on?

The medical doctor is at a loss.  It's a numbers game and you are considered WNL (within normal limits).

What comes next?  Hmmm....a trial of anti-biotics?  A trial of anti-depressants or anti-anxiety drugs?

Maybe a set of Xrays will be taken.  Possibly a course of physical therapy will be prescribed. 

When you look good on paper but you don't feel good

Here's what I do.  I look at the nervous system.  The body is very good at tolerating stress.  Your fasting blood sugar can be normal for decades, yet according to Dr. Joseph Kraft 90% of teenagers are already suffering from chronic disease yet it is overlooked.  High blood sugar and diabetes will be diagnosed very late because the body fights hard to maintain homeostasis.  While lab work looks normal, the early stages of inflammation will appear as fatigue, moodiness, stiff, sore joints.  Even blood pressure begins creeping up due to blood sugar imbalances, even with normal fasting blood sugar. 

The most under-recognized condition

This blog post is not a primer on how to interpret lab work, but to encourage you to consider the most under-recognized chronic condition: a burdened nervous system.  

Chiropractors can figure that out in three seconds.  Yep! We look at your posture, skin, facial features, belly, teeth.  No blood work needed.  And when we feel the subluxations in your spine, we can tell how long you're body has been screaming for peace and rest.  

READ HERE: Why the spine is a secret passage way to your brain and organs.

Chiropractic care helps us clear out the speed bumps in your spine, but we also look at the exhausting patterns you've taught your brain to hang on to.  Chiropractic adjustments break the patterns giving you an opportunity to replace unwanted patterns with more desirable patterns. 

If you're not feeling well and not sure why,  let's address the nervous system's preoccupations and give it permission to let them go.  

Sound's unusual?  Think of chiropractic as neuro-feedback on steroids. 

But we know steroids have terrible side effects.  Chiropractic is drug free and actually addresses the cause of the problem. 

We can re-teach your brain to function better.  Yes!  We can!!  

Ready?  Let me know. 

Chiropractic is the Ultimate Prepping - Be Ready and Confident for Anything

Chiropractic is different.  It is meant to be different.  You were looking for different.  That's why you're here on my website.  

If you're hanging out with me you're going to be thrust into different.  

Be different.  Live different. 

I chose different a long time ago.  I was lucky enough to learn the chiropractic story during my early search to enhance the mind/body connection.  I am happy to say I learned the connection is actually innate intelligence working within the nervous system.  It's not a complicated concept, but society tends to ignore it.  

Chiropractic's Big Impression on me happened nearly 30 years ago. Experiences in childhood and young adulthood began to set the stage.  For me, it's old hat.  I'm so comfortable in my chiropractic life style that I forget to share the story with newcomers.  Read my story here.  And don't forget the New Member Orientation Video.

I really hope their own story makes a big enough impact on them.  I've realized the first part of the transformation is to awaken the belief that the body is always doing the right thing at the right time for you.  Your body is always correctly assessing the environment and working hard for you.  

People don't believe it.  I can't change their belief.  I can only be the example and be a creative communicator. 

Chiropractic is a very unique way to disrupt a pattern so you can teach your brain a new pattern.  An unwanted pattern in the mind or body can be replaced with a more desirable pattern.  Chiropractic unlocks that great vault called the brain.  

The second part is to introduce the new, preferred pattern.  That takes a bit of a time commitment.  This is why chiropractic is a life style.  We are constantly modifying our life patterns because stress is also a constant in our lives imposing change we don't want. 

And when I say this is different, I understand the challenge. I understand how a new thought doesn't jive nicely with old thought. It might take a while to grow on you.  Chiropractic cannot be compared to any other healing art, so it bounces out of your acceptance because it has no similar counterpart.   This is a different I want you to embrace. 

And I don't talk about back pain, leg pain, head aches and such because that it just limited thinking.  Yes, the brain controls your back, legs and head.  But these pains are just a reflection of the nervous system's assessment and response to your daily life. 

Rather than taking a narrow look at the pain, it is much more rewarding to take a look at your brain's massive juggling act and evaluating if your life needs to be changed in various ways. 

And at the same time, get adjusted so the spine can deliver appropriate nerve signals rather than over-zealous signals that push the body to exhaustion and organ failure.  Why is the spine so important? What does the spine have to do with organ failure?

The different I am so passionate about is the fact that the body is well equipped to face the ups and downs of life. When life gets wild and crazy you need a brain that is ready for anything and your body has strength and resileince.  Chiropractic is the ultimate prepper activity.  Because you're most important tool is your brain.

Yeah, that's different, but it is also life saving. 

How Chiropractic Saved Me

What If The News Is Wrong? Day Care and the Current Sickness

 

 My local newspaper's Sunday headline speaks of an uptick in sickness at five local day care centers.  Now remember, this is all based on the improper use of the PCR test, so I don't take these statistics seriously. 

This is their bias.  I get that.  That's why we are encouraged to seek second opinions.  

The article goes on to remind people to stay home if they don't feel good.  It also reported on the closure of some day cares or certain classrooms.  

Here's my take on the situation.  What actually makes kids sick? My number one answer is the stress level of their parents. It "trickles" down to the kids.  Kids don't know how to express their concerns so they hold it inward.  Kids don't know how to calm their parents down.  Their young bodies soak up the stress.  The body has to detoxify from it eventually.

This is also a time of a heightened sugar fest, especially in day care centers.  The ice cream truck visits.  There is always a pizza day.  I bet parents get a little lax in the packed lunch department and send in more junk. 

And also of concern to me: Do kids ever get down time?  There is always some kind of crazy camp going on. What if it is too much pressure on a child?  Many of these camps have projects that have to be completed by the last day.  Perhaps it is too much pressure on a child to create some sort of craft  or  activity.  When kids get around each other the competition can be very fierce.  And if they are forced to work in groups? "Yuck," was always my reaction. 

This is the total opposite of the relaxing summers I spent as a kid.  We played make believe and just played.  We ran all over the place outside.  I don't need to remind the old folks here what summers were really like back then. 

By the way, screens are not relaxing.  It is brain poison. 

Why are kids really sick?  Take a second look.  

I am allowed to ask, "what if?"  We all are allowed. 

P.S. I still haven't finished my series on what I've been doing wrong most of my life, until now.  And why I say there is no disease.  It's coming.  Be patient.