Are You in an Empowering Partnership with Your Body?

I spent days writing the last blog about mind/body approaches to healing.  Then it occurred to me that I didn't fully explain what mind/body means.  And I bet there are multiple definitions depending on who you are talking to.

But first: What is the definition of non-mind/body? What is the opposite of "the mind/body connection?" To put it bluntly - a disconnection. 

The basic mainstream definition is that pain and discomfort can be alleviated with the application of a drug, supplement, surgery, hot or cold pack regardless of the cause.  The cause is not important.  Relieving is more important than understanding the cause. Pain is a problem and pain-free is the goal.  It's a quick fix.  The quicker the better regardless of the cause because it will happen again and you just get the quick fix again. It doesn't matter what the state of the mind is either.  The mind is a non-issue.  

Whether you agree or disagree, look at all the commercials for pain relievers.  There is typically one answer and that is to buy something from the neighborhood pharmacy. It's the plug-in approach.  If you have a headache, take a headache pill.  If you have knee pain, take an arthritis pill.  If you have indigestion, take a proton pump inhibitor.  Even the name inhibitor is telling you we can inhibit the body, whether it's logical or not.

Now, back to the mind/body definition: 

When I was stumped and demoralized after dealing with Dave during my time as a mental health therapist, I knew in my heart that his pain was emotional and his mind could be part of the solution.  We all know it.  We just don't really pursue it.  (Why pursue the mind's participation when we can just numb it?)

Dave had a hard life and a chronic mental health diagnosis didn't give him relief.  Being labeled with a mental illness doesn't make anyone feel good about himself or herself. Second, no one really has a helpful answer.  It's all guess work.  

In the early 1990s the biological theory of mental illness was a hot topic.  Prozac was the magic-bullet-drug in high demand.  It was like a fashion accessory along with a fancy purse or belt. 

The brain chemical theory which was never tested properly or proven (no one actually measures your brain chemicals), pushed the idea that replacing chemicals would cure depression, schizophrenia, bipolar, etc.  There was a lot of placebo effect going on here. 

I knew a drug would not change Dave's lot in life.  It did not change his past.  It did not change the stigma of his diagnosis.  It did not change how he felt about himself.  The drugs probably made him feel numb and tranquilized.  It did nothing useful for him. It just made him feel like a failure.  On top of that, he had physical pain that no one could authenticate with a medical exam. If a doctor can't measure it, then it's not real.  You've heard that before.  

I knew his mind played a role in his state of health but I felt inadequate to help him.  I also felt the silent, intimidating feeling that I needed to stay in my lane.  Don't venture out there with your own theories.  Heck, the crazy theories we're already pushing are enough right?

I had another client who suffered greatly under the mental health system.  She had undergone ECT (electroconvulsive therapy).  It forces your brain to seizure as an attempt to relieve severe symptoms of mental disorders. Makes so much sense just like blood-letting and mercury baths. 

She said the therapy erased some important memories.  She has no memory of childbirth, of any of her 3 children.  She knew her kids belonged to her, but she had no memory of their birth.  To me, this was terrible.  I had no idea how to respond to this. She was overwhelmed and I was overwhelmed.  

Having lost all faith in my college education based on seeing this kind of suffering in real life, I told her to do two things.  I suggested modifying her diet by reducing processed foods and caffeine. The other instruction was to sit quietly and meditate.  I gave her no real direction.  I said let's try things you can do yourself without drugs. 

She came back a changed person. She enjoyed doing something for herself.  She saw immediate benefits at her own hand.  This gave her a huge confidence boost.  I was flabbergasted.  I was working on a wing and a prayer.  I felt I had nothing to lose after she was fed up with the whole system.  I wonder now if she was so paralyzed by the system that she needed permission to try these simple do-it-yourself activities.  She was able to do these activities without an authority figure staring her down.  

It's mind boggling how we are conditioned to give up our own personal power.  It's happened to all of us at certain times in our lives.  It saddens me, but we can can get beyond it. 

How did I define the mind/body connection back then?   

#1- A calm mind can calm the body.  

#2- Self confidence can heal. 

#3- I also believed relationships were key to healing.  

I had nothing to back it up except my gut feelings. 

Today I understand how experiences mold the brain and impact how the body responds to stressful events. (Patterns/Programming) There is a subtle dance between the condition of the body and the mind's coloration of past memories.  

This is the uniqueness of the nervous system. 

No two nervous systems are alike. The mainstream treats people as if we are all carbon copies and that has been disastrous.  

I wish we could open up a medical textbook and find the answer as clear as day, but as we all know, that just doesn't happen because a medical text book does not capture the essence of our uniqueness, learned patterns, etc. 

Mind/Body approaches use the idea that self confidence and self empowerment are critical tools in recovering balance in someone's health status.  It can't be measured, so medical science pays little attention to it. 

Some might call it placebo.  But I don't care what "they" say.  You and I can clearly see two different people in similar situations.  One person with self confidence shows significant improvement while the other may not. 

Is it placebo or is it the brain-wiring? Yes we can measure brain waves.  We can discern quite a bit of physical and mental processing through brain wave recordings.  Chiropractic has been shown to improve brain wave activity.  This is amazing !!

Mind/body approaches allow you to work with your own nervous system in a harmonious way.  Drugs are not harmonious.  Perhaps drugs are necessary during life saving surgery, but they rob a person of self empowerment in day to day life.  A daily "maintenance" drug means you can't do it on your own.  It's the subtle message that you are defective  -- But you aren't -- You do have to accept that language about yourself. 

Is chiropractic a mind/body approach?  Yes.  But you can't give yourself an adjustment.  That's ok.  It is not a passive modality.  You are all in when you are laying on the chiropractic table, allowing me to re-set your brain with a gentle chiropractic adjustment.  Your mental presence matters.  You are still empowering yourself, because you know the non-invasive approach gives you so much mileage as it addresses the most important body organ, the brain. 

Chiropractic is a mind/body approach that honors the sophisticated relationship between the nervous system and every organ in the body. Your personality is an intricate part of your nervous system. You have the power to accomplish great things.  Your mind directs your body to meet your goals, live your purpose. Your mind also maintains your health.  You are not a victim to disease because we don't use that language in relation to chiropractic and your unique nervous system. 

You are already empowered as long as you accept it and allow yourself to thrive. 

The 7 Living Principles of Life are happening to your 24 hours a day whether you acknowledge it or not.  But if you acknowledge it....you are quite the force in your world.  Your community needs your talents. 

Want to learn more?

Are you ready to get acquainted with your greatest gifts?

See you at the table.....the chiropractic table.

* *  *  

The 7 Living Principles - Video

The Ugly Truth: We've Been Barred from Thinking Big

My Thesis: The Disease Model is Not Serving You but Serving an Efficient System that Makes Money at the Mercy of Your Diminished Quality of Life

Will we ever become mature health seekers? Or will we remain childish with the idea of the "quick fix?"

Chiropractic is not "the quick fix."  It is so much better than that.  However, we've been taught to think small. 

If you've been hanging around me long enough, you've heard me say I wanted to become a chiropractor because I wanted to stop people from falling through the cracks. 

Back in 1995 I wanted to learn more about the mind-body connection so I could help people see a way out - a newer option to health freedom.  

If you remember, I recalled how badly I felt about a client named David.  He represents just about everyone who has felt stuck.  He told the psychiatrist that he was in physical pain.  The logical thing for the psychiatrist to do was to refer David to his regular physician because physical pain was not in his scope of practice. 

David came back at his next appointment telling us that his labs were normal, all other tests were normal. He told it is all in his head. This doctor sent him back to the psychiatrist.   The shuffle game.  

He fell through the cracks.  Neither side could help him.

He still had pain.

Was it really in his head or not?

I felt really useless. There must be a better way to reach people.  

I learned that chiropractic had a huge effect on the nervous system.  I wasn't sure how, but I quickly learned that chiropractic hospitals back in the day were very successful with mental disorders. 

Chiropractic's Mental Illness Cure Part 1

Chiropractic's Mental Illness Cure Part 2

Once I made it to chiropractic college, I patiently waited to learn how the mind body connection worked.  I got bits and pieces, here and there.  The neurology was interesting.  As I said, bits and pieces with no real cohesion.  It was like talking about that crazy uncle.  People whispering gossip.   I was so hopeful.  I should have suspected something was weird back then. 

Now, that I think back, I probably shouldn't have skipped out on the psychology class.  I had transfer credit because I already had a master's degree in clinical counseling.  What did I do while my classmates were in the psych class?  I caught up on my sleep, of course. 

I wonder, now, if the instructor made any connections between chiropractic and mental wellness?  None of my classmates came to me with excitement over the class.  They only said, "Oh, Lisa, you're so lucky to get out of this class."

And then as it turns out.... I taught the class myself a couple of years after I graduated.  I was hired to provide counseling services to students and then I filled in when then there was an opening for a psych professor. 

Was I a good teacher?  I really had my doubts.  I provided the basics.  I taught the lingo of mental health disorders as they were classified in the Merck Manual.  I tried to give examples from my past experience.  I played a video about the limbic system, brain reward cascade, addictions and chiropractic.  This was information I learned on my own.  I went to a seminar after chiropractic college to further my knowledge on the mind/body connection through chiropractic.  And I enjoyed it. 

I brought in a guest speaker who spoke about domestic violence.  I also explained to my students that they were going to hear their patients speak about mental issues, family problems and they will break down and cry in their offices.  They needed to be ready for that without fear. 

My students did not hesitate to complain to me about the course, especially the writing assignments. Like me, they didn't want to do much.  While I slept during my class time, because I already earned the credit, they wanted an easy A.  I get it.  They wanted to let their hair down for a while. Every semester was hard work and the final semester was heavy burn out.  

Just prior to joining the counseling staff, I went through a ridiculous interview process with a room full of various teachers, admins and students who grilled me endlessly.  I thought it was a bit of overkill.  Then I dealt with the disrespectful rudeness of students.  I never went back after my son was born.  I washed my hands of it.  I thought it would be cool to teach in a college.  Turns out, it was a nicer thought in my head before reality hit. 

What really strikes me is the continued separation between physical health and mental health, still to this day.  Patients come to me and talk the typical talk of back pain, neck pain, sciatic, and sleeping wrong.  We have not really evolved.  The brain washing is thick.  Sorry for my sarcasm, but each new patient comes to me knowing the same language.  It's all about pain, stiffness, headaches with the typical terms: arthritis, discs, pinched nerves. 

I guess it's a good starting point, because I can then introduce to them a fuller understanding of their physiology.  But old habits are hard to break.  Very few people believe they can be better.  The negativity.  I'm so over it.  It's time time for people to become mature health seekers.  If you want to feel better, you need to think better to do better.  

We have to understand how body responses are interwoven with the brain's sophisticated sensory system.  It isn't that complicated once you break it down.  And it is very empowering.  But, you must step into this different arena.   And people just don't like different.  There is a very well fertilized and cultivated brain block. Each generation has beat it out of us. 

Why are we still on the short term relief band wagon?  People want the "one and done" quick fix....."Plug-In" one intervention and be done with it.  As if you are a car.....the parts are interchangeable but we are not cars! ....Nope.....Nope....Nope.

No One Is Interested in the Mind/Body Connection

Here's how far we've gotten with the mind/body connection: Meditation has been studied to see if it will reduce high blood pressure.  Here we are, at the disease mind-set (which actually takes away from the real gift of meditation).  Plug-in one approach, meditation, and see how it pans out.  (Here's a short article about it highlighting Dr. Herbert Benson.) This is how we purposely let the mind/body connection fall flat on its face and fail by reducing it down to a blood pressure remedy. 

It's a good start, right?  The article I posted above sounds so promising. No. The world wide market of blood pressure medications is huge!  It's mind/body thinking is deliberately set up to fail so we excise its possibility out of our medical tool boxes.  By the way, how many doctors have told you about the Herbert Benson meditation approach?  

Many of  the mind/body studies done at the Benson-Henry Institute (Massachusetts General Hospital) are very small, or the studies were incomplete for various reasons.  There is not a lot of steam pushing these studies to grow into major research efforts.

I used to think the mind/body connection was ignored because it takes more personal responsibility.  A lot of the approaches need to be applied daily, and require a change in someone's schedule in order to fit it in a busy day.  The time commitment to meditate is an excellent example.  Even Dr. Dean Ornish has to take his heart patients out of their living environments in order to have successful outcomes. 

Over time I see what's really going on.  People are unwilling to teach mind/body concepts.  It is deliberately swept under the rug.  It cannot be presented alongside the medical model because they are so opposed to each other that people would reject drugs and surgery once they experienced the difference.  

Mind/body approaches cannot be patented.  There is very little technology required.  People getting healthy on their own will undermine this massive health care assembly line.  

People will stop calling medical interventions miracles when they realize THEIR OWN BODIES ARE THE MIRACLES.  

 It's not a time management problem as I mentioned above.   Well, perhaps it seems to be too cumbersome in the disease model when we ask someone to take time away from their stress inducing activities to focus on something like meditation.  Mind/body approaches are fantastically successful when separated from the disease model!!

The real issue here is it is so widely successful that it is purposefully removed from our medical model.  If it doesn't exist in our thinking, then it won't replace the current offerings of drugs and surgery.  We wouldn't want to knock over the medical/bureaucratic apple cart.  

Mind/body approaches don't work in the algorithm model of medicine because it requires focusing on the individual's unique nervous system.  One size does not fit all, and that gets in the way of the assembly line. 

1- We can't take the extra time to teach people about their nervous systems.  It disrupts the flow of the clinic.

2- When doing so, there is a high probability people will improve without the use of drugs. 

3- People who feel more empowered will discard their fear and attachment to the authoritative model. 

Mind/body approaches require us to redefine disease because the approaches explain why the body is always correct.

Mind/body approaches will never be accepted in the medical model.  

I never wanted to duplicate the medical model, but the U.S. Department of Education has its own agenda. 

Do you want agenda care....or care customized to you?

Well, it took me a long time to get to this bottom line. 

You need to reject the agenda language.  And I teach that.  I teach you how to communicate the real language of body function. 

I have finally admitted that what I was looking for will never be taught in the traditional ways.  I am going outside the "social club" and creating my own path.  You're invited to join me. 

I am lucky that I can do that as a chiropractor.  No one can hide the benefits of chiropractic.  But they can try to limit our thinking.  They can box us into the soul sucking back pain treatment paradigm, but it won't work. Chiropractic is a mind/body reconnecting tool. It's unique and I'm here to tell you all about it. 

Free your brain and you will free the invisible shackles on your body.    Wow! Join me on a great adventure!!!

** No options - No freedom ** 

** No Awareness - No Growth **

You Can Get Over Your Trepidation of Arthritis

There is no such thing as traumatic arthritis.  Come to my office and I can explain why.  

Bone on bone is a myth. Visit my past blog posting here.

I'd like folks to give up the idea that there is a disease called arthritis.  

Let me tell you what these fancy words really mean to me.

Arthritis, as you have been taught, means painful joints. 

"Ar" is the root for "fit together."  So, it pertains to the bones that form moveable joints of the body. 

The word arthritis resembles, to me, "authority." You allow an authority to tell you how the rest of your life is going to be.  I've heard it too many times and I'm floored.  People are depressed over it.  People get really messed up with this authoritarian response from a doctor. 

Rheumatoid arthritis to me is ruminating arthritis.  This is a person who ruminates over life choices.  

"Rheum" means watery fluid, flow, pertaining to the inflammation of the synovial fluid of the joints.  Ruminate comes from the Latin for turn over and over in the mind.

Ankylosing spondylitis to me resembles: bending over to grab your ankles and let people talk down to you.  Maybe I'm grasping at straws.  Sorry, another pun there. You feel lower than other people.   

Ankylosis comes from the earlier words meaning fusing into one bone.  The spine becomes stiff and looks like one bone according to Xrays.  If you see someone with an advanced problem, they are so bent over all they can do is look at the ground.  Very sad.  Life is limited when someone feels so badly about himself or herself. 

("Spondylo" just means spine.  That's it.)

Psoriatic arthritis describes joint pain also paired with scaly itchy skin. "Psori" is the term for "mange, itch." 

As the letter p is silent, it sounds like "sorry" arthritis.  So to me it means a person is sorry and pathetic. Someone here feels sorry for himself or herself.  I understand that joint pain is not observable by others when they look at you, but the skin changes makes people feel very vulnerable and unattractive. Hence, the sorry state of their feelings.  What came first?  The lack of confidence or the skin rashes?  Do scientists study it that deeply before they create an immunosuppressive drug that carries many risks to long term health?

Also, when I was looking up these word origins I noticed "lepra" is another word for psoriatic arthritis.   The root is "lep," to peel.  (leprosy) Perhaps it's time to "peel off" the old you and recreate the new you? 

So, in conclusion, I know pain is not fun.  It hinders life enjoyment.  As chiropractic is enhancement of the brain through the spine's special extension of the brain, we can modify how you perceive pain.   But more importantly, we can modify how you look at yourself - as a person - as an intelligent body with intelligent body responses.  

Ask me how to customize your chiropractic care using the Brain First Protocol. 

See you at the table.....the chiropractic table.

Don't wait. 

Chiropractic Is Not About What Goes Away - It's About What You Become

The #1 reaction in life is to find pleasure and avoid pain.  This is how we are wired.  It is a survival mechanism.  

I could go into detail about the nervous system's interpretation of stimuli and how it catalogs them for certain physiological responses, but, no.  You live it everyday. My hope is that you understand it is all an amazing process that the best AI cannot copy!

So, let's get to the topic of pain.   It can be horrible, demoralizing, and debilitating.  In severe cases, pain is a part of a life threatening response such as a heart attack. 

In all cases, pain is serving a purpose.  The body's repair and rebuild phases are very palpable and 'kinetic." You feel the movement of blood, inflammation, and nerve endings. You feel a bone reknitting itself back together.  You feel intestines cramping, etc. 

You visit the chiropractor because you don't want to go through it alone.  Yep, it's that simple.  The chiropractor is your life coach.

I had a little boy in the office a few days ago and I pointed to the vertebrae on the spine model and told him they were like switches that turned on a person's super powers.  How simple!

As we determine how your body is processing between the protection stage and rebuilding stage, we plan how to support the body so you don't burn through your energy reserves. 

When you are fully energized, you can accomplish so much!!

Let's look at what you are achieving rather than focus on what you think you are lacking.   

You are not lacking.  We just need to rearrange the furniture in your mind. 

A preoccupation with symptoms robs your brain of precious energy.

Let's modify your outlook.  Let's understand the logical processes of the body's response to stress.  Let's give your brain a chance.

Come in and get adjusted.  Let's wake up your super powers!!

The Brain First Protocol: What Happens When You Put Your Brain First?

Your Spine is a Security Guard - That Sometimes Works Too Hard

One very important consideration when dealing with pain is how your brain perceived stimuli before, during, and after a stressful event.  What else was your brain preoccupied with at the same time? 

Whether you suffer an injury or feel an unexplained flare up, your brain is deciding how much Fight or Flight is needed to get you through the ordeal.  

Interestingly, most flare ups are a rehashing of old memories. Your emotions were "stamped" into the brain. That is the talent of the limbic system.  It shapes how your brain decides to respond with future pain signals. Most of the time you are not injured.  The pain came from the brain, rather than the body part you are focusing on.

You think you "over did it" but it was probably a normal movement.  I used to say your body wasn't prepared for that movement at the time.  But now I say, your body was perceiving a similar fight or flight response and chose to recreate the response.  Yes, it is pain, but your brain chose it.  

Injuries should be fully repaired in a matter of months. We assume the process is incomplete and put the blame on the "old injury." The emotional memories from the limbic system set the stage for the type of pain you continue to feel chronically.  

N.S.R.V.

Nervous System Re-Visiting

It's not the injury.

It's Your Limbic Lens.

Fight or Flight “Seals the Deal.” Past or Present. But you can release it. YES!

The Adjustment is your Pattern Interruptor.

What part of your nervous system is chock full of stored memories that are resurfacing to cause you discomfort, pain, and anxiety? 

Childhood Nervous System ** Young Adult Nervous System

Unfortunate Events Nervous System ** Self Confidence Nervous System

The Little Voice Nervous System ** Respect Authority Nervous System

** Un-Balanced Relationships Nervous System **

** Doom and Gloom Nervous System **

** Your New and Improved Nervous System **

How is your spine perceiving the world?

How are your perceptions being stored in the brain?

Your spine is a stubborn security guard protecting the brain. 

As your chiropractor, I teach you how to properly train the security guard.  

I use the Brain First Protocol.

Come in, get adjusted. 

See you at the table.  The Chiropractic Table.

--Dr. Lisa

Your Health Freedom Advocate

What If I Didn't Grow Up The Way I Did?

 I've been fascinated with Dr. Harvey Bigelsen's work which is now being carried on by his sons, Josh and Adam. I'm feeling a little jealous. 

Dr. Harvey Bigelsen (SUNY Buffalo Medical School) was a trauma surgeon in the Vietnam War.  He had a high success rate with his patients until he came back to the States to practice medicine.  Once nestled in the monopolistic health system, his hands were tied, so to speak.  There are a lot of frustrating rules to follow.  Not that he was a rule breaker, but if you read his books or listen to his interviews, he clearly explains why the typical health care modalities are insufficient in giving people their lives back. 

So, his sons grew up in a home that was far away from the current medical system.  They had no exposure.  They were asked by an interviewer what did it feel like when they learned there were much better ways to get healthy. They said that "ah ha" moment never happened.  They had no idea that most of us in drug free health approaches were refugees from a lost system.  

I felt very lost when I was a mental health therapist watching people suffer under a system that often made them worse. I had to leave.  I felt the same frustration working as a consultant in a nursing home.  

When Dr. Harvey's sons said they did not have that kind of disappointing experience, I was in awe!  

I wish I grew up that way.  I am middle-aged now and feel I barely scratched the surface of what makes us great.  After years of adding to my education, I now have a lot of unlearning to do. What if I didn't grow up the way I did?  I was lucky to learn about the body systems when I was a little kid in grade school, but I veered off that path of understanding when I was immersed in the medical view point.  You learn how wonderful the body is, until you learn the opposite.  

People just accept that sickness is a part of life.   They stop short.  They never search.  You don't search for something unless you really think you can find it. 

I rejected that broken down idea when I saw my grandmother suffering.  I didn't want to follow in her footsteps. 

How do we reverse course? It starts with your brain.  

Brain First / Body Follows

What your brain learns and experiences, it repeats back to you in your body.  

Chiropractic helps sort it out and teach your brain patterns that are compatible with life ---

---- a vibrant life.  

How does that work?  Ask me to teach you the Brain First Protocol.

Don't wait....call. 

315-277-1362

If You Care, It Shows

When I was in 6th or 7th grade I bought my first guitar. I saved up a huge pile of quarters for months.  My grandma would slip me a five dollar bill every now and then.  It was about $125 including tax.  I had my eye on the display at Kmart. Finally the day came when my new guitar was placed in it's cardboard box and I took it home. 

Being a kid.  I had no idea of the quality of the wood, or how the type of assembling gave the guitar its unique sound.  At that simple age, I was proud I could afford a "starter" guitar.  I enjoyed it. 

This is much like the folks I meet who believe they are doing great with the "one a day" style vitamins.  The ones advertised all over the TV.  They are "starter" pills.  I did the same thing when I was in my 20s.  I took  a CVS vitamin once and day and felt proud that my urine was yellow.  I knew I wasn't up to snuff if my urine was pale looking.  It meant I missed a dose of my great store vitamins. 

Just like my Kmart guitar, these cheap pills are just that, cheap.  However, a beginner's guitar is not dangerous to health.  Synthetic vitamins are horrible. 

Now that I hang out with more people who play guitar, I know more about quality.  You don't buy the cheapest instrument at the department store.  You actually go to a music store that specializes in stringed instruments.  You may even go straight to the crafter who builds guitars. 

This is the same with nutrition companies.  As you learn more about quality, you go to specialists.  You can even visit their farms and production plants. 

If you think you deserve the best quality nutrients, especially knowing how drastically poor our food supply is, you will go to specialists.  You won't listen to corny commercials during your favorite Monday night sit-com. 

In fact, the high quality supplement companies do not waste their money on fancy TV commercials.  They have more important things to do, like inspecting raw materials and planting regenerative crops. 

As we get older, we get smarter, right? More experience means you give yourself more options. 

Yes, I carry my favorite supplements in my office.  And I take them myself, for my own health.  

Oh no, I'm trying to get more money out of you by selling supplements.  

It's a free country.  You can go to the drug stores and buy what you want.  Ask the counter clerk for a copy of a quality analysis of your favorite supplement.  I bet the clerk can't even find the phone number for customer support.  Ask which farm you can visit. The store clerks are not invested in the products.  They just stack them on the shelves.

I have a new guitar, a Taylor Mini Special Edition.  It's got a great sound. It took a while to decide it was time for a new guitar.  Actually I haven't had one for many years.  I don't have my beginner guitar any more.  With all my moves, I have no idea where it ended up. 

With my new guitar I'm committed to play more, get better. 

When it comes to chiropractic, which is Greek for practice of the hands, cheir + praktos, you want to to support your adjustment with top notch nutrition.  I use my hands to adjust the spine.  You also practice with your hands the lifestyle habits that support your chiropractic care. 

Your body is reorganizing itself all the time.  Your nervous system is busy guarding and guiding bodily functions.  It deserves your thanks.  It deserves reimbursement.  Energy out = Energy In.  Pay back what stress takes. 

Just as I am inspired to be a better guitar player with a nice instrument, I hope you are inspired to understand how profound chiropractic and nutrition can be in your life. 

When you know how well designed your body is, you are more inclined to take better care of it.  Simple idea, but it can give you great mileage.  

My battle begins everyday when I have to first tell people that they are not diseased, they are not aging, and they are not falling apart.  You are built like a fine stradivarius.  We are not as flawed as we have been taught, but that negativity goes deep.  This belief does great damage to our brain's ability to handle stress.  Let's reverse the trend of misleading information.  

Get acquainted with your intelligent brain and body so you can see real improvements in your health. 

Learn the basics of the Brain First Protocol. 

Treat yourself like you would treat a valuable and beautiful stradivarius. Because you are valuable and beautiful. 

*  *  *  *  

What's Up with Concussions?

 

(Image: Queensland Brain Inst)

Again, I watch another news story about the increase in concussions.  And I wonder, what has changed?  What has changed in us?  We have always played hard, and fallen hard.  Is it possible our current traumas are more forceful?  I don't think so.  

Perhaps car accidents are more impactful with higher speed limits and a looser attitude toward driving under the influence...

Perhaps children are playing sports in a way that is too adult-like.  There's pressure to perform.  There's pressure to get a scholarship. Are kids playing more forcefully than when I was a child?  After all, we play for the thrill.  And to win.

I want to throw out some different hypotheses.

1- We are built differently.  I'll say we are weaker.  What are we made of? We are made of chemicals.  The protein matrix of our bones, muscles, and tissues are full of poisons.  We have a load of pesticides, solvents, preservatives, drugs and injections in our systems.  Besides having a lot of environmental pollutants, it is awful knowing our food supply is deliberately poisoned.  Our food is not food.  (I bet scientists already have proof of this but won't tell us.  I bet there are findings on blood work or Xrays that haven't been taught in medical school so they are ignored.  You hear the term "artifacts" bandied about often.  It's too easy to say, "Oh, it's just a meaningless artifact."  Is it meaningless?

2- Our brains are terribly wired.  Our brains are already damaged by our life styles. A brain can be so wrapped up in stress that it can't handle the new stress of an injury.   Our brains are then in a super high level of nervous system overload. The autonomic nervous system is so fired up with draining stress hormones that an injury pushes it over the edge.  When the body is already at the brink of collapse and then an impromptu accident is especially taxing.

Most of us appear to be functional.  We have no idea how burdened our nervous systems are, because we are used to it.

"Toughen up!"   Don't look weak.  Don't ask for help. 

How do you know if your nervous system is on the brink of collapse?  If something threw your life into a tail spin right now, would your brain and body be able to handle it?

Would you have a mild injury to recover from , or would you end up disabled?

The Brain First Protocol will shed light on this. 

Chiropractic is the Foundation of the Brain First Protocol. I'll teach you why.

The whole point of chiropractic is to adjust the spine so it can unwind the stress of your life, giving you a refreshed energy to live the whole human experience  --- regardless of pain, whether you are in pain or not in pain.   

The brain is constantly reorganizing itself.  Chiropractic enhances the process. 

-- Dr. Lisa

--Your Health Freedom Advocate

So, You Think You're In Control ?

 The Brain Decides & Delegates. 

It is Your Friend, not Your Enemy.  

I Teach Why. 

A Brain at work is not a Disease.

It's the Design.

You have Intelligent Design.

You can decipher it or disparage it.  Which one sounds healthier?

(Sometimes we misread our body's signals and add more fuel to the fire.)

Everyday your nervous system is learning new patterns, new wiring based on your exposures as you live your life. 

 You are totally unique.  Your patterns are all yours. 

Your brain is constantly reorganizing your body's responses based on the environment: your internal environment and external environment.  

This is the genuine magic of the autonomic nervous system.  

It takes care of your survival needs.  

Your limbic system regulates the survival responses -- Fight or Flight.

But, your pre-frontal cortex helps you decide how you want to move forward in life.  The pre-frontal cortex helps you stop a fight, for example.  That discerning part of your brain is what kept you from hitting your brother in the face when he made you mad.   

We may not have control over our immediate nervous systems responses, but we can choose to change the stress levels.  

The Brain First Protocol gives us the opportunity to respect the Fight or Flight response and the balance that allows our body to rest and repair. 

Is Your Pain a Villain?  Read More Here.

Brain First * Body Follows

Chiropractic works in sync with your

Intelligent Design

Posture is So Misunderstood

 Posture is not the Original Problem…

Fixing the Posture Won't Work

It is the Silent Alarm of Brain/Organ Burn-Out

from the Nervous System protecting you from the environment. (Mental, Physical, Chemical Environment)

The Fight or Flight position is head down, in order to run. The head weighs as much as a bowling ball.

For every inch the head leans forward, it adds 10 pounds of pressure on the body.

What happens over time?

• Headaches      Neck Pain      Vision Problems

• Thyroid Burnout     Cold    Weight Gain     Flaky Skin

• Shoulder pain, dysfunction

• Gall Bladder Removed         Liver problems   

• Heart / Lung Problems      Less Oxygen to the Brain      Anxiety

• Slowed Digestion    Bloated      Sinus Problems

• Leaky Gut: Allergies       Skin problems / Skin Rashes      Brain fog

• Irritable bowel: Constipation or Diarrhea     Crohn’s   Colitis

• Adrenal problems      Fatigue       Blood Sugar Problems, 

• Bone Loss, Muscle Loss / Atrophy

• Reproductive System Problems: PCOS, Heavy Periods, Infertile

• Back Pain       Leg Pain      Restless Legs       Calf Cramps

• Achilles Tendonitis or Rupture

•  Memory Problems   Depression    Poor Sleep  Vivid  Dreams 

It's another chicken and the egg question.

What came first?

Every organ/muscle/gland is stressed at the same time.

Why is the body so stressed?

We need an "Every" approach.

What Can We Do?

Follow the Brain First Protocol !!

Brain First / Body Follows

Chiropractic is the Foundation of the Brain First Protocol. I'll teach you why.

The whole point of chiropractic is to adjust the spine so it can unwind the stress of your life, giving you a refreshed energy to live the whole human experience  --- regardless of pain, whether you are in pain or not in pain.   

The brain is constantly reorganizing itself.  Chiropractic enhances the process. 

-- Dr. Lisa

--Your Health Freedom Advocate

S.M.A.R.T. Goals Are Dumb

Image: VeryFitWell.com

SMART Goals are not that smart.   

S.M.A.R.T. is for robots.   You are not a robot. You are a person with emotions, memories, and a persistent nervous system. 

We all have genuinely important goals we want to achieve. People want to lose weight, be more healthy, have better relationships, be good role models for their children, save money for a rainy day, etc.

S.M.A.R.T. doesn't really touch on the real problem of why we can't meet our goals. 

The SMART part doesn't help us get over our road blocks, the things that get in the way of our success.  And most of the time the road block is fear.

What is S.M.A.R.T.?

S -specific 

M -measurable

A -achievable

R -relevant

T -time-bound

This approach to success doesn't get anyone excited, right? Image: ParentMap

With any type of desired success, it requires an energy shift.  Where are you concentrating your time and energy?  

Saying you want to lose 10 pounds by losing one pound a week is not very motivating.  Yes, it is specific, measurable, achievable, etc., but the elephant in the room is why you gained 10 pounds in the first place and why it doesn't make you happy. 

To be even more depressing, the energy shift requires giving something up to gain something more worthwhile. It's a grieving process.

And the fear is still not addressed.  What is there to fear?

Fear of cravings.

Fear no one will support you or fear someone will tempt you

Fear of saying no to someone who offered you a plate of cookies. 

Fear of saying no at the junk food booth at the local football game.

Fear of losing friendships with folks who like buffet restaurants.

Fear of others watching you as you stumble around gym equipment that you've never used before.

The measurable end goal seems so simple.  Ten pounds should be no big deal.  But the real deal is what kept you from the goal which is your brain patterns.  

From a chiropractic point of view, we know a flexible nervous system is behind good health.  We utilize the chiropractic adjustment to rewire the brain from exhaustion and weakness to vitality.  

And yes, an exhausted brain can't think well.  A burned out brain is unable to problem solve. 

If you have weight loss as a goal, the reading on the scale is only one outcome.  From a brain first perspective so much more can be achieved such as better sleep, more energy, more productivity, more time for recreation and hobbies, maybe even a new job and a career move.  It's not about weight.  It's about how well your brain carries you through your life. And that brain is attached to your spine!

If you have other health goals, such as moving better with ease, having a clearer head, reducing anxiety, your brain health matters, too. 

If you want to skip the SMART way and go the BRAIN way, you've come to the right place. 

B - bed (sleep)

R - repattern (I'll teach you how)

A - adjustments (the opportunity to wake up the brain)

I - innate or insight (learn why the brain is always correct)

N - nutrition 

Brain First --> Body Follows

Brain First --> A Vibrant Life Follows

Take the first step today and make the phone call.  I don't bite. 

315-277-1362.