Beating addiction may take an extra nudge from the chiropractor. Go here to read the fascinating account from Psychology Today about the role of a healthy spine and nervous system in the recovery process
When a study revealed that mercury in childhood vaccines may have caused autism in thousands of kids, the government rushed to conceal the data, and to prevent parents from suing drug companies for their role in the epidemic.
"If, as the evidence suggests, our public-health authorities knowingly allowed the pharmaceutical industry to poison an entire generation of American children, their actions arguably constitute one of the biggest scandals in the annals of American medicine." --Robert F Kennedy, Jr.
Moms, want to lower stress? Try breastfeeding. New research from the Douglas Hospital Research Centre in Montreal shows mothers who breastfeed respond less to stressful situations than those who bottle-feed their children. These findings suggest these mothers may be better able to care for their children.
"It has been well established that breast milk is the best source of nutrition for infants-- it is beneficial to their physical and mental development," says Claire-Dominique Walker, Ph.D., senior investigator and director of the Neuroscience Research Division at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre. "Our work now shows that there is a reciprocal benefit of breastfeeding to the mothers-- they react less to stressful situations. This means they will focus more on their children and have more energy for activities such as attending to their infants and producing milk-- this is an obvious gain for the children."
The June 2005 issue of the British Medical Journal reports that homebirth is as safe as hospital birth for low risk women, yet carries a much lower rate of medical interventions, including Caesarean section. The study of 5400 women in North America supports the World Health Organization’s 1996 position: “Midwives are the most appropriate primary healthcare provider to be assigned to the care of normal birth.”
Have you ever watched a good guitarist tuning his guitar?He picks up his instrument and starts to play. Then he cocks his ear because he hears a sour note that no one else heard.The next thing you know he stops playing and hunches over, listening intently to one string as he gently and gradually adjusts the tuning peg.Then he carries on as if nothing happened.
So what is he doing while he is winding or unwinding that small peg on the end of the guitar string? The amount of tension in the guitar string determines the note and hence the tune that plays when he plucks the string.
The goal of the skilled musician is to tune the guitar so it can make a more beautiful sound.
Now try to imagine a funny looking guitar: this one has pegs at both ends of the string, so that you could change the tension in the string from either end of the guitar.There is also an extra peg right at the tip of the neck of the guitar which can also change the tension of all the strings.
What we have just described is an analogy for the relationship between your spinal column and your spinal cord. The "pegs" on this special guitar represent small ligaments which actually hang the spinal cord within the spinal canal. These ligaments are few in number (about half a dozen at each end of the spine), and only attach specific sections of the spinal cord to corresponding vertebrae.
When a specific command travels down the spinal cord from the brain to the body, or when sensory information is transmitted back up the spinal cord to the brain, there is a flash of electricity that carries the messages. Quick body responses and sensory perceptions result.
At the same time, there is also a low-grade wave of radio frequency traveling up and down your spinal cord that determines the "mood" or "tone" of your central nervous system. This affects your level of consciousness and awareness, your mood, and the slower metabolic and hormonal functions of your body.
Scientifically speaking, your spinal cord is a thick string of piezo-electric gel (electricity-conducting jelly). Its working frequency is determined by the amount of tension and/or torsion being placed at either end of the "string."Just like the guitar string, the tightness of the spinal cord determines the kind of music that your body can make – off-key and uncomfortable, or lovely and harmonious.
Tonal chiropractic focuses attention on the “tuning pegs” of your body, those vital connection points between the spinal cord and spinal column.As we gently and methodically adjust these areas of your “guitar string” (spinal cord), we change the degree of tension in the central nervous system in an effort to change the resulting notes. Our adjustments aim to remove any blockages to the fast acting messages that travel up and down your spinal cord, and at the same time rebalance the overall frequency at which your entire nervous system is operating.
When many people get up after an adjustment, they comment on how their vision seems clearer, the light or view seems sharper, their head feels lighter, their body feels looser, etc. These are all reflections that your central nervous system is now operating at a better frequency.
The goal of the skilled tonal Chiropractor is to tune your spinal cord to a better level of tension, allowing the instrument of your body to make more beautiful and enjoyable “music” – ease of movement and a sense of well-being.
In any exercise, first estimate what 100% of your physical capacity is in terms of range of movement or time of practice; that is, how much your body can actually stretch and how much your body can endure before it collapses. Once you determine this, you then only move or practice to 70% of your capacity. This percentage is not rigid, and the appropriate amount could be anywhere from 60 to 80%, depending on your condition.
If people were totally sensitive and aware of all their physical limitations, there probably wouldn’t be much of a need to mention this rule.The principle upon which the 70% rule is based is that development must begin by considering your weakest link.Do not seek maximum performance, as that quest may both damage the weak link and cause the whole system to contract and tense up.
The “Give 100%” Attitude is Dangerous.
Commonly when people try to give 100%, they inadvertently go to 110 or 120% of their body’s maximum capacity, which results in injury, sometimes slight and sometimes severe.We’ve all heard of the beginning runner who goes out on his first day knowing he needs to warm up.He stretches his legs, starts running, reaches 100% of his capacity without knowing it, and when he decides to go a little further (“more is better”) he pulls his hamstring.
Another factor is at work here.At 70% of your perceived performance level, you can throw 100% of your energy and effort into developing what you are practicing.Yet as you approach 100% of capacity, the body will subconsciously react with fear to potential damage.This fear is a necessary and natural survival mechanism, and even without your awareness, your body and mind will tense up in response to it.Since two of the fundamental purposes of the core exercises are to develop deep relaxation and reduce stress in the body, this 100% attitude is counterproductive.
Many athletes will overtrain to win, resulting in permanent damage to their bodies.This is opposite to the principles of the Core Exercises, which aim to make your body work in a more relaxed, efficient, and healthy manner for the rest of your life.The more you practice them, the more energy you have—so long as you keep within the 70% rule.The 70% rule prevents people from becoming heroes at the expense of their bodies.
Moderation protects old injuries.
Many people with weak knees, bad ankles, or old injuries (which they may even be unaware of), will find that keeping to this principle of moderation will save a lot of physical pain and bodily damage, whether doing Chi Gung or any other type of exercise.The majority of Americans do not have a regular exercise regimen, and therefore try to do everything in the first week, or even the first day.Now the one thing all athletes know is that you often do not know what injuries have occurred until the next day.The purpose of the 70% rule is to prevent injuries before they occur.
It has been my experience, having taught thousands of people, that whole lot of people ignore these safety warnings even after several injuries!It is my hope that you will re-read the 70% rule at least three or four times, and take note of when your body speaks to you.It would prefer that you didn’t damage it.
This excerpt from “Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body” is reprinted by permission from the author, BK Frantzis, Energy Arts, Inc.http://www.energyarts.com
Chiropractic is based on a healing model, which is distinct from the curing model now prevalent in modern society.Each of these models represents a completely distinct world view.
The curing model emerges from a Newtonian perspective, which views everything in the world as separate and distinct from everything else.From this perspective, disease is seen as an isolated event that must be controlled or eliminated before it causes further damage.The presence or absence of the symptom is the indication of whether someone has been cured.
The healing model comes from an understanding of quantum physics and unified field theory, which views all of creation as emerging from the same source.In this model, everything is interconnected and affects everything else.Healing is a process of reintegrating mind, body, and spirit.The measure of whether someone is healing is “are you learning more about yourself?”
The Curing Model The goal of this model is to bring the individual back to a so-called normal. Typically, a person with a symptom goes to the doctor for treatment. The doctor, who is viewed from both sides as the ultimate authority, isolates and labels the problem. S/he then prescribes a course of treatment to control or eliminate the condition before it causes more harm. The body is seen as separate and independent from the mind and spirit.
In this model, the individual loses a sense of involvement or control in the healing process and slips into victim consciousness. Both sides agree that the doctor is the only one who can have an effect on the condition. There is no awareness that the person has any responsibility for creating or curing the condition. In fact, the effect of the mind and the spirit are usually not even considered. The symptom is seen as the enemy‚ and the doctor and the medical technology at his disposal are the ammunition which must be enlisted to defeat the enemy. Fear and judgment are at the root of this model. The body is seen as a victim of the whims of time and change, both of which are resisted and feared.
The Healing Model The goal of the healing model is to help the individual reintegrate body/mind with spirit. We learn about ourselves, which allows our true nature to be more fully expressed. In the process we learn to feel the full range of emotions, no longer blocking out feelings that stop the expression of the innate intelligence within.
In this model, the person asks for help to reconnect with his or her inner intelligence and meet life's challenges. The role of the chiropractor is to help individuals to be more in touch with their innate intelligence, which actually does the healing. The doctor's responsibility is to initiate the adjustment, clear the pathways for the expression of innate intelligence, trust the innate intelligence of the individual, and encourage the healing process.
In the process of healing, one may experience symptoms. When viewed from a healing perspective, symptoms are not judged as good or bad. They are agents of change, which provide an opportunity for growth. They appear to indicate the body is overwhelmed and to alert the individual that a change in the way the nervous system functions is needed for progress to occur.
In this model, healing is a process. By clearing subluxations, the nervous system becomes more flexible and able to change. Trust is the basis of this model: trust in the inner intelligence that governs all life and exists within everyone.
It is up to each person to choose which model they wish to use. The intent of the individual determines the benefit that is gained from each adjustment. In the process of healing, life expresses itself. When people are more integrated they are more connected with what they need to do‚ what decisions or choices they need to make‚ to be themselves and make progress in their lives.
One is the current prevailing model, based on the study of diseases and symptomatic effects and how to diagnose and treat them, either with the practice of allopathic medicine or with one of the more natural alternative approaches.This is the reactive model.
The second approach to health and healing is newer and growing rapidly. It is the non-symptom proactive model toward healing, wellness and fitness. In this model, instead of reacting to symptoms, you actively do things that enhance your natural healing, immune function and fitness.
These include:
Routinely eating more nutritious whole foods and reducing your intake of refined and processed foods
Quitting or reducing your intake of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and caffeine
Doing a temporary cleansing detoxification diet occasionally
Regularly exercising to increase core muscle strength and balance
Wearing better, more supportive shoes with Posture Control Insoles.
Doing some form of daily stress-reducing practice
Progressively reducing damaging physical stress and interference to the function of your nervous system with tonal chiropractic care
These two approaches are not alternatives; they are complementary.
We all need the non-symptom proactive healing and fitness approaches. Many of us also need reactive treatment of symptoms and diseases.
Tonal chiropractors recommend and support all non-symptom proactive practices.
The spine, also called the backbone, is what is behind us. It is the infrastructure of the human body.
The spinal column supports the head and the shoulder girdle to which the upper limbs are attached. The rib cage, connected to the spine, encases the internal organs which are also, directly or indirectly, attached to the vertebral column by means of suspensory ligaments. The very base of the spine is wedged between the hips to which the lower extremities are bolted. The spine also houses and protects the delicate spinal cord and the sensitive nerve roots. So it is truly the most essential and vital core of the human organism, yet because it is behind us we give it little attention.
But what is behind– the back porch of a house, the rear of a building or shop– is where we dump everything we do no want the world to see. Most of us do just that with our body; we present our front for the world to see but all the stress– negativity and things we dislike about ourselves– we store and hide behind our backs as tension or stored energy.
The past is also behind us. The back is the map of our past; it is the place where all past experiences we could not integrate at the time are stored. In our spine and back are imprinted our fears, excessive responsibilities, lack of support, be it financial, emotional or social. It is where “the way we live life” is reflected: either in the flow and aligned with the river of life or holding back with resistance or pushing too hard as in type A personality.
This accounts for the great physiological, emotional, mental and spiritual benefits gained by having the neuroskeleton tuned via a Chiropractic adjustment. In health and in sickness it makes a world of difference. In the quality of our lives it makes a world of difference.
