What's The Goal of Healing

Years ago, when I first began to study and practice Dr. Donald Epstein's work, it was called Network Chiropractic. Through research and trial and error, Network Chiropractic has evolved into a technique that is now called Network Spinal Analysis (NSA). One difference between the two techniques is that there is no longer a structural adjusting component or the neck and back popping that is usually associated with chiropractic techniques. The other main difference is the introduction of levels of care. Each level of care is associated with a new strategy for clients to learn as well as expected clinical and self reported outcomes.

The levels of care provide a framework and roadmap for the direction of each particular visit. It also helps goal-oriented practitioners to have something to work toward. Although it is great to have working goals, there is a downside to being completely goal-oriented.

One day, I had a conversation with a client who was very concerned about how far she had gotten in her clinical outcomes each visit. If she didn't reach the same or better level strategy as she had on the previous visit, she felt like she had failed. After noticing this response a couple of times, we had a conversation about it.

The truth is, based upon the number and frequency of visits she had had, her progress was as good as or better than I would have expected. But success was not coming fast enough for her. Through a more in depth conversation, I discovered the same theme in other aspects of her life as well. So I inquired, “What if you reach this goal, then what happens?” She answered, “Well then I can start the next thing.” This went on for a few rounds before she realized that this strategy could never truly satisfy her.

Within each level of care in NSA care there are gifts, information and strategies to be learned and integrated. Each person receiving care is unique and may require more or less work in any particular level. With this in mind, it would not be appropriate to rush to the next level simply to get there.

Even if an individual has worked in an advanced level of care, there are often times when basic care strategies need to be reinforced or addressed with more depth. Tiger Woods, arguably the best golfer in the world, is on the practice range every day practicing his swing. While it's obvious he knows how to swing a golf club by now, he can always achieve a greater level of depth in that particular strategy. A similar logic can also be applied to healing strategies. NSA clients will constantly move back and forth between level of care strategies, depending upon their needs on any particular day.

In NSA, as in life, if everything is about getting to the next level or goal, an individual can miss out on the gifts and learning that take place along the way. As Dr. Epstein says, “It's great to set goals, but it's not about reaching the goal, it's about the person that you become along the way.”

Robert Updegraff, author of Be Thankful for Your Troubles, writes, "Happiness is to be found along the way, not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it is too late. Today, this hour, this minute is the day, the hour, the minute for each of us to sense the fact that life is good, with all of its trials and troubles, and perhaps more interesting because of them."

We've all heard the saying, “Life is a journey.” NSA and Network Care provide a system that guides individuals through the journey of their own healing process, as in life, wherever it may go and however long it may take.

Bridging the Gap in Healing

Several years ago when I first began practicing, a client told me about a conscious living group that she was attending. Given my mainstream upbringing, I wasn't even sure what that meant. As far as I was concerned, to be conscious simply meant to be awake, and after all wasn't everyone awake?

Now there's an interesting question. In one sense, to be awake simply means that we are not sleeping. According to the dictionary, to awaken means to rise up and take action. Finally, being awake can mean to come or bring to an awareness; become cognizant. For example, when one awakens to the realities of life.

Over the past several years, I've had the opportunity to read many books on the subject of consciousness. Being in the field of wellness has also afforded me some interesting experiences that have helped to open my understanding of the concept. No doubt, this is a journey that I will continue to expand upon.

I recently had a conversation with a client about bridging the gap between awareness and the ability to act upon that awareness. One of the main concepts I promote at the Center for Holistic Health is becoming aware of the body and what it is trying to tell us. Initially, the body's signals are subtle. Many times we are not even aware that it is trying to tell us something. This is usually because our attention is placed upon a multitude of other things. This is easily understandable in our fast-paced culture.

When we don't, or are unable to pay attention to our body, the signals can become louder. This is an attempt to get our notice so that we can change whatever is needed. This call to awareness can come in the form of symptoms. For example, if an individual is too stressed at work, they may begin to develop headaches, ulcers, indigestion, or other symptoms.

We often receive emotional signals as well. If we are not acting congruently with what we know is right or if we are fighting against the flow of life it can cause us mental and emotional anguish. Dr. Donald Epstein says, “All of our problems arise from our inability to experience our experience.” Sometimes we fight against the flow of life and hold onto the idea of how we thought things should be. Sometimes it can take us days, weeks, months or even years realize the wisdom of the universe and let go of our attachments. If we can learn to let go of those attachments, the quality of our life experience will be greatly enhanced.

I often think about this concept in terms of our environment. What if we could be more aware of the subtle signals of the environment? It seems that we usually wait until there is an imminent crisis before we begin to enact a positive change. I'm sure there are volumes that could be written on this subject. Carbon monoxide emissions, environmental toxicity and destruction of natural habitats and species are just a few examples that come to mind. Here in the state of Georgia , it seems as if we had to wait till our lakes were dangerously low before we really got serious about conserving water.

One way consciousness could be described is by where we place our focus and attention. When our attention is stuck and fixated on events of the past that we cannot change, it hinders our ability to be awake and aware of the needs of the present moment. The present moment is the only time when we are able to take action to change and adapt to our world.

In a state of elevated wellness and consciousness, we are better able to direct where we place our focus and attention. When we are unable to do this, we are, in effect, unconscious. However, we can work toward heightening awareness of our internal signals and acting appropriately. Wellness is about bridging the gap between the two.

Is The Dog Whisperer Holistic?

I have often commented that the concepts I work with and teach in Network Spinal Analysis and Somato-Respiratory Integration are not exclusive to these methodologies. In fact, as I look around I constantly see these principles showing up in print, video and in life. These holistic or life principles and could easily be applied to any discipline.

The other day I was watching television with my friend Jason. He turned to the National Geographic channel and asked if I had ever watched a show called “The Dog Whisperer”? I had heard about the show prior to that but had not had an opportunity to see it before then.

The “Dog Whisperer”, Cesar Millan, has an uncanny ability to help rehabilitate dogs with behavioral problems such as aggression, unrelenting barking or jumping on people. As I watched the program I noticed the concepts he taught to the dog owners were totally congruent with what I would teach to my own clients.

Dog owners bring their pets to see Cesar when they desire to change an unwanted behavior. The first point Cesar makes to the owners is that the animal's behavior is a way of sending a distress signal. Somehow his needs as an animal are not being met. The first idea I share with clients is that their symptoms are a call for change. Instead of just attempting to remove the symptom, or behavior, we can look at the circumstances that are causing our bodies or dogs to behave in that manner. This could be a change in diet, exercise, the dynamics of our relationships, or an owner's relationship with their dog.

One of Cesar's techniques is to introduce the behaviorally challenged dogs into his pack of well behaved dogs. One of the reasons he does this is because the energy of the pack is calm. Just by being in the presence of the calm pack, the misbehaving dog will automatically begin to change its own energetic state and behavior. Cesar is employing the concept of harmonic entrainment. Harmonic entrainment is the matching of vibrational tone or energy. When the hyper, nervous or aggressive dog is placed among the calm energy of the pack, he will automatically begin to adopt the same tone and demeanor. Network Spinal Analysis uses the phenomenon of harmonic entrainment to help create a more relaxed physiology for its clients. Transformational Gates are seminars that participants can receive Network care in a large group setting for the same reason. The results are automatically much more powerful.

Cesar also understands that more often than not, a dog's behavior is a reflection of the owner's behavior. Part of his protocol focuses on retraining the owners to be calm and assertive. Many times we wonder why we have so much stress and drama in our lives. We feel like victims of circumstance. However, if we can learn to create more peace within ourselves, we tend to attract less stress and drama into our lives.

Finally, Cesar does not believe in a quick fix and says the best way to find a solution to your dog's problem is to show real love. If we look at the problems we are having with our animals or in our lives, our bodies or our relationships with judgment and blame, it is very difficult to find real solutions. If we can approach them with love, patience and commitment, we have an opportunity to create a shift that is more likely to become a long term change.

Making sense of nutrition

by Trulie Ankerberg-Nobis, M.S.

Over the years that I have been studying and counseling others in nutrition, I frequently hear people complain that nutrition information and recommendations are confusing and too frustrating to implement. I can sympathize with this sentiment. When one week a study saying that fiber prevents colon cancer (and so one should increase fiber intake) and then the next week another study comes out saying fiber does not prevent colon cancer, which do you believe and which dietary changes should you make?

As a registered dietitian, I have had the requisite training and knowledge to comb through the confusion and help you come up with realistic changes that can add to your health. While public diet recommendations are aimed at populations, registered dietitians can help with creating a personal nutrition plan for individuals who have unique needs and goals. In the meantime, here are some principles to follow to ascertain whether the latest nutrition and health headline is worth making changes for.

1. Is this the first time you have heard this claim being made? Not all brand new nutrition news should be tossed out the window. But there should be some skepticism that this research may not play out to be the final truth. New studies need to be validated by further study. Also, newer studies are often smaller and have less statistical power than studies building on previous studies. But when another study comes out saying to eat more fruits and vegetables, this is a claim you have probably heard before and further validates the truth that more fruits and vegetables should be eaten.

2. Check the source. The study should be published in a peer-reviewed journal such as the Journal of the American Dietetic Association or American Journal of Clinical Nutrition . Unpublished studies or those that have not been published through a journal where it has been scrutinized by other nutrition experts may not be a valid. Anecdotal evidence needs to be tested in order for it to stand the test of time. Individual testimonials may be true but have not been separated from confounding variables to establish cause and effect relationships.

3. Studies done on animals have less validity than those done on human beings. It may be interesting to hear that rats lose weight consuming herbal supplements, but since we live in a very different world with different bodies than rats, it is best to wait to see if the same results ring true for human studies. Test tube studies are usually done on human cell lines making it more valid than those on animal cells, but the results would still need to be tested on human subjects before the results can be applied.

4. If the study is a review of many studies, it will have more validity as it evaluates a collection of studies on one topic. A meta-analysis is an example of this. For example, a recent meta-analysis on supplementation with various vitamins resulted in a collection of data with several hundred thousand people. People should take notice of the results of this kind of study and consider the results and recommendations.

5. Keep in mind that many media reports about nutrition research are highlighted as a way to increase ratings and sell newspapers/magazines and not to ensure you receive good nutrition information. If the conclusion seems outlandish or “too good to be true” it should be read with a critical eye.

Given these strategies to determine credible nutrition information, you should be able to better wade through the confusion. If you are interested in also gaining more nutrition knowledge to navigate through the grocery store or peruse menus for foods that will also contribute to your health and well-being, my services would be beneficial.

What is a registered dietitian and why should I choose one? A registered dietitian (RD) is a person who has completed a bachelor's (4 year) degree in food science, nutrition, dietetics, or other approved accredited program through the American Dietetic Association. The dietitian has also completed a 900 hour internship including hours in a clinical setting, passed the five parts of the association's registration examination, and maintains competency through continuing education. While all dietitians can call themselves nutritionists, not all nutritionists are Registered Dietitians. Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist but not have completed any education and training standards.

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Trulie Ankerberg-Nobis, M.S. is a registered and licensed dietitian. She offers personal diet counseling, supermarket tours, pantry makeovers, and cooking classes for healthy & delicious plant-based meals. Trulie works with clients to help them meet their goals for healthy eating and food preparation.

Her areas of expertise include weight loss, diabetes, heart disease, allergies, cancer, pregnancy, lactation, vegetarian, raw, and vegan eating styles, athletic training, eating disorders, and children and infant nutrition.

She has worked as a staff dietitian for The Physicians Committee for Responsible in Washington , D.C. and was research coordinator for Dr. Neal Barnard' s revolutionary Program for Reversing Diabetes study. She is an experienced public speaker who can address a wide variety of health-related issues.

Trulie is currently offering 20% discount off the initial consultation and 50% off a computerized nutrient diet analysis. You can access these coupons through her website AtlantaNutrition.com.