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.

Letting Go and Healing

I was raised as a Catholic, and there is one aspect of my religious upbringing that has always stuck with me. When asked about this, the answer I usually give is that I'm a big fan of Jesus. Through my years of exposure, it seems to me that the main theme of his teachings is love unconditionally, love without judgment.

Unconditional love is wonderful in theory, but how often can we actually practice such a premise with ease? There are two answers. First, that it is easy. We need only to choose love in each moment. Secondly, it can be very difficult unless we are willing and able to let go of our attachment to a given outcome in a situation.

One reoccurring theme for me when working with clients is to ask, “What is it that we can get or learn from our body's symptoms or challenges?” We might also ask, “What is it that we can learn from life's challenges?”

For some time now, I've had a conceptual understanding of the teaching that there are gifts in every experience we have. Even though people in our lives may have wounded us, the experience offers us wisdom that we would not have received otherwise. It was only recently at a Network seminar that I could actually feel this experience in my body. This was one of the most wonderfully powerful and freeing experiences I've ever had. For the first time, I could truly feel love and gratitude for the people in my life that I felt had wounded me most deeply.

I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to see the Dali Lama a few months ago when he was lecturing at Emory University . In addition to being moved by his wonderful nature and the wisdom of his teachings, I was intrigued by another Buddhist tradition, the meditative construction and subsequent destruction of a Mandela made of colored sand. All week long the monks worked on creating an extremely intricate Mandela. Anyone who saw it could bear witness to how absolutely beautiful and amazing this piece of art/work was. Yet, at the end of the week they destroyed it. Because we are attached to the outcome for things of beauty to have permanence, our first thought might be to wonder how the monks could bear to destroy something so beautiful. However, this tradition teaches the lesson of impermanence and non-attachment.

My favorite author, Elkhart Tolle, writes in his book, “The Power of Now,” about the practice of meditating on the experience of your own death. While this may seem like a morbid exercise, it can free you from your attachments to life and/or your fear of death. Death is inevitable. However, once we have let go of any fears we have of dying, we can we truly experience life.

When we experience an attachment to an outcome instead of looking at an experience for the gifts that it has to offer, we set ourselves up for mental anguish. This will deteriorate the quality of our life experience and can even lead to symptoms in the body.

Essentially, most spiritual leaders and teachings have similar messages. In order to truly experience the joy of life and relationships in each moment we must be willing to let go of our attachments. It is only when we fully let go of our attachments that we can experience true unconditional love.

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.