You're only hurting yourself

This morning, just as I sat down to write this article, a telemarketer called and asked, “May I speak to the person in charge of your printer supplies?” I politely replied, “Can you please take us off your list?” He told me if I didn't want to receive phone calls I should just disconnect my phone, and then he hung up without giving me a chance to reply. I had to laugh at his logic though.

I found the incident particularly funny since I was going to write about telemarketing calls for this month's newsletter. Last week, I got a telemarketing call from someone representing a copier company. Since I've received calls from this company before, I recognized the script. It reads something like this: “This is John, yeah, we're sending out the catalog. We just need to check the serial number on your copier, could you check?”

Of course, I don't have a copier, which is what I told them the first several times I got the call. I usually try to be as pleasant as possible, but my mischievous side takes over now and again and I'm likely to say, “Copier, what are you talking about? Who did you say this was? I don't know what you're talking about.” I suppose it wasn't really right for me to have fun at the expense of the person on the other end of the line trying to make a living, but nobody's perfect.

The fact is I really feel disappointment for that person, not because he is making his living telemarketing, but because the script he is required to read leaves him doing it in a dishonest fashion. I imagine that he doesn't realize the significance of being out of integrity, but I have no doubt he experiences its effects.

Integrity is an aspect of wellness we don't often hear about since it is not often discussed.

I recall my good friend and colleague Dr. Wayne Leyshon referring to this many years ago when he said, “Your life doesn't work when you're out of integrity.” It immediately made sense to me even if I didn't understand how it tied into wellness at the time.

People experiencing greater wellness initially feel a more peaceful state of mind, less depression and anxiety, and an increase in positive feelings about themselves. As they progress, they report quality of life changes such as confidence in dealing with adversity, more guidance by their inner voice and, of course, compassion for others. I think it's safe to say that compassion and deceit are incongruent.

But here's the catch — while wellness means ever expanding levels of awareness in your body, your life and the world around you, the more wellness you are experiencing, the more intolerant you will be of things that are incongruent with your body, mind and soul. This concept can be expanded to include all of humanity. When I was a kid, I remember seeing a bumper sticker that read, “As long as there is oppression, no one can truly be free.” While I was certainly not in support of oppression, I didn't realize at the time how it had any effect on me. From a spiritual sense, we begin to realize that we all come from the same Source, and to hurt another is congruent to hurting yourself.

I don't think it's possible for someone to feel true compassion for others and, at the same time, try and trick or deceive them. When you are aware of your body you immediately feel your own physiological reaction to all of your thoughts and actions, positive or negative. When you are living and acting without (or “out of”) integrity, you can't experience a state of inner peace and the physiology indicative of it. When we have a physiology of dis-ease and a relative disconnection from really feeling our body, eventually we will experience some kind of symptom as a way for our body to get our attention.

By sacrificing his integrity in order to boost sales, the telemarketer is unknowingly deteriorating the quality of his own life. I don't know him personally, but I would be willing to bet that it is showing up in some fashion, whether in physical symptoms or life situations. My hope for him and for all of us is that we recognize the symptoms as signals for self reflection and change.

I can't commit to that: Making healthy choices

One day a guy — let's call him Bill — called after having been referred to the Center for Holistic Health by a friend. Bill was experiencing back pain and was beginning to have trouble lifting his leg. Previously, when this had happened, Bill would see his chiropractor and that would take care of it. Bill then returned to his normal life. Only this time, it wasn't going away.

I invited him in for a consultation to further discuss his situation and determine some options. It turned out he'd been experiencing similar symptoms off and on for about fifteen years. He also shared with me that he'd been going through a particularly stressful time in his life.

I talked to Bill about how stress physiology and its global effects manifest in the body. He already knew that stress causes increased heart rate and blood pressure, shallow respiration and a tightening of the spinal muscles. He didn't even seem surprised to hear that it causes a reduced blood supply to the higher brain. This was probably because he was also experiencing some mental forgetfulness. Bill appeared to resonate with my description of Network Care and the effects it would have on stress physiology. Finally, he asked me how many visits he would need to commit to.

Those of you who know me or have read my articles understand that I'm not a proponent of the quick fix. We all shape our health over time. Since the factors involved in creating health — or dis-ease for that matter — are various and cumulative, why would we assume that years of patterns could be shifted and “fixed” instantly? In addition, the last thing I would want to do is remove his body's warning system without any learning or change in behavior on his part.

Based on his history, I told Bill that he'd most likely be looking at a couple of visits a week for several weeks to complete basic care. Bill said, in an extremely pleasant manner, “I have to be honest; I'm just not someone who can commit to that.” I appreciated his honesty, and, since I don't subscribe to the kill the messenger philosophy, I was able to tell him I had no attachment to his decision as to whether or not to begin care. Basically, he was saying that he had a history of not being able to commit to something like this and in order for him to do it he would have to change his normal behavior; he just wasn't sure he could do it. What is interesting here, of course, is the fact that Bill's inability to change and adapt in his life is most likely the cause of his discomfort, and exactly why he really needs care.

Clients have heard me say many times that the degree of flexibility in one's structure is directly proportional to the degree of flexibility in one's life, and this situation was a perfect example. Inflexibility in one's structure directly effects neuro-peptide binding on the cellular level. This, in turn, has an effect on one's available behavioral responses. For more information on the subject, refer to The Molecules of Emotion by Dr. Candice Pert.

Many times in life, we get attached to a story about ourselves, or an explanation of why things are the way they are regardless of the relevant truth. Our inability to change our story and adapt to the ever- changing landscape of life can wreck havoc on our physiology. If we are brought up with a particular belief system and those beliefs no longer work for us or match our evolved body/mind it creates a mental struggle and results in a defensive physiology and associated inflexibility of structure. Many of the symptoms we experience are a direct manifestation of this mechanism.

If we think about it and look back on our lives, how many times have we changed what we thought or believed about religion, politics, relationships and life? How many times have we reconsidered — in the light of new evidence or heightened awareness – what our choices might be? That is what you might call growth.

This is Dr. Gene. What's this Doctor's Specialty?

Several months ago, a client took me to an open house where she worked. She had an awkward time introducing me because she was unable to explain our professional relationship. She said something like, “This is Dr. Gene Clerkin; he's my back doctor,” or “He helps me learn how to breathe.” While I love and appreciate her as a client, I couldn't help but think that if a great client — who I believe understands the benefits and methodology of this work — has trouble formulating a description of Network Care, then everyone else probably does too.

While most of our clients are successful in achieving their goals and are happy with the amazing results they can experience with care, they often can't explain it to other people. This is not the ideal situation for a referral-based practice using a methodology little known to the general public. That being said, I thought it would be helpful to share a couple of easy explanations for Network Care with you.

First, Network Care is a profound healing work that helps to the body transform from a state of stress physiology to one of ease, safety and wellness. People in Network Care experience significantly greater physical, emotional and psychological well-being. They also develop the ability to make healthier choices and have a happier more productive life.

Or one could simply say, Dr. Gene is my wellness coach. His techniques help me get more in tune with my body, reduce stress and enhance my life.

In God we trust: Vitalistic Principles

The other day, I had a conversation with someone about healing which eventually became a conversation about spirituality. I recalled being back in school and working on cadavers. While staring in amazement at the masterpiece that is the human body, I remember very clearly saying to myself, “Wow, there's no way this just happened by mistake.” I believe that was one of the most defining moments of my future beliefs, personally, spiritually and professionally.

D.D. Palmer, the healer who created chiropractic, based his philosophy on a major premise. It states that there is a universal intelligence in all matter constantly giving to it all of its properties and actions, thus maintaining it in existence. In other words, without intelligence, matter could not exist. This sounds a little strange, but most theists might unknowingly agree and call that Universal Intelligence God.

I always liked the analogy that Reggie Gold, D.C. used to illustrate this principle. It went something like this: If we found a watch on the sidewalk, we could choose to believe that the elements in the structure of the watch came together randomly to create the intricate timepiece.

While anything is possible, I doubt most people would dispute the fact that the watch was, in fact, designed and assembled by the watchmaker. Why then would we think that the universe, in its grandeur, or the human body for that matter, could be anything but designed intelligently? Either the universe operates randomly or with intelligence as Palmer's premise supports.

If we do support that premise, then it must logically apply to all levels of the web of life. Our decisions about how we interpret our body's symptoms and what actions we might take are completely influenced by whether we trust what's happening. In other words, when we exhibit “symptoms” we all must ask, “Should I trust that my body knows what it is doing?”

One of the great things about having a major philosophical premise to work from is that it can be applied in all situations including how one eats, things one does for oneself, one's relationships, the environment, and everything else. People who are experiencing wellness have a tendency to trust in the process of life.

To me the principle is really a spiritual one that applies to all aspects of life. The question is, do we trust in the process, or are life's flavors met with fear and struggle?

*Note: This article is not meant to support either the creationist or evolutionist point of view.

Serendipidy: God's Guidance

As people work toward developing strategies to increase wellness, they experience a wide array of positive changes. One of my favorite changes in clients is an increase in serendipitous events in their lives. It is a characteristic that increases in relation to the degree of wellness a person is experiencing. In reference to Network Care, it shows up more in higher levels of care or when a person develops greater somatic awareness and strategies.

Several years ago, I wanted to get a PA system. I had been playing guitar and singing for several years and wanted to take it to the next level. At the time, it seemed a rather large purchase and I was unsure about whether I could justify spending the money. I called several music stores to price the particular system I was interested in, until I found a store that had the system for three hundred dollars less than all the others. I decided to go there, check it out and see what happened.

I was able to hook up and try out the system, and since the guy at the counter was a musician as well I asked him to play a song so I could see if it was what I was looking for and get a better idea of the sound quality. After he finished, he mentioned that I could take the system home and return it if I didn't like it. I figured I had nothing to lose. When he rang up the charge for the system, he realized it was on sale and was going to cost even less than I had expected. He didn't get any argument from me.

Because he mentioned that he played regularly at a local Atlanta establishment, I asked him how he got started and what I could do to get some gigs. Another customer overheard our conversation and handed me the business card of a local booking agent. He said if I called him he could set me up with some paying gigs which I thought was quite fortuitous.

I paid for the system, loaded up the car and headed for home. When I turned on the radio, Poison's “Rose” was playing. It had been about ten years since the last time I heard that song, but what I thought was really interesting and significant was that it happened to be the same song the music store guy played for me when he demonstrated the system. I immediately took that a positive sign that I had made the right decision in purchasing the system.

Later on, I sent a demo tape to the booking agent and began playing out shortly thereafter. The PA system paid for itself in less than a couple of months. Because music has been such an enjoyable experience for me, it turned out to be one of the defining decisions of my life.

I share this story with you because most of the time when we have decisions to make we refer to the conversation in our head in which we repeat the same thought patterns over and over, for the answer. The other alternative, and one which occurs more frequently in someone experiencing wellness, is to refer to our bodies and to the serendipitous guidance provided by the universe.

When we are “in our heads” our thoughts and behaviors are usually associated with fear and stress physiology. When we are not stuck in our heads, our guidance comes from observation and trust which is less available in a stress physiology. One of the aspects of wellness is choosing to make decisions based on trust rather than fear. In a defensive physiology our decisions tend to be more survival based and the wisdom of the body and our connection to a transcendent source are less available.

Personally, I believe these serendipitous events are occurring all the time. We just have to be aware enough to realize they're happening. Once you are, these coincidences don't seem so random or strange anymore. It's nice to see and experience this as one of the many benefits of a greater degree of wellness.

Community: An important aspect of healing

Every few months, the Network practitioners from the Southeast will get together and offer a “Clear Day.” Participants can do some yoga, SRI and have the opportunity to get entrained three times. Basically, it's a wonderful and gently structured day that is dedicated to peace and deepening your inner connection. Each time we have a Clear Day, I'm reminded of another important aspect of healing; building community. Sometimes, when we are on a personal healing journey, our friends or families don't really understand what we are engaged in so it's nice to connect with other individuals who do.

Seeing everyone interacting with each other at the last Clear Day, I was reminded about this very important aspect of a connected life - community. There is a banner posted in the bathroom at the Center that reads “How to Build Community”, followed by a hodgepodge of various community building ideas. I thought I would share them with you.

Turn Off Your TV, Leave Your House, Know Your Neighbors, Look Up When You Are Walking, Greet People, Sit On Your Stoop, Plant Flowers, Use Your Library, Play Together, Buy From Local Merchants, Share What You Have, Help A Lost Dog, Take Children To The Park, Garden Together, Support Neighborhood Schools, Fix It Even If You Didn't Break It, Have Pot Lucks, Honor Elders, Pick Up Litter, Read Stories Aloud, Dance In The Street, Talk To The Mail Carrier, Listen To The Birds, Put Up A Swing, Help Carry Something Heavy, Barter For Your Goods, Start A Tradition, Ask A Question, Hire Young People For Odd Jobs, Organize A Block Party, Bake Extra And Share, Ask For Help When You Need It, Open Your Shades, Sing Together, Share Your Skills, Take Back Your Night, Turn Up The Music, Turn Down The Music, Listen Before Your React To Anger, Mediate A Conflict, Seek To Understand, Learn From New And Uncomfortable Angles, Know That No One Is Silent Though Many Are Not Heard, Work To Change This.

List courtesy Syracuse Cultural Workers

Does Everyone Have Subluxation?

A couple of years ago I had a booth at a local town festival. At one point, a girl who looked to be in her mid twenties came up to me and said, “I already know what's wrong with my spine. I have subluxation.” She assumed, of course, that because I was stationed at the booth with a spine model that I was there to find out what was wrong with hers. In fact, I was actually out there to tell people how they could enhance their lives regardless of what, if anything was “wrong” with them. That's when I stopped bringing my spine model out to trade shows and festivals.

I had to chuckle to myself though. Apparently, the chiropractor she had gone to told her she had a condition called subluxation that would be a detriment to her health and wellness. While that was most likely true, the reality was and is that everybody has subluxations. Her chiropractor and every other chiropractor practicing could find the same condition in almost every single person that walked through their doors.

The fact is, that when you seek health practitioners' advice about symptoms you're experiencing, no matter what type of practice they have there's a pretty good chance they'll find what they're looking for within their own practices model for diagnosis and treatment. For example, if you see a medical doctor, s/he will find an imbalance in body chemistry. The acupuncturist will find blocked energy channels and a disturbance of chi, and the chiropractor will find misalignments of the spine altering nerve function and so on. There is nothing inherently wrong with this.

Our Decatur office is located very close to the ever-expanding Dekalb Medical Center. While driving by the other day, I noticed a sign out in front of the new maternity center that read “patients in labor.” Seemed normal enough at first, I guess, but it certainly speaks to a matter of perspective and brings up an interesting point.

By definition, the word “patient” refers to someone who, based on presenting symptoms and perhaps following a battery of tests, has been diagnosed, and is being treated for a disease or ailment. By using the word patient to describe women in labor, the implication is that having a baby is equivalent to having a disease or ailment. (This, by the way, is why I prefer to use the word client instead of patient.) In our culture, even birth and death have been pathologized when in fact they are as natural as natural can be. In fact, most symptoms that the body displays are not about what's “wrong,” rather they are created by the body to serve its own purpose and to convey information. One of the reasons I like offering a wellness approach is that it's not based on eliminating symptoms or having to find something wrong in order for it to be applied.

Most “health” modalities look at a symptom as an enemy that must be controlled and vanquished. Here's what author Donald Epstein has to say about our predisposition to avoid taking responsibility for our own health and listening to our bodies in his book “Healing Myths, Healing Magic”:

"If we have a physical symptom or psychological distress, traditionally our goal is to battle it, cure it, or control it. Unexplainable and uncontrolled expressions of emotion, symptoms, breath, or body are considered problematic and require intervention by a specialist. Once the specialist applies her magical treatment to assist us in achieving comfort, this allows us to continue living our life as we normally do, without making changes to our story: attitudes, beliefs, or lifestyles that may have contributed to the problem in the first place.”

The application of both Network Spinal Analysis and Somato-Respiratory Integration is based on enhancing the parts of the body that are working well. Most times, people in this type of care find resolution of their symptoms and the insight and strength to help them create the change that their body so desperately needs.

Stress! It's an epidemic!

The other day, a man stopped in to the office to inquire about holistic care. When I asked him what his goals were, he said “I don't know. I'm basically healthy.” By healthy he meant that he'd only been on four different medications for the past twenty years. As we spoke, I noticed he constantly looked away and up in the air. He also had trouble maintaining his train of thought. After significant investigation, I was able to pry more information out of him – it turned out that his back, feet and ankles hurt every day.

I proceeded to perform an examination which, among other things, consisted of noting where and how much tension he was holding in his body and also to measure the level of his body awareness. I was not surprised to find all the parameters I use to measure tension were at their highest levels. As I went through this exam with the client, I pointed out the different areas of tension to help him establish body (somatic) awareness. The client couldn't feel anything.

When you think of it, it's amazing that anyone could have had that much tension and be absolutely unaware of it. This degree of disconnection is called Alexithymia. The chief manifestations are difficulty in describing or recognizing one's own emotions, a limited fantasy life, and general constriction in the affective life. Alexithymia is a disturbance in affective and cognitive functioning that is common in psychosomatic disorders, addictive disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

People like this are generally rigid and unable to change or adapt. They are also less likely to be in tune with their environment and their relationships. Since they lack awareness and disregard their body's signals, they are unable to adapt or change even if their behavior or their life in general is not working.

While this particular client was one of the more extreme cases I've seen, this relative disconnection is quite common. In fact, almost every one I see has some degree of disconnection or lack of awareness in his or her body. The effect this has on our culture and society cannot be underestimated.

When we are in a perpetual stress mode, all of our attention is on the conversation in our head and we miss out on the subtle cues and wisdom of our body. This “disconnect” — which inhibits our ability to grow and adapt to an ever changing environment — is a detriment to us as individuals and to society as a whole. The very frightening fact is that this disconnection from our internal cues, our inherent rhythms and ultimately our humanity is at epidemic proportions. It is wrecking havoc with our physiology, our environment and our species. Someone should alert the authorities! Hey wait, that's us!

How to choose holistic health

This morning, on the way to the office, I heard a story about a study that was conducted by the National Academy of Science which found that fluoride, which, as most know, has been added to our drinking supply to help strengthen our teeth and bones, might actually be harmful to us instead of being helpful for our teeth and bones as originally thought.

Every time I hear one of these studies I have to laugh to myself as I think, I could have told you that. But how would I know that without having done a study myself?

Very often, clients that consult with me are seeking advice about their diet, exercise program or what types of holistic procedures they should try. Instead of telling them what I think they should do, I prefer to arm them with the ability to reason their own solutions.

Many practitioners will give rote advice about diet and exercise regimens. That would be great if it weren't for the fact that no two people are the same. While a specific diet might be great for one person, it might not work for another. Then how do we know what's best for us?

I recommend a combination of sound reasoning and listening to your body for its own specific needs.

There are two basic methods of reasoning - inductive and deductive. Inductive reasoning is based on gathering bits of information, considering them, and then reaching a conclusion. Deductive reasoning is based on the logical thought progression from a major premise or accepted idea to smaller concepts or conclusions. If your major premise if faulty, you can expect that all other ideas stemming from it will be false too. Likewise, faulty bits of information would render inductive reasoning ineffective.

For example, there was a time when the accepted truth was that the world was flat. Anyone disagreeing would most likely be burned at the stake or at the very least be ridiculed. Now we know otherwise because every day as new knowledge is gained it replaces previous understandings and subsequent advice or procedures based upon those truths or understandings.

I heard once that every year scientists learn more about the human body than in all previous years combined. Given this, it might be worth noting that our current healthcare system leans heavily toward inductive reasoning. The Physicians Desk Reference, which is published by pharmaceutical companies, lists all information known about the medications they distribute including uses and side effects. It's interesting to note that the mode of action for almost all of the medications listed is unknown. In other words, they don't know how they work. Why not, you ask? Simply, because as much information as we have learned about the human body we still don't know much at all. If we did, then our healthcare system might not be in such shambles.

Great. So now what? If we can't rely on compiled information or conflicting research studies, how are we supposed to make healthy decisions for ourselves and our children? To sum it up in one word: Think!

Using a combination of inductive and deductive reasoning, we need to make conscious decisions based on what actually makes sense, not on what somebody else tells us. Information is a good thing, but it must be used with wisdom and common sense.

For instance, let's consider what we put into our bodies. We don't need a study to tell us that synthetics or chemicals ingested or absorbed in the body are going to be harmful. Logically, we would want to eat wholesome (preferably organic) foods and stay away from anything that has preservatives or other chemicals or food that is processed including fast food. Bottom line, you don't need a research study or a course in nutrition to deduce this.

Last, and most importantly, we must listen to what our body wants and needs. Remember, we are all unique and have different and specific requirements. No expert knows your body like you do. Most of my work is based on helping clients to develop an awareness of their body and its needs. When they develop that internal awareness then they automatically make healthier choices that are right for them.

A great spiritual teacher once said “You can give a man a fish and feed him for a day, or you can teach him to fish and feed him for a lifetime.” Personally, I'd rather teach my clients how to fish for themselves.

The Law of Attraction

I have an article taped to my bathroom wall that is positioned where I have no choice but to look at it every day. It contains several of what author Dr. John Amarro calls the laws of life. The first one is called the law of attention, and it states, “Whatever you focus your attention on will grow.”

As Network practitioners and SRI facilitators, my colleagues and I put this law into practice every day. Practitioners of most modalities, at least those that I'm aware of, approach their work differently – they find what is not working and attempt to fix it. In general, they will go to the area of most fixation or stuck energy in order to break it free. First comes the diagnosis, what is wrong, and then comes the treatment. We work in completely opposite manners.

Unless you've been living under a large rock, I'm sure you've heard the advice, “think positive.” That basically means put your focus on what is working in your life instead of what is not working. If your focus is always on what isn't working or what you don't have then that generally becomes and continues to be your reality.

Transferring this advice to the practice of wellness care, instead of going to the area of stuck energy, or what's not working, we look for the area of free energy or, what is working. The light contacts of Network are designed to bring the brain's attention to what we call spinal gateways. Basically, these are areas of report or places where the nerve system is willing to accept input. Because the brain is focused on the free energy, it begins to grow and that is what will dissolve the stuck energy parts.

Somato-Respiratory Integration (SRI) is a self-awareness tool that uses focus, breath and movement to help the brain become more connected to internal body rhythms. As in Network, we are not forcing areas that are stuck; rather we are finding the areas that are able to move and bringing the brain's attention to them. Once again, by keeping the focus on what is working those areas will expand and spread.

I find the analogy of relationships most helpful in explaining this to clients. If you and I are in a relationship and I ignore you for a period of time we become “disconnected.” If I want to have a good relationship with you, I'm bound to realize that ignoring you is not the way to make that happen so I decide to try and open up communication with you again. The problem is that you are likely to be apprehensive about opening back up to me. If I am too forceful, I may hinder any chance at all of re-establishing our relationship. A better strategy is to begin by creating some safety between us first. As you feel safer, you will be more likely to trust me and open up once more.

Most every client I share this analogy with seems to think it makes a lot of sense. This is, by the way, what the whole idea of wellness is based upon. Why is it then that a majority of people adhere to the fear-based medical model in matters regarding their health and life? Remember, whatever we focus upon will grow. If we are afraid of our body and afraid of life we will constantly struggle against it.

Can't you fix the pain first? Seeking Alternative Care

Every so often, a client, especially one who's been to a chiropractor, will ask if I can “crack” their neck. My answer usually sounds something like this; “I could, but I'm not going to.” On the surface it might appear that I don't have compassion, but I assure you that I do have my reasons.

What would be the harm in a little thrust aimed at getting rid of the pain? In some ways there's no harm at all, but in other ways, it could be detrimental. I know that sounds a little extreme so allow me to explain.

Sometimes working within the Wellness model can take a bit of discipline. Since the medical or treatment model is by far the most prevalent model in our culture, most people expect you to practice in it even if you are a holistic or wellness practitioner.

To begin with, unlike treatment, wellness is not designed to fix you. It is designed to help you self-correct and create whatever change is needed in your life, among other things. For example, when raising children, if a parent always does everything for them and they never have to figure anything out for themselves, they will never learn and will most certainly have trouble becoming self-sufficient. Likewise, in a wellness practice, particularly with Network Care, instead of fixing a problem, a little guidance toward the source serves one better.

In the body and in life, if we are stuck or not moving, we need something to initiate change. If the energy is flowing properly in the body, it will then be available to create that change. When we are feeling pain, it almost always means there is stuck energy. A Network practitioner actually utilizes this stuck or stored energy as the fuel source to create change. Sometimes when an individual is in care s/he will begin to feel some discomfort as the brain becomes more aware and energy builds in her or his body. If we can help an individual access it, then it becomes their fuel for growth and change. The natural response, influenced by our culture, is to look for the practitioner to relieve the pain. I don't know too many practitioners, wellness-based or not, including me, who wouldn't like to “fix” it, but that one small thrust, or whatever procedure one might use, while easing the pain, might rob clients of an opportunity for transformation.

Just yesterday, I was confronted with a similar situation. This particular client had been progressing very nicely through care. The stuck energy had been steadily changing and moving up her spine and into her neck and she was feeling it. She immediately shared her uncomfortable symptoms with me, no doubt with hope that I could get rid of them. What we did instead was to work on helping her brain become more aware so it could do something with it. This will help her to create change in her structure which will ultimately help her create change in her life.

Of course, I did spend some time with her, explaining the concept which seemed to ease her concern and distrust of her body's process. I am no stranger to pain, and I know, from experience, that pain doesn't feel as bad as the fear that often accompanies it. It was interesting to watch her shift from a state of fear associated with “illness” behavior, to one with more trust, which is seen in wellness behavior.

The question always arises: “Can't you help get rid of the pain and then work on wellness?” Many do but, at what cost? In our culture we are constanty bombarded with the fix-it mentality of the medical model. While it is perfectly ok and even necessary at times to get “fixed,” it is completely opposite the wellness model. Wellness is about learning how to listen to what the body is trying to tell us through its symptoms. One small detour could, and most likely would, derail much of the education I've provided to my clients and deter them from making what could be a major change in their lives. As tempting as it would be to be all things to everyone, I think it's too important to ignore the bigger picture that healing has to offer.

The Prescription Drug Epidemic

This past Sunday, I was sitting in Panera Bread in Emory Village and saw one student offering up her prescription bottle to another. I was glad to see the second student deny the offer with a hand gesture and a shake of her head. The incident reminded me of a news special on the increased use of drugs on college campuses I had seen a few months ago on television.

Of course these students were looking to get high and party a little, right? Wrong. These kids were taking "study drugs." Apparently, getting ahead in school has become so competitive that students are willing to go the route of prescription medications to get good grades and get an upper hand. Ritalin and Adderall, the most commonly used study drugs according to the program, both fall in the same family as the street drug, crystal meth or methamphetamine.

It is reported that these prescription drugs, which are normally prescribed to people diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, help a student concentrate better and stay up all night studying if necessary. That's pretty handy when you're cramming for a test or finishing up a last minute paper. The problem is the long list of possible side effects that come along with this tidy package, including irregular heartbeat, very high blood pressure, anxiety, nervousness, headache, dizziness, insomnia, diarrhea, constipation, impotence, change in sex drive and liver damage.

What I find interesting is that most of the aforementioned side effects are the same symptoms that someone who is overstressed might experience. Understandably there's a lot of competition to achieve a high grade point average which ultimately could lead to a better job and more money. This, of course, means stress. It should be noted that the stress of doing better is the one thing that contributes the most the inability to do so.

When we're stressed, we essentially become disconnected from the higher brain. This has a significant effect on our ability to learn since that's the part of the brain that, among other things, assimilates new information. (I've discussed this concept in several previous articles.) It's no wonder these students are seeking learning enhancers, but the cycle of quick fix that these students are perpetuating to deal with what is going on inside of them is merely a reflection of the outside behavior of the rest of society..

Students may hear the “don't do drugs” message as preached by society, but what do they see? They see a society that is not driven by inner values, but one that is completely absorbed by outer or surface values. They've been indoctrinated in the belief that if it's not the “bad” or illegal drugs, then it's okay. Their parents' cabinets are filled with prescriptions, and they are bombarded with commercials telling them about medications to help them sleep, stay awake, get out of pain, ease their stomach, ease their anxiety and, yes, learn better. But what price will they pay?

On one hand, it seems a little ridiculous to me that our culture doesn't “get it,” but on the other hand, I can understand why. To begin with, pharmaceutical companies have woven a long-term and brilliant brain washing campaign into the fabric of a society that is already out of touch with their inherent ability to tap into their own potential. Couple this with the fact that the mechanistic or quick-fix philosophy seems to have a stronghold on modern society, and you have to wonder why people are even surprised when their kids use drugs.

What if these students were given alternative tools to release tension and better adapt to competitive educational stress? Maybe they would choose differently. I can only hope that our culture's small but growing number of vitalistic thinkers can begin to influence the beliefs and therefore the behaviors of students and society as a whole. Maybe that student who opted not to accept the study drugs that day at Panera is a sign of things come.

How We Create Mental Stress

The other day, I was visiting with a friend and watching her daughter play with a slinky she had just gotten. She did all the things a child might do with a slinky, including pretending it was a jump rope. Unfortunately, the jump rope idea resulted in the slinky breaking in two. The girl looked at me, smiled, and said, “Look, now I have two.” What an enlightened perspective that was!

It reminded me of something I've repeated to my clients more than a few times. It's not about what happens, it's about your story about what happens. Your story is what determines your physiological response which, in turn, has a profound effect upon your health and your life.

I recently had an interesting conversation with a client, which illustrates this point perfectly. She felt she had been betrayed by people who were very close to her and wanted my opinion as to whether she was justified in her stance. I told her that I wouldn't comment on whether or not she was right and they were wrong. What I wanted to talk about was how it was affecting her- a question for which I already knew the answer.

Her response on the entrainment table was uncharacteristically subdued. When she got off the table, she asked me how I thought she did and I told her that I didn't think she was completely present. She agreed and proceeded to tell me how this drama was making her feel so badly.

When our story about how life or our life situations should have turned out doesn't match what actually happens, we tend to engage in an internal conversation about it. Whenever this happens, the physiology shifts to “defense” which makes it much harder to access the higher brain. This is important to consider, because the higher brain is the place where we assimilate new information or, if you will, a new story.

If the higher brain is unable to process information, it will be stored in the body and held as a physical anchor. Many of us walk around holding onto these anchors for years, if not our whole lives.

Even if we are justified, it's important to understand that it is our choice whether or not we decide to be offended. The problem with choosing to be offended is that, right or wrong, we are the ones who are negatively affected. On the other hand, if we step back and observe our response, we have the opportunity to change it. That doesn't mean we need to agree with what has happened, we just need to be mindful of what is happening to our body and its physiology. We need to make a choice.

I doubt that the little girl was very mindful of her physiology; however, she could have easily chosen to get upset about the slinky and she did not. It was nice to see her choose a story in which everything turned out alright.

An Epidemiological Phenomenon: Cardiovascular DIsease

I made my annual trek north to New York over the holiday season to see my family and friends. It's always a time when I can connect and reflect upon how grateful I am for the people in my life. The familiar comfort and the strong feeling of peace and ease in my body that flowed from it reminded me of two things — just how important our relationships are in the landscape of our lives, and how comfort enables us to express our true selves and thereby sustain a healthy physiology. These realizations and reflections prompted me to write this article.

Once upon a time, a client of one of my colleagues insisted that he “didn't want to become dependant on anyone,” in relation to starting Network Care. My colleague responded by saying, “we all need each other.” I've thought about that statement many times over the last several years relative not only to my wellness practice, but to my personal life as well. The following study suggests that we really do need each other, for while we are able to survive alone, our relationships do play a major part in our ability to thrive.

The Center for Disease Control found that residents of a small town in Pennsylvania had the lowest incidence of cardiovascular disease in the country. Prior to their on-site investigation, they expected to find very health conscious, physically fit, vegetarians. What they found instead were drinking, smoking, relatively out of shape people who went home every Sunday for momma's home cooking. The CDC tracked these people for years and found that when they moved away from their home base, their incidence of cardiovascular disease returned to the national average. They determined that the socio-cultural family dynamic was the major factor in predicting cardiovascular disease.

I have a close friend who has a very strong family connection. In fact, they get together frequently and celebrate every important event in their lives. While I'm a bit envious of my friend, I do feel lucky to work in a profession that affords me many close relationships. In fact, I've said many times that my clients feel like family to me and I'm convinced that even if we do move away from our families we can strive to have the same type of connection with everyone in our lives.

From a spiritual perspective, it has been said that the Divine is present in all of us. It follows then, that by strengthening our connections to each other we are strengthening our connection to our Source. As the new year begins and we vow to eat better, exercise regularly and do more healthy things for ourselves, let us remember how important our relationships are as well.

Why don't New Year's resolutions work... for me?

It used to be that resolutions were “in” insofar as they were the traditional thing to do with the arrival of the New Year. The usual suspects include: “This is the year that things are going to change for me;” or how about “I'm going to exercise more regularly, make healthier food choices and let go of some of the stress.” In the last couple of years I've heard people complain that they don't make New Year's resolutions anymore because they never keep them.

You want to do something though. Who doesn't want to break old patterns and experience growth and improvement in their life? But what can you do that really works? And why is it that sometimes, even though we want to create change, we just can't seem to, and even if we do it doesn't seem to last?

The sad fact is we live in a culture that doesn't support staying connected and in tune with our physiology and our internal cues. Conversely, it supports a perpetual state of stress physiology. I find it ironic that while healthy habits are good defenses against the ill effects of stress, it's the stress itself that increases the likelihood that we won't participate in them. Why?

Physiologically speaking, if you are stressed, the blood supply to the higher brain is diminished rendering it less accessible. Functions associated with this part of the brain include love, creativity, understanding, self-reflection and the ability to consciously alter behavior based upon it. If the functions of your higher brain are inhibited by a stress physiology, it stands to reason that your ability to follow through with your goals or resolutions will be compromised.

Our degree of wellness is closely linked with our physiology and our ability to adapt our behavior in response to new information. On his Lifetime Wellness CD series, Dr. Donald Epstein states that “People don't get well from making healthier lifestyle choices; people who are experiencing wellness will make healthier life choices because they are well.” Based on this statement, the inability to initiate and adopt healthy lifestyle choices would indicate, at least to some degree, a lack of wellness.

Logic dictates that if we want to create changes in our lives and make different choices, it behooves us to incorporate methods that enhance wellness. Then, if we wanted to make a resolution, we would have a better chance of actually achieving our goals. And if we didn't want to, those changes might just occur anyway.

Hang on! Not Just Surviving, Thriving

When we greet someone it is quite common to ask, “How are you doing?” Other variations include what's up, what's going on and how have you been? Of course the standard answer is usually, “I'm fine,” “I'm okay,” “Pretty good” and my favorite, “I'm hanging in there.” My usual response to the latter is “Well, hang on.”

These less than enthusiastic responses remind me of the boiling frog story. This is a little gross but read on, there is a point. A few years back I heard about an experiment using frogs and water. First, a shallow pan of water was heated to boiling point and then a frog was dropped in. What do you think happened? He jumped out of course. Then a second frog was placed in a shallow pan of room temperature water, which was subsequently heated very slowly. Unfortunately for the second frog, the rise in temperature was so slow that by the time he realized it, he had become frog soup.

Now, I'm certainly not in favor of torturing frogs and to be honest with you, I don't even have the particulars of that experiment, but it does bring up an interesting parallel to how most people experience their life. In general, people don't lose their health, wellness and vitality all at once, like the first frog. It usually happens so slowly that we don't even realize its happening. If people were experiencing their optimal state and then, all of a sudden, were cast into experiencing their “normal” state, they would know something was drastically wrong.

So, when someone answers with the standard, “I'm fine,” what does that mean? It most likely means that they feel like they did the day before, and the day before that. Of course we know when we feel like crap, and in comparison, “fine” is certainly a whole lot better than that. Unfortunately, feeling okay has become the benchmark that most people have learned to settle with.

Usually when someone experiences symptoms they seek out a practitioner to help restore them to the state they were in before becoming symptomatic. Sometimes a practitioner will help maintain them in that state so the symptoms won't return. This way, instead of feeling bad, they can feel okay.

A wellness practitioner, on the other hand, would seek not just to restore them to their previous state, but to a higher level of functioning than they were previously experiencing. Besides, if you take the same path you'll land up in the same place. Unfortunately most people have forgotten what wellness feels like, so they settle for fine or just getting by. I've actually had people tell me they were in good health and then name the half dozen medications they were on in the same breath.

Well, I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be like that. Everyone, no matter what his or her health condition, has the potential to experience a higher level of wellness. All they have to do is wake up and jump out of that slowly boiling pan of mediocrity they call their life.

So, don't just hang on... Rock on!

Is it Worth Investing in Wellness Care?

It is not uncommon for people to make investments in their future. There are various areas in which one can invest. Many people will have a financial portfolio with stocks, bonds, IRA's and 401K's. They could invest in rare coins, art, real estate or any variety of other property, resources or material goods. People will also invest large amounts of time and resources in education for themselves and their children, in hopes of a better job and life.

While there are an endless variety of diverse types of investments they all have something in common. We hope that efforts made now will bear fruit and return to us not just what we put in, but a whole lot more. The term most commonly used for this in the financial world is growth.

There is a growing percentage of the population that is beginning to see their health as something they may want or need to invest in as well. The question then becomes, what is a good investment in our health? How much am I going to have to invest and what kind of return should I expect? One thing's for sure; if we don't invest in our health at all, we are almost completely assured of a poor return.

But what does a good return mean? For some it may mean that they live as long as possible, while for others it would be defined by the quality of life they had while they were alive. This is an important question to consider when deciding upon your mode of investment. The way I see it; there are basically three possible approaches we can take:

The first is to ignore it completely. I should hope that the people reading this right now can see the shortcoming of this strategy. While the marvels of modern medicine can do an amazing job of keeping people alive longer, it lacks greatly when it comes to the quality of life that accompanies this longevity. If you've spent any time in a nursing home, you need no convincing of that.

The second strategy would be to maintain our health. This is a seemingly sound strategy that a majority of investors are choosing these days. In all fairness it's a much better solution then the previous. There are, however, some pitfalls with this strategy.

If we were to stuff our money under the mattress and pull it out in twenty years, what do you think we'd find? We‘d have the same money we put in there two decades ago. By hiding the money in the mattress and not investing we would be able to maintain the same amount. The only problem with that is that we'd actually be losing money due to inflation.

Attempting to maintain our health is very similar. While it is much better than ignoring it completely it does not offer the potential for growth. Without strategies for growth our health slowly loses its value and cannot keep up with our aging bodies and all the toxins and stressors of a modern world. So, just maintaining our health means we are actually losing ground. All of our efforts become directed at not being sick or symptomatic.

There is yet another strategy that offers much more potential for growth. It is the strategy of wellness and with it comes the potential for so much more than maintenance. Wellness is not limited to maintenance of physical symptoms and sustaining the status quo. It is a strategy of growth and life enhancement. In addition to improved physical well-being, a wellness program must monitor an individual's ability to adapt to stress, their psychological and emotional well being, and their ability to make and maintain healthy lifestyle choices as well as their life enjoyment and quality of life. It means not just surviving but thriving and developing new and better strategies of adaptation for the present as well as the future.

So we must ask ourselves; is my wellness worth investing in and what is the best way to use my resources? Is getting by going to be enough to fulfill my current and future needs? Do I want more out of life and am I worth the investment? Obviously I'm a huge advocate of investing in Network Care as a wellness strategy because it enhances all the areas of wellness previously stated. Whatever you choose, educate yourself, ask these questions and invest wisely. You are worth it!

How can anger be good? The purpose of emotion

One day not too long ago a client brought me an internet story from ABC news, entitled “Anger Is Good for You.” The study, conducted at Carnegie Mellon University, showed anger may help people reduce the negative impact of stress. At first glance this may seem surprising but, it really makes perfect sense.

I've heard people label some emotions, like happiness, joy, love and serenity as “good” and other emotions like anger, depression or sadness as “bad.” The truth is that emotions aren't good or bad, they just are. Some may be more pleasurable while others are less enjoyable, but all emotions serve a purpose. If they didn't we wouldn't have them.

Just today I was discussing with a client the concept of getting a deeper level of connection with her body. She was concerned because at times she had seen other clients in the office, receiving Network Care, have an emotional response. She said, “I don't want that to happen to me.” She had an idea that it would be a bad thing to have an emotional release.

Not everybody will have an emotional release on the table but if it happens it's a necessary experience in their healing process. See, emotions are how we move and release energy and that's good because stuck energy creates disharmony in the body. Plus, when we are “holding it in,” so to speak, we keep ourselves in the stress physiology. I've written about the many damaging effects of stress in past articles.

I remember how I felt shortly after the terrorist attack on September 11th. Between that event and my recent divorce I experienced so many different emotions; many of which didn't feel so good at the time. However, I don't remember ever feeling so much on such a deep level before that. Looking back I realize what a healing experience it was for me. It also became much easier for me to express emotions after that.

Emotions are an expression of a psychological, biological and physiological state. By the time you experience the emotion, you're already in that physiology. The emotion just helps you move that energy.

If you keep experiencing the same emotion habitually then you might want to take a closer look. The real problem is not the emotion; rather it is the mechanism behind why you are continually creating the same ones. One of the objectives of Network Care is to create more flexibility in the body structure which allows for a greater range of emotions and responses. You can read about this in detail in The Molecules of Emotion by Dr. Candace Pert. A greater range of expression means a greater depth of the experience of life.

In addition to helping us release energy and experience more depth, emotions, like other symptoms, motivate us to make changes. We change, not because of information, but because we feel. That's why advertisers use emotions to sell us their products.

So I say, “Express them if you've got them.”

And to quote Dr. Donald Epstein; “It's not about feeling better, it's about better feeling.”

The Patient Farmer

The following story is about a farmer that has an incredible non-reactive perspective on life:

On the first day of the harvest, the farmer's great barn door broke off its hinges due to a massive rain and windstorm. The next day all of the neighbors gathered around to share their thoughts of sorrow, regret and shame. The farmer just looked at the broken door with a relaxed and almost ho-hum appearance and shared his summary of the situation by stating — Hmm, I guess we'll see. Now of course the farmer's neighbors were almost outraged by his relaxed and nonchalant attitude and they quickly scurried away with mumblings of gossip under their breath.

The next day the farmer's best horse got free and ran through the broken door of the barn and all the farmer could see was the horse galloping off into the sunset with a most joyous and carefree pace. Of course, as you can probably guess, the next day all of the neighbors gathered around to share their thoughts of sorrow, regret and shame. The farmer just looked at the empty stall where his best mare once stood with a relaxed and almost ho-hum appearance and shared his summary of the situation once again by stating — Hmm, I guess we'll see.

Now the next day the farmer was awoken by the loudest stampede he had ever heard and his favorite horse brought back ten of the wildest, and most dazzling wild mustangs that he had ever seen. His favorite horse went out for a night on the town and brought back friends! The next day all of the neighbors gathered around to share their thoughts of excitement, disbelief and wonder. The farmer just looked at his open field with 11 of the most extraordinary horses he had ever laid eyes upon and with a relaxed and almost ho-hum appearance he shared his summary of the situation once again by stating — Hmm, I guess we'll see.

The next day the farmer's son was willingly working away at the broken barn door, as he wanted to ensure that the new wild horses would at least stay within their plot of land and not run off again. As the son began to work on the barn door, one of the large wild mustangs bucked his way past the son and the wild horse knocked off the newly repaired hinges of the previously broken barn door and the door came crashing down upon the farmer's sons leg. The leg was surely broken. The next day all of the neighbors gathered around to share their thoughts of sorrow, regret and shame and they generously brought over cards of sympathy and fresh baked bread. The farmer just looked at his son's crushed leg with a compassionate grin and rubbed his son's neck; and with a relaxed and almost ho-hum appearance he shared his summary of the situation once again by stating — Hmm, I guess we'll see.

The next day the army came knocking on all the town's doors for a mandatory draft for the war and all the young men were called to obligatory duty. All of course except the farmer's son who was protected from the harm of the draft and the farmer looked at his son, his wife and the sky above and said out loud — Hmmm, now, I see.

At The Center for Holistic Health, we look at our body's symptoms in this same manner, as we acknowledge that sometimes discomfort is not always bad. In fact at times we find that discomfort is the catalyst needed to bring about a desirable change. How might we listen to this symptom so that it can be seen as a warning sign or cue? Perhaps one's relationship is challenging or out of balance and the stress is overwhelming the body. It is not always wise to simply want to "handle" the stress a little better for he or she may stay in the same compromised situation. Perhaps life generates that discomfort to awaken one to make change. Maybe one's employer is out of integrity and that lack of alignment is causing sleeplessness.

The moral of this story is that sometimes we need to step back to get a greater perspective. If we can maintain the attitude and intention of objectivity, sometimes by saying Hmm, we'll see, it allows us to see the blessings of gold at the end of the rainbow and not be overshadowed by the clouds that happen to appear.

Chiropractor or Energy Worker

It's fairly common for me, as I'm sure it is for most people, to be in a social situation and be asked the question, “what do you do”? For most, I'm sure, the answer is quick and easy — I'm a doctor, or a lawyer, or an accountant or a teacher. For me, there doesn't seem to be an uncomplicated answer. I used to tell people that I was a chiropractor but that would immediately place me in a box that doesn't even come close to defining what I do.

The standard answer these days might sound something like this: I practice Network Care. It's a system designed to help people develop strategies of self-awareness, self-correction and personal growth. It consists of the light touch method, or Network Spinal Analysis, which uses the spine as an access point into the nervous system, and Somato-Respiratory Integration, which helps people connect to the body's natural rhythms. Of course, this can tend to produce anything from a blank stare to a look of complete bewilderment.

I had the opportunity to spend some time with my good friend and colleague Dr. Wayne Leyshon this past weekend. He had traveled from Charlottesville, Virginia, to attend a Network training seminar held here in Atlanta. I always enjoy our conversations which tend to revolve around our experiences and observations of various topics related to wellness and spirituality. One of the things we spoke about this weekend was what it is we're really doing when it comes to the application of Network Care.

It was mentioned at this weekend's seminar, that men and women will tend to have gender-related postural distortions caused by social stigmas of our culture. These postures become life long patterns of protection, all due to fears of our natural expression. Men, in particular, will have inflexibility in the hips because it is generally not accepted for a man to swing his hips when he walks. Women, on the other hand, will tend to display a posture with shoulders rotated forward. It was postulated that as young girls mature and begin to develop breasts, they can become somewhat self-conscious and even embarrassed about the changes occurring in their bodies. This would then cause them to hold a slumped posture to downplay the pubescent change.

Wayne shared a workshop experience he had attended some time ago. The whole idea of the workshop was to help people shed the “personality protection” they display to hide their true selves. The theory being that how we act most of the time is just that, an act to hide who we really are because of the fear of not being accepted. Some might call this the ego. According to Wayne , when the workshop attendees were able to shed their protection it was impossible not to feel love for each of them.

If you think about it, we can't truly experience relationship with someone else if we're hiding who we really are. It would be, at least to some degree, fake. This thought is a little frightening to me. When people are in perpetual stress physiologically, and most all are, they are operating from fear and are unable to let go and express who they really are. (Unless of course, they've had a few drinks at the office Christmas party) The body becomes rigid and inflexible in this physiology of fear or protection. In fact, there is a direct relationship between inflexibility in the body and in life.

It's true that Network Care helps people to develop strategies of self-awareness, correction and stress reduction. Statistically, and in my experience, people in Network Care deal with stress better, make healthier choices and have an overall increase in wellness and quality of life. While these benefits are amazing in and of themselves, there is an important aspect of health or wholeness that is even more significant, one that is frequently overlooked and that precedes them as a result of Network Care – the ability to express one's true self and just to be who you really are. Of course people are going to make healthier choices and a have higher quality of life when they're free to express who they are.

Network has been described by many as transformational because it is an amazing tool that enables people to shed their armor and become more connected to their true selves. Now when Wayne and I are posed with the question of what it is that we are really doing, we can say this: We are helping people to express who they really are.

Judgment; The Barrier to Harmony

Over the past dozen or so years as I have developed my skills as a practitioner and my understanding as a healing facilitator, I've come to realize that certain concepts that pertain to healing relate in all other areas of life. In other words, there are universal concepts that apply not only to healing but to family, community, the environment, the world and spirituality as well. One of these concepts is judgment. A day rarely goes by in the office without visiting this concept, and just to make a distinction here, I am not talking about exercising good judgment in life choices; I am talking about being judgmental. What does this form of judgment have to do with healing?... just about everything.

Some of the most common comments I hear from clients (at least new ones) are “its right here,” meaning that's where it hurts, or “I have a bad ---” (you can fill in the body part). When someone labels a body part this way, they place an immediate judgment on said body part, as if it is bad or wrong. This myth is heavily supported by the very prevalent medical model.

Whenever the brain is overwhelmed with either the amount or content of information coming to it, that information has to be redirected to some other part of the body. The brain, in effect, disconnects and is protected from the offending information or energy. Many times, when some part of our body is hurting it's actually doing a job for us by dealing with or holding the energy that the brain can't deal with. And the pain you may feel might just be your body trying to let you know that you're not dealing with or resolving something that's going on in your life. If anything, we should be thanking the hip or back that's hurting instead of calling it bad. The energy transfer mechanism was a great short term strategy but eventually there is a need to reintegrate all the disconnected parts since true health can only occur when all the parts are communicating and in harmony.

Judgment is one of the most common pitfalls my clients run into when they are practicing SRI (Somato-Respiratory Integration), exercises designed to promote self-awareness and connection to internal body rhythms. They say, “It didn't work. I tried doing SRI but the pain wouldn't go away.” Well, SRI isn't supposed to eliminate physical pain. That would be like trying to eat soup with a fork. SRI is about promoting communication and harmony in the body; it is not about trying to shut your body up so the pain goes away and you don't have to listen.

Just to give you an example, if I had, at some point, severed my communication with you and later wanted to reconnect or re-establish our relationship, I would have to first make you feel safe to open yourself back up to me. If the first thing I say to you is that you're wrong, how open are you going to be to further communication? Not very, I would imagine. Most would agree that making someone wrong doesn't cultivate trust and safety of expression. But this is in effect what happens when we begin by casting judgment on our body. How can we expect to foster a relationship when we start by judging?

As soon as we come from judgment we are unable to objectively see another's point of view. Judgment creates a barrier to true harmony whether it is in your relationship with your body, the people in your life, your community or the world. What's interesting is that if you are truly in harmony in your own body it is impossible for your perceptions to come from judgment. You realize that there is a connection between judgment and health and that it is vital to recognize this to have a true experience of life on all levels.

Health Insurance Does Nothiing to Ensure Your Health

On Wednesday mornings, I meet with a group of other small business owners for the purpose of networking and providing each other with client referrals. During the meeting, each member of the group will take a minute to share his or her specific specialty and expertise with the rest of the group. Many of the services are based on protection of a person's assets or material properties by way of financial planning, insurance or legal representation. For example, we have a member who provides insurance for home and auto and one who provides life, disability and long term care insurance. We have a financial advisor who helps people plan for their retirement and an attorney who, among other things, helps people plan for their death.

It is my sincere belief that all of these services are extremely important for the protection of a person's assets and the “material” quality of life to which s/he is accustomed. I also know, based on my relationship with these members, that all of the service providers are quality people who genuinely care about their customers' best interests. Interestingly enough, even though I support their cause, I usually tend to feel like the odd man out.

A couple of weeks ago the pension plan consultant said something to the effect of “Dr. Gene will help you live a longer life and I'll help you be prepared to afford it.” I quickly corrected him by saying that my interest was no so much in the length of someone's life but rather in the quality of one's life experiences before death. The reality of course is that nobody's getting out of this life alive. Besides that, death is not necessarily a pathological event — it's a part of life — and wellness care is not about avoiding death, it's about getting the most out of life until you die.

As I'm listening to each of the members state their case for the importance of insuring one's assets and one's “health,” I secretly wonder to myself; does anyone think about insuring the quality of their life right now, not to mention the effects on their health and quality of life for the future? While I wouldn't argue the need to have health or life insurance or to insure one's assets, I would like to point out that health insurance has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with a person's health. The same would hold true for life insurance. It would be much more accurate to call them disease and death insurance because if you have a disease, or you die, the insurance company will pay.

Most people spend a major part of their adult life completely consumed with and worried about the financial aspects of their future, and then, by the time they get there, their whole life has passed them by and their health has suffered so much they can't even get to truly enjoy the experience of life. Pondering this paradox, I pose this question: What are you doing to insure the quality of your life right now and in your future? Make no mistake about it, the decisions and lifestyle choices you are currently making will, without a doubt, determine what your future health will be like.

Are natural cures holistic? Not necessarily

The other day, I had a new client come in for her follow up visit and we went over the exam findings and discussed a plan of action. Near the end of this visit, we talked about the healing or wellness model versus the medical or treatment model. This was and is extremely important because if our goals were not congruent and we were not on the same page we would be setting ourselves up for disappointment later. Besides, I don't want to give clients something they don't want or fail to provide them with what they thought they were going to get by working with me.

The last thing I said to my client was, “If you want to be made comfortable and not change anything then this might not be the best place for you.” Out of context, I'm quite aware that my words sound a little harsh, but in reality, they came only after significant discussion of the concept of healing and I spoke the truth.

Almost everyday, someone calls the Center to say s/he is interested in a holistic way of treating whatever symptom it is that s/he has. What s/he doesn't realize is that as soon as the focus is on treating the symptom rather than the person then it automatically falls outside the realm of holistic care. I know that there are people reading this article right now who would disagree with me, and I suppose it is a matter of semantics, but in my opinion, the words health, holistic and even wellness have been polluted by the medical model.

Anyone who's been in the Center's bathroom in the last several months could not miss the quote from Dr. Donald Epstein that is posted on the wall: “The purpose of a symptom is to inspire a change in behavior... the more intense the symptom, the more immediate and radical the internal transformation required.” The basic idea here is that our bodies express symptoms in an effort to communicate to us that some sort of change in our life is required. The question then becomes, why wouldn't you want to treat the symptom?

I'm not so naïve to suggest that symptoms never need to be treated. However, I would suggest that we look a little deeper to the message that a symptom may be trying to give us. Maybe we need more sleep or less stress in our lives. Maybe we need to eat better or experience more peace, joy or love in our lives. Maybe traumatic events in our lives have caused us to become disconnected from our bodies and it's time to become whole again. Maybe our soul has a purpose that we are not fulfilling and the symptoms we are expressing are its way of communicating that to us.

It comes down to this: if a system is failing and you just pump different modalities into it — be they drugs, surgery, chiropractic, herbs, reiki or nutrition — it's still going to fail. While some of the modalities on this list would be considered by many to be holistic , it would be more accurate to call them natural cures or alternative medicine. In other words, if you are applying the medical model to treat a symptom it doesn't matter what you are using since the intent is still the same.

Contrary to popular opinion, the medical model is not failing because medical practitioners use harmful synthetic drugs or invasive surgical procedures, although that doesn't help the situation. It is failing because ultimately the body can't be shut up forever. Inevitably, the symptom(s) will come back or another more extreme symptom will be expressed in order to initiate change. One thing's for sure, I'm not going to be the one who attempts to shut off that warning signal. As far as I'm concerned, there are already plenty of practitioners out there doing that.

So when I make that brutally honest comment, I am speaking from a firm commitment to listen to the body and not do what other practitioners do when they try to shut the body up. The simple truth is that true healing creates change. True healing helps us become more connected and aware of the changes that are needed in our lives and not numbed to their signals. I believe a prospective client has the right to know this and to understand that holistic or wellness care is not alternative medicine but rather an alternative to medicine.

'I'm listening': Let the body be your guide

Recently, I attended an advanced training seminar with Dr. Donald Epstein. Dr. Epstein, the founder of Network Spinal Analysis and Somato Respiratory Integration, has become quite renowned in circles of healing and wellness over time. As you may know, the application of Network is applied with a very light force/contact held at an area where the body has rapport, which means an area where the nervous system is willing to accept input. The contact is always held until there is a loss of rapport or the body says “you're done.” One of the things I enjoy most about Dr. Epstein's teaching technique is his use of analogies to illustrate his ideas, and he used the analogy of female energy to describe how long a practitioner should hold the contact.

While there are, of course, exceptions to the rule, men and women approach things a little differently. For instance, when a woman is communicating in the relationship she may just want to talk to her partner without looking for any particular solution. Generally, men want to know what the problem is so that a rational, logical solution can be arrived at as quickly as possible. The woman (or person with female energy) may really just want to vent. She doesn't necessarily want a quick solution; she may simply want someone to listen to her. In fact, the only answer she may want to hear is, “I'm listening; tell me more.”

While holding the contact points during the seminar, we would silently be saying “tell me more, tell me more” and using the male/female energy model Dr. Epstein had proposed to help determine the duration of the contact. In addition, we did Somato-Respiratory Integration - exercises designed to enhance the connection to internal rhythms — as a group. As I connected to my body, I remained open and said “I'm listening. Tell me more,” over and over again.

It was not too long after returning home that I had the opportunity to put this principle to the test in my own life. Those of you who know me know that I have, at times, experienced some significant joint pain and swelling in my knees, feet and wrist. The normal progression starts with one joint and moves to another after a few days. I have become keenly aware of what it feels like just prior to its manifestation. I had an experience with this not to long ago which I thought was very interesting and worth sharing.

Usually when I feel this developing, my thought process is “Oh no, please don't do this. I can't miss another day in the office.” This time I decided to take a different approach and instead of dreading it, I welcomed it as a message from my body and not just a painful nuisance. I placed my hands over my stomach and the area that was hurting and breathed in my nose and out my mouth silently repeating, “I'm listening,” over and over. As the pain intensified, I moaned and I cried and even laughed because it hurt so much, until finally it got to the point where it hurt so badly that it didn't hurt anymore. It became, for me, a spiritual experience. Even though I was in extreme pain, my mind was at ease and I surrendered to the moment until I eventually passed out.

This experience illustrates the concept of stage one in the healing process, “suffering.” It's very common for people to do the stage one SRI exercise in order to escape their suffering. The interesting thing here is that it doesn't work. You actually have to get into it in order to get out of it. In other words, instead of trying to avoid the experience, we need to truly experience the stage to gain whatever wisdom it has for us. This is contrary to our cultural story which tells us to avoid suffering at any cost.

From my past experience, I fully expected that I would have to cancel all of my appointments in the morning. When I awoke, I tentatively placed my foot on the floor. I felt a little stiff and slowly pulled myself up and put weight on my foot. To my surprise I could actually stand. In fact, the pain in my foot had almost completely resolved. The reason this was so surprising was that each time I had experienced this in the past, and it has been numerous times, the experience consisted of two to five days of pain, swelling, and couch time.

In the wellness or healing paradigm, I advise clients that symptoms are the body's call for attention and change and to listen to what message their body is trying to give them. All night I said to my body, “I'm listening, what do you want?” I never did get an answer. What I realized from this experience was that maybe sometimes we simply need to listen to our bodies, not to find an answer but rather to just simply listen.

I've known you all along: Our connection to each other

It's Monday morning after the Transformational Gate and, since I have a few hours before the Somato-Respiratory Integration seminar begins, I thought I might share some experiences from this weekend with you. Because I have described the basic idea of this transformational weekend in an article in July's newsletter, I won't go into the logistics too deeply in this writing.

In the aforementioned article, I described the process of relinquishing the body's armor and the resulting flexibility in structure and consciousness which contributes to increased awareness, creativity, a feeling of connection, and a greater ability to experience love. After several Gates, one might think that this experience would be old news, but surprisingly, even to me, this is not the case at all. In fact, each time offers a greater level of depth to all of these experiences than the time before.

I heard that there were close to seven hundred participants in this weekend's program which is one of, if not the, largest number of people to be involved in a Transformational Gate. While two days did not offer enough time to personally meet and talk to everyone, there was, never the less, an unspoken connection among each and every attendee. It was what Donald Epstein refers to in his book, “The Twelve Stages of Healing,” as community.

When people are able to shed their armor, they are able to see past the surface to the heart and soul of one another. In this state, judgment gives way to a deepened vision of each individual's inner beauty. Community, in this sense, is the realization that we are all connected, as well as the feeling of pure love for people that we thought we didn't know. To put it another way, one transcends the illusion of separateness and realizes that we have known each other all along. I realize that this concept may sound far fetched to someone who has not experienced it. In addition, I don't believe our culture really has the words to describe the experience at all. If you have ever had the opportunity to realize this connection, you recognize it unmistakably.

At the end of the weekend, participants lined up in two rows facing one another. One at a time, with eyes closed, the person at the end of the row walked slowly down the aisle relying upon the guidance of fellow gaters to guide him or her as the entire group sang a nurturing song. As people walked though the group, they were showered with gentle touches and nurturing guidance. It's amazing to bask in the safety, trust, and pure love that are directed to you.

After this experience, as you walk around the room looking into the eyes of each and every person, you realize that although this may be the first time you met, you have known each other all along. There is a connection - soul to soul - and there are no words to truly describe this experience of community.

In light of ongoing world events and our collective responses, my thoughts keep returning to the idea that if we humans could achieve this “community” we might not only survive but thrive and evolve as a race. I believe it's the message that all the prophets and spiritual leaders in history have conveyed. When I hear the news of some less than desirable response to current events, particularly in New Orleans, it presents an even stronger case for our need to achieve community. While I know that this idea might seem obvious to most of the people reading this newsletter, it is my hope that it may initiate some of you to do a little more than you may normally do to promote community even if it is only to smile at the person you pass in the street. If you help or even just connect with a stranger, remember that they are not really a stranger... on the level of our souls, you have known them all along.

The Pitfalls of Filing Insurance

The other day Jiang Li, our very popular Chinese doctor, inquired about joining an insurance network. She wanted to know if I belonged to any and what I thought about being a provider. I thought it might be an interesting topic to share with the general public.

Now, I'm not sure about how it is with acupuncture, but I can tell how it is for me. The one advantage I can think of is the possibility of increased exposure to policy holders. As I thought more about it, I found quite a few disadvantages.

One problem is that the insurance companies beat you up so bad. Allow me to explain. If you are an out of network provider, the deductible and co pays are significantly higher for clients than if you were “in network”. This effectively inhibits seeing the out of network provider. If, as a practitioner, you are “in network” you must agree to whatever terms the insurance company sets. Part of the agreement with the insurance company is that they're setting the “allowable” fee which, by the way, can be about 50% of the normal fee. The difference can not be charged to the policy holder, so the doctor eats it. In addition the time involved in verification, processing and follow up significantly raises a doctor's employee overhead. In our office, Mindy was spending so much time within that arena that it took time and energy away from taking care of the clients. (And me. :-))

The increased overhead is easier to absorb if your practice lies more in the therapeutic realm because you can add and bill for a number of other modalities each visit, including heat, ice, muscle stimulation, and therapeutic exercises. For the consumer that can mean a 30% co-pay on one hundred plus dollars instead of forty which will bring the co-pay up to and past the original forty dollar office visit.

Last but certainly not least is the simple fact that “health” insurance (it would more accurately be called disease insurance) does not pay for wellness care. Yes, I'm aware that some policies will pay for “alternative therapies." However, there must be a diagnosis and treatment of symptoms which automatically falls outside the realm of wellness. The real problem is the effect this has on the mindset of the practitioner and client.

If we are to render a diagnosis then we first have to make a judgment about a particular symptom. Once we judge the symptom as bad we must find a way to remove it. This is what they call the medical or treatment model, which has absolutely nothing to do with wellness. In fact, if a symptom has manifested to alert a person to the need for change, then treating the symptom would be the antithesis of wellness. That doesn't mean that it isn't ok to have symptoms treated at times. It's just impossible to do both. You've probably heard the saying, “you can't serve two masters." Well, trying to be in the treatment model and the wellness model simultaneously would be doing just that.

Over the last twelve years of practice I have noticed something very interesting. In general, clients who had insurance pay for their care did not get as good results as clients who didn't. I believe this to be due to fact that it perpetuates the idea that we are being fixed by the doctor instead of taking control and responsibility for our own healing process. In wellness the practitioner becomes the facilitator, not the fixer.

Working in the insurance game, and in the treatment model, undermines the fundamental understanding of wellness and it quite simply comes down to this: It's a game I can't win.

Our Physical and Mental Flexibility

Recently a friend told me that his upcoming engagement had been called off. Understandably, he was feeling pretty down about the unfolding events. They were unable to meet on one particular issue which became the demise of the nuptials. In sharing this with me he said something that caught my attention and prompted this article. It went something like this; Yada, yada, yada, “that's just who I am.”

That was a pretty significant statement, and one which I'm sure most us have made at one time or another. Once we state who we are, then we have effectively absolved ourselves from considering any change or adaptation. Throughout our lives we develop patterns which protect us from the idea that life didn't go exactly according to our plan, which makes us inflexible to any other experience. I thought to myself, is it who we are or who we choose to be that defines us? It reminded me of a Billy Joel song called the “Angry Young Man.” I think the lyrics do a great job of explaining this phenomenon, so I included a few verses.

There's a place in the world for the angry young man
With his working class ties and his radical plans
He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl
and he's always at home with his back to the wall.
He's proud of the scars and the battles he's lost
He struggles and bleeds as he hangs on the cross
And he likes to be known as the angry young man.

Give a moment or two to the angry young man
With his foot in his mouth and his heart in his hand
He's been stabbed in the back, he's been misunderstood
It's a comfort to know his intentions are good
He sits in a room with a lock on the door
with his maps and his medals laid out of the floor
And he likes to be known as the angry young man.

And there's always a place for the angry young man
With his fist in the air and his head in the sand
He's never been able to learn from mistakes
He can't understand why his heart always breaks
His honor is pure, and his courage as well
he's fair and he's true, and he's boring as hell
And he'll go to his grave as an angry old man.

It is never about what happens; rather it is about our story about what happens that determines our response. There is also a direct relationship between the degree of flexibility in our structure (body) and the flexibility of our response. As far as my friend goes, who knows whether or not they were meant to be? I do know this: the body never lies and in this case the inflexibility I could feel in his spine was very apparent. My goal with each member of my practice is to help them gain a greater flexibility in their structure, so that they may more effectively adapt to the inevitable challenges and changes that come their way.

Cut the rope: The Fear of Healing

In my experience over the last decade there is a point in a person's healing process when they begin to get in touch with their “stuff,” meaning their past wounds and information they could not previously process. Consequently that stuff is stored in the body as physical anchors or stuck energy. This connection most often occurs in mid level two of Network Care and is also the most common time for people to drop out of care. Holding on to old patterns that don't necessarily work for us is sometimes less scary then connecting and releasing them. I wrote the following song based not only my observations but from the experience of my own process.

You're afraid to want to go to deep; the hill you're sliding down's too steep
You're doing everything you can to keep from feeling it again
You don't want to cut the rope, let go and open up your heart.

The guard is always at the gate, pretending everything's ok
He's so strong but in his mind he don't realize he's blind
He don't want to cut the rope, let go and open up his heart.

There's a little child and he's crying, deep inside feels like he's dying
He's doing everything he can to keep from feeling it again
He don't want to cut the rope, let go and open up his heart.

Wonders of a Transformational Healing Gate

The feeling or experience is difficult to put into words. You arrive on Friday evening and enter a room with approximately five hundred people, most of whom you don't know. So, what's the first thing you do? You begin to judge. She's fat, he's skinny, she's pretty, and he's weird looking. It's a virtually unconscious behavior. Sunday afternoon arrives, you look around and once again take inventory of the same five hundred people from Friday night, only this time everyone looks different. Without the filter of judgment, clouding the spirit, everyone looks beautiful. Quite amazing.

So, what happens in a two and a half day window of time that could effect one's perception in such a profound way?

To begin with, the Transformational Gate, a personal growth and healing seminar, uses a group dynamic to enhance the intensity and depth of the healing experience. Network Care, the main vehicle of the Gate, utilizes the vibration based principle of harmonic entrainment. Basically, energies that are synchronized are more efficient. When you have seventy five people in the same room being entrained together, the energy literally hits you in the face.

Using a frequency of three entrainments daily, talented practitioners guide participants through network levels of care and healing stages of consciousness at an accelerated rate. This greatly advances individual's healing strategies and can provide them with a deeper level of connection than they've previously experienced, opening the door of possibility to their future healing. The experience of connection....

There is a progression of strategies from release of tension in level one and pattern clearing in level two, to the growth and expansion available in the level three experience. Late in the level two strategy, there is a spontaneous expansion of the thoracic cavity and opening of the heart energy. This contributes intensely to a feeling of connection with not only the self, but other people and what might be called the web of life. Many schools of thought suggest that this is a time when connection with the transcendent self is heightened.

Personally, my creativity soared after the last Gate I attended. It took me all of about ten minutes to write a song on the plane ride home and I followed that up with about fifteen more songs in the next thirty days. For me, that was unprecedented. I'll never forget a very intense experience at my first Gate, a dozen years ago. At the end of an entrainment my whole body went numb and I collapsed to the floor in a complete state of peace, where I remained for about ten minutes. There was no concern and no fear about judgment and I recall existing in that state for about a month. It is after an experience like that, when you realize why this is called a Transformational Gate.

The next Transformational Gate offered by Wise World Seminars will be held September 2-4 in Denver, Colorado. If you are interested contact The Center For Holistic Health for more details, in a timely manner, because this event will sell out.

'It's not about feeling better... it's about better feeling.'

I remember hearing Dr. Donald Epstein say, “It's not about feeling better, it's about better feeling.” At the time he was talking about chiropractic, or at least his version of it. Even back then I understood the idea of restoring life energy and connection in the body as opposed to fixation on symptom removal. I also knew that healing sometimes meant feeling, even if it doesn't always feel good. However, what I didn't understand was the depth of a statement like that in relation to our socio-cultural conditioning.

Somewhere, sometime in our culture we've adopted a story that we have held to be the truth. The story is that we must numb ourselves to this experience we call life and block our selves from having to feel anything painful, physically or emotionally. That sounds like a pretty good idea but I suspect it doesn't really work for us. Even so, it is often the case that cultural conditioning overrides the issue of whether or not any particular version of reality serves us.

I looked in the thesaurus for the word experience, and in the form of a verb it offered several replacements including to feel, go through, face, come in contact with, live through, suffer or undergo. So, it appears, according to this source, that if we are to experience life, then part of that experience might be to feel, or that feeling is part of the experience.

See, symptoms that we experience have a purpose and that purpose is to initiate a call for change. It means something is not working and change or adaptation is required. It just so happens that feeling is what prompts us to make a change (a concept advertisers are keenly aware of). Almost everyone that comes to see me with concern about a symptom has essentially the same story. They've tried one or several methods to get rid of “it” and either they haven't worked or have only worked temporarily. While the variety of methods is endless, the approach is fundamentally the same. They are all geared toward quelling the symptom. Of course nobody likes symptoms but if the symptom is a call for change, and we remove it without having contemplated the need to change any of our thoughts or behaviors then, we have effectively killed the messenger before receiving the message. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your perception, there will probably be more messages coming.

Whenever we experience a symptom, or any unpleasant feeling, our conditioning directs us into judging it as wrong. We systematically numb ourselves not only from that experience, but from the depth of the experience we call life. If you visit a wellness practitioner then the approach would be fundamentally different from the previously mentioned. When speaking of wellness, the methodology is one which promotes and supports adaptation and growth.

Intermediate care of Network Spinal Analysis is most commonly the time when we really begin to have a deeper experience of ourselves and a clearing of the physical anchors or patterns of unresolved energy. Along with it can come the fear of this deeper connection and retracing that will likely accompany the process.

Several months ago I read an article written by Cliff Bostick and was captured by something he wrote. “The wound's cure, the unbroken gaze of love, was scarier than enduring the pain of disconnection.” I took that to mean that it's our fear that drives us to avoid a deeper experience of life. This fear, fostered by our conditioning, is what ultimately keeps us from our healing. Well, I'm here to tell you this: Life is about better feeling.... And it's worth it!