Blogs
April 29, 10
The holistic approach to evaluating fatigue involves considering what I believe are three major domains of possible dysfunction. They are the biochemical, the energetic and the mental/emotional domains.
The biochemical domain is meant to represent many of the standard medical reasons a person may have fatigue, such as due to infections, inflammatory conditions, metabolic derangements, hematologic reasons, etc.
These are investigated using standard medical methods such as lab analysis, history and physical and imaging studies. What is also included though are ideas and biochemical evaluations into areas not typically considered in standard medical practice. This might include investigating for hormonal imbalances such as sub clinical thyroid disorder, sex hormone imbalances (progesterone, estrogen, testosterone), adrenal glandular dysfunction, nutritional imbalances, heavy metal and other toxicity, etc.
The energetic domain represents ideas based on the broad family of energy medicine techniques and methods. Concepts taken from diverse disciplines such as Homeopathy, Chinese medicine, Applied Kinesiology and others have the common thread of understanding of an energy “system” which is inherent to our being.
Just as standard medicine recognizes various organ systems such as the gastrointestinal system, the nervous system, the immunological system, etc., energy medicine proponents recognize the existence of an “energy system” which may be dysfunctional and ultimately interface with any one or several of our other organ systems and thereby cause symptoms of disease, such as fatigue.
Finally, the realm of the mind and emotions must be considered. Past traumas, fixed dysfunctional ways of thinking and believing, anxieties, phobias, and self sabotaging thought patters are just a few of the many ways one may unintentionally be channeling away energy in order to compensate for a problem. A common end result is fatigue.
Bottom Line? - The holistic approach to evaluating fatigue, or any other complex problem for that matter, can be time intensive but is a necessary path in order to discover its underlying causes and thereby effectively treat it. Evaluation and treatment of all the above domains has proven to be the most efficient and comprehensive way of approaching this complex but so very common problem.
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February 24, 10
Natural bio identical hormone replacement therapy has become a very popular and effective means of relieving the symptoms of menopause and andropause ( “male menopause” ). Women are typically bothered by hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, insomnia, fatigue, low libido and brain fog. Men typically experience low energy, irritability, low libido and lack of drive.
Various methods of hormone replacement therapy exist including oral pills, sub lingual (under the tongue), buccal (on the inner cheek), injections and topical creams. Of these methods of hormone delivery, topical creams appear to be the most commonly prescribed method. There are pros and cons of each method and the decision as to which method to use is determined in part by the patients needs, preexisting health conditions or risk factors and other factors your qualified physician may believe are important.
The pellet method is a less common but highly effective method of hormone delivery which has several advantages over all the other above mentioned approaches. Subcutaneous pellet therapy is more common and popular in Europe. It is only relatively new to patients here in the United States. It involves a minor surgical procedure performed in the doctor’s office under a local anesthetic. Specially prepared hormone pellets, about the size of a large grain of rice, are implanted just under the skin. The surgical wound itself is only a few millimeters long and is typically made in the upper-outer buttock area. Wound healing is rapid and in most cases, life as usual goes on after 5 to 7 days of limiting tub bathing, swimming and vigorous physical activity.
So what are the advantages of pellet therapy over all the other methods?
1.) Convenience! Pellet therapy typically lasts for 4 months in females and up to 6 months in males. All the other methods (except injections) must be taken or applied on a daily to twice daily basis.
2.) More consistent levels of hormone. As pellets are a depository of hormone under the skin, your body will dissolve and absorb the amount it needs in a regular steady manner. You maintain a more even level of hormone at all times. Which results in more even relief of the very symptoms we are trying to alleviate in the first place! All the other methods (though again less so for certain types of injections) tend to deliver hormone in a roller coaster manner, with high levels soon after it has been applied or taken and low levels toward the end of the dosage interval.
3.) Bypassing the Liver. All the other methods, except for creams and to an extent the under the tongue methods must first be processed by the liver before they enter the general circulation. It is this so called “first pass” effect that accounts for some of the problems noted with synthetic hormones such as increased risks for blood clots, strokes, heart attacks and increase in lever enzymes.
4.) Greater symptom relief. This is obviously a subjective opinion, but in my experience as well as in the reports from pellet therapy patients who have tried other methods of hormone replacement, this method has by far given the greatest degree of relief and resolution of the various symptoms related to menopause and andropause.
January 24, 10
The emotional freedom technique (EFT) is a holistic healing method that can quickly diffuse acute emotional flairs as well as help heal deep emotional wounds quickly, directly and easily. Sometimes even physical based problems respond to EFT. The deeper emotional work that can be done with EFT is best performed under the guidance of a well trained EFT practitioner, preferably a licensed health care provider.
Briefly stated, EFT is based on techniques taken from psychology and traditional Chinese medicine. Energy meridian points on the face and body are tapped with the finger tips while one is verbalizing a known problem. What actually occurs during this process is open to debate, but in general is believed to be related to “re setting” or “re educating” the bodys’ energy meridian system, which ultimately interacts with our brain and entire body system. The result is often dramatic improvement in emotional and mental states relating to whatever problem we were tapping on. So, if one were tapping about anxiety, one would feel less anxious, or if the tapping were about a headache, the pain would be less, and so on.
So, how do you EFT?
What follows is a general outline of the process of performing a “round” of EFT. As this is an outline, many subtle nuances are not discussed here. Contact my office for further details.
Tapping points are defined as follows:
- Karate chop = fleshy part on the little finger side of the hand midway between the knuckle and wrist.
- Eye brow = on the bony ridge where the eyebrow starts.
- Outside eye = along the temple.
- Under eye = about an inch below the center of your pupil on the upper cheek.
- Under nose = the cleft just below the nose in the mid line.
- Chin = the cleft below the lower lip and the tip of the chin in the mid line.
- Under arm = mid chest level about 1 hand breadth below mid arm pit.
Lets take it step by step:
#1 - IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM YOU WANT TO FOCUS ON. Be as specific as you can. Consider the following examples. Stress, tension, worry, anger, frustration.
#2 - Rate the severity of the problem as you feel it now. On a scale of one to 10, how severe is the emotion NOW. One being essentially gone and 10 being the very worse it could ever be. How bad is the stress, tension, worry, etc. Rate it and make a mental note or actually write it down.
#3 - Create a “Set up” statement. This statement is an affirmation of the problem at hand as well as a stated belief that despite this problem, you still love and accept yourself. This statement is very critical for many people as it is believed to deal with “psychological self sabotage”. For example; “Even though I FEEL SO STRESSED out right now, I deeply and completely accept myself”. For your situation simply remove the underlined words in the example and fill in with your issue.
#4 - Start tapping with finger tips on each point in this order.
- Karate chop point - “Even though (insert your problem here) I deeply and completely accept myself”. Repeat this phrase 3 times while tapping this point.
- Eye brow point - tap while stating your concern or issue (ex. this anxiety, this headache, this stress, this… whatever)
- Outside eye point - tap while stating your concern or issue
- Under eye point - tap while stating your concern or issue
- Under nose point - tap while stating your concern or issue
- Chin point - tap while stating your concern or issue
- Under arm point - tap while stating your concern or issue
# 5 - Now, take a deep breath and reflect. How do you feel about what you just tapped on? How would you relate its severity on a scale of 1 to 10? If it has dropped significantly, congratulations! If its severity has dropped but not that much, you can repeat the process again and likely drop it more.
If it did not drop at all the possibilities are that you were not as specific on the topic that was really bothering you, or perhaps your technique was at fault. In any case, consulting with an experienced EFT practitioner can make a big difference in outcomes.
TO SEE THE EFT INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO
January 09, 10
Naturally enhancing your health is easier than it may seem. Just a few simple changes in the choices you make can have an enormous impact on your current and future state of health.
Keep this in mind -
The greatest wealth is health. ~Virgil
Tip # 1 Drink clean water - and LOTs of it: Just considering the popularity of bottled water, it is no secret that tap water is suspect. Chemical treatments at the water plant, residue of drugs and hormones, run off from industry and agriculture are just a few of the concerns. Look for a home water filter that screens out most of these things. Also consider water dispensers that ionize the water to a more alkaline pH. Half of your body wt. in pounds is the number of ounces of water you should drink in a day!
Tip # 2 Stop drinking sodas, black tea and coffee: These drinks are acidic. They make your body expend energy and minerals to neutralize their acidity. They also do not satisfy you body’s need for water. A dehydrated, acidic system is ripe for inflammation, infection and degeneration. BTW most herbal teas are OK.
Tip #3 Stop using artificial sweeteners: Nearly all artificial sweeteners have been shown to be neuro toxic in animal experiments. Switch to plain old honey, agave or stevia.
Tip #4 Stop using your microwave oven: Many believe that the structure and biological utility of water (the largest component of most foods and your body) is altered by microwaving. In a sense it is “killed”. A simple experiment showed that plants watered with microwaved water withered away quickly, as if they were not watered at all compared to plants receiving water boiled on a stove top.
Tip #5 Avoid processed foods: Processed foods have a long shelf life because they are filled with chemical preservatives. They are essentially embalmed. This is what you are taking into your body - lifeless food. Eat fresh, vital foods and enjoy the benefits of a vibrant life.
Tip #6 Go Organic: Yes, they are more expensive but they are also full of more vitamins, nutrients, minerals and enzymes. They are also not full of toxic pesticides, herbicides, and a host of other chemicals. They are also not genetically modified.
Tip #7 Stop eating toxic fats and oils: This includes hydrogenated oils, canola oil and any other man made oil. Organic butter, cold pressed olive oil and coconut oil are good alternatives. Your cells need healthy fats to make healthy cell membranes. Toxic fats make cell membranes like cellophane. This impairs cell membrane function and cell to cell communication, ultimately provoking impaired organ function.
Bonus Tip - The things you must do to improve your health are not hard at all. The challenge is in making a personal commitment to change. So as one way to encourage your journey towards wellness I would like to invite you to claim your FREE Instant Access copy of my ebook “Vitamin C - a simple guide for maximum benefit” when you sign up for my newsletter. CLICK HERE to sign up now!
September 03, 09
Nambudripad’s allergy elimination techniques or NAET for short, is a holistic method of allergy identification and neutralization. It was developed by Dr. Devi Nambudripad of Buena Park, California. It is based on alternative medicine health principles taken from the worlds of chiropractic applied kinesiology and traditional Chinese medicine.
Allergy by NAET standards is defined broadly to mean any unexpected reaction that occurs from a given substance which would otherwise not produce those reactions in most people. This is somewhat different from the traditional western medical definition which defines allergy as a set of signs and symptoms that develop due to specific biochemical and immunological interactions measurable through standard lab tests.
Within the NAET definition, some but not necessarily all allergens might be measurable through standard medical tests. The reason for this is because the cause of the imbalance is believed to be due to weakened energy meridians. This is where NAET’s connection to traditional Chinese medicine occurs. Briefly stated, within the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, twelve primary energy channels, or energy meridians have been defined. Meridians circulate “chi” which has various meanings, but essentially could be defined as “vital energy”. Each meridian individually corresponds to a specific organ system. The health and vitality of each organ system is then dependent on the free, unobstructed flow of chi through an unobstructed meridian. Within this understanding, an allergen then could be thought of as anything that blocks the free flow of chi.
Within the NAET definition, things like pollens, dusts and foods could be allergens. Most of these would meet the western medicine definition, but other things like vitamins, hormones, or even thoughts, beliefs and emotions could be viewed as allergens as well as they might block the free flow of vital energy or chi.
The methods of allergy determination and treatment are also very different between the western medical approach and NAET. With NAET, muscle response testing is used to determine if various acupuncture meridians become weakened when a sample of the allergen is held by the patient.
Muscle response testing is a simple method of determining what I call a “stress response” from the body. A subjects muscle that is initially tested to be strong when given a neutral stimulation may then be found to test weak when challenged with an irritating substance, like an allergen. Though this definition is an oversimplification, this basic meaning is accurate.
Once it is determined which allergen is producing a stress response, a gentle form of acupressure is then applied to the patient, with particular emphasis in treating the weakened meridians. After adequate treatment is verified again with muscle response testing the patient simply must avoid that allergen for 25 hours for the treatment to take.
Within the conventional medical approach, some allergens, like foods are not believed to be treatable and complete avoidance of the substance is the only viable treatment option. In other cases, immunotherapy or “allergy shots” are recommended along with prescription medication to block allergy symptoms. Testing is generally performed by skin scratch or patch testing or sometimes with blood work.
Chi and muscle response testing are foreign concepts to the conventional medical approach, but as previously noted are part of two well established and credible healing arts, namely traditional Chinese medicine and Chiropractic.
Conventional and alternative/holistic forms of health care are often primarily viewed as polar opposites when it comes to their validity, usefulness, safety and truth. I believed when they are both viewed as members of a larger spectrum of health, each valid in its own right, each useful given the appropriate situation, and each used with the guiding principle of “first do no harm”, that instead of opposites, they represent members of a greater Truth about health that is multifaceted and complimenting, not polarizing.
September 08, 08
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