Having a Healthy Relationship with Your Body

Think about when you first wake up in the morning.  What are your first thoughts as you roll out of bed?  Do they have anything to do with how your body feels?  I tend to get a yes to that question only if that person is in pain or is afraid something is wrong with them.  If we are feeling fine we tend to ignore the body and go on with our day. We can’t be bothered by it. In our office we try to change that awareness.  We teach people to be aware of the food they eat, to make healthy choices and also be aware of the chemicals and heavy metal they are using in their daily life.  This change in awareness is about taking their health into their own hands and making those daily choices to create health in the body.  It takes a dedication, a determination and also self love to confront the body and take care of it. It takes courage to really look at ourselves, our body and do something healthy for it. That’s why a lot of people don’t come to the office unless their body is screaming at them. The body screams in the form of a symptom.  It is only with a headache, stomach ache, anxiety, weeks of insomnia, constipation etc. that people make an appointment.  That is, the majority of the people.  That is how we are trained. To actually go to the doctor’s when you are healthy doesn’t cross people’s mind.  Many doctors are trained in disease. They don’t know what to do if you are healthy.  If you don’t have a symptom they don’t have any advice for you.  Yet, as consumers we should have a new goal.  Our goal should be to keep the health we have.  Preventative healthcare is the best healthcare.

When we bring people’s awareness to their lifestyle and want to help them make changes that would improve their health part of that goal is to help them build their intuition with their bodies.  Listening to their body and what the body is trying to tell them is a new skill set for most people.  When listening to the body I don’t want to deepen the mind-body connection.  Instead, I want to get my patients out of their mind and into the body.  In the body is where your true power lies.  Meditation has it correct.  The goal in meditation is to quiet the mind and we do that by concentrating on the breath.  This concentration on breath gets us into the body and it is there that we find our center.  The center that is beyond the mind and beyond the body.  The center is where we are at peace no matter what is happening around us.  The center is our soft voice that is forever loving.  The center is our Spirit, our Higher Self, our love.  Call it what you would like.  Every religion has a different name for it.  It is our center, beyond anything in this physical world.     

The book by Eckart Tolle, The Power of Now talks about how the body loves your attention. It even states that the more consciousness you bring into the body, the stronger the immune system becomes. I find this to be true but let me specify our body loves our positive attention.  It loves to be loved,  not judged so watch your thoughts.  You think loving thoughts towards your body and you believe the body has the power to heal itself and it will.  If you think negative thoughts and put them in your body dis-ease can occur.  The book, Feelings Buried Alive Never Die is great at explaining that concept.  

A clear example of getting into the body to help it heal is how exercise makes us mentally feel better.  I often tell patients to exercise for better stress management.  I used to think that exercise helped get the stress off the body by changing the biochemistry of the brain but now I realize that exercise reduces stress by getting people to stop thinking and instead putting their attention into the body.  This change in attention from whatever is going on in the mind to the body allows feedback from the body to the brain so that exercise encourages the production of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in the brain. Exercise also produces endorphins, the ‘feel good’ chemical in the brain.  In this way exercise is nature’s antidepressant and is really good for helping people with all sorts of things like ADHD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, blood sugar imbalances, hormone imbalances etc.  You name it and exercise can help because it gets you to pay attention to the body and the body responds by changing the brain chemistry.  

The way to a healthier, happier life is by embracing the body, loving the body.  Start having a positive relationship with your body by checking in with it and listening to it.  If it is hungry, feed it healthy food.  If it is full, step away from eating.  If it is tired, go to bed at a decent hour.  If you know your body doesn’t do well with coffee, skip that afternoon cup.  There are so many choices we make a day to either help or hinder our body.  Be compassionate with yourself  and your body and know your only goal is to make better choices than yesterday and that we are here to help.  

8 Steps to Better Brain Health

Brain Health

Brain fog, lack of concentration, feeling tired, poor memory and headaches are all signs that your brain isn't getting the right nutritional support it needs.  Supporting the brain is not easy because of the blood-brain barrier that is a sheet of capillaries that carry blood to the brain and spinal cord that blocks the passage of certain substances.  This filtering system is important to keep toxins from reaching the brain and spinal cord but also doesn't allow many nutrients into the brain as well.

So what can we do to help the brain knowing that not all things can pass the blood-brain barrier?  Here is a list of my favorite things.  Everyone is different and may need different things for support so getting muscle tested is the key to figuring out exactly what you need.

1. Protein - A lack of protein in the diet can cause the brain to slow down.  If you are a vegetarian make sure you are eating enough protein and supplementing with vitamin B12.  The brain loves vitamin Bs and B12 can only be found in meat.  Another good supplement is a vegan supplement from Standard Process called RNA.  RNA is the building blocks of protein and this supplement can really help rebuild the brain at the cellular level.

2, Vetiver Essential Oil - The moment you smell something it goes into the brain because the olfactory nerve responsible for smell goes straight into the brain.  So any smell is fast acting and when you put vetiver oil in a diffuser or on your wrists it helps with boost energy levels when you’re exhausted. In addition, it’s used to cool the body during very high temperatures and soothe feelings of anxiety and nervousness.  Recent research credits vetiver oil for treating symptoms of ADHD and ADD maybe due to the relaxing component that it gives. It’s also known to increase libido and treat insomnia.

3. Bee pollen - It is a great brain booster, lifting brain fatigue, improving alertness and helping concentration levels over an extended period of time. Rich in the B vitamins; B1, B2 and B3 – these are essential for a healthy nervous system and powerful detoxifiers, especially to the brain. They are often referred to as “anti-stress” or “morale” vitamins - when the nervous system is working optimally anxiety and stress can be greatly lessened.  Bee pollen can be eaten raw or can be added to your favorite cereals, smoothies, yogurt or hot drink. I see most people test for 1-2 teaspoons a day as a daily dose.

4. Tuna omega-3 oil - The brain, being about 60% fat, is one reason why the body loves having the right fats in the diet.  Fish oil also has an incredible impact on the brain and I have seen it work wonders especially for mild memory loss and depression.  You do have to be careful to get a good brand, for tuna is known for mercury toxicity.  Standard Process and Nordic Naturals are both brands I trust for their fish oil.

5. Min Tran - It is a vegetarian product from Standard Process that contains iodine and other minerals to support emotional balance when you are stressed and the nervous system is too much in 'fight or flight' mode.  In this way it supports a healthy nervous system, eases stress, and calms us down.

6. Exercise it!  If you don't use it you lose it.  So play crossword puzzles, sudoko, trivia pursuit, read for fun, etc.  20 minutes a day or more.

7. Blueberries - When we follow a diet rich in plant-based foods, like blueberries it can help with dementia. In a recent study, researchers found healthy older adults (ages 65 to 77) who drank 30 milliliters of concentrated blueberry juice (the equivalent of 230 grams of berries), had a significant increase in brain activity, blood flow and even memory compared to the placebo group. Flavonoids, abundant in blueberries, are likely to be an important factor in what's causing these effects, which can lower dementia risk.

8. Drink water - One of the main reasons for a headache is dehydration.  So the moment you start feeling head pressure grab a tall glass of water and see that many times the pressure will dissipate.  On average you should be drinking 3 liters of water a day.  This can include herbal teas.

So start incorporating these 8 things in your daily life for better brain health.  

Advanced Allergy Clearing Technique

A New Service at Healing Arts

Accelerated Allergy Clearing Technique

Do you experience:

Environmental allergies that make you dread seasonal changes?
“Food Allergies” that severely limit your diet (and nourishment)?
Sensitivities to things in your environment that restrict your quality of life?
Symptoms or unwanted health conditions that simply won’t respond, or only respond to treatment temporarily?

These symptoms could be signs of allergies.  If you have allergies, there is an alternative to medication and the impracticality of avoidance…
It is AACT, Accelerated Allergy Clearing Technique. And if you do have seasonal allergies, luckily for you, Nova learned this technique just in time for spring!

Allergies are versatile. They can show up just about anywhere in your body and provide a variety of issues. They can affect your nose, eyes, throat, lungs, stomach, skin and nervous system. They can give you a bellyache, a rash and even bring on fatigue and headache.
In our experience, when major allergies, both food and/or environmental, are present and not handled, they are often interfering with the body’s normal function, repair, and self-correcting mechanisms. Autoimmune disease have risen dramatically due to high levels of polution in the air. This represents a major health problem that experts now think affects one third of the whole population. And if they are not managed properly, people begin to deal with it by avoiding the modern world.

Food sensitivities, environmental allergies, and chemical sensitivities are afflicting more and more people and an individual can be allergic or sensitive to any number of substances including: foods, molds, pollens, animal dander, chemicals, fabrics, medications, MSG, food additives, etc. Allergy symptoms can be over-reactions of the immune system while and/or an imbalance in the body's nervous system. An imbalance in the body's energy can lead to decreased health, so clearing allergies and sensitivities is one way to improve the overall immune system. 

The allergy clearing procedure is a gentle, painless, non-invasive way to relieve symptoms by utilizing acupressure, muscle testing, and nutrition to address underlying problems and bring balance to the body. It is safe on the youngest to oldest of patients. Most begin to notice improvement in just a few sessions, but the full benefit is seen as a patient's overall health improves with the combination of the clearing plus vitamin supplementation. Some common changes with the allergy clearing include: elimination of lactose intolerance, reduction or elimination of IBS, sinus relief, seasonal allergy relief, elimination of eczema and hives, reduction of fatigue, improvement of ADD symptoms, decreased gluten intolerance and bowel gas, and elimination of asthma, just to name a few. 

The following are symptoms that may be related to allergies or sensitivities. If you experience any of these conditions and have not found relief, you may be a candidate for allergy clearing. Symptoms including: acne, canker sores, dark circles under eyes, eczema, hives, itching, constipation, diarrhea, gas, heartburn, vomiting, IBS, asthma, coughing, sinusitis, stuffy nose, bedwetting, joint pains, anxiety, fatigue, bloating, hyperactivity, learning disorders, arthritis, hay fever, post nasal drip, red ear lobes, red cheeks, ear infections, headaches, sore throats, and weight gain.

If you think you may be a candidate for Advanced Allergy Clearing Technique (AACT) call the office, (866) 585-5999 to schedule an initial exam.