The Heartmath Solution

One of my all time favorite quotes is ‘The longest distance you will ever travel is from your head to your heart.’   I think we can spend a lifetime trying to align what is in the heart with what is in our head and visa versa.  How often do we fight with ourselves?  Our heart says to follow our dreams and our head gives us 100 different reasons why, with 95 of those reasons not even being our own but what our mother says, what society says, what our friends say.   We have so much garbage running  around in our head that it really takes a trained person to sift through what information is actually helpful and what information holds us back.  You need to know that not all the information running through our head is truth or even helpful and a lot of what it is is preprogramming that we need to unlearn as adults in order to be happy.  The book Virus of the Mind is good at explaining how much of our subconscious beliefs are not our own and to really live the life we want we need to stop feeding those viruses.  The author calls them viruses because their contagious.  That’s how marketing is so successful. 

Not only do we need to sift through our thoughts and programmed ideas in our head but we also need to learn to listen to our heart and that the information in the heart is even more important than what’s in the head.  Yes, the heart should take precedence over the head.  in fact, The heart starts beating in the unborn fetus before the brain has been formed.  Scientists still don’t know exactly what triggers the beating, but they use the word ‘autorhythmic’ to indicate that the heartbeat is self-initiated from within the heart.  While the source of the heartbeat is within the heart itself, the timing of the beat is thought to be controlled by the brain through the autonomic nervous system.  But surprisingly ,the heart doesn’t need a hardwired connection to the brain to keep beating.  For example, when someone has a heart transplant, the nerves that run from the brain to the heart are severed and surgeons don’t know how to reconnect them to get the heart from functioning but they also don’t need to.  The new heart can beat on it’s own without the nerves to the brain.  The reason heart transplants work is that they have found that the heart has its own nervous system with at least 40 thousand nerve cells in the heart.  I think of this complex nervous system of the heart as the brain of the heart.  The heart’s inner brain sends information back to the brain, creating a two way communication between the heart and the brain.  When the brain communicates to the heart the heart doesn’t necessarily obey but research has found that when the heart communicates to the brain the brain does obey which makes me think that the heart is the one in control, not the brain.  

You also need to know that the heart beat is not just a mechanical throb but an intelligent language that significantly influences how we perceive and react to the world.  The Heart Math Institute was founded in 1991 by Doc Childre, and they see that intelligence and intuition are heightened when we learn to listen more deeply to our own heart.  Negative emotions throw the nervous system out of balance, they create heart rhythms that appear jagged and disordered.  They see that in a chronic state of nervous system and cardiovascular imbalance puts stress on the heart and other organs that can lead to serous health problems.  And positive emotions are not just neutral but actually increase order and balance in the nervous system and produce smooth, harmonious heart beats.  But harmonious heart beats do more than reduce stress they actually enhance people’s ability to clearly perceive the world around them and it is with that principle that Heart Math Institute found ways to enable people to generate a state of inner balance and harmony at will. 

The heart math solution has 10 different techniques to help you retrain your system to operate in a state of greater harmony, not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally.  It works because it’s a process that teaches people how to gain access to the heart.  

The first step is to acknowledge your heart intelligence and its importance for making choices big and small. The heart math solution book is a great book to get into the details of understanding the role the heart plays in health, perception, and overall wellbeing. Developing a new respect for the heart and its influence over the rest of the body helps in using the rest of the tools.  This first step involves feeling the difference between the head and the heart and observing how differently we perceive the world around us when we’re in contact with the heart intelligence.  The head that is the brain or the mind - operates in a linear, logical manner that serves us well in many situations but limits us in others.  sometimes we need more than logic to solve a problem or get through an emotional issue.  The heart’s intelligence provides intuition, a direct knowingness that’s an essential aspect of we operate in the world.  When our heart’s intelligence is engaged our awareness is expanded beyond linear thinking.  In this way our perspective becomes more flexible, creative and whole. 

For example when two people are in love and out walking  and get caught in a downpour, the rain is no big deal.  It’s just rain, they get wet and go back home and dry themselves off.  The rain may even be fun.  Because the couple are connected in the heart its easy for them to accept this spontaneous event with a playful spirit.

But if the same couple are walking and fighting, feeling frustrated, disconnected from their heart their attitude within it starts raining is very different.  They see it as annoying another reason to feel frustrated.  The difference between these two scenarios is only the perception of the rain.  Seen from the heart, the rain is a natural, spontaneous event.  Seen from the head it’s a frustrating problem.  

So how can you be in a state of heart connection at all times to keep a perception that is expanded in order to not let things bother you? The rest of the Heartmath solution steps will help you do just that so that your life can be full of new possibilities  and a sense of hope that when connected to the heart you can use that intuition to find solutions to your problems.  

Second step is to reduce stress which i know is easier said than done.  When stress of any kind whether physical, emotional or mental stress is on the body the heart’s rhythm goes out of balance and can be seen on EKGs.  When there is no stress, there is a flow to the body and mind where no energy is wasted.  In this state it’s easier to do everything and thrive mentally, emotionally and physically because your body’s power is maximized.  It’s no longer wasted on trying to survive the day, or on insufficient thoughts and reactions.  The mind nor body have to struggle to keep focused and productive.  When in a stressed state not only does the mind and heart struggle but your hormone balance is compromised too and your health and quality of life are compromised.  So what can we do about stress?  That’s where step 3 comes into play

Step 3 is to learn a technique called Freeze-Frame.  It is a simple five step process that takes you out of the stress of situation by creating a balance in your nervous system.  The more balanced your nervous system is the the more efficient the brain works.  Freeze frame is useful for making in the moment shifts in perception and attitude.  When you need clarity to make a decision- big or small- or to reduce stress use freeze frame to modify neurological impulses from the heart to the brain.  When you do the technique you watch yourself get stressed and actually stop your thinking and putting focus on your heart, purposely think about a happy moment and try to recreate it in your mind.  You then go back to thinking about the stressful situation while continuing to put focus on your heart and I promise you it's amazing how you think of the stressful situation differently now.  You feel more at peace, you're able to let go of the stress and you often find a solution that you didn't think of before.  Freeze frame helps manage your thoughts and reactions thereby reducing your stress.

Step 4 is all about managing your energy.  In this key step you develop a new awareness of how effective you are at using your mental and emotional energy.  For this energy is a determining factor in the quality of our lives.  Internal power translates into vitality and resiliency.  You need to know that positive thoughts and feelings actually add energy to our body.  An optimistic perspective, a feeling of gratitude or a kind gesture are energy assets.  Negative thoughts and feelings deplete our energy.  Anger, jealousy and judgment are energy deficits.  By learning to observe your thoughts and feelings you can learn where you are losing or gaining energy or internal power.  The heart math book has a worksheet to help you record and see where your mental and emotional expenditures are to show you where you gain energy and where you lose it.

Step 5 is the ability to activate what is called the core heart feelings.  There are many core heart feelings including courage, love, patience, sincerity, forgiveness, compassion, nonjudgement, and appreciation.  All these feelings synchronize the heart’s rhythm patterns and help the body.  The main core feelings are appreciation, nonjudgement, forgiveness and care.  These feelings are the main ones because they are essential for the other core feeling to unfold.  Each core feeling has a powerful benefit.  Through daily life these feelings are usually random but this 5th step is all about how to activate these feelings consciously and on demand to facilitate your personal growth and happiness.

Step 6 is managing your emotions.  So you have some emotions you want to cultivate like appreciation and you have others you want to learn to manage so they don’t get the best of you.  Emotions can be intense and complex.  Learning to manage them is key to a happy, healthy life.  Positive emotional states are rewarding and regenerative to the heart, hormone system and immune system while negative emotions drain these systems.  For most of us every day is an emotional roller coaster so unless we learn to manage our feelings and look at the root cause of them by taking responsibility for our feelings and asking ourselves, ‘why do I feel this way?’ What is the real fear of what I am feeling? we will continue to be on that emotional roller coaster our whole life. By learning to manage our emotions we can gain the ability to harness the power of emotions and use the power in ways that benefit us and not drain us.

Step 7 is Care but don’t overcare.  IT’s critical to learn the difference between care and over-care. Caring for yourself and others is an important ingredient to a healthy, rewarding life.  Yet there is a fine line because caring can also be stressful.  When we feel stressed because of the caring the term is overcare. When the caring turns into a burden of responsibility accompanied by worry, insecurity or anxiety.  Problems occur when we allow our care to drain us including a lowered immune system, trouble sleeping, poor decision making and hormonal imbalance.  I think we get stuck in situations where we don’t even realize we are in overcare.  When we learn to distinguish between care and overcare we then can make the choice to choose care and avoid overcare.  

Step 8 is to learn and apply a technique called cut-thru which is to help you manage your emotions and eliminate overcare. Let’s say you are concerned about a meeting at work.  It’s okay to be concerned but if we get really emotional about it the concern can easily become anxiety or even panic which can cause a huge energy deficit.  The scientifically designed Cut thru method will allow you to stop experiencing emotions that create incoherence.  By practicing the heart math Solution the goal is to learn when you’re in stress and do something about it.  We are so used to the day  to day stressors that many times I ask patients what their stress level is and they say medium but when I muscle test their body the body’s biofeedback is telling me their stuck in high stress, for the adrenals which are the first organs to respond to stress are stuck in the fight or flight mode.  

Step 9 is to learn how to do a heart lock in which amplify the power of the heart.  It’s a way of quieting the mind to connect with the heart more intensely locking in to its power adds energy back in to your body.  The book explains scientific evidence on how this technique balances your nervous system and boosts your immune system.    Heart Lock ins take about 5-15 minutes. I suggest doing this in the morning because  when you spend this time strengthening your connection with your heart it is easier to stay in contact with your heart intelligence and it’s intuitive messages throughout the day.  So the 3 main tools of the heart math solution are Freeze frame, cut thru and heart lock in.  Freeze frame is used to manage the mind, cut thru is used to manage the emotions and heart lock-in is used to reinforce the practice of these other techniques and to activate a deeper connection with your core heart feelings and heart intelligence.  Using The heart lock in daily is beneficial for improving health, enhancing creativity and experiencing more intuitive insight.  It really can regenerate your system physically, mentally and emotionally.  

Step 10 is the last step and is about actualizing what you know.  You take all that you've learned from the first nine steps and apply that knowledge to different aspects of your life - personally, professionally and socially.  The book gives many examples of how others have used heart math solution to improve their lives  - their personal lives, their health, their families which helps give you insight on how you can use heart math. It’s very inspirational.  

So those are all the steps!  The formula is activating heart intelligence plus managing the mind plus managing the emotions = energy efficiency, increased coherence, enhanced awareness and greater productivity.  Now you just have to apply it to your every day life.  

 I highly recommend reading the book but if you just want the heart lock in, cut thru and freeze frame directions I have worksheets on them in my office so just ask next visit. at your next visit I want you to know that I will test your nervous system and look for any incoherence. It’s actually the first thing I do on every patient every visit is test their nervous system to see if it is strong or if there is a disruption.  If there is an incoherence then I muscle test to see what toxin is interfering with the nervous system and why the heart and brain are having trouble communicating with each other.  It could be due to a heavy metal toxicity, heavy chemicals, a food the patient is eating, a bacteria, mold or other bug or it could be a scar interfering with how the nerves are firing and communicating with one another.  The 6th stressor it could be is emotional and that’s where the heart math solution comes in.  Managing your emotions and emotional healing is just as important as detoxing the body and giving the body the right nutritional support.  To learn more on how stressful emotional affect our health listen to my podcast called Your body speaks to you: Stress Reduction and Detoxing Stress.  It’s so important mind, body, spirit.  They are all connected.  

Visualization for Stress Reduction

We help our patients by detoxing the body from heavy metals, chemicals and pathogens while supporting the body with the right nutrition.   Everyone’s program looks different and depends on the muscle testing but I will tell you one common denominator for the rate at which someone heals  depends on their stress level or to be more specific the level of which they put their stress in their body.  Stress changes the hormones causing havoc on the body so healing is slower no matter what you are trying to heal from so stress management is a big part of healing in our office as well.  If I could put stress reduction in a pill I know it could help so many people.  Until I figure out how to do that visualization and imagery (sometimes referred to as guided imagery) techniques offer an avenue for stress reduction. These techniques involve the systematic practice of creating a detailed mental image of an attractive and peaceful setting or environment. Guided imagery can be practiced in isolation, but it is frequently paired with physical relaxation techniques such as muscle relaxation and breathing. When guided imagery is paired with physical relaxation techniques, the aim is to associate the sensations of relaxation with the peaceful visual image, so that future practice sessions involving imagery alone will quickly bring back to mind the physical sensations of relaxation.

I also suggest visualizations as an alternative to meditation when I know meditation can help but the patient has trouble calming the mind.  Instead of sitting in silence and trying to empty the mind that is racing with all the stressful thoughts this is a great time to listen to a visualization.  There are wonderful ones for free on Youtube.  It’s hard to suggest one because everyone is always looking for something different so listen to a few and find one that works for you.  

Guided imagery techniques work to help people relax for several reasons. As is the case with many techniques, they involve an element of distraction which serves to redirect people's attention away from what is stressing them and towards an alternative focus. The techniques are in essence a non-verbal instruction or direct suggestion to the body and unconscious mind to act "as though" the peaceful, safe and beautiful (and thus relaxing) environment were real. Finally, guided imagery can work through the associative process described above, where scenes become a learned cue or trigger that helps recall memories and sensations resulting from past relaxation practice.

Imagery techniques can be thought of as a form of guided meditation. As is the case with other forms of meditation, one of the goals and desirable outcomes is to help people learn how to detach themselves from their moment to moment fixation on the contents of their minds, and instead cultivate a relaxed detachment from which it is easy to watch (but not become embedded in) the various sensations and thoughts streaming through the mind. The repetitive practice of imagery techniques can help this meditative learning to occur so that eventually meditation and emptying the mind can come.

The practice of guided imagery is extremely portable, as it relies on nothing more than one's imagination and concentration abilities which people always have at their disposal. However, like most techniques requiring mental concentration, it is usually most successfully practiced without interruption in a setting that is free from distracting stimulation. The bathroom can be used in a pinch, if no other suitably private and peaceful location is available.  I have used it numerous times since I have kids I’m hiding from.  There is no single correct way to use visual imagery for stress relief. However, something similar to the following steps is often recommended:

• Find a private calm space and make yourself comfortable.

• Take a few slow and deep breaths to center your attention and calm yourself.

• Close your eyes.

• Listen to the visualization or imagine yourself in a beautiful location, where everything is as you would ideally have it. Some people visualize a beach, a mountain, a forest, or a being in a favorite room sitting on a favorite chair.

• Imagine yourself becoming calm and relaxed. Alternatively, imagine yourself smiling, feeling happy and having a good time.

• Focus on the different sensory attributes present in your scene so as to make it more vivid in your mind. For instance, if you are imagining the beach, spend some time vividly imagining the warmth of the sun on your skin, the smell of the ocean, seaweed and salt spray, and the sound of the waves, wind and seagulls. The more you can invoke your senses, the more vivid the entire image will become.

• Remain within your scene, touring its various sensory aspects for five to ten minutes or until you feel relaxed.

• While relaxed, assure yourself that you can return to this place whenever you want or need to relax.

• Open your eyes again and then rejoin your world.

Instead of imagining a favorite place for stress reduction you could also imagine your future self talking to your current self through a certain situation.  Imagine you are already through the stressful situation and have the outcome you want and your future self came to talk you through it as a best friend would.  Know that you have a relationship with yourself.  That relationship should not be all the negative self talk we tend to automatically do.  Make a conscious choice to do more self-love talk.  Be your own best friend.  

You can also do the same for a past situation you are trying to process and heal by using visualization to have your current self talk to your past self through a situation.  A lot of the times when we feel stuck and rerun a situation that has already happened to us over and over again in our heads it is because there is a piece of us that is looking for healing.  We can use visualization and talk ourselves through it, just like a best friend would and hear healing words from our own selves.  

It is these three ways that visualization can really help reduce stress.  The imagination is a great tool so try to use it.  There is no limit on what the mind and mind-body connection can do! 

Book on Chakras

Harmony in Chakras

Dr. Armitstead is fortunate enough to have collaborated with other healing professionals in writing a book about Chakras.  Here is a short excerpt from the chapter she wrote in Harmony in Chakras:

I will never forget the first time I worked with chakra energy in my office.  Sarah was a 34 year old woman suffering from anxiety and depression.  I had been working with her for about 6 weeks on dietary and lifestyle changes and designing a clinical nutrition program with whole food supplements to help her.  She was reporting a little improvement but it wasn’t the progress I was expecting.
In my healing work I use muscle testing as a tool to help identify what nutritional support the body needs to heal.  Using muscle testing I screen for heavy metals, heavy chemicals, immune stressors like bacteria, viruses, fungus, and parasites and food sensitivities using homeopathic vials. Any of those things can cause an imbalance in the body and can lead to symptoms; in Sarah’s case, depression and anxiety.  
Muscle testing is based on quantum physics. E=mc2. So if energy equals mass times the speed of light squared then anything with mass has energy and we are using that energy and muscle testing to get a response from the body. This response allows us to know what energy is disrupting the body and make very specific lifestyle and supplement recommendations for that person based on the muscle testing. 
I had been using this technique for years and seen great results with depression and anxiety so when Sarah came in that day and wasn’t getting the results I expected I wanted to go deeper into the emotional component with her about her anxiety and depression and since muscle testing is my tool I decided to muscle test the chakras for the first time and see what would happen.  
Up to this point I knew what chakras were from a very superficial point.  I knew they were energy centers in the body each correlating with certain emotions.  The red one had to do with feeling safe and being at home in your body, the orange one had to do with our sexuality…and so forth.  I wasn’t even sure of the proper names, just the colors.  I had seen pendulums used before in testing chakras so I thought if pendulums can pick it up then maybe muscle testing can too.  So this time instead of muscle testing the organs, with Sarah’s permission, I put my hand in the energy center just a half-inch off the body to see what would happen.  To my surprise, but I guess it shouldn’t have been surprising, the body responded!

To get your signed copy of the book and learn more about Chakras and how I muscle test them come to the book launch on

Thursday, August 9th, 530-7pm
Skinny Bar and Lounge at
174 Orchard St, NY NY 10002
Event details

Book details

How Stress is Effecting Your Health

Your body is hard-wired to react to stress in ways meant to protect you against threats from predators and other aggressors in life or death situations. Such situations are rare today, but that doesn't mean that life is free of stress. 
On the contrary, you undoubtedly face multiple demands each day, such as a huge workload, making ends meet and taking care of your family. Your body treats these so-called minor hassles as threats. As a result you may feel as if you're constantly under stress but the key is to not have the stress control your life or your health.
When you encounter a perceived threat — a large dog barks at you during your morning walk, for instance — your hypothalamus, a tiny region at the base of your brain, sets off an alarm system in your body. Through a combination of nerve and hormonal signals, this system prompts your adrenal glands, located on top of your kidneys, to release a surge of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol.
Adrenaline increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure and boosts energy supplies. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances your brain's use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues. 
Cortisol also curbs functions that would be a problem in a threatening situation. It alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes. This complex natural alarm system also communicates with regions of your brain that control mood, motivation and fear. 
The body's stress-response system is usually self-limiting. Once a perceived threat has passed, hormone levels return to normal. As adrenaline and cortisol levels drop, your heart rate and blood pressure return to baseline levels, and other systems resume their regular activities. But when stressors are always present and you constantly feel under attack, that fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on. 
The long-term activation of the stress-response system — and the subsequent overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones — can disrupt almost all your body's processes. This puts you at increased risk of numerous health problems, including:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Digestive problems
• Headaches
• Heart disease
• Sleep problems
• Weight gain
• Memory and concentration impairment

When we help patients with their stress our goal is to give them the right nutrition to calm the nervous system down, get them out of fight-or-flight response, and to rebuild the adrenal glands that have been producing adrenaline and cortisol for too long of a period.  Here are a few of my favorite supplements to use:

• Drenamin supports adrenal function and helps maintain emotional balance and energy production
• Vitamins C, E and all the B vitamins help regulate stress hormones.
  
• Magnesium provides energy to the adrenal glands.

• Calcium and trace minerals including zinc, manganese, selenium, and iodine provide calming effects in the body.

Besides the right supplements it's important to learn healthy ways to cope with the stressors in your life. Your reaction to a potentially stressful event is different from anyone else's. How you react to stressors in your life is affected by such factors as: 

• Genetics. The genes that control the stress response keep most people on a fairly even keel, only occasionally priming the body for fight or flight. Overactive or underactive stress responses may stem from slight differences in these genes. 
• Life experiences. Strong stress reactions sometimes can be traced to traumatic events. 

You may have some friends who seem laid-back about almost everything and others who react strongly at the slightest stress. Most reactions to life stressors fall somewhere between those extremes. 
Stressful events are a fact of life. And you may not be able to change your current situation. But you can take steps to manage the impact these events have on you and your health. 
You can learn to identify what stresses you and how to take care of yourself physically and emotionally in the face of stressful situations. 
Stress management strategies include:

• Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise and plenty of sleep 
• Practicing relaxation techniques such as trying yoga, practicing deep breathing, getting a massage or learning to meditate 
• Taking time for hobbies, such as reading a book or listening to music 
• Fostering healthy friendships 
• Having a sense of humor 
• Volunteering in your community
• Seeking professional counseling when needed

The payoff for learning to manage stress is peace of mind and — perhaps — a longer, healthier life.



                        
                               
       

Why Good Gut Health Is Important for a Good Mood

Why Good Gut Health Is Important for a Good Mood

New research is emerging every day regarding the role of the gut and how it effects the brain.  It is now known in the medical world as 'gut-brain axis'.  The good bacteria that is in your gut are responsible to create a healthy environment so the gut can make the right neurotransmitters for the brain. This healthy bacteria is known as a microbiome that line our digestive tracts. The digestive tract itself is a center point of the nervous system, hormonal system and immune system. It is responsible for the balance of our molecules of emotion called neurotransmitters and as a result has an effect on our mood. Good gut health is known not only to help the digestion, but are key factors in obesity, hormonal balance, healthy kidney function, and much more.

How Do Probiotics Help the Brain?
Medical research is uncovering the mechanism of probiotics in mood. Probiotics is the name of supplements that contain good bacteria.  These healthy germs boost mood in two important ways: they generate a particular neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and also enhance the brain receptors for GABA as well. Like a warm and gentle blanket for the brain, GABA is a calming amino acid, known to calm areas of the brain that are over active in anxiety and panic.

Animal studies working with mice showed those mice who ingested probiotics were, in general, more chilled out than the control mice.  The probiotic mice had lower levels of corticosterone in response to stress. Corticosterone is the mouse version of the human stress hormone cortisol. High levels of cortisol are common in anxiety as well as depression.  These mice were fed either the probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus or a broth without these. The lactobacillus-fed animals showed significantly fewer stress, anxiety and depression-related behaviors than those fed with just broth.

Human studies have also corroborated these mice findings. A French team learned via a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized parallel group study that giving humans specific strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium for 30 days yielded beneficial psychological effects including lowered depression, less anger and hostility, anxiety, and better problem solving, compared with the placebo group. 

Yeast and the Microbiome
While a healthy microbiome will contribute to good mood, an unhealthy one full of Candida albicans (yeast), and all the toxins associated with it, may also contribute to mood disorder. Presence of yeast will alter the ability to absorb nutrients and push hypersensitivity reactions of toxin by-products which translates to inflammation in the body. Inflammation will greatly contribute to depression, anxiety and poor mental function.

What You Can Do To Keep Your Microbiome Healthy?
Steps you can take for a healthy microbiome and mood are:
1 – Avoid excess sugary foods: to avoid yeast build up. If you think you may have Candida it is best to follow a Candida diet or get foods muscle tested using Nutrition Response Testing to figure out what foods are feeding the Candida. 
2 – Good Quality Sleep: good sleep is key for the intestinal lining to repair and create a healthy microbiome.
3 – Meditation and Relaxation: Meditation and quality down time is important to keep the body in the ‘rest and digest’ mode instead of stress mode. Stress mode shuts circulation to the gut, which doesn’t allow a healthy microbiome. A good app to help you learn to meditate and relax is headspace.  
4 – Eat Foods with Fiber: Good fiber helps feed the good bacteria and keeps them healthy. Vegetables, fruits, psyllium, flax, inulin and other fibers also help keep good flora and proper balance of short chain fatty acids in the intestines. 
5 – Eat Probiotic Foods: While the French study mentioned above used a supplement, there are also many wonderful natural foods full of probiotics. These include natto (a traditional Japanese fermented food), kim chi (Korean style cabbage), sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, tempeh, fermented milk (like buttermilk), miso, and non-baked cheeses (like aged cheese). Homemade sauerkraut is better than store bought, for the store bought stuff is pasteurized, which kills some of the good probiotics. To read more on how  fermented food heals the gut, read here. 
6 – Get tested for a probiotic supplement: A good quality probiotic should contain at least Lactobacillus and Bifidus bacteria. There are a number of good ones on the market and some that are poorly made, so it is best to get muscle tested to figure out which one you specifically need.  I have about 6 different ones in the office to cover a variety of different types of situations.  Also make sure your probiotic doesn't have any binders, fillers, milk products, or corn.  Sometimes people feel worse after taking a probiotic because the body needs to detox or kill bad gut flora first and so adding healthy gut flora to the body is overwhelming.  If that has happened to you it is best to first do cleansing program with a healthcare practitioner.  We also test to see if a prebiotic is needed along with a probiotic.  A prebiotic helps the good bacteria grow so the gut can maintain the good bacteria on it's own which is what you want in the long run.  

To learn more on what to do to have better gut health read here.  

Empaths and the Healing Journey

Having helped people on their healing journey for over 11 years now I have seen so many different responses to the work I do. Throughout the years there are people who respond and heal well and there are others who take time to heal. It is always my goal to help the patient the best way I know how and respect the body’s process. You can’t rush healing. Trust me, I have tried. If you have had a health concern for over 5 years it probably started a year or 2 before that. So when trying to correct a 7 year problem it takes time to slow down the dis-eased process and then start going the other way, rebuilding the body with the right alignment or nutrition, for I am a chiropractor who specializes in nutrition.

Sometimes people respond even faster to treatment than I think they would. The body never ceases to amaze me. At other times the healing process can be slower than expected and it is during these times that I often wonder to myself if the person has outside stress that is slowing down the healing process. Some of my most sensitive patients tend to be my slowest healers. When I say sensitive patients I mean sensitive in every way. They tend to be physically sensitive where they don’t recover well if they don’t get enough sleep one night and their whole week is thrown off, feeling tired and maybe even sick. They tend to be chemically sensitive to medication, cleaning supplies and/or perfumes and fragrances. They can also be emotionally sensitive as well. They cry easily at sad movies. They feel like an emotional sponge that if their friend shares with them a story they feel like it happened to them and not necessarily to their friend. They give easily but sometimes give too much and feel drained afterwards. They suffer from fatigue quite often. They can be overwhelmed in crowds and tend to like to recharge their batteries with alone time, especially in nature.

With such sensitivity these people tend to heal slower because their energy is not fully being used to heal but being used else where, pulled in ten different directions at once. I have learned these people are empaths. An empath is a person that is affected by other people's energies, and have an innate ability to intuitively feel and perceive others. Most empaths don't understand that they have this ability and seem to be 'sensitive to others'. It is best to figure out if you are an empath and then learn how to use it as a strength by learning to protect yourself energetically from others' energy.



Empaths have a good sixth sense which tells them what is going on under the surface of people’s words and actions. They can sense people’s true intentions. Empaths can trust their gut and that mind-body connection can serve a greater good. That greater good of having a strong mind-body connection is the ability to trust themselves. When centered and focused, they can make clear, healthy, happy decisions. Because they are sensitive they are big-hearted people who can live from the heart with all their love. That is a life well lived.

To know whether or not you may be an empath take the test at empathtest.com

If you are or think you are an empath the following can help:
Nature – While the energies of daily life seem to pull at you and drain you the energy of nature can refuel you and make you feel better. Let it be a walk in nature (especially near water), owning a pet or some plants. It doesn’t have to take much.

Meditation – Is another way to reboot after or before a long day. In meditation, the energy of others tends to be released. A good meditation for empaths is Empath Daily Meditation.


Smudging – You can burn sacred herbs and use the smoke to clear out negative energy that you might have picked up that day. It comes from the Native American culture. Burn Palo Santo or dried sage and move it around your whole body, front and back, using the smoke to clear your energy field, also known as an aura. You can also use Bali Auric Sprays which can be purchased at the office for $25.  Each spray contains a specific crystal formula that carries a certain healing vibration to tune into. They are handmade with organic oils. There is Palo Santo (sacred wood) from Peru, flowers, incense and candles always involved during production and all the production is handled in glass containers. The production process is finished with a special Balinese Ceremony performed by a Balinese Priest to strengthen and to elevate the healing vibration of the sprays.  This ceremony is celebrated under the full moon.

Orgonite – is something to wear or have in the room that is a combination of crystal and metal in resin that takes negative energy and transforms it into positive energy. This transformation of energy is based on Wilhelm Reich’s scientific research. See video here.

Purple plate - These purple metallic plates are made of aluminum where the atoms have been altered so that they are in tune with the basic energy of the Universe- what Tesla called “free energy.” They create a field of positive energy around them that will penetrate any material. The plates help raise the vibration rate of anyone using them.

Headspace: Meditation and Mindfulness Made Simple

Here at Healing Arts we treat the whole person, mind, body and soul. So as we adjust your back, give you vitamins or dietary advice it is also very common for us to give stress reduction advice to help you on your healing journey. Practicing meditation and mindfulness is often suggested in helping patients with stress. Not only does it help with reducing stress but also in making people happier. When I suggest adding meditation and mindfulness into a patient's daily life one of three things happen, 1) they have no interest and so I give other stress reducing tips, 2) they have interest but have never done it before or 3) they have interest and have been doing it but need to do it more. If you fall into the second group of having interest but little to no experience then Headspace is an app for you!

You can sign up for free and just 10 minutes a day (more if you want to) it can help you with a number of things including your sleep, anxiety and concentration. The meditation is done by a British man whose voice I find soothing but I have had others comment that they tend not to like the voice so you'll have to find out for yourself. They also have SOS exercises to do if you are in a real panic and need extra help.

If you are in group 3 you could also find this app of use to get you back on your routine or if you want someone to take you through a visualization. If you are in group 1 this post is not for you and instead hit the gym!

Silence is Golden AND Good for Your Health

Back in February 2016 I went to an ashram for 3 days of silence and it forever changed my life.  Just the concept of being unplugged from my electronics and instead tapped in and centered without distractions was enough for a wonderful recharge from my busy life.  But the silence was key for transformation.  

Healing is with the mind, body and spirit and in these stressful times, the mind can become our worst enemy.  It is bombarded by thousands of sensory impression, continually ruminating on what if and reiterating the mind's habitual patterns.  Medical research tells us that the epidemic of modern disease is largely the result of stress and one of the greatest sources of stress is excessive levels of noise.

(Photos are from Self-realization Fellowship Ashram in Encinitas, CA)

Notice the common sources of noise in your life: automobile traffic, electric appliances, neighbors, airplanes and if that's not enough, we invite more noise into our lives in the for of cell phones, televisions, radios and loudspeakers.  All of these leave our nervous system overworked, weakened, and dispersed.  Is it any wonder that the young are suffering from modern diseases such as attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity and are failing in school at unprecedented levels?  Is in any wonder that many people feel thy lack sufficient time and suffer from anxiety and that more than a quarter of American adults have great difficulty falling asleep.  Is it nay wonder that, in America during the past ten years, the consumption of mood altering prescription drugs has exploded and that many people choose alcohol or pot to help them unwind.  

One of the best ways to stop being absorbed in the mind's games and to manage the effects of all this sensory stress is to learn how to observe silence for extended periods.  Silence is our origin and it is our destination: before we were born and at the end of our lives.  We experience it on a daily basis, before we wake up in hte morning as as we fall alseep at night.  It is not  so strange to us.  We all cherish the moment when we put our head on the pillow at night.  Who doesn't appreciate a good night's sleep?
 

Most of us discharge a great deal of energy through unnecessary talking.  By the end of the week we are exhausted.  But instead of recharging by observing a day of silence we spend our weekend with more noise.  Ideally if you could spend 24 hours a week in silence you could experience the benefits of more energy, stronger nerves, greater mental focus, dissipation of anxiety, better sleep and a more purposeful life.  On a physical level you can expect to develop better health and heal faster because silence promotes the conditions necessary for recuperation and stress management.  If 24 hours doesn't fit into your schedule do a half day,  6 waking hours.  Any silence will help.  

The regular practice of silence allows us to develop patience and resist emotional movements such as anger, lust and greed.  With cultivating silence intentionally when we are angry it will be easier to hold our tongue, reflect before we speak and then only say what is helpful, calmly.  With silence we can learn to witness the mind's fantasies, not as our own but with detachment and learn to stop their repetitive cycles.  Silence is not the absence of thought but the ability to be present with your thoughts as they arise.  That power of now is how practicing silence will help you in all ways, mind, body and spirit.  

How to Heal Using Breath


After talking for years to patients about the importance of breathing using the diaphragm and showing them how to do it in order to get more oxygen into the body and decrease stress and tension in shoulder muscles that is as far as I went. It wasn't until recently that I looked into different breathing techniques to use as a tool during times of stress. My assistant was the one who suggested Coherent Breathing. After reading "The Healing Power of the Breath" by Richard Brown and Patricia Gerbarg and using their instructional CD of ten breathing practices I now know what a difference concentrating on your breathing can do to help one feel better.

Coherent Breathing is about training the body to do 5 breaths per minute. That would be 12 seconds for every breath, 6 seconds inhale, 6 seconds exhale. Depending on who we are, we breath too much when stressed or we actually hold our breath, taking deep sighs at times. So Coherent Breathing is a good technique to use to help us regulate it. The beginning steps of Coherent Breathing are:

1)Breathe through your nose with your eyes closed.
2) Taking your time count slowly and silently in your mind as you breathe in...two...as you breathe out...two...repeat this for 2 breaths.
3) Taking your time count slowly as you breathe in...two...three...as you breathe out...two...three...repeat this for 3 breaths.
4) Taking your time count slowly as you breathe in...two...three..four...as you breathe out...two...three..four...repeat this for 4 breaths.
5) Taking your time count slowly as you breathe in...two...three..four...five...as you breathe out...two...three..four...five...repeat this for 5 breaths.
6) Taking your time count slowly as you breathe in...two...three..four...five...six...as you breathe out...two...three..four...five...six...repeat this for 5 minutes.

When you start with Coherent Breathing it is best to find a quiet space and a comfortable place to sit. Start with 5-10 minutes and work your way up to 30 minutes once or twice a day. Most people feel benefits right away. People notice that their mind feels calmer, less filled with chatter and their bodies feel more relaxed. It can be done right before bed while lying down, just make sure you don't fall asleep! Once you feel comfortable with 5 breaths a minute you no longer have to do the beginning steps.

Besides adding it to your daily routine Coherent Breathing can be used during times of anxiety, right in the moment, if you have practiced it long enough or when having trouble sleeping. You can also do it with your eyes open when taking a walk. There is wonderful Coherent Breathing music you can download that chimes every time you should inhale or exhale.

Sometimes there can be problems when first starting to learn Coherent Breathing such as running out of breath, practicing with your nose stuffed up or if five breaths feels too fast. Information on how to overcome those problems and much more can be found in the book "The Healing Power of the Breath" which I do have a copy at my office for borrowing so just let me know! 

Best Healing Oil for Each Chakra!

After lots of testing and smelling and testing and smelling some more I have finally come up with the best oils for each chakra! It's been months on end of working with the oils and chakras and trying out all sorts of oils to narrow it down and then just choose one oil for each chakra.

Starting with the Root Chakra (red)
BALANCE
Balance is a blend of oils made from spruce, rosewood, blue tansy, frankincense and coconut oil. It helps promote relaxation, soothe sore muscles and joints and evoke a sense of balance and tranquility. It's good to rub on the bottom of our feet before we even get out of bed in the morning to start the day out feeling balanced.When feeling anxious, it's good to apply to neck or wrists.

Sacral Chakra (orange)
DEEP BLUE
Wintergreen, Camphor, Peppermint, Blue Tansy, German Chamomile, Helichrysum, and Osmanthus found in Deep Blue oil are a powerful ally when suffering from the occasional achy muscles. Also good for headaches, joint pain, pre or post workout and anywhere where there is inflammation in the body. And that's what the sacral chakra is concerned with, taking care of the body. And when the sacral chakra is blocked muscle spasms do occur, So wherever there is an ache put deep blue on it. You can dilute it in coconut oil or it comes in a muscle rub too!

Solar Plexus Chakra (yellow)
LEMON
Solar plexus chakra is about digestion and the lemon oil helps cleans the body and aid in digestion. It's perfect to have on you and add to your water! It helps purify the air so add it in your diffuser. It also helps the lungs and promote a positive mood and increase brain function. These aren't just any lemons but they are sourced from Italy, where lemons grow the best!

Heart Chakra (green)
ELEVATION

Also known as the 'Joyful Blend', contains Lavandin Flower, Lavender Flower, Hawaiian Sandalwood, Tangerine Peel, Melissa Flower, Ylang Ylang Flower, Elemi Resin, Osmanthus Flower, and Lemon Myrtle Leaf essential oils. It is excellent when you feel you need emotional support. But it is also great for post-partum depression. Add a few drops in your bath after a stressful day to elevate your mood and of course, rub it on your heart when in times of grief or sorrow. This is my favorite oil to wear as a perfume, just dab on the wrists and you are good to go!

Throat Chakra (Blue)
BERGAMOT

Besides adding a drop into regular tea to make into Earl Grey tea this citrus oil has a great way of uplifting while calming. So it is great for those of us who are anxious and depressed at the same time. I know it sounds like an oxymoron but it's true! Anxiety and depression can go hand in hand. I love using it for headaches. Put it right on the head ache spot and massage in. It is also known to help cleanse the skin so it's great for acne, rosacea or the like. I was surprised it started testing well for the throat chakra but I think it helps so well with our anxiety and depression which can be due to an ineffective throat chakra that's why it works so well!

Third Eye Chakra (Indigo)
LAVENDER
If it's one oil that does it all it's lavender and that's why you see it in so many of the essential oil blends. It's good for

Physical uses:
Stress & Anxiety
Agitation
Exhaustion
Mood Swings
Jet Lag
Hyperactivity
Grief
Depression (including Postpartum)
Concentration

Spiritual Uses:

Inner Peace
Purification
Meditation
Protection
Dispel Negative Energies
Lift the Spirits
Mental Clarity
Intuition

Crown Chakra (Violet or White)
SERENITY
Of course this blend has lavender in it for all the spiritual uses but it also has Marjoram, Roman Chamomile, and Ylang Ylang with the warming aromas of Hawaiian Sandalwood and Vanilla Bean to really help one have a restful night sleep. Great to rub on bottom of feet right before bed. Calms one down and is more intense than lavender by itself that's why it's good right before bed or meditation!

For more about the oils, click here!

Opening Up Chakras With Essential Oils!

Karuna did a wonderful chakra meditation using aromatherapy this last Thursday at the office. For those of you who missed it I wanted to share with you what oils she used for the chakras.

Root Chakra - Balance
Earthy tones of Spruce needle/leaf, Ho wood, Frankincense, Blue Tansy Flower and Blue Chamomile Flower essential oils applied to the bottom of our feet helped us feel grounded.

Sacral Chakra - Digestzen
DigestZen® is a proprietary blend of pure essential oils. Ginger, peppermint, tarragon, fennel, caraway, coriander and anise each have specific attributes which help restore normal balance in the digestive system and sacral chakra.

Solar Plexus - Lemon
One drop rubbed right into the stomach is very soothing.



Heart - Serenity
A relaxing blend composed of Lavender, sweet marjoram, roman chamomile, ylang ylang, sandalwood and vanilla bean.

Throat - Deep Blue
A blend of wintergreen, camphor, peppermint, blue tansy, blue chamomile, helichrysum and osmanthus work together to ease achy joints and sore muscles. We rubbed it on the neck and shoulders for muscle tension relief.

Third Eye - Lavender
Massaged right into the Third eye and it smelled soooo good!

Crown - Frankincense
Perhaps the most precious of the ancient oils, frankincense is highly sought after by modern consumers for its many uses, including relaxation, immune support, and mood enhancement.

If you are interested in the oils or have more questions feel free to visit www.mydoterra.com/healingartsnyc.com
or contact me directly