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By,
Daniel H. Chong, ND
Structure
Misalignment in your body’s physical structure, or blockages
in the energy flow that normally courses freely through your
body, can often slow down the healing process. Aside from
typically causing pain, these problems can decrease blood
flow, nervous stimulation and the flow of ‘chi,’
or healing energy, to an affected area. All three of these
things are needed for a rapid and complete healing response.
In fact, classical chiropractic medicine bases most of its
treatments on this single theory. In many cases that I see,
I always try to take the time to investigate whether or not
a structural problem is contributing negatively to the overall
situation. I use naturopathic spinal manipulation, Bowen therapy
(a treatment very similar to NST used by Dr. Mercola), and
trigger point injection therapy in my practice to help relieve
any misalignment or blockages I find in my patients, and I
find that it helps immensely in many acute and chronic conditions.
Other methods practiced by naturopathic physicians and other
like-minded practitioners to get your body’s structure
realigned include massage therapy, acupuncture, osteopathic
manipulation, chiropractic, craniosacral therapy, physical
therapy, yoga and exercise, to name just a few. If the flow
of blood and/or energy is impeded, recovery from disease or
injury of any kind will be slower and less complete. Because
of this, one’s structural integrity should always be
investigated and treated, if necessary, when treating chronic
disease.
Genetics
To a certain extent, our genetics cannot be changed. We are
who we are, and if we are born with the predisposition to
a certain illness, there may be nothing that we can do to
change that. However, as most of you who have read anything
about genetic engineering now know, the idea that we cannot
change our genes is turning out to be less and less true with
each passing day. In fact, some in that industry believe there
is a genetic basis to every disease, and with enough time
and money we should be able to discover these things and cure
any disease.
I’m a little less optimistic and choose instead to believe
that every creature on this earth is born into the body that
nature had intended, and that we should not try and alter
that. Time and time again we have seen, and continue to see,
that when we try to change or improve upon nature, sooner
or later it comes back to bite us in the behind. The wonderful
thing about nature and our incredible bodies is that we are
all designed to be healthy. As Dr. Mercola and others like
him continue to show, the majority of chronically ill people
do not need to change their genes for the better, they need
to change their lives for the better. If they can do that
they will find that optimal health is soon to follow.
This is because we as human beings, and as part of this universe,
have been designed to be healthy. People get sick either because
of what they are doing to themselves, or because of what someone
or something else is doing to them. The symptoms they get
are a result of their bodies’ best efforts to return
to a state of health. This is obvious in a simple condition,
such as a cold.
The symptoms of the cold are the cure. A fever, if it occurs,
is there for a reason--to kill the bugs! The nasal discharge
is there to provide a means of excretion for the toxins that
accumulate in your body during the illness, as well many toxins
that were there beforehand. If you suppress these events with
fever-reducing medications or antihistamines you are suppressing
your body’s effort to return to health.
In more complicated illnesses, like Crohn’s disease
or cancer, the answers are usually still there, they are just
harder to see. However, both of these diseases, and many more
like them, are in fact being caused by something that the
person is doing and/or is exposed to, and if these things
are changed health will return.
The point to all of this is that genetics and heredity do
play a part in illness. When someone is sick, their genetic
make-up and family history should always be considered. When
potential ‘weak’ areas are discovered, they should
be supported as best as possible. This support can come in
many forms. Hydrotherapy and herbal medicine both provide
excellent options for supporting or tonifying different, potentially
weak areas of the body. In homeopathic theory, general traits
or predisposing conditions are referred to as ‘miasms.’
These miasms, in turn, influence the types of symptoms you
get when your body comes under stress. Certain remedies can
be used to support you and your particular miasm and, in turn,
lessen your chance of getting sick in that area.
We may not be able to change who we are, and we shouldn’t
try to. What we should do instead is to try to make the most
of what we have.
Thoughts & Emotions
One of the most important factors in the prevention of or
recovery from illness is the state of one’s mind. Mental/emotional
stress in all of its many forms is a common denominator in
the cause and prolongation of chronic illness. If your life
is overly stressful and, more importantly, you don’t
take steps to help relieve the burden that stress places on
your body, you will inevitably get sick.
If you are already sick it will be that much more difficult
to recover if your stress levels are not dealt with properly.
On the same token, when we look around us we see time and
time again that the healthiest people, and those with the
greatest longevity, are the ones with the best attitudes in
life. Someone once asked one of the oldest living human beings
on the planet, a 114-year-old man, what his secret to longevity
was. His response was simply, "If it starts to rain,
I let it." Nothing could sum it up better than that.
We all must learn to relax, let go, and just be. Unfortunately,
the hard part is learning how to do this. It is also important
to realize that the methods you choose to accomplish these
feats may be totally different than the next person. Some
people may choose to pray or meditate, some people may choose
exercise, still others may choose drag racing! The point is
that it doesn’t really matter what you do. However, to
be truly healthy we all must find a way to diminish the effects
that the daily stresses we experience have on our minds and
bodies. We all must choose something.
On his Web site, Dr. Mercola has written in depth about two
particularly effective methods of stress reduction or ‘calming
of the mind’: EFT
and the Holosync Method.
I strongly recommend looking at these two methods as possible
avenues to stress reduction in your life. Like Dr. Mercola,
I am also a very big believer in the positive effects of exercise
not only on your body, but your mind as well. In fact I don’t
believe it is possible to be healthy without exercising regularly.
The most important point to emphasize in this discussion
is that stress reduction techniques come in many, many different
forms. While your chosen technique may be different from the
next person, the similarity lies in what happens to your body
when you do what you do to relieve stress, or what happens
when you don’t. If you don’t know where to begin,
start by smiling.
Better yet, rent a funny movie and laugh out loud. When you’re
done with that, find something, or someone, to love. It doesn’t
really matter who or what that is, as long you love it with
all your heart.
As with most things involving healthy living, there are many
available options for stress reduction and the pursuit of
positive mental health. You really only need to choose one,
but do choose something. We must not forget that as human
beings, we have the capacity to become sick for no reason
other than because of what we think. At the same time, we
must try and remember that we also have the ability to change
our minds.
Spiritual Health
The most fundamental level of your being is your spirit.
At the same time, your spirit is the most important thing
to consider when trying to prevent or recover from chronic
illness. The nourishment of your spirit is as fundamental
to health and well-being as breathing. Fortunately, although
many of us are unaware of it, nourishing your spirit is also
one of the easiest health-promoting practices to perform.
As it is with stress reduction and mental/emotional health,
there are many ways to support your spirit, and they can be
so simple. Is it a simple thing to take a walk in the park?
Is it a simple thing to watch the sun go down? Is it a simple
thing to call your mother, father, sister, brother, or old
friend and say hello? For most of us, these things are very
simple. So simple, in fact, that we often forget to do them,
or at least to appreciate them. Would you remember more often
if you knew that these are the sorts of things that truly
nourish your spirit?
There are, of course, more involved ways of nourishing your
spirit, and probably one of the hardest ones is the cultivation
of a positive mental attitude. This is something that, for
most of us who try, takes daily effort and reminders. However,
everyday that you go through with a positive attitude will
not only make those days easier and your spirit lighter, but
they will help you recover from the ones when you feel like
hating the whole world.
Finally, developing a spiritual practice of some sort is
a vitally important one. I encourage many of my patients to
start, or restart, a spiritual practice of their choice in
their daily lives. There are many to choose from, and whether
you go to church and pray, sit on a pillow in a quiet room
and contemplate your place in the universe, or hike in the
mountains and just look around, doing something along these
lines is very, very good for you. Think about it for a while
and give something a try. You won’t regret it.
Reading through the ideas in this article may be overwhelming
to you, and trying to put some or all of them into practice
may seem downright impossible. That’s OK. You’re
human. You’re entitled to feel a little overwhelmed once
in a while. All I ask of you is that you try, because as a
human you must remember one thing: You’re also entitled
to your health.
Dr. Daniel
Chong is a licensed naturopathic physician practicing
in Portland, OR. His practice focuses on chronic disease and
pain management. In his practice, he strives to integrate
the treatment and healing philosophies of classical naturopathic
medicine, Dr. Joseph Mercola, and Dr. Weston A. Price. He
may be contacted at:
Chiropractic and Naturopathic Physicians Clinic
12195 SW Allen Blvd.
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503) 646-0697
and
Beeson Chiropractic Center
7215 SE 13th Ave.
Portland, OR 97202
(503) 238-7025
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