Part 4 – Holistic vs. Isolated

In the last two articles, we looked at principles lived by the minority of our society that are truly healthy. The first was that they focus on building health as opposed to fighting symptoms and disease. The second was that they seek to enhance awareness instead of sedating.

This article delves into the third principle of healthy people, which is that they see things in a holistic way as opposed to an isolated way.

Holistic is defined as, ‘characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.’

What this means from the perspective of health, is that something happening in one part of our bodies is impacting, and being impacted by other parts of our bodies, and even lives.

I learned this very early in my chiropractic practice, almost 18 years ago. At the time I was practicing a very mechanical technique that understood that the spine was an integrated whole. So, I took full spine x-rays on almost all my patients. What I noticed was that very often, when someone would come in with low back trouble, their low back would look good on the x-ray, but their neck was messed up. The opposite was also true.

What this means is that where we have a problem (secondary condition or symptom) is not necessarily where the problem is. This also means that it is important to assess and address the entire system HOLISTICALLY in order to create a solution.

If you have light bulbs burning out too quickly in your house and appliances shorting out, you could go around replacing the parts, OR you could have an electrician go down to the electrical box and address what is more likely to be the main problem.

Unfortunately, many common health care approaches spend too much time replacing light bulbs and not enough time seeing the big picture. In this case changing light bulbs just delays the inevitable.

A holistic approach to health also involves a lot more than just the physical/mechanical. Healthy people look to their lifestyle and observe how it affects their physical health and perhaps plays a role in their symptoms and diseases.

In my chiropractic practice, it is my observation that as people become healthier, they can see the connection between their symptoms and their diet, emotional state, mental state and even how they are doing spiritually. With this awareness comes the ability to change much more effortlessly.

Research shows us that one of the most accurate predictors of back pain is how satisfied people are in their jobs, financial situation, and relationships. There is a neurological explanation for this beyond the scope of this article but when was the last time you considered how what you were feeling inside may be impacting your physical health?

Healthy people understand this and look to all aspects of their lives when faced with a health problem. When someone with back pain not only addresses what is happening with their spine and nervous system but also assesses what they are eating, how they are moving, their emotional state, their interactions with others, and even assess if they are on the correct path in life, not only does it drastically improve their chances of recovery, it also improves the overall quality of their lives. Isn’t that what we truly want, anyway?

The care at Nexus is set up and delivered in a holistic way. We assess the entire spine and nervous system because we know that a symptom in one part of the body is usually not solely caused by that spot, but by stress on the entire system. We teach our patients specific exercises that increases their somatic – or body – awareness. We give presentations that teach patients how to care for their spine and nervous system at home.

While I am no psychotherapist, I often point out how what is showing up in a person’s spine may be connected to what is happening mentally and emotionally in their lives. The state of the spine and nervous system also leave clues about how a person can best go about making the necessary changes in their lives.

So, where in your health and life have you been too caught up in the isolated parts? Where have you been running around the house changing light bulbs, when the electrical system really needed to be updated?

Now, how can you assess and address this in a more holistic manner?

Keep it up! See you next article.

Thorin Gault, D.C.

I am writing this article sitting in my home having missed my second day of work in a row due to being sick. This is a big deal because since opening my practice in 2000 (that is 16 years ago) I had only missed one half of a day sick prior to this week.

Save for a couple of serious illnesses as a child this is the ‘sickest’ I can ever remember being. Up until a few hours ago there would have been no way I could have written this article because I could neither drag myself off of the couch nor think straight. The strange thing about this experience is that while I am annoyed about missing work and disappointed that I allowed myself to become vulnerable to the illness, I am actually grateful and know it will have a lasting positive impact on my life and health.

Why would anybody feel gratitude towards being so sick they thought they were going to die (not really, but it sure felt like it)?

The first reason is that this sickness has me completely motivated to make some positive changes in my lifestyle. This requires the individual to not see themselves as the victim for being sick. This is rare in our society and that is too bad. I recently wrote an article about how to stay healthy over the holidays and while I generally followed my own advice (continued doing the good, healthy stuff) I went a bit too far with late nights and unhealthy food and drink. I tempted fate and I got burned.

The positive spin on this was that I was planning on changing some things regarding my health in the New Year. After the experience of the last few days there is now no way I will not make it happen. On the other hand, had I perceived this illness as bad luck caused by germ A or virus B there would be less impetus to change. Pain is a wonderful motivator and if you are going to experience it you might as well use it.

The second thing I am grateful for is that it gave me the opportunity to do absolutely NOTHING. In fact it forced me to do nothing as I could barely read, let alone move.

I live a lifestyle that moves pretty fast – work, seminars, coaching, and two kids in multiple sports. We take vacations but even then we are either doing activities or I am plowing through books I don’t have time to read the rest of the year.

The last couple of days I spent most of my time doing nothing. Just lying in my bed or on the couch. While it isn’t fun to feel like crap you learn a lot when you literally cannot do anything. Without actively pursuing that line of thinking I became much clearer on what I wanted my life to look and feel like and I am much more motivated to get going on that life.

It was also kind of nice to sit on the couch with my family watching a crappy movie without thinking about all the stuff I have to do – and that NEVER happens in my normal life.

Being sick is not fun but it can provide you with value when it occurs. If you don’t see yourself as a victim you can take the experience and turn it into something great. This idea of taking the experience of pain and turning it into progress can be the greatest concept to embrace in making 2016 the best year of your life. I will be expanding on that idea in the next article.

Happy New Year!

Unlike many of today’s health ‘experts,’ I believe that people truly WANT to be healthy. It is for this reason that ‘health’ products fly off the shelves, many people are members in health clubs, and we are willing – as a society – to pay high taxes in order to fund public ‘health care.’ Eavesdrop on conversations in any coffee shop and it won’t take long to hear people talking about their health.

So, how is it that something we spend a tremendous amount of money, time, energy and worry on be such a source of challenge, pain and suffering for people? Shouldn’t we be a population brimming with energy and vitality?

The truth is that most people are NOT healthy and this lack of health is a major frustration.

I certainly don’t pretend to have all of the answers to this problem, however having observed thousands of people over the years I have noticed a pattern that is central to whether or not a person is successful in creating health in their life. This pattern also seems to be present when a person is successful in other areas of their lives such as their career, personal finances, relationships and hobbies.

The pattern healthy people follow is that when faced with a challenge….They Go Deeper.

     What does this mean? It means that when problems arise (and they always do, btw) healthy people don’t just look to patch up the surface. They recognize that there is likely something underlying the surface problem that needs to be addressed and their primary focus will be on correcting the underlying cause.

How does this look in real life? Let’s say someone is obese – this is now a medical diagnosis in the United States. So the surface problem is that the individual has a Body Mass Index(BMI) that is too high. If the focus is solely on reducing BMI then there are many different ways to address this problem. Liposuction would be one approach that would handle things quickly, as would bariatric surgery(stomach staple). While I don’t wish to judge either of these procedures – they are what they are – you can see where this will lead if they are the only actions taken. Will this person turn out healthier? Is it likely other – perhaps more serious – conditions will be inevitable in the future?

A healthy person on the other hand would look at the diagnosis of obesity and realize that it is likely secondary to something else. They will look for the deeper cause behind the problem. It may be as simple as a poor lifestyle that needs to be corrected. Perhaps there are some hormonal issues that need to be addressed.

What happens when we look deeper to correct our problems? Two things – first we are much more likely to achieve long-term and sustainable results on the surface problem. Second, we actually improve our overall level of health and, improve performance, correct other secondary conditions, and we may even prevent other secondary conditions from showing up in the future. THIS is where true health comes from!

While many health care practitioners primarily look to address secondary conditions like pain and muscle spasm, at Nexus Chiropractic we focus on addressing Neural Resistance, which can underlie a variety of those conditions.

I will continue this series of articles over the following weeks, looking more deeply at how we can apply GOING DEEPER in a way that can provide solutions to you health and life challenges.

Let’s say you wake up one morning, stagger into the bathroom, look in the mirror, and are shocked by what you see. You wonder how you got so fat (whatever that means to you), tired, old and unhealthy looking! This is completely unacceptable to you and you make a decision in that very moment that you are going to do something about it.

Now, what happened on that particular morning? Was there some event that occurred that suddenly made you fat and unhealthy? Of course not – there was a process of behaviours, perceptions and structures over a period of time that led to the current situation. THAT morning a threshold was reached that brought it to your conscious mind. The same thing could be said for a crisis in your finances, relationship or really, any other area of your life.

So, if it was a process that created your undesirable reality, what is the solution? Is there a magic pill that you can take or a magic procedure you can have that will make it all better? Obviously that is ridiculous – you must reverse the process!

When it comes to many health problems people have learned to see them as events instead of processes and therefore search for events to fix their problems.

Take back pain for example. Most people search so hard for the event that ‘caused’ their pain. “I must have slept wrong last night.” “I bent over to tie my shoe and that caused my back to go out.””I gardened yesterday, that’s my problem.” You get the idea. The fact of the matter is that in most cases of injury (with the exception of something like being hit by a truck), there has been a process going on for some time that ultimately led to the straw that broke the camel’s back and led to the end secondary condition of pain or some other symptom.

The ultimate solution, therefore is not some event (and adjustment, pill, massage, surgery) to get rid of the secondary condition (misalignment, inflammation, muscle spasm, scar tissue) but to actually address and remedy the underlying process.

Granted, there are many effective ways of treating muscle spasm, pain and inflammation yet those treatments are not designed to correct the underlying process and thus do not truly correct the problem. The unhealthy and overweight individual in the first paragraph could put on some make-up and wear body enhancing underclothes – but to truly take care of the problem they will have to undergo a process of changing their lifestyle.

At Nexus Chiropractic, we focus on addressing Neural Resistance which is like your car revving it’s engine at 25,000 rpm even when driving casually. Eventually, this will lead to a poor fuel efficiency, parts wearing out quickly, and ultimately – breakdown.

Neural Resistance may lead to a variety of secondary conditions down the line such as back pain, neck pain, headaches, poor posture and because the nervous system coordinates our organ systems even digestive troubles, a weak immune system, and anxiety.

Because we know that the development of NR is a process, addressing it is a process as well which is why we recommend an initial intensive period of care. While nobody is perfect, once the NR is significantly reduced some people choose a reduced plan of protection to make sure that their investment is well taken care of into the future.

Start seeing your current circumstances as the end result of processes in your life. If you see something you would like to change, come up with a process to get it handled.

They say that the joy is in the journey. I agree – and the journey IS the process.

Karma can be a funny thing. At this time last week my plan was to write the article I am working on right now – about how I stay healthy while so many people are walking around (or laying in bed) with colds or the flu. Guess what happened? I woke up that morning with a fever, a sore throat, runny nose and a body that ached all over. I had the flu! Couldn’t very well write that article, could I?

So, I got my boys ready for school, dropped them off and when I got home – feeling like hell – I wrapped myself in warm clothes, climbed under a mountain of blankets and slept for 2 hours.  When I awoke I felt as good as new and went on to have a productive day. That was my experience with the ‘2 hour’ flu!

When I share this story with people they think it is impossible. I can tell you that this has been my experience from time to time. What has allowed me to bounce back so quickly from these illnesses is exactly what can help you to stay healthy this fall and winter while the people around you falter.

First, let me say that the reason I experienced those symptoms in the first place is that I had not been following my own advice. I had spent the weekend eating not the best diet. I had also been very busy working on some new projects and looking after my boys solo as my wife was working out of town. I was not sleeping well or enough. In a nutshell, I just wasn’t taking proper care of myself. Why is this important? Connecting my lifestyle with my ‘sickness’ allowed me to stop, pull up my socks and get it together. Here is what I do to stay healthy at this time of year.

Minimize Sugar and Grains. This is one of the most important steps in staying healthy at any time of year. Sugar and grains have a detrimental effect on the immune system and leave us susceptible to colds and the flu. They also lead to systemic inflammation, acidic pH levels, weight gain and chronic disease. Most of your diet should consist of grass fed meat, organic eggs and fresh fruits and vegetables. I buy most of my meat locally from Peasant’s Craft Farms.

Supplement with Vitamin D3. Most northerners are deficient in vit. D – especially when the weather gets colder and our skin is not exposed to lots of sunlight. Optimal vit. D levels are essential to a strong immune system (among many other benefits). If you are wary of supplementation, have your levels checked by your GP or naturopath. Vit. D is inexpensive and we carry an excellent product that my family personally uses.

Get High Quality Sleep. I am not a believer in many of the current sleep recommendations. It is my belief that if you are living a healthy lifestyle you probably do not require as much sleep as the average person. That being said, sleeping WELL is crucial to being healthy and strong. I find regular exercise to be the most important factor in sleeping well. Having a pre-bedtime ritual, dealing with stress, and certain supplements may assist also. Whatever it takes, make sure you are getting a good night’s rest.

Fish Oil. After vit. D, this is my favourite supplement. Our western diet has thrown our Omega-6 :3 ratios way off course. I believe everyone should be supplementing with a high quality fish oil supplement.  Quality is extremely important to avoid heavy metal contamination. There are several places to get good fish oil and we carry an excellent brand.

Get Entrained. This is the cornerstone of my healthy lifestyle and the reason I drive to Gatineau every  Wednesday for 2 NSA entrainments. Physical, mental and emotional stresses affect us all, and if they become locked as defense posture or physiology our immune system will become compromised. NSA is the best way I know of to not only release this tension, but use it to transform our body and health. NSA also helps me to sleep well, exercise more effectively and has been shown to help people make better lifestyle choices. For me, Network care is the piece of the puzzle that makes all others fit together perfectly.

Don’t treat symptoms. I know this sounds strange. Last week, what if I had taken some cold medication to lessen my sore throat and runny nose, taken a pain killer for my body aches, and an anti-pyretic to bring down my fever? Sure, I could have gone about my day as planned, but what would the ultimate outcome have been? No, I listened to my body and responded in a way that maximized its’ ability to heal. What seemed like a miracle recovery was just a result of listening to my symptoms instead of attacking them. Try it out and see what happens.

Obviously there are many others things you can do to be and stay healthy and I recommend you research them on your own. Starting with these 6 steps will have a major impact on your health and help you to avoid being one of the masses suffering this season.

It’s All About Mickey Mouse

I just returned from a week-long family holiday at Disney World in Florida. Surprisingly, I returned refreshed, relaxed, and recharged heading into the Christmas craziness. Being away from work and in a different setting always helps me to think and see things a bit differently. So, this article is essentially my “What I learned on my Disney vacation assignment.”

Health Obsessed

The first thing I noticed reading the newspapers, watching the news, and eavesdropping on conversations is that Americans are even more obsessed about their health than Canadians are. This is interesting because we also know that overall Americans are a bit LESS healthy than we are. It was obvious to me that people’s waist lines were significantly larger (kids included) and the quality and quantity of food consumed poorer than what I am used to observing here.

What does it mean that we have 2 extremely health obsessed countries, yet poor levels of health? My only answer is that while we do all of this obsessing and debating and arguing over health care, most people aren’t actually doing anything about it!

BE – DO – HAVE

It is really quite simple – if someone wants to BE healthy, they have to DO healthy things. This is true of any aspect of life. If you want to be wealthy you must conduct yourself as wealthy people do. If you want to be a good student you have to do the things good students do. Same goes with relationships, hobbies and athletics. How have we missed this universal truth when it comes to health?

Treatment does NOT equal Health

One of the reasons is that we have fallen under the illusion that having treatments available to us will make us healthy. This is particularly true in Canada where there is an unsaid feeling that universal access to medical care will save us. No disease treatment can ever make you healthy. No drug, no surgery, no MRI, no herb, and no chiropractic “treatment” will ever make you healthy and it is not their job to make you healthy. Of course, any of those things may save your life or get you out of a crisis – which is great – but it is not their intent to create health.  In fact, most pain and disease treatments actually decrease your overall health, sacrificing it to save you from the crisis. So, if your health care plan is high quality disease care you are unlikely to experience great health in the long term.

What are you REALLY willing to Do?

Another reason health obsessed North Americans aren’t very healthy is that I really question how important health is to most people. What are you willing to do to be healthy? Are you willing to change your lifestyle, or would you rather just wait until you get sick and get someone to fix you? There is no wrong answer but I think it is important for everyone to acknowledge this for themselves.

I see some people in my office who truly don’t care about their overall health and only come in for episodic care when they have pain or a health challenge. These people tend to experience a slow decline in their health over time, but they understand and accept this fact and our relationship is great. Sometimes they change their minds and turn their health around.

Other people are really committed to a healthy life and their reasons for receiving NSA care are much different. While they may sometimes have a health challenge they get regular care to enhance their health, vitality and quality of life. These individuals also tend to make healthier choices in other aspects of their lives and I have observed that in contrast to the first group their quality of life tends to continue to increase over time – even into their golden years.

Know What You Want, Then Act!

How do you want your life to be? What do you want it to look like? These are important questions everyone should answer for themselves. Once you know don’t waste your time debating and arguing over it – take ACTION! It is the only way to get there.

Just in case you need some motivation to get started, Click HERE to watch a great 1 minute video.