The predominant conventional medical system in the United States has evolved into a system of labels and categories. Diagnosis and treatment is based upon fitting individuals into categories and protocols. In 2013, 7 out of 10 Americans were taking at least one prescription medication. This means that 70% of Americans have been given at least one label of disease. The result is a population that believes they are sick or dysfunctional. When discussing a patients’ medical history, they often say things like “I AM a diabetic” or “I AM an asthmatic”. “I have had diarrhea my whole life”, or...

We are all made up of energy. Everything we see, hear, think, and touch is energy. This energy can be harnessed to help heal and transform our bodies both physically and emotionally. We all have a physical body and an energy body. The energy body serves as the template for the physical body. When the energy body is balanced and healthy, the physical body is also balanced and healthy. When the energy body is out of balance and congested, the physical body is a reflection of this off-balance template and manifests as illness, disease, stress, or any other symptom...

Psychogenic Pain Disorder (PPD) refers to a person experiencing pain with no medical explanations for the pain. It has other names such as “Pain somatization disorder.” These terms essentially mean, “we can’t find a reason for the pain so it is likely all in your head”. To many, this diagnosis can be quite off putting and offensive. No one wants to be told they are crazy and the pain is all in their head. Often, the referral of pain patients to psychological practitioners is taken as an assault or lack of validation, as if the doctor isn’t really listening....

Pain is cited as the most common reason Americans access the health care system and is a leading cause of disability. The National Center for Health Statistics estimates approximately 76.2 million Americans have suffered from pain that lasts longer than 24 hours and millions more suffer from acute pain. According to the CDC, as many as 1 in 5 people suffering from non-cancer pain receive a prescription opioid. These alarming facts paired with our country’s ongoing opioid crisis stress the need for the implementation of natural pain treatments into today’s healthcare system. The natural treatments for pain include, but...

Projection is a psychological defense originally identified by Sigmund Freud in which one unconsciously attributes their feelings or impulses onto another. The other carries our flaws and is responsible for our misery. Projection is a conflict between unconscious feelings or impulses and conscious beliefs or values. Projecting the feelings onto others or situations is an attempt to externalize the problem. An example of projection is when a husband who has suppressed sexual desires for a coworker, then accuses his wife of being unfaithful. Tom Hanks as Chuck Nolan in Cast Away projects his fears, disowned self or unconsciousness onto...

There is a lot of information out there about pregnancy and the required steps that a mom ought to take in order to have a healthy pregnancy, however, there is little information about what a mom should do to take care of herself and baby after pregnancy. Great nutrition and care during your pregnancy have helped your baby develop and grow. Now after nine months, you have finally met your lovely baby. Whether you are breastfeeding or not, it is important to take care of yourself and your new baby. Nutrition You need the appropriate nutrition to recuperate and...

This summer, our precious 15 year old family dog Hailey made her transition to non-physical. It was a deeply emotional time for our entire family and a monumental loss for me on many levels. Hailey was my constant companion from the moment she arrived in our home to the moment she left. For the first year, she slept under my desk on my foot and on the last weekend of her being at home, I laid on the floor with her and barely left her side. For the past year, I knew her time was near and I kept...

Standing in the produce aisle you stare at all the different choices for apples, including organic varieties. Then you look down at the price, eek! There is a heftier price tag on those organic apples so you decide to reach for the cheaper, conventional one. I mean, what does it matter; an apple is an apple, right? Not necessarily. Once you understand more about one major difference between conventional and organic – pesticide use – you may just change your mind to choose health over expense. What is a Pesticide? According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, a...

As temperatures warm up and ticks become more active, how do we protect ourselves and our loved ones and reduce our fear of spending time outdoors? I spend a lot of time talking to people and I hear a great deal of fear and apprehension about spending time outdoors because of the risk of tick contact. People stop spending time outdoors doing the things that they love all because of the tick encounters that they are having. To that, my question to them is “So, what are you doing to prevent having a tick encounter? Are you wearing repellent...

Sometimes I will tell a patient to stop eating salads. WHAT?! But salads are healthy, right? Generally so, but daily salads are not the best choice for all body types. We have a general idea of which foods are full of nutrients to make our body happy, and those that are “empty calories,” not the fuel we want to sustain ourselves on for periods of time. This is not the entirety of the story. Chinese medicine (and many other traditional systems) has much more to add to the story of how foods affect the functioning of our body. Temperature...

It’s 2019. What’s relevant in your life? Do you have a comfortable home, a career, the right car, a strong reputation for being trustworthy and always doing a good job? Have you mastered the art of looking good to the world and yet feel like you’re on a rollercoaster of stress and anxiety? The inner feelings of anxiety may seem like a mystery but the reality is that they could very well be from beliefs you learned as a child. Pregnancy Through Age 7 Science tells us that from the last trimester of pregnancy through age seven, our subconscious...

During a first session, a client complained that her food world was in complete disarray. She didn’t really have any idea what or when she was going to eat from moment to moment. As homework, I recommended that she work on crafting a meal plan for herself. The client responded by saying, “Gosh, I really can’t think through what I want to eat for the next week or even the next few days. That’s way too much work.” I realized that she had confused a daily menu with a meal plan. It’s a common misunderstanding and I thought it...

You’re asleep; and you’re having a nightmare. You walk to your bathroom mirror; you look up and you see your face 25 years older than it really is. It’s wrinkled, old and sagging. You think; how did this happen? What could have I done to prevent this? You panic and POOF….thankfully, it was just a nightmare. Then it makes you think; what will my face look like in 25 years? Well, let’s talk reality and examine the plum and the prune dilemma to illustrate. Let’s start with a very simple question. How does a plum go from looking plump,...

It can get exhausting searching for the most effective manual massage treatment to help alleviate chronic pain and discomfort. People will see many different therapists in hopes of finding some kind of relief following a session. Some believe it can take several sessions over a period of time to gain freedom from such pain. Of course, there is no magic solution due to the complexities of each individual. Every Body is unique and carries within it a map to healing. The therapist must locate the directions with the help of their client to find the easiest route to take....