Often we don’t appreciate what our bodies do for us until something goes wrong.  I know that for myself, I don’t often think of what my big toe does for me each day...that is until I injure it.  Then, I realize how it’s used in every step of the entire day.

I’ve been nursing my baby and am amazed each day that my body produces food.  Enough food to keep a tiny human alive for months! The milk contains the right amount of fat, nutrients and water, just for him.  It’s even loaded with antibodies to keep him from getting sick. The correct amount gets produced for his appetite and if he needs more or less, the body adapts!  Our bodies are so amazing!

Our bodies are constantly healing themselves.  When you get a cut or a cold, your body immediately starts to heal.  So, why is it that when we are sick for longer than we EXPECT or something isn’t healing as we like it, we doubt that our body can heal itself?

When we have a bunch of rainy days in a row, do we doubt that the sun will ever come back out?  No, we know that eventually, the sun comes out again.

This is how we need to see our body.  Even if you’re dealing with low back pain or neck pain, you can still look for signs that your body is constantly healing.  Look at a bruise or scratch that you got recently. Our bodies can make human beings in 9 months. They can heal. Don’t give up on your body.

Looking for ways to help your body heal faster?  Give us a call 613-761-1600

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In our current healthcare system, the idea is to restore ourselves to the way we were before an event happened to us.  For example, if you had shoulder pain, back pain, cancer, diabetes, etc you seek help from a professional to get rid of our pain or condition and return you back to the way you were.

The current healthcare system works well in cases where your life is in jeopardy and in cases where you need help in reducing pain and suffering.  When you need something removed immediately, this is the way to go.  

There is also another way to look at healing.  

The challenge with this current system is that you lose the ability to find meaning from your pain.  You have difficulty growing through the the symptom of pain.  

Re-organizational healing (ROH) is more than treating just the symptom or pain.  ROH assumes that pain and diseases are not mistakes.  Instead, pain and disease are here to alert us that something in our current life needs to change.  

Pain tells you about your body and your life.  It tells you to stop, pay attention and do something different.  Stop something that you are doing physically, emotionally or mentally.  Pay attention to yourself and your life and then make a change.

For example, let’s say someone has Lyme Disease.  Restorative therapies could include antibiotics, herbal remedies and supplements.  ROH looks at the person’s life.  The body is part of their life and so are their emotions, thoughts, perceptions, behaviours, relationships, family, culture that they are in, stories about their experiences and also spiritual qualities.  

In ROH, the assumption is that we are not looking back into the past.  We don’t want to go back.  We want to look forward and create a new version or upgrade in order to adapt to the times.  We need to move to another level.  

When we are fearful, or scared that we are going to lose something, we want safety and comfort and will most often choose restorative therapies.  

When we want to grow, feel more connected in our lives, give our gifts and contribute, we chose ROH.

For more info on restoring or upgrading, come to our of our advanced workshops.

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As most of you know, I attended a conference for Chronic Illness in San Francisco in April.  There, I learned some of the latest treatment protocols and strategies for helping patients with chronic illness.  One of the topics that were covered by several presenters was EMF’s (electromagnetic fields) and their effects on the body.
 
There seems to be a general consensus that EMF’s negatively affect the behaviour of microbes (our body is made up of lots and lots of microbes) and ultimately influence recovery from chronic illness.  It is proposed that EMF’s causes microbes in the body to feel as if they are under attack and they respond by creating more biotoxins.  This, in turns, leads to patients feeling more symptoms.  
 
Below were some recommendations for reducing EMFs in the home and work environment.  While it may not be possible for you to work without computer or the internet, there are ways to reduce your exposure.
 

• Remove Wi-Fi routers and cordless phones from the house and use a hardwired internet connection instead.
• If you have Wi-Fi in the house, turn it off at night when you are sleeping.
• Unplug cords and electronic devices when they aren’t being used.  This will also help save on your electricity bill.   
• Plug Graham-Stetzer filters into home and workplace outlets during the daytime.  These filters are inexpensive.  stetzerizer-us.com
• Use cell phones intelligently.  Text instead of making calls.  Use speakerphone and keep the phone away from your head.
• Avoid living near major power lines.  

 
For more information, you can hear Dr. Klinghardt (MD, PhD) talk about EMF’s and their effects on health here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwNYgmk--w0
 

Through the years, I’ve come across some awesome books that can help you heal your body and change the way you think and feel about your health.  If you have any other suggestions, please add them in the comments section below.

Here they are in no particular order.

1. 12 Stages of Healing by Dr. Donald Epstein

Dr. Epstein is one of my mentors and his work plays a large role in my practice.  During my advanced workshops, we often use exercises from this book to move our breath, energy, body and change our state.  

2. Daring Greatly by Dr. Brene Brown

She is a researcher who studies shame, courage, worthiness and vulnerability. I first heard of Dr. Brene Brown through her Ted talk, the Power of Vulnerability, which is one of the most watched talks ever.   Here it is: https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability?language=en

3. Molecules of Emotion by Dr. Candace Pert

Dr. Candance Pert discovered in her research that the brain and the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems work together as a unit and system in which every part communicates with every other part. In other words, your mind and your body are dependent on each other and work together.  She states that “emotions, are the nexus between mind and matter, going back and forth between the two and influencing both.”  In summary, your mind and body work together and are influenced by your emotions!   

4. Biology of Belief by Dr. Bruce Lipton

In the Biology of Belief, Dr. Lipton talks about the discoveries of the biochemical effects of the brain’s function on your cells.  He goes on to show that all the cells of your body are affected by your thoughts and he describes the molecular pathways through which this occurs.

5. Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom by Dr. Christiane Northrup, M.D.
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In this book, medical doctor, Christine Northrup speaks of the medicine of empowerment.  She states that “it is abundantly clear to us all that a woman’s state of health is highly influenced by the culture in which she lives, her position within it, her experiences, and her day-to-day thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours.”

Mindset plays a huge role in healing yourself.  There has to be a belief that healing is possible, a want to heal the body and a willingness to do what it takes.  

Have you received our special report on the Secrets to Long Lasting Health?  Visit http://www.neuro-optimization.com/free-health-report.html

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Working alongside Dr. Marie Matheson, a Lyme Literate Naturopath, has allowed me the unique opportunity to see many patients who have Lyme Disease.  Over the years, I’ve been able to detect and identify common physical, emotional and mental patterns stored in their body.
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In my practice, I focus on neuro-optimization.  I used  light touch chiropractic techniques designed  to help people become more aware of how they hold tension in their spine.  It consists of gentle touches that help to achieve greater communication between the brain and the body.  Alongside chiropractic care, I employ breathing and visualization techniques to achieve our desired outcomes.  Because this process is done actively, people are more empowered in their healing process.

Some of the most common emotional and mental thought patterns I’ve seen associated with Lyme patients are:

• Fear: this includes not knowing when or if they will be healthy again, not knowing if this disease/pain/symptom will ever end.  Fear that what they are currently experiencing could get worse.   
• Hopelessness, often stemming from having been to so many different medical practitioners before being diagnosed.  If in the chronic stage, being tired of being sick for extended periods of time.
• Financial stress: as treatment is not widely available in Canada, patients can travel for their appointments and pay for supplements and medication.   
• Lack of trust: in their body and it’s ability to heal, with the medical system, etc.
• Relationship stress: with more chronic patients, this disease can be very hard on a spouse and other family members. Often, people with Lyme have low energy and they are not able to help out like they would normally.
• Disconnection from the body: wishing they had a different body or not wanting to feel anymore.
• Anxiety with the unknown.
• Depression
• Overwhelmed
• Feeling powerless
• Stuck
• Anger with why this is happening to them

It takes a lot of energy from the body to hold these emotional and mental tension patterns.  Energy that could be better used for healing.  Left unaddressed, physical symptoms could worsen.  For more information on Lyme Disease and treatment, please visit our office website: http://hamptonwellnesscentre.com/services/naturopathic-medicine/lyme-disease-treatment/

This year, our office has seen an increase in people getting bitten by ticks in the Ottawa and surrounding area.  Here is a guest blog by Dr. Marie Matheson, a Lyme Literate Doctor on what to do if you or someone you know, gets bitten.  


Spring of 2015 has brought an avalanche of new patients into my clinic who are being diag­nosed with Lyme dis­ease.  This isn’t great sur­prise to me, as I’ve been see­ing yearly increases in new tick-borne ill­ness cases for the past sev­eral years.  What’s really demor­al­iz­ing, how­ever, is that peo­ple seem to be no bet­ter pre­pared after they dis­cover a tick bite than they were years ago when this was an even qui­eter dis­ease.  So I thought that it was time to dust off the “facts” sheet and re-issue it so that as many of you as pos­si­ble could be more lit­er­ate about Lyme facts, to bet­ter pro­tect yourself.

Facts:

• Most ticks are infected- do not bother with tick test­ing as the Cana­dian Health Test is using the same test kit that they use on humans which is inaccurate.

• Tick bite/Bull’s eye rash treat­ment (or any red rash): see your doc­tor imme­di­ately for antibi­otic treat­ment. Prompt use of antibi­otics should be taken as soon as pos­si­ble. Antibi­otics must be taken for 4-6 weeks or until symp­toms are bet­ter in order to avoid a dis­sem­i­nated Lyme infec­tion.  Don’t let unin­formed doc­tors tell you oth­er­wise.  I can refer you to a doc­tor who will pre­scribe antibi­otics for you if your doc­tor won’t.

• You also need herbal antimi­cro­bials in order to pro­tect you from other co-infections. Do not wait for symp­toms. Less than 50% develop a rash, so do not wait for a rash. If you have a bull’s eye rash do not wait for Lyme testing- that is a waste of time and the rash itself is diag­nos­tic of an acute Lyme infec­tion. Get treated as soon as you can.

• Tick removal: If the tick is pinched off (with fin­gers around the body of the tick) rather than remov­ing it with a tweezer at the attach­ment site (mouth parts) it may cause you to be exposed to more bac­te­ria dur­ing the removal process. (The tick can regur­gi­tate its stom­ach con­tents and this may intro­duce more bac­te­ria than if you had removed the tick with tweez­ers.) Do not aggra­vate the tick with petro­leum jelly or a hot match tip as this can also increase your expo­sure. Once the tick is removed do not “pop” it between your fin­gers as you can spread infec­tion. Get a spe­cial tick remover to take them off of your dog. Do not touch the ticks if at all possible.

• Regard­less of how long the tick has been attached, the bac­te­ria can pen­e­trate the blood stream within min­utes. The tick does not need to be attached for 24 hours to give you Lyme dis­ease and other co-infections.  All species of ticks carry lyme dis­ease and any spe­cial­ist say­ing oth­er­wise is bas­ing their knowl­edge on old info.  This is what is lead­ing our coun­try into a Lyme crisis.

Dr. Marie Math­e­son, N.D. and Lyme dis­ease Specialist