7 Cardinal Rules in Life

7 Cardinal Rules in Life. We all probably have a few of these we could work on, including myself 🙂

Spabaanthai

I think we like to complicate things when it is really quite simple; find what it is that makes you happy and who it is that make you happy and you’re set promise.

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What is the difference between a Naturopathic Doctor (N.D) And An M.D?

Detailed information on education requirements for Naturopathic Doctors. Not all states regulate all forms of alternative care and, unfortunately, there are those that fancy themselves providers of some kind without proper education and training. I feel this gives the realm of alternative care as a whole a bad wrap, as one bad experience spreads like wildfire among a community. If we hope to have alternative care accepted by the health community and covered by insurance we must be willing to put the work into knowing our craft. You as the client/patient deserve the best care available, regardless of what realm of care you choose. Please do your homework when looking into any alternative care to ensure you are receiving care by a qualified provider.

My Theories on Fibromyalgia

Let me first say I’m not a doctor. Anything stated here is solely based on my observations as a massage therapist and are in no way medically solid. I simply feel the need to write this as I find many similarities in my fibro clients that, to my knowledge, have not been brought up in medical studies. My observations are just something I thought we might all consider about this particular disease.

Now, I’d like to throw out a giant defense to all my chronic pain clients, especially fibromyalgia clients. “Just because you can’t see or understand these people’s condition does NOT mean it’s all in their head!” I’ve seen way to many clients come in truly upset because no one wants to accept their pain is real. I must admit my “mama bear” instincts kick in when I hear this as I find it extremely upsetting when someone dismisses what another person is feeling and will defend you dear people to my bitter end.

So I’ve noticed many, not all, of my clients have several of these traits in common:
1) They are givers who tend to put themselves at the end of their caretaking list…which makes them high-stress people. Not in an anxious kind of way, but more in a “weight of the world” kind of way. And the more stress the more pain.

2) Many are carrying a few more pounds than their frame should carry. Every body structure is different and I’m in no way judging here. I do believe that there’s a HUGE difference between “skinny” and “healthy”, and a healthy weight for your body type is always more beneficial than being skinny for society’s sake. However, these clients seem to be more sensitive to extra pounds.

3) They have very poor sleep patterns. Part of this is the nature of the condition as pain keeps them awake, and part of this is from stress as well. Their minds don’t stop just because it’s bed time.

4) This one threw me for a loop at first – When the touch is expected, like in a massage session, they’re typically ok. When it’s unexpected…that’s when it can be quite painful. A bump from a passing person, a hug that’s tighter than expected, a shirt that’s too tight; the things they don’t know and accept are coming seem to be more of a problem.

Because of these particular traits, I’ve wondered if stress and adrenaline have a part to play in this condition. We all know long term stress is bad for the body. The reason is that stress produces adrenaline, which is meant to be a short term chemical for self preservation. It is not meant to be in the body long term. It makes you hyper sensitive to outside stimuli…including touch. It makes you unable to relax and sleep. AND it slows down digestion (an unnecessary place to waste energy when your life is supposedly in danger) which over a longer period of time could lead to weight gain and digestive problems. My fibro clients have these problems! Could they at least partially be a symptom of adrenal overload?

I spoke to my acupuncturist about this little theory of mine. Her response was “Huh, that could actually make sense.” So what do I recommend? Relax more. Saying “no” to people is ok if you know you’re going to pay for it later. Learn breathing or meditation techniques to calm your body and mind. Take up Yoga. Get more relaxing massages. Try acupuncture. It’s ok to care for you. I’ve seen clients decide to make a commitment to care for themselves first have fewer flare-ups and are much happier overall. Try it….see if it helps. It’s just a theory on my part, but I’ve shared this theory with a few clients and it seems to help.

Jennifer Parker, Body Harmony Massage
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Clairvoyant Distance Healing – My Unbelievable Experience

In my personal quest to experience several different alternative healings, I found myself drawn to Chakra Cleansing. Oddly enough, even though I’m deeply involved in alternative medicine this is not typically something I’d even consider. I’m a very “hands-on” type massage therapist and the whole energy healing thing honestly always seemed a bit hookey. I’m a logical, skeptical thinker. A Taurean-Rooster who’s stubborn and, as Erin ended up putting it, suffers from “mental constipation”. This of course I found hilarious, mostly because I always feel I let my head get in the way of things. My point is even after I paid for this and made the appointment I was nervous and had some serious doubts.

Nevertheless, I like to go with my gut on things and I was drawn to one particular website…Guaranteed Healing. Guaranteed? Really? I kept going back to it, but she’s a clairvoyant distance healer no less…so my logical mind kept dismissing it as not possible and I moved on.

But I kept going back. Over and over I’d check out her site, read TONS of positive testimonials and watch the video testimonials from all around the world. All swearing on the wonders of this woman’s abilities. Doctors, Chiropractors, joe-schmos and completely sane sounding people! Finally I said screw it and just jumped in. I purchased a 90min session…go big or go home right?!

I cannot explain to you the shock I experienced from her accuracy just in the first few minutes. She knew little things, that I’m a Taurus & my boyfriend is of Mexican decent…but the big things…those are what get your attention! Details about some big family issues, opinions I had of myself, fears I had for my son and my relationship. Not run-of-the-mill anybody could fit in stuff, but DETAILS. Intimate details all laid out on a shiny silver platter. No sugar coating. Just straight, honest, companionate truth.

But I’m getting off track here…the healing is what I was after. So Erin, super sweet crack-up that she is, goes through each Chakra one by one. She tells you what she sees there, allowing you to recognize it and let it go. Then she removes what she calls “entities”. What feel like negative energy pools that attach to bad experiences in your life and muck up your Chakras, preventing your energy from flowing and blocking positive energy & experiences from coming in because you’re to full of negative energy to accept any positive. (At least that’s my general understanding. Her website & personal description gives much better detail)

Starting with my crown chakra, which tingled the whole time by the way, she tapped on pains in my life that brought me nearly to tears. She helps you let go of the pain and through visualizations & affirmations be an active participant in your own healing, which i feel is the only way one can truly heal. Once we got through removing the last entity here, the tingling in my head stopped and I felt that those experiences were…finally…over in my life.

By the time we got to the heart chakra I was feeling pretty good and, despite myself, was thoroughly impressed with her knowledge and abilities. What I didn’t know was the heart would be the hardest one for me. I’ve had several experiences in my life where I felt let down and outright betrayed by people who I felt should have been there for me. People I’d give my life for. And apparently I held all of that here. This negative energy, when she had me acknowledge it and asked me to give it to her, felt HUGE. As I visualized giving it to her it felt like roots of a tree, black and tarry, filling my chest. I felt the only way to get it out to give to her was to burn it. I burnt it to ash in my mind, mentally put a pile of ash in her hand, then instantly broke out in a sweat and fought the urge to bawl. She said “wow that was a big one” and the tears just started coming…from me the non-cryer…the strong one.

How do I explain what I felt once we were all done? I wasn’t all giddy and stupid happy…but I definitely felt a change. Before the session I would describe myself as “on the brink of sadness”. Not actually sad. Perfectly functional. But always a feeling of “waiting for the ball to drop” and that when it did, it would be the end of my control. I would say I actually feared it. Feared that if one more bad thing happened I wouldn’t bounce back this time. So I tried to control things, emotional things, to make sure I kept the ball up. I don’t feel that now. I’m…good. And even though “good” is the best I can describe it, “good” is freakin AWESOME. This must be what “at peace” feels like.

I’ll definitely be talking to Erin again soon. And I highly recommend anyone who has felt unexplainably “off” in their life to try her. She’s so good she offers a guarantee! Check her out at Guaranteed Healing and tell her I sent you 🙂

Jennifer Parker, Body Harmony Massage
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Chronic Conditions and A complete alternative care plan

Lets be very logical here…how many doctors have you had in your life? I don’t mean just primary care physicians, but specialists in a particular body system or condition. OBGYNs, Dermatologists, Endocrinologists, Dentists, surgeons, heart specialists, pain doctors…the list goes on forever.

What do they all have in common? They’re specialists. They know their stuff in their field. That’s all they do.

Now, say you want to try the Alternative Medicine road. Should you only try one field of study? NO. Do I know anything about bone realignment? No. I’m a specialist in MY field: soft tissue manipulation. Can I see when a pelvis is out of alignment? Yes, because I’m trained on what to look for. Then I do what your General Practitioner would do: I refer you to a specialist, or in the case of Alternative Medicine, a Chiropractor. I can assess the body, notice things that aren’t the norm, and fix what I can with any soft tissue issues I find. But your body is a unit. It needs a team.

Think of your body as a house. Are you going to fix a water damaged walls (soft tissue) without checking the framing (bone structure) for damage underneath? What about the wiring (Acupuncture & Nutrition) in that water logged wall? If you address only the surface damage but leave a deeper issue you may end up with a much bigger problem later.

If you come to a massage therapist with a chronic issue it may be deeper than just the knot you feel in your back. There may very well be deeper damage that needs addressed and may need a series of treatments. It took awhile for this pain or issue to settle in and may take some work to get it out.

With a well rounded treatment plan that includes some self care you CAN get long lasting relief. I have genetic hypermobility, basically meaning my ligaments are too loose so I dislocate joints easily, and my muscles over-tense to compensate. It’s a lifelong chronic pain condition. Massage and chiropractic care were the only things that gave me relief. I have a maintenance plan I follow and have minimal sporadic pain since I’ve found alternative medicine. I was so impressed that I became a massage therapist.

Address your chronic pain. Start with someone who can give you a good assessment. Then build your alternative medicine team, and get some relief.

-Jennifer Parker, Body Harmony Massage