The Mind Matters

“It’s all in your head!” If anything were to put a patient on the defensive…it would be this statement! The truth of the matter is that nearly every health problem has an emotional component to it. Have you ever had some low level back pain and then get a stressful phone call, and realize your pain is a lot more intense at the end of the call than the beginning? Or have you noticed what happens to blood pressure when you are under more stress? Let’s face it: emotions play a major role in our health. In our office we really look at four dimensions of health; structural, chemical (nutritional), electrical (acupuncture) and emotional. Sometimes in talking with a patient, I even tack “emotional” on to the end as though it’s an afterthought. In many cases though, it’s the biggest contributor of all of these. So how do we help this? First let me say that we still need to take care of the other components, but if we neglect this one…our results will be mediocre. Emotional release technique, life coaching, and visualization are just a few of the tools available to our patients when this is a significant contributor. To give you an example, the Institute of HeartMath in Colorado uses specific heart-focused techniques involving guided visualizations to help people lower blood pressure. A pre and post check nearly always shows a 10-20 point drop in blood pressure. I have seen this first hand with my own patients. A core treatment is then to have the patient go through a daily exercise regimen of visualization/meditation and/ or journaling…to bring about that remarkable change. Of course after you learn it and are able to do it yourself, it has to be a daily exercise, just like taking a medication is a daily thing. Eventually the way you think will be impacted so much that you will feel remarkably better. If this is of interest to you…give us a call at 417-336-2620. Even if you live a distance away…some of these techniques can be done verbally over the phone.

Dr. Wayne is the Lab Rat: A Personal, non-Prescription Protocol for Seasonal Allergies

Achoo!! Ahhh…it’s that time of year again. Ragweed and other pollens are in full bloom and filling the air with their miniscule bothersome tendrils…making a lot of us sneeze. As a seasonal allergy sufferer…I want to share the successes I’ve found in making life more manageable during this season. Traditional medicine treats allergies by prescribing Allegra, Clariton, Zyrtec or some other drug to stifle your symptoms. These all have some antihistamine quality and usually some form of decongestant. The problem is that they all have side effects which; lets face it…are ‘so last year!’ How about some things that have worked equally as well in the symptom suppression department without causing a major case of the grouchies and/or the drowsies?! Albizia Complex from Mediherb is a powerful antihistamine. (By the way…histamines are what fill up your sinuses, make you sneeze, make your eyes itch etc.) Additionally some Echinicea Premium, also from Mediherb works towards the same end. The last supplement I add to my arsenal is Allerplex from Standard Process. These are top of the line products designed to keep your airways and breathing clear as well as strengthen the systems responsible to help us fight allergies. Yes…we have to let go of the convenience and cost factor that medicines have, with one pill giving 24 hours of relief…but the benefits far outweigh the costs. By benefits, we mean no side effects and no unnatural product your liver has to figure out, break down, and detoxify. This gives your immune system a major advantage. Along with these products I like to use Xlclear’s saline nasal spray with xylitol to wash the nasal passages. This should be used after coming in from the outdoors so it can remove the pollens still lodged in these passages that are just waiting to make us sneeze. This product is great for kids and they like it because it has a natural sweetener called xylitol if they happen to swallow a drop or two. It is administered with a pump to push it up into the nose. A less costly alternative for teens or adults is a nettie pot usually available at your local pharmacy. It typically comes with salt packets that allow the consumer to mix their own saline and ‘pour it’ into their nostrils and flush out the pollens this way. Both techniques leave the sinus passages feeling soothed and relieved. One last product to use which I have found some nice benefits from this year is Lavender Essential Oil from Young Living. Placing 8 – 10 drops in a veggie capsule (usually available at your local health food store) and then swallowing a capsule 3 times daily has proven effective as an antihistamine. If your symptoms aren’t severe…you don’t need to do ALL of these. If they are, you may. I’m having my best year yet and I credit it to faithfully following the above protocol The Xlear saline nasal spray, Albizia Complex, Allerplex, and Echinacea Premium are all available through October 1st at 15% off the retail price if you mention this blog. (Cannot be combined with other discounts or offers)