Archive for the ‘Health & Wellness’ Category

Thanks to everyone who watched my first video and shared and dropped me a line or sent me an email.  When Tobin showed me the first edit from our 2 days of filming at the Westgate Wellness Centre in Maple Ridge, I knew we were onto something fun.  Your comments were funny after some of you saw my picture on my facebook page after makeup and were horrified.

Nothing gives me more fulfillment than teaching people an important message of health and healing, while getting a few laughs.  As a pathological exhibitionist, I like to know that my “acting a fool” doesn’t go to waste.  Please feel free to share this 2nd installment of “Dr. Nima Chiropractor/Spinal Therapist”.

Thanks for watching, laughing, sharing, tweeting, liking and cringing.  Prepare to be a little bit uncomfortable (again).

Have you ever repeated a story so much you believed it as fact– only later to realize that the story was not true?  Remember how shocked you were?

It’s disturbing because you start to become aware that you may have other beliefs that are complete bullshit.  Imagine the surprise when we realized the earth wasn’t flat.  I don’t know the story—but I bet you they thought the guy who proved it was a sphere was labeled a heretic.

When I was in school, we were taught to ask our patients about Family History.  I’m sure you’ve been to the doctor and have been asked about the history of illness of your family.  Reason being—if your parents have an illness—then it’s in your genes and your probability will be high as well.

Because of these beliefs, some people have gone so far as to have surgeries without any illness—just as a precaution—like removing their breasts because breast cancer “runs in the family”.

What if I told you we’re discovering these old-school beliefs about cancer and other chronic illnesses caused by “faulty genes” are today’s version of “flat earth”?

The truth is—we are now discovering this paradigm is not true.  Your genes are not your destiny.  Read time magazine’s article “Why your DNA is not your Destiny”. (Jan 2010).

The “Central Dogma Theory” taught in medical schools.

The “Central Dogma” – that is taught in schools (simply stated) is that your DNA gets transcribed to create proteins, which are the foundation of all the physiological functions of your life– and this process is irreversible.   In other words, your DNA controls your life, and there is little to nothing you can do to change that.

The funny thing is that it’s actually called “The Central Dogma” of Biology.  Funny that in a paradigm that prides itself on being scientific, we have a “Dogma” which can be defined as “a religious doctrine that is proclaimed as true without proof.”

I have some earth shattering news for you.  New research is now challenging the belief of “it runs in the family so I have a higher chance of getting it”.

I’m also going to explain why this old belief is not only outdated—but it can be hazardous to your health to believe it to be true– in 2 parts.

3 paradigm-changing studies that have been published about Genetics and susceptibility to illness.

1)  The first study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was from Denmark, a country where they for some reason keep an extremely detailed register of genetic origin for their citizens.  Researchers looked at 960 families—more than a thousand children who were adopted—meaning they had NO GENETIC CONNECTION between parent and child, and they evaluated causes of death.

What they found was that when one of those adoptive parents died of cancer before the age of 50, the risk of the child of these parents dying of cancer increased by 500 percent.

But how can that be? You might ask.  There’s no genetic connection!

I’m glad you asked—because the answer is that family environment plays a huge role in your health, regardless of your “strong” or “weak” genes.  The authors conclude

…death from cancer, and possibly also from vascular causes, appears to be influenced by the family environment. (N Engl J Med 1988; 318:727–32.)”

My brother (left) and me (right) on November 22nd, 1975. Not genetically identical-- but we're still twins.

2)  The Second study, again from the New England Journal of Medicine, conducted at a prestigious institute in Sweden where they select Nobel Prize candidates looked at (genetically) identical twins.  They studied whether or not these twins got the same illnesses because they shared IDENTICAL GENES.

Can you take a wild guess what the results were?

The authors state

Inherited genetic factors make a minor contribution to susceptibility to most types of neoplasms (cancers)….We conclude that the overwhelming contributor to the causation of cancer in the populations of twins that we studied was the environment”.

Then they put these cancer-ridden mice in different groups with different environments and in a nutshell–found that the groups in healthier environments (mice that got nurturing, socialization, opportunity for normal exercise, mental stimulation) actually SHRUNK THE CANCER TUMORS.

I says PARDON?

“Dr. Nima, you mean to tell me that even if I have cancer, I can shrink cancer by changing my lifestyle?”

You tell me.  This is what the researchers say:

“We show here that an enriched environment leads to a remarkable suppression of cancer proliferation in all three models tested, even when delayed until the tumor was well established”. (Cao et al. Environmental and Genetic Activation of a brain-Adipocyte BDNF/Leptin Axis Causes Cancer Remission and Inhibition.  Cell 2010 July 9, 142(1):52-64.

Even though it’s controversial for me to say— THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I’M SAYING.  Chronic illness is multi-factoral.  Reductionistic Medicine is concerned with isolating the genes and coming up with an outside-in “cure”.  Unfortunately most clinicians are too busy to keep up with the latest research.  Just because your doctor doesn’t know doesn’t mean it’s not true.

There are many campaigns, runs, walks, fundraisers that we all get behind for this noble purpose of getting healthier.

I’m not saying that those are bad things.

I’m saying we’re spending our energy and money in the wrong place.  I’m saying that the runs, walks, support, being part of a team with a mission, sense of family, community, and placing a high value on yourself IS the cure—not the stuff we are spending our time researching.  I’m saying we can avoid most cancer and disease if we had all those elements in there in the first place.

And maybe I might be so bold as to say that the disease can then be looked at as a gift, a wake-up call, or all of the above to get you to put yourself in the right environment.  And by “environment” I mean proper food intake, sufficient exercise, and sufficient gratitude, self esteem and social interaction in your life.  Oh, and a spine that can move properly.

At least that is what the research is starting to point out.

On my next post, we will discuss what these research findings actually mean in terms of your life and your health.  If you really get what I’m saying and am about to share with you—it’s really a game changer.  We can’t approach our life in the same manner, and not only that—it’s dangerous to think otherwise.

I have an insulin-dependent type-2 diabetic patient who came in for a visit and told me of his problems with blood sugar the night before, and how he had to eat French fries and coke to bring up his sugar after he took too much insulin.

I asked him “ever considered changing your lifestyle?  Ever considered exercise and eating raw, whole foods?”

“No, it doesn’t matter—the doc says it’s genetic.”

Sigh.

And so I continue to write and teach.  For my own sanity.  It might take some work… but the world is starting to catch on.  Are you still worried about your family history of disease now?  Next post we’ll discuss what we TRULY inherit from our parents.

I’ve been frustrated at work lately.

“Doc, it hurts, please fix my________ and make it go away.” (enter Pain, Anxiety, Depression, Cancer, Diabetes, or whatever symptom or disease).

Old Model: Doc assesses with expensive tests, gives diagnosis, and provides some sort of medical therapy (drugs or surgery or “nothing cuz we don’t know what to do for you”).

New Model: I’m not concerned only with your pain/condition. I’m concerned with teaching you first what you need in order to be healthy in the body and mind, and fulfilled in life.
Now I admit, I’ve been beating my head against a wall lately. Imagine trying to practice this “new model” method in an “old model” world.

Imagine people are so used to McDonalds cheeseburgers, it’s no longer satisfying anymore— and it’s making them sick…. So they come to a steakhouse… asking for the same cheeseburger bullshit and expecting a different result. Welcome to my life lately.

I used to call myself a Chiropractor, but the negative connotation associated with it can be a challenge.  I don’t label myself anything anymore. I’m a Wellness/Lifestyle Doctor (becoming an expert). If you’re in any state of less than 100% well-being, REGARDLESS OF YOUR DIAGNOSIS and whatever toxins they are having you take…. You can’t live at 100% if you don’t follow these simple rules:

1) Innate Body—Sufficient Movement, Sufficient Nutrition and Spinal Balance and 100% function. Any imbalances, toxicities or deficiencies with the body must be corrected if the person’s goal is to get healthier.

My biggest challenge? Knowing that patients are coming in to see me for physical complaints, and they happen to be on anti-depressant or anxiety meds not knowing the truth: That in order to start to bring the mind/mental/emotional aspect into balance, you’re wasting your time and energy, effort, money, and compromising your health in a very serious manner— if you haven’t started with #1 described above. They’ve been fed lies about why they need meds.  Without a healthy functioning body, spine and nervous system, sufficiencies in movement and nutrition, and removing the toxicities— your mind will not function in a normal, healthy manner. PERIOD.

2)Innate Mind—Once the body has been sufficiently nurtured (through lifestyle and chiropractic care), most mental/emotional conditions tend to become lessened. You start feeling better emotionally. You handle stress more resiliently. But if there are still “incomplete stories” from the past or present—it makes sense to start working on them now that your body is moving towards balance. Getting help with your social or family network, classes, books, seminars, coaching, or guidance from a therapist or counselor who doesn’t promote your story of victimhood is the way to go. I happen to love this aspect of my job. I’m noticing that I have been looking more and more forward to the classes and workshops I teach at my office more than seeing new patients walk in off the street.

Why is this critical? Because nowhere in school do we learn how to properly deal with adversity. Nowhere in school do we learn how to have a healthy relationship with ourselves and our money, or proper expectations in a relationship. Nowhere in our school do we learn the importance of having a healthy level of self esteem and connection with a community. It’s mentioned, but never really taught. Where did YOU learn these things? Who are YOUR role models?

Wayne Dyer: One of the teachers I would recommend learning from on how to deal with adversity and "emotional subluxation".

WHAT IS AN “EMOTIONAL SUBLUXATION?”

One of my biggest Aha moments was that an emotional subluxation can exist. It is any thought or perception you may have that creates a state of ingratitude. Emotional subluxations are epidemic. I get them every day.  I’m actually going through a big one right now as we speak.  They need adjusting exactly the same way that spinal subluxations do.

An adjustment of an emotional subluxation is as simple as looking at your situation in a completely different way.
Yesterday a patient of mine came in for her regular adjustment. Mind and body she is 180 degrees from where she was 6 months ago… but she came to me with an emotional crisis. After her spinal adjustment (nurturing body)… I started adjusting her emotional subluxations (Mind).  It’s way easier than you think.

Gratitude Deficiency and your emotional well-being.

Over the past year, she has been battling a long term disability claim from some work incidents that created a state of “Post Traumatic Stress” in her life. She was off work, tumbled into worsening anxiety attacks and depression and it was impacting her life enjoyment and her marriage. She was looking for compensation, and naturally, the company she was working for was covering their ass by telling their own version of the story.
After reading their reports this past week, she was almost in a fit of rage inside, which we know creates all sorts of chemical changes that produce states of dis-ease in the mind and body. We had been working diligently with her over the past few months to the point that she was almost pain free, and her anxiety and depression had completely vanished. This last letter she received with those reports were almost enough to bring her back to that state after the main incident.

Emotional subluxations are not cleared by doing something magical or waving some wand or taking some pills.  They are cleared by asking a different set of questions.

The questions I asked her:
How has this incident at work helped you heal emotionally and physically? Were things just perfect with your life, health and marriage, and social network before it all happened? How has this helped your all of those things?

She responded with no—things were definitely not perfect before. Then she started telling me about how this incident made her see who her TRUE friends are, had got her introduced to chiropractic care (she met me at a community screening) which has her neck moving normally and pain free for the first time in ages, and by coming to my classes she has learned more about herself, her mind/body health and the way we respond to stress, how to cope with anxiety and depression, and in her marriage, she saw how her husband was sitting by her side until 2 in the morning to help type out the legal stuff despite being tired from work.

Because she is of Christian Faith, I asked her if she’s aware that God has truly given her everything she has ever wanted, but done it in “mysterious ways”—working the way He is infamous for?

Pause.

She never really thought of it that way.

I believe that gratitude is the ultimate healer, accessible to all of us if we ask the right questions. I was lucky enough to be taught the right questions to clear out an emotional subluxation (disconnection). It only took a matter of minutes for the subluxation to clear. How do you know it’s clear? Tears of gratitude were streaming down her face.

And mine.

And when the body is alignment innately, the lifestyle is in alignment innately, and you’re in a state of gratitude for things just as they are…. Your life starts moving in a flow which can be best described by watching an expert surfer stand effortlessly riding a wave.  That’s the starting point many never reach and they go looking for the perfect doctor to give it to them from the outside-in……When it’s been inside the whole time.

It’s true. My adjustments are changing. My vision is expanding. I’m riding one massive wave here. Where it will go—I really couldn’t give a flying hoot. I’m deeply connected and finding that time stands still when I help people see and feel their truth in their lives.

Thank you for reading and being a part of my journey.

I’ve always been a fun-loving guy.  Always cracking jokes, acting a fool.  My mother would always tell me to try to be more serious.  For the most part, I’m still the same, but since a few years ago, I had noticed a sharp decline in my enjoyment for life.

What I’m about to share is not easy for me.

Hypocrisy at its finest

People come to me for a variety of reasons—namely they are experiencing headaches, neck pain, back pain, and aren’t living to their potential physically.  Going through my emotional ups and downs caused me to reflect and study a variety of personal development and “self-help” books and attend seminars.  I have also grown into a consultant/life coach and I help those who are going through anxious, depressed states, or people who are doing good and want to take it to the next level.  I’m also a speaker on Stress and produce videos that are (supposed to be) fun and entertaining.  Most of the feedback from the videos has been quite good—but you can’t please everyone.  My favorite comment was “now you wonder why doctors don’t take you guys seriously?”

I get random emails from Chiropractors around the world saying that I inspire them to take things to the next level and they want to someday reach the level that I’m at.

I’m here to tell you that when I get those emails, my psyche splits into two separate reactions.

The first one feels proud, honored, blessed and elated at the response.

The other voice says “are you kidding me?”

Confession: I feel like this sometimes too. Despite what my videos show.

The confession I wanted to make is that the reason why I teach about stress/anxiety/depressed states is because despite the fact that I have more to be grateful for than most people—I catch myself suffering from anxiety on occasion.  I get depressed on occasion.  I get down on myself, look at the glass half empty, feel unworthy, purposeless, and empty on occasion.  Ironic that the song for my last video was “put on a happy face”.  That’s right.  My videos are bullshit sometimes.

Anxiety is more common than you think.  There are millions of people suffering.  Some have gone to the doctor and have been labeled or “diagnosed”.  Millions are put on medication just to run away from the uncomfortable feelings and feel they can’t function without them.  Even more who aren’t diagnosed will self-medicate.

Going through my struggle with it, I have made some amazing realizations:

1)   Most times it’s not what you’re worried about that bothers you—it’s the actual feelings of anxiety you begin to fear.  You then start to fear the anxiety itself.  This creates a downward spiral that creates even more anxiety and hopelessness.
2)   Anxiety/Depression usually comes with a trigger—usually a stressful/traumatic event or loss that you don’t quite recover from, and the stress response from it follows you to create a state of alertness (anxiety) that keeps you from enjoying your life.
3)   Most human behavior is governed by your desire to run away from the uncomfortable feelings of anxiety.
4)   Anxiety exists in a spectrum, from general unease to full-blown panic attacks, and are a normal part of everyone’s life to a degree.

In my attempts to manage my anxiety, I mostly practice what I preach.  A proper diet makes a huge difference.  Exercise is a must—personally I don’t know how anyone can live through stress without it.

I’ve been doing some research on it and have made some breakthrough discoveries as of late.  This breakthrough discovery has the potential to change lives.  I now want to dedicate a great deal of time in helping my patients and community, and world (thanks to technology the world has gotten smaller) in dissolving anxiety, since stress is a huge part of it.

So what is the magical cure?

The cure is this:  Understanding and appreciating why it’s there.  You understand what anxiety is (a normal part of alertness that results from the stress response).  You study what happens to the brain when a stressful thought enters, and when you understand this, you realize that your symptoms are NORMAL.  You appreciate your body is working for you and giving you feedback… and you DANCE WITH IT.  You stop fighting it.

What’s abnormal is your constant resistance to them.  You then begin to beat yourself up.  Tell me if you can relate to some of the thoughts I found that I was saying to myself:

“Why do I feel this way?”

“Is this normal?

“Will this feeling ever go away?  Will I have to live with it for the rest of my life”

“How can I get rid of this feeling RIGHT AWAY?”  (These thoughts are the source of all addictions, by the way—“aha” moment for me).

And my personal number one thought process that has driven me almost to insanity a couple times:

“I hate how I feel!  I’m supposed to be happy!  Now the world will know I’m a complete fraud!”

Then it dawned on me.  Ever since I bought the Westgate clinic 3 and a half years ago, my responsibilities, as well as stress levels have quadrupled.

The VERY FIRST DAY of me taking over the company as the owner, my top 2 staff came in, cornered me and demanded raises (I had no idea if we could afford to do it) and it seemed like everyone was coming to me with their hands out. I had to manage not only my patients, but the complaints of every patient that walked in (we have 12-14 practitioners at a time).

Anyone who has ever run a business before will understand—a business carries overhead—expenses that are unexpected but are seemingly endless—broken equipment, renovations, computer upgrades, insurance, etc. etc.  Huge stressor!  These experiences were huge growth processes for me– my anxieties alienated me from some staff and associates and created major tension in my work relationships.

I got engaged and married within 6 months of buying Westgate Wellness Centre, and bought a house within the same year.  Anyone who has done those things will understand the process is not always a picnic.

Holy crap, talk about a mountain of responsibility to put on an inexperienced 31 year old.

The crazy thing about how the anxiety can destroy relationships– you feel so awful all the time and you try to make someone responsible for them– your co-workers or family members, and you unconsciously start to blame them and make them responsible for your happiness.  Pretty crazy stuff– huge growth lessons for me.

Slowly over the years, I noticed my stress levels climbing.  Why do you think I became an “expert” on stress and the body?  I decided to study the hell out of it—just to understand and get some peace of mind for my own sake.  I felt like I was drowning.  In fact “Stressbusters” was created in my lowest state—when I was in an emotional valley.  It was what I needed to pull me out.

Making my “Mess” my message

We all know the best way to learn is to teach–I decided to make my “mess” my message:  That your mental and physical health is entirely in your hands.  You are responsible for changing your environment (in how you eat, move, and think).  You have to be willing to become a student of life, of your judgments, of your values, and be willing to dig deep to find out what drives you, so you can take your biggest challenges of life to make the world better and to serve those that might be going through the same.

So I’m doing it.  The very act of writing this to YOU is an example of becoming present with it.  I suggest you start journalling your thoughts and do the same.

I’m documenting my story and the story of my clients who I’m helping who are going through the same stressful states.   I want to create educational materials to those that are struggling with stress, anxiety, and depression, and who want some guidance and mentoring to pull themselves out.  The way out is not easy, but it has a few essentials:

1)   Have a Clearly Functioning Nervous System. There have been times when my spine has been so stuck and I haven’t been aware because I wasn’t in pain.  After my adjustment, I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders and mind.  This is because the nerve interference in your spine (subluxations) will trigger the stress response in the brain and body.

2) Move it or Lose it. You need to move and burn off that excess adrenaline that is coursing through your arteries and veins.  The fight or flight state most of us are in because of life challenges creates anxiety arousal in the brain (THIS IS NORMAL).  Exercise burns it off.  Plus it makes my butt and gut look good.

3) Eat Well! You need to stop putting toxins and non-foods and anti-nutrients in the body.  If you are going through any anxiety whatsoever, it’s critical you switch to whole foods without chemicals.  Go back to basics.  Stock up on raw veggies, limit sugar and processed foods.

4)   You need to start becoming comfortable being uncomfortable. Start to recognize your uncomfortable feelings and attribute them to the anxiety, not that something bad will happen.  Nobody ever died from the sensations of anxiety, even though sometimes it may feel that way.  If you learn to “sit in the fire” of the symptoms, and observe them without judging them and with a knowing they will go away—they will.  Once they resurface, you repeat the same process.  Sit through them, and don’t resist them and wish them away.  Smile at them.  They’re just sensations.  No real threat to life.  Dance with them and gain control.

I know this may come as a shock to many of you because you watch my videos or you have attended my seminars or seen me speak, or even met me and said “how the heck could this dude have anxiety—he can dance in front of people, act a fool, and speak in front of hundreds to thousands of people—how could he be stressed and anxious?”

Well I’m here to tell you that although I can shine in THOSE kinds of stressful environments, it’s only a public persona and not always the way it is.  But I’ve been working on it and it’s paying off dividends.

These tools have literally saved my life.  I don’t know if I would be able to move forward without them.

I will be writing more about this in the next post.

Please pass this along to someone you know who worries too much, who has been labeled as anxious or depressed (the two go hand in hand).

Looking forward to your feedback.

Another confession:  After I graduated from Chiropractic School, I went through a huge depressive and anxious period.  I discovered something that helped pull me out and bring me to where I am today.  Now, I share it with the world.

In dealing with stress, it’s important to exercise, eat healthy, count your blessings, remove nerve interference from the body with regular adjustments…. But what about the stuff from your past– your “story” of suffering?  What about the constant day to day stuff that you go through that you just can’t seem to get away from– at work and at home?

I never had any intention of being a speaker or teacher, or Life Coach, or consultant– whatever you want to call it.  Over 6 years ago, I attended a seminar that absolutely changed my life.  I was introduced to a method that basically took all the challenges, emotional charges, and ingratitudes I was going through and brought them all into a perfect state of order.  I was worried that I was going to be introduced to a religion or cult– far from it!  The Demartini Method is a tool with a thousand practical applications– from understanding your relationship with money to your relationships, to finding your life’s purpose.  Whatever your religion or belief system is, the Method is a series of questions/exercises that takes any stressful event in your past or present and completely gets you liberated from it emotionally– so that it doesn’t run you, so you can be clear on the direction of your “inner voice” rather than worry about outside voices that seem to criticize, challenge, or hold you back.  It basically erases your story and brings you to a present state of love and gratitude.  The Demartini method can’t be explained in words– it can only be experienced.  People who’ve suffered tremendous trauma, abuse, neglect, worry, fear, guilt, remorse, shame, blame, anger, depression, conflict– all the amazing things that make life interesting can dissolve those feelings in a matter of minutes to hours.  Yes, it’s that simple (yet difficult).

After that amazing experience, I dedicated my life to mastering it in my own life, and I found myself in situations with my patients who were telling me about the challenges at home or work– so I started giving them advice using the tools I had just learned.

All the questions do, is to shift your perceptions about an event– and suddenly the event that’s so miserable turns into something you can be grateful about.  My patients would come back with such amazing stories of emotional freedom from using the technique, that I naturally progressed in creating classes and setting aside “coaching” and consulting times to help more people with it.  It’s become the most fulfilling part of my career as of late.  This last Stressbuster’s video is all about our monthly Stressbuster’s classes that allow people to bring their stresses each month and learn tools on how to dissolve them– and move on to bigger and better things.  Find out when the next Stressbusters Class is by clicking here.  This video is done at the office and taken from a recent Stressbusters class.  They’ve only just begun and are getting more and more popular as time goes on– and we’re now needing a new home as my office is too small, and we’re outgrowing the community college classrooms I’ve been renting out.  You’ll also notice some salsa steps being taught– every Stressbusters class is unique in that we do a small salsa break to keep our brains and bodies active.  It’s a helluva lotta fun!

Many thanks to Nina for being such a genius videographer.  Thanks for the feedback! You can find out more about her at Oh Just Peachy Studios.

"Sorry Dr. Nima... I completely disagree with what you say"

I just received an email from an angry reader/viewer of my blog. I’ll address it at the end of this post.

As with any person who has a strong point of view and is on a mission to change a prevailing system–I have my fair share of critics.  In fact, I know I’ve done a really good job in my lectures and seminars, and blog only when I see people jumping up in support of what I teach– inspired and empowered, and some who stand up and disagree– sometimes quite passionately.  If everyone agreed with what I said, then I know that I’m not making enough of an impact.  Those lectures are quite boring for me.  But let me tell you– I’ve been a part of some really fun and let’s call them “spirited debates” as well.

I speak about controversial topics.  I talk about health, stress, diseases, it’s causes and it’s solutions.  Telling someone they are responsible for their health is a no-no in some circles who promote the idea that we are a victim to our genes and our lifestyle choices don’t matter.  I’ve never been accused of being politically correct.

I recently spoke to a group from the British Columbia Medical Association– a room filled with people responsible for turning Medical Offices in our province to high tech, paperless offices.  The topic was about Stress, and in the talk, I connected the dots between our stressful states of mind and the specific chemical changes that happen in our bodies in response to our “fight and flight” stress response.  Why?  Because it’s the most fascinating thing to me, and my audiences are simply BLOWN AWAY when they realize that their disorders that they might be taking medications for are actually examples of their body working properly– it’s the environment they put their body in that’s causing the problem.

I promised myself I would be good, political, on my best behavior, and resist the urge to be too vocal about the way the system is set up is actually doing more harm than good for chronic illnesses.

For the most part, I was quite diplomatic.  I praised the system and it’s dealing with crisis care and management.  But I couldn’t resist to take it further and tell them my truth– that chronic illness rates are on the rise, medication and surgery use is increasing at alarming rates, and we continue to get sicker, and the answer is NOT MORE DOCTORS AND NURSES AND HOSPITALS.  Throughout my entire talk, I could see this one woman (who turned out to be a nurse) sit quite uncomfortably, fidgeting, looking down, avoiding eye contact… She waited until I was done my talk and spoke up and said that my talk was quite polarizing, and that many doctors ARE teaching what I have been talking about and that she “doesn’t use chiropractors,” and that all in all, she wasn’t impressed with what I had to say.  Her face was beet red the whole time.  She was pretty stressed!   She had some supporters who agreed and didn’t like many aspects of my talk.

At the same time, I had a majority of the room say they were right behind what I was saying.

Mission accomplished.  Here are the facts:

Chronic Illness (Lifestyle related) are on the rise.

Despite the fact that as she said there are many doctors who are talking about lifestyle first, medication prescriptions for these illnesses have increased by 50 times since the 1950′s in the name of science.  Doctors are being marketed by Pharmaceutical Reps to prescribe these drugs in unethical fashion.  Not only that, but Doctors are now being approached by the patients themselves requesting drugs that they have been marketed directly to by the drug company.  There are people in suits and ties right now strategizing on how to get more drugs into more people.  I just want to shed light on these facts.  So even though there are a few who are doing it right– THERE’S NOT ENOUGH OF THEM DOING IT RIGHT.

Correct me if I’m wrong– even if we disagree on the appropriate course of action for a particular patient with a specific condition– you may say painkillers and I may want to correct the cause with chiropractic adjustments– we can not disagree on the fact that drugs and surgeries, especially in North America are HIGHLY over used, and many cases unnecessary, and are killing hundreds of thousands each and every year.

So, pardon me, but in order to change this unconscious insanity, DON’T WE NEED TO STIR THE POT A LITTLE?  Shake things up, ruffle a few feathers and wake people up?  If I offended you– then GOOD.  At least someone is speaking up and saying we can’t keep going on this way.  If I don’t do it– then who will?  My intention is to create a healthier society.  Doesn’t positive change always start out with someone challenging a current system that is crumbling at it’s foundation?

One person in the audience got up and asked why there aren’t more doctors saying what I’m saying.  The answer is this:  Any Medical Doctor in the history of medicine who has stood up to challenge the current prevailing system has been burned at the stake.  It means being ridiculed by your peers.  They won’t let them “join in any reindeer games”.   Who wants that?  Unless the doctor is on a healing mission, most of them just bow down their heads and carry on, and collect their paychecks.  I can’t blame them, that’s why I’m not criticizing doctors per se.  Most of them do great work that can save lives.  I’m talking about the system of fighting disease rather than understanding why it’s there in the first place and correcting the cause.

Some of these doctors have quit medicine and gone and written books about what they have observed to be the sources of TRUE healing.  Can you guess what conclusions they came up with?  You guessed it:  Proper exercise, proper diet, and becoming free of disempowering emotional states of mind.  (And a clear nervous system.)  These doctors are my teachers and it’s their work I use as my inspiration.

Back to the email I got:

“Dr. Nima, I agree with most of what you say, but why is it that at the end of your stressbusters videos you say that I should ‘be careful for what I wish for because when I get it, it will present a whole new series of challenges in my life that will also suck’?.  That’s negative thinking, and if you think negatively, you will have negativity in your life… I disagree completely and think it’s rude.”

The intention is not to be negative.  It’s to be realistic.  Most of us live in this fantasy world that “if only I could____” or “I’ll be happy when_____” only to reach their goal and discover that it’s got it’s drawbacks too.  I’ve hit my head against a wall over and over again with that one.  We seek pleasure and avoid pain, and we assume that somewhere else is where this illusive “happiness” is going to be.  The unattainable promised land.  I’m here to break your illusion.  Wake up from your fantasy, people.  Life won’t be any better than it is in the Now.  Making more money means more responsibility.  A bigger home means more expenses.  A fancier car means more probability of break-ins and expensive repairs (I lived that one many times).  The promotion means higher expectations and pressures on you.  Does that mean we shouldn’t desire or set lofty goals or go after these things?  No.  It means that no matter what, you will have benefits and drawbacks.  Wisdom is recognizing this duality and not getting so emotional about it– high or low.  And be grateful for what you have now.  That will increase your probability of getting more anyway– as a bi-product of gratitude.  This would be cool for a disclaimer for a new drug called “Gratitude:”  Side effects include the attainment of more things to be grateful for.

That’s why I’m so grateful for my critics.  And as my supporters increase in numbers– so do my critics.

Thank you!

Make sure you catch the “outtakes” at the end.  Enjoy– may this video help guide you to balancing out your blood sugar and insulin levels and move you in the direction of a healthy diet.

Getting physically active actually SHUTS DOWN the stress response.  If you don’t make physical activity a part of your life, then there is no excuse for you if you start to fall ill and get sick.  Your physiology, in order to function at 100% requires exercise of some sort.  You can’t blame genes if you are ill.  But exercise doesn’t have to be boring.  Check this out!

photo by www.photobinphotograpy.com

It’s not Rocket Science. If you are under a great deal of stress (which most people are), then being under the care of a chiropractor has been shown to remove tension from your nervous system.

Nobel Prize recipient Dr. Roger Sperry says that the spine is the motor that drives the brain. According to his research “90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain is generated by the movement of the spine.” Only 10% of our brain’s energy into thinking, metabolism, immunity, and healing. Sperry demonstrated that 90% of brain energy goes into processing and maintaining the body’s relationship with gravity.

Why this relates to you.

It means that every day your body not only has to cope with the stresses of your hectic day and family and work issues, but it now has to deal with the arduous task of having to adapt to the postural habits of sitting improperly and being out of alignment.  This makes your body have to adapt to EVEN MORE stress.  It makes you miserable. It gives you headaches, back pain, stomach issues, problems with balancing hormones, anxiety, depression, and anything else that is a dis-ease.

So here’s the strategy with my patients and students in my workshops:

1) Teach ‘em what stress does to the body

2) Keep their nervous system functioning at maximal levels to cope with physical and emotional  and chemical stress through chiropractic care.

3) Give them lifestyle tools on proper exercise and how to gain control of their eating habits and food addictions

4) Teach them how to change their thoughts and perceptions about their life stories and situations so they can let go of their past, and overcome fears about the future and have lives filled with purpose, gratitude and unconditional love.

It’s a strategy that’s changing lives.  It gets people connected to their purpose.  It’s making our community healthier.  It’s taking people’s reliance off of medication.

Stay tuned for episode 3!  As always, we welcome feedback, suggestions, as well as re-tweets and facebook recommendations.  Feel free to drop a comment about your experience as well.

This is me every day. If I didn't have powerful tools at my disposal, I wouldn't survive.

Do you ever feel that instead of life getting easier, it seems to get more complicated?   Do you ever catch yourself thinking “remember when things used to be simple?”

This year, I made a commitment to step outside my comfort zone and expand my reach.  As I did, I noticed the challenges seemed to pile up.  Trying to juggle running one of the Greater Vancouver’s largest Multi-Disciplinary Healing Centres, while having a busy patient load,  all the while speaking, writing, and coaching—and trying to balance all that with my married life (Happy wife- happy life)—let me tell you it isn’t easy.  I know you are busy too–going through your own specific challenges… if you have kids you’re probably thinking “Nima, you think you’re stressed now….wait until you have children!”

Breakthrough moment

I remember a time back this summer where I felt like my back was up against a wall.  That the world was caving in.  I remember feeling overwhelmed with the stresses of life… it was affecting my sleep and my relationships and overall enjoyment of life.  I then had an “aha” moment.

In every moment, you are either in crisis/survival mode or you are in a growth/repair/creation state.  You can’t be in both at the same time.  I had been bogged down so much that I stopped practicing what I preach.  So as the saying goes… “those that can’t do… TEACH”… I decided to turn my “mess” into my “Message”.

I started writing about the stress I was going through.  I started researching what these uninspiring, repetitive, destructive thoughts were doing to my mind and body.  What I discovered changed my life.   I poured my thoughts onto paper.  I realized that I could turn all the knowledge I had in my brain, organize it into a simple format—and then teach it to others and help save some lives.  But first I had to practice what I preached.  Let me explain to you what I mean.

What is stress?

In an ever-changing environment, you’re either adapting to the changes, or you are resisting them.  Stress comes from an inability to ADAPT to a changing environment.  It’s really that simple.  Yet so difficult.

Stress can come from being married to a woman for 10 years and then one day discovering that her work as a grocery store attendant was really a cover up for the CIA.  Stress can come from discovering that a relative you have been on bad terms with has suddenly died, and you are now faced with the guilt of not mending things in a life that’s way too short.  Stress comes from all of a sudden being faced with a change in your life.  But pre-historically, we didn’t have to worry about work, marital issues, financial problems.  Our main challenges were about finding food, and avoiding becoming food, or attack by another tribe.  Either you adapt to the changes in the environment, or you die.  Period.

As a Chiropractor in Maple Ridge, I have to be keenly aware of this reality when a patient shows up in my office.  I can see it in their eyes, I can feel it in the tension in their spine on palpation… Most people are in a chronic fight or flight state.  For months to years at a time.  You don’t have to look to hard—if you examine the overall state of health in our society, we’re on a progressive downward spiral.  I can remember a few weeks this year where I layed in my bed in a state of fear and panic about the challenges I had to face every single day.  It got so overwhelming that I had to step back into the basics.

What’s in store for you in 2011

It was exactly what I needed.  In this 5-part series called “Stressbusters”, I show you specifically what tools and strategies I used.  It was so fulfilling, I had to share it with the world.  My goal is that you will participate with me over the next several weeks as each episode is launched, and give me feedback on how you’ve been progressing.

My mission is to share with the planet the truth—that chemical imbalances in the mind and body that produce illness are mostly under our control.  This can only happen if we first realize the power that lies in the choices we make in how we eat, move, and think—and the state of connection between our brain and the 70-100 trillion cells of our body.  Since Dr. means “teacher” it’s my intention to teach the world this truth.  I want to teach you to become a better adapter to the inevitable changes of your life.

I’m also going to be starting a new series of workshops at the end of each month at the Westgate Wellness Centre called “Stressbuster Workshops” where I will teach powerful tools that I’ve learned to help me overcome the adversities of life.  And I never run out of opportunities to use the tools with the setbacks I perceive every day.  Every great teacher I know has one thing in common: They are students—and so as I learn more tools, I expand my reach and teach more.  It’s been a fun ride so far, and I’m ready to help people take it to the next level in these fun and dynamic workshops.  January 29^th we begin with “Getting excited about your depression”.  We’ll be adding more workshops as the year unfolds, but some more topics will include

Overcoming grief, heartbreak and loss,

The dynamics of anxiety and depression and how to transcend it,

Finding your values and understanding the values of your loved ones,

Overcome relationship conflicts

Letting go of Past Trauma

How to not take things so personally

Stress, Food Addictions, and Weight Loss

I can’t wait to teach this stuff.  To be honest everything I teach is really for me.  I guess it’s true—those that can’t do—teach.  And selfishly, as I teach you to become a better adapter to the inevitable challenges of life– I heal and adapt to my challenges too.  Enjoy the first episode.  Many thanks to Nina from Oh Just Peachy Studios for her great work and guidance.