Posts Tagged ‘Anxiety’

Warning.  This may offend some.  Those that have no sense of humor, no charm, wit, sense of playfulness (or good looks)– please do not watch this video.  Those that have problems watching others promote to the world in a fun way what they love to do should avoid my website, facebook, twitter posts with every fiber of their being.

I’ve been criticized by some in the profession for not being professional or too “self-promoting”.  Good.  I’m glad I’ve pissed a few people off.  I’ve watched dozens of my peers do their best to put up videos promoting their practices– first off– Good for you, I applaud you for your courage.  You can’t do or say anything without your critics.  I know– because I too, am a critic of the way we are approaching our health.  I just want to put out videos that make people smile, laugh, and like you will see in this case… cringe.  Please stay tuned for Part 2.

Please enjoy.  Thanks for watching.  And thank you to Tobin for his creative genius and Maria for her great work.

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.

In working closely with people, I found a common theme in those that think their lives are crappy:  Feeling disconnected with their higher purpose. I know because that’s when I feel crappiest.

The mission of my mind-body wellness blog and vlog is to help my community and the world :

- dissolve stress,

- overcome anxiety and depression,

- transform physical and emotional pain

- reduce or eliminate use of medications

- lose weight and live healthy, fulfilling, and prosperous lives

Since this is my mission both in my Maple Ridge office and recently throughout the Globe—I found it fitting to use my first Mind-body Wellness Tip as an encouragement to you to find one for yourself, if you don’t already have one.  And if and when you do, to pour all your heart and soul into it.

If you don’t already have a mission—now is the time to start asking yourself what kind of meaning you want to give to your life.  The truth is, you DO have a purpose for being here, and often times it’s by using what you’ve struggled with for the benefit of others.  Most people use their “stories” as something they are ashamed of and want to hide from.  I often joke that I make my struggles with stress and worry (my mess) as the core foundation of my message.

There are 3 characteristics of a good soul purpose, calling, mission or cause that you will dedicate to.

1)It benefits both YOU and OTHERS simultaneously

2)It involves the removal of suffering and bringing on of fulfillment to others as well as yourself

3)It requires you to engage in an area that you find interesting, have mastery over, and is meaningful to YOU.

Notice how it doesn’t involve you simply being altruistic, either.  Be keenly aware and clear of what you’re getting in exchange for what you want to put out to the universe.  A fulfilling relationship can only occur if both parties are aware of what they are getting in return for what they are giving.

I love to debate this point with people who believe its all about giving and not receiving.

Atlas Adjustment

Last year I went to the Dominican Republic for Chiromission and blogged about it (with video footage).  We were touched by the cause of a Pastor and his wife who adopted 25 children in a small little shack.  Our group rounded up donations to help him build a bigger orphanage to help house 50 more kids—a total of 75!

Here’s the blog from last year called “A trip that changed my life”.  There’s a video at the end.

Since we’ll be returning in a couple weeks to see the progress of our efforts, I thought this would be a great place to start.

Here’s your mind-body wellness tip #1.  Looking forward to sharing with you tools to live at your best—both in mind and body.  Enter your email at the top right hand corner if you want them sent directly into your inbox as they come up.  As always, feel free to comment and share with those that you think could use it.

As a Chiropractor in Maple Ridge, I adjust subluxations in the spine to help bring balance to the body—which helps to balance the mind.

As a speaker/consultant and coach, I adjust subluxations in thoughts and perceptions to help bring balance to the mind—which helps to balance the body and life.  I’ve been fascinated lately with what happens to the body/mind when you are in a state of anxiety.

Apparently I’ve stumbled onto something that is way more common than you might think it is.

From my research, the body, when treated appropriately, fed innately, moved innately, with a healthy alignment, and connected to some greater purpose will organize itself into a healthy state quite magnificently.  It’s truly inspiring to see.   I’ve had the opportunity to witness people go off their anxiety and anti-depressant medications simply by making the right “adjustments” (sorry had to throw that in).  So why do some people then, stay stuck in their cycle of frustration?

The allopathic/medical (disease) model takes an illness or dis-eased state and asks the question: “What’s the diagnosis?”  first.  This way, when there is a label, there is a “scientific” course of action that is prescribed, most often pharmaceutical.  And how do they come up with this diagnosis?  By tests, scans, x-rays.  Test after test to come up with a number to see if it falls within certain guidelines of acceptability.

Examples:

Blood sugars too high = “Diabetes”.

Blood pressure too high =  “Hypertension”

Thyroid levels too high = “Hyperthyroidism”

In each of these cases, the body is responding to it’s environment, often appropriately.  Modify the behavior and the body starts coming back into balance.  Problem: There’s not a lot of time to talk about that in the visit and doctors aren’t trained to.  Solution:  There’s a pill for it.

And not to bash doctors, but when you look at the big picture you see how the industry is set up to profit on the illness, not the healing of it.  It’s a terrific business model:  Manage the disease, and you have created a lifelong customer.

The problem with anxiety and depression is that there are no tests or objective findings, and when you look at the diagnostic manual doctors rely on, you’ll be surprised to know that at any given time of the day/week/month/year, you will be able to identify with a great deal of the symptoms they describe.  Tell me if you can relate to this:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

A. Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more-days-than-not for at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities (such as work or school performance).

B. The person finds it difficult to control the worry.

C. The anxiety and worry are associated with three (or more) of the following six symptoms (with at least some symptoms present for more-days-than-not for the past 6 months).

1. restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
2. being easily fatigued
3. difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
4. irritability
5. muscle tension
6. sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep)

Ya, that pretty much describes everyone, and maybe 50% of people at any given time.  Can you see why anti-anxiety/depressant meds are a multi-billion dollar industry?

The unfortunate “Mental Illness Trap”

Picture this:

You’re feeling run down with all these symptoms because you’ve just gone through a tremendous loss, or are feeling a lot of pressure from work, or family issues have come up.  You go to your GP.  According to your symptoms, you fit the criteria.  You are now told that the sensations you are feeling are because you have a disorder.  You’re given a prescription for Zoloft or Paxil.  How does that make you feel?  From my experience working with patients and going through their case history, when they tell me they have anxiety disorder, they have 2 reactions simultaneously:

1)   A sense of disempowerment. They see themselves as separate from the illness, as though it has taken over their lives and are fighting against it with the help of medical care. (“I am a sick and weak individual who is mentally ill who requires medication.  Side note–My mother has it too—it runs in the family.  Nothing I can do about it.”)

2)   A sense of relief. Even though the symptoms are uncomfortable, deep down inside, a lot of people take comfort in the fact that they can attribute their horrible symptoms to something outside of their own thoughts and perceptions, and the disorder is to blame.  (“Finally, I know what’s wrong with me.  I have anxiety disorder.  I knew there was a reason I was so miserable. Thank God there are medications for that.  Side note, my mother has it too—it runs in the family.”)

Can you see the problem with that?

It puts you in a situation where you are seeing anxiety as an illness to treat rather than feedback your body is giving you.  You then start on a mission to conquer anxiety rather than looking at it as a necessary result of the thoughts and perceptions about the events that have happened in our lives.  Rather than working on transcending it—we then start to fear the symptoms themselves.  “Oh no!  My anxiety again!  When will this uncomfortable thing go away!  Give me my meds!”

My intention is to first make you aware of this, and to show you how to empower yourself and take action to transcend it. I have to say, as with all challenges, it won’t be easy.  God knows, I have my moments too.  But it’s possible.

This just in:  There’s nothing wrong with you.

If you are struggling with any of those symptoms, I’m going to tell you something that you probably haven’t been told by anyone.  YOU ARE NORMAL.  That’s right.  Unless there is a tumor in your brain that has caused your dopamine/serotonin production to completely SHUT DOWN (which is quite unlikely—don’t go request a brain scan now), those sensations you are feeling are THE NORMAL RESULT of the fight or flight mechanism in your body.  Your heart rate goes up, your digestion shuts down, adrenaline in your body won’t let you sleep, your adrenals will start to shut down and you will feel fatigued from being in this state all the time.  You won’t have any desire for sex, and because you’re in survival mode—being a loving mother/wife/husband and a productive person at work become difficult to impossible—you’re too busy running from a tiger to pay attention to those things.  You become emotional.  Reactive.  Paranoid.  Everyone’s out to get you.  Every comment is a complaint.  Every well-meaning criticism becomes an attack at your character.  Your own mental state can destroy your relationships.

I’ve been through it all—so you’re not alone.

There is nothing wrong with you—it’s the result of the accumulation of thoughts that have been programmed unconsciously.  The good news is that if you want to work at it and take responsibility and empower yourself, you can get back on track.

First step to Transcendence: Appreciation.

I will leave you with this.  First step to emotional freedom is to recognize your symptoms for what they are:  Symptoms and sensations related to anxiety.  Today, whenever you feel the anxious thoughts and symptoms show up—just sit with them for a moment.  Observe how you want to reach for that cigarette/drink/drugs/junk food/sex/work/video games/avoidance behavior in order to quiet the symptoms down.  Observe them from a curious standpoint.  “Wow… isn’t that interesting.  I really want a Big Mac right now.”

And sit with the pain.  Sit in the fire.  Feel the symptoms on the inside and remind yourself that the sensations aren’t the real you—they’re just a normal reaction to the “fight or flight” mechanism.  That’s your body working normally in response to the thoughts you are having or carrying around with you.  The real you is the observer to those feelings, and is an amazing individual with the potential to make a huge difference in the world when they are in that higher level of consciousness.

Step 2:  Stop giving a shit.

Then you have to do something you have never done before:  Stop giving a shit about the symptoms.  Smile at the sensations.  Approach them with an attitude of “who cares—they’re just symptoms and they are temporary.” Like you just broke your ankle and rather than whine about the pain of it—you’re finally letting go and allowing the ankle to heal and you know it’s going to take time– but it will heal. Just allow it to hurt.  You won’t die from it. And you simply go on with your day with a “who cares” attitude about them.

Sounds crazy doesn’t it?  I’m telling you—it works.

This is just the beginning—recognizing the sensations and sitting presently with them.  Don’t try to get rid of them.  Walk with them, dance with them, smile at them, watch them with curiosity.  When you do, you enter a different state of consciousness—you are in the present moment as an observer.  Pretty soon you will realize that you are starting to have power over them.  It’s like weight loss or working out.  You will have ups and downs.  But do it.  And stick to it.  Start today—let me know how you do.  Can’t wait to share more steps with you.

Please retweet/share or pass this along to someone who’s been a jerk lately.  Chances are, they’re in an unconscious “fight or flight” state.

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.

When was the last time you thought “wouldn’t it be great if I made more, if I just got my degree, if I just got that job, if I could only find a relationship,” and then you got it… only to realize that it wasn’t as glamorous as you thought it was going to be?

This is the entire story:  Even when you get THERE, there will be other factors, consequences, frustrations, challenges, drawbacks you might not have thought about.  That’s why the expression exists.  Because, as Anaxagoras said in 500BC “Nature never experiences one-sided events.”   Nothing is one-sided.  When my intentions came to pass and I experienced the “other” side, I used to think “oh, it’s not what I thought it was– I’m still not happy,”  and then I graduated to something else to desire and my never-ending pursuit of happiness continued.

When we put our dreams into perspective, we would be wise to foresee the downsides of making our dreams a reality.  You may think this is “negative thinking”, but deep down inside, you know there is truth to it.  Think of what your dreams would cost you—what area of your life needs to suffer to make your dreams a reality—and go for it anyway, if it’s TRULY a high priority for you.

Nobody ever accomplished anything magnificent without it costing something.  Remember, if it doesn’t cost you, it’s not valuable.

So you want to be wealthy?  Make it a priority and decide where you would pay the price to be wealthy.  Is your financial health worth the pain of saving?  For most people it’s not—that’s why they live paycheck to paycheck.  The cost of building wealth and saving money is much too high for a great number of people.

So you want to be healthy and vibrant?  Is your health worth the pain of exercising, eating right, making healthier choices (should I eat the watermelon, or the chocolate-chip banana bread my wife just baked for me?)  Is it worth the money for organic foods, the gym pass, the Chiropractic care, The colonics, the massages?  For most people, it’s not worth it—that’s why so few are healthy and chronic illness is on the rise.  The cost of living a healthy lifestyle is much too high for a great number of people.

So you want to be enthusiastic, hopeful, and fulfilled in your life?  Is your mental and emotional fulfillment worth the time and expense it takes to learn life-skills to deal with adversity and stress, to attend seminars that ask some difficult questions that might challenge your beliefs about who you are?  For most people, it’s not worth it—they just can’t seem to make the time to learn and study these tools– that’s why there are so many depressed and anxious people on medications, who aren’t aware of their purpose, who are deteriorating emotionally, who are victims to their environment rather than co-creators of their world.  The cost of emotional magnificence is much too high for a great number of people.

So you want a dream relationship?  Is having a fulfilling relationship worth the effort it takes to nurture, to spend time with your loved one, to plan “date nights”, to learn the priorities and “love language” of your partner, to study and learn communication and consultation skills?  Is it worth the pain of being truthful and authentic with yourself, with your shadow and sharing it with your partner so they understand the real you?  For most, it’s not worth it—that’s why there are so many unfulfilling relationships.  The cost of relationship magnificence is much too high for a great number of people.

If you want it bad enough, you will think about it and see and feel yourself as though you were in the present-time ownership of your dream. There are only a certain number of hours in a day, but you will manifest what’s a high priority for you—whether it’s health, money, or relationship/career fulfillment…. But be careful what you wish for, because you will get it, and it will still present it’s challenges.

Watch this video.  I just came across it from Esther Hicks, who believes that the prophet Abraham speaks through her.  I still think she’s a bit nutty, but again, her explanation here has wisdom, humor, and depth.  And her answer to the question the guy asks about why he’s not rich yet is so bang on.  I would add something to “Abraham’s” answer:

-Acknowledge that the reason why you haven’t made a lot of money yet is because it’s not a priority—you are not prepared to pay the price of becoming wealthy. (Believe me when I say there is a price to pay for it—this is not a limiting belief).

- Change your beliefs and values—and your life changes.

Would you agree or disagree?

Just an FYI—if you want to discover your values and learn how to take control of your emotions and your life—or you are already in the know but want to kick it up a notch or 3, check out my upcoming Stress and Life Skills events and join us if you are in the Greater Vancouver or Maple Ridge Area.  I get a kick out of teaching people how to get what they want and deal with the consequences of actually getting it.

Looking forward to your comments…

I just finished a busy weekend at the Maple Ridge Home show.  We had a booth set up, and I met hundreds of people with a list of physical and mental symptoms like you wouldn’t believe, and all of them are under the care of a medical physician.   “My doctor knows about all of this, and we’ve been trying to deal with it for a very long time.”    Some would even tell me “he told me to stay away from Chiropractors.”

“And what is he/she doing for you?”

The response is always invariably “he’s sending me for an x-ray”, or “the x-rays came up negative, so we’re looking into an MRI”.  Each one left the office with a prescription for painkillers or something else.  In fact, if I was to show you how many people walking around are taking some sort of pill for one or more of their conditions, you’d be alarmed.  It’s official:  We are an overdosed, overmedicated society, and the saddest part is that we think it’s making us healthier.

I completely understand… growing up, every single time I would have an ache, pain, or a sniffle, my mother would take me to the Doctor.  Funny how most of us grow up with the perception that the Doctor will have “the cure”.   If the doctor can’t figure it out, then there’s nothing anyone can do.  This is the feeling I was getting from hundreds of (overmedicated) people this weekend.

It was an interesting observation for me that it seems that people equate going to the doctor with becoming healthy. Another interesting observation I made when it comes to most people who go to the doctor, I wanted to share with you because it could mean the difference between you taking control of your own health vs. you leaving it in the hands of someone else.  Let me explain.

It’s all about the diagnosis, baby!

To medicate or not to medicate? That is the question.

When seeing a patient, the Medical Doctor is concerned FIRST with coming up with a diagnosis.  Doctors spend years learning about patterns of symptoms that they can group together and come up with a label for your condition called a “diagnosis”.  From there, they are taught in medical school which course of action to take.  In the field of MEDICINE, what is usually the first line of defense?  MEDICINE.  Their focus is entirely on the disease and how to fight disease.

The main tools that are taught in medical school are Medicine and Surgery.  That’s why all the people who I saw who are still suffering despite our “free” medical system here in Canada have started out with Pharmaceuticals.  And it’s making us sicker and sicker as a society.  It’s all in the focus:  Focus on fighting disease, and you create more disease, the same way that focusing on fighting terrorism brings about more terror.  Deaths from adverse drug reactions are among the leading causes of death in the world.

How we view the body is important

The reason why I’m so dead against starting with Pharmaceuticals first is because of the fundamental way that I view the body.  And I’m on a mission to teach this to the world:   Instead of being a weak and stupid, I see the body as a wise, intelligent group of cells that are energetically bound together and created to function at a high level, provided we give it the essentials in movement, in nutrients, water, in a balanced mental focus, and a clear nerve system.  If we started with that, Drug companies would go bankrupt.

The problem with most people walking around with a diagnosis is that instead of using it as feedback for how we’ve been eating, moving, thinking, or how out of balance we are so we can make the changes, people wear their diagnosis as a badge or label and they remove all personal responsibility.  They make statements like:

“I can’t work because of the Fibromyalgia”

“I took 3 weeks off because of the Anxiety Disorder I have”

“I can’t exercise because of the Diabetes”

“My doctor says I have Arthritis”

“I was diagnosed with Osteoporosis”.

Each and every time I hear someone say something like that, I can’t help but cringe.  While the symptoms may be real– people are completely in the dark about how they got there in the first place.  They think it’s a disease they caught because of bad luck or bad genes.  Chances are, it’s not.  That’s why I created “What your doctor won’t tell you about your symptoms” class to shed light on why your body speaks out to you in those ways and what you can do about it.

In the mean time, all I can do is to help show people a different way.  It first comes with a different way of looking at yourself and the amazing way your body responds and reacts to the crap you are throwing at it.

The simple-yet-effective way to start your journey towards health (notice the focus is on HEALTH not the disease)

The way that you remove disease is the same way it’s been done for centuries… it’s the same way you remove darkness from a room.  I’ve dedicated my life to taking my patients and clients through a journey of healing with 3 simple steps:

1) Clear the Nervous System of interference.  Depending on how imbalanced you are, this could take days, months, or even years.  While we do that it’s important to add in step number 2…

2) Feed the body with essential raw materials, nutrients, water, and REAL food, while curbing your food cravings and addictions slowly to help detoxify your cells which make the building blocks of who you are, and if the client is up for the most difficult, yet most critical component of the healing journey….

3)  Taking charge of your emotional health.  Our resentments, fears, guilts, or incomplete emotions from the past and our inability to deal with adversities of the present prevent us from truly being healthy in the mind and body.  As Hanz and Franz of Saturday Night Live fame used to say… “HEAR ME NOW AND BELIEVE ME LATER”.  At the root cause of almost every single chronic illness is an emotional charge that hasn’t been properly dealt with.  This is not up for debate any more.  Period.  You hear me?

It’s my mission to tell people the truth about why they are sick and in pain in the first place, and what they need to do to become healthy.  Something that isn’t available in a pill form:  Health from within.  I’m sure that if we start with this approach FIRST, we’d be able to save many more lives, reduce our debt and dependence on the medical system.

After meeting hundreds of people this weekend who are walking around with a dark cloud of pain, resentment, fear, and who simply aren’t living to their potential, I can see I have a lot of work to do.  I’ve decided:  I’m bringing healthy back.

Walking among the Great Pyramids in Egypt, I realized that what was built over 5000 years ago has stood the test of time because of vision and a goal, mixed with action and deliberate intention.  We forget that in order to get anywhere or accomplish anything worthwhile like the Pyramids, all the souls involved in such an endeavor have to go through fears, frustrations, health issues, anxieties, dramas, family issues, and disappointments.

We forget that just because we’re going through some turmoil, these experiences aren’t just nuisances… they’re part of the things that create our story, what makes us interesting, what makes us who we are.

I had my own fears to face when I left– I had fears about leaving the office for a couple of weeks– that leaving would deter me from the million things I had to do, planning my talks, patients who needed follow up, etc.  I have been afraid for so long that I didn’t go on a honeymoon because I didn’t want to leave the office!

Little did I realize that simply leaving the comforts of my home, getting a rampant case of what the Brits call “runny tummy” that affected us all, having some great (and sometimes not so great) experiences with my family and friends and meeting some of the friendliest (and yet most pushy, most aggressive, and sneaky buggers) people in the world would cause me to grow and learn so much about myself and others.

The highlight had to be witnessing with my own two eyes what the ancients could accomplish because of devotion to their beliefs, their mission, and their purpose.  Walking amongst the Pyramids inspired me to share some of my thoughts of what we can consider when thinking about what we want to accomplish in 2010.  And it made me grateful for the comforts of my home, my patients, clients, students…..and solid bowel movements (in no particular order).

If anyone is thinking of visiting Egypt, my suggestion to you is to be extra cautious when crossing the streets of Cairo!  And get comfortable bargaining and negotiating!  Thanks to Nazila, James, and Mo for making our time so memorable.  Please watch this footage from the Pyramids and if you watch it till the very end…There’s a message for you from a friend we met at the Pyramids… Looking forward to your comments.

“WORK ON YOURSELF HARDER THAN YOUR JOB.”  – Jim Rohn

I had a patient who started coming in a few weeks ago for headaches, neck pain, and low back pain.  Also, as a side note (that is not really a side note), he is taking anti-depressant medication.  His symptoms originate in the neck, move upwards into the jaw and head, and also downwards into his shoulder blade.  When the stress gets severe, he also notices it going down his arm.

I can’t tell you how common this is.  I see it almost every single day I am working in the clinic as a Chiropractor in Maple Ridge, BC.  With a good regimen of chiropractic care, the aches resolve quickly, and given the appropriate exercises, stretches, and regular checkups and adjustments, the symptoms can pretty much dissolve into nothing and stay there, but the adjustments unfortunately don’t address an underlying daily conflict:  He hates his job, doesn’t feel that he is paid enough, and the stress of it all is consuming him.

Anti-depressants are quickly becoming the most prescribed drug in North America.  According to Reuters, Since 1996 the use of psychotropic drugs like anti-anxiety and anti-depressants have gone up 73% in adults and 50% in children.  More and more I am hearing from my patients that their doctor has told them there is a “chemical imbalance” in their brains so they “have to take these drugs for life”.

My dear friends.  This is a lie.  Plain and simple.  I’m sure that if I stayed in the same work conditions, I’d have to take those drugs for life as well.  While many have allowed their frustrations/resentments/fears to slowly accumulate to the point where they are unable to function without these medications, it’s important to know something:  Our genes have not changed since our pre-historic hunter/gatherer days.  Our LIFESTYLES have.  We have been led to believe that an appropriate lifestyle is: Go to school, graduate, get a job, get married, have kids, get a mortgage and continue to work 9-5 for someone else and get paid for your time between 50-75K/year if you’re lucky, keep going until you’ve gathered enough pension and retire at 65.  Then just sit back and wait to die while playing with your grandkids.  If this is the idea of  the “American Dream”, I think I need an anti-depressant MYSELF.

Heart attacks occur most often in the morning (probably monday morning) for that reason… too often we wake up with high anxiety about the day we are about to embark upon.  Our minds have the ability to convince our bodies that we are in “Survival Mode” and it reacts accordingly with a cascade of events that take us away from balance and homeostasis.  The body then can change it’s chemistry based on our thoughts!  This is now well documented in medical literature.  It seems that the drug companies are quite embarrassed at the fact that placebo’s work just as well as anti-depressants.

More and more research is coming out demonstrating the fact that there are pro-active things we can do to help “cure” our physical and mental disorders.  If we rely on our “health care” system (which basically means “treatment of symptoms by drugs and surgery”), we are totally missing the boat on what our bodies are trying to tell us.

The majority of my patients view their work as a major stressor in their life not just because it’s hectic and demanding, but because it’s so unfulfilling and doesn’t pay what they think they are worth.

I have been working on developing myself, my mission, my voice, and my vision intensively for the past 20 years.  I can see that it is unfolding beautifully even though I’ve overcome some serious fears, anxieties, and stresses.  Do I have bad days?  Absolutely, just like everyone else.  Do I experience moments of sadness?  Yes, I do.  But luckily because I’ve been working on mastering my own emotional state despite my environment, I’m able to take a difficult event, a conflict, or a stressful encounter and change the way I think about it within a moment’s notice.  I can feel that when I make that shift, my physiology changes from “stress response—fight or flight” to “rest and relaxation, and balance”.

After working on these tools and skills for so long, I get a huge satisfaction when I share those tools with my patients and my clients.

I started incorporating them into my practice because of their amazing value in lowering people’s stress response and allowing their minds and bodies a proper environment for healing and wellness.

The first, and most challenging task is to awaken people to the fact that their “diagnosis” or “label” they’ve been given by their doctor is not necessarily true, nor does it have to be their reality.  Too often, these labels hold us back from taking responsibility to make changes.  I see how some use the label to sit back and allow their lives to be governed by others.

Only by empowering ourselves can we open the doors to changing our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical state.  This can not be done by sitting back and waiting for change.

What can we do about some of the feedback our body is giving our mind? (otherwise known as symptoms)

Well, if you are having aches and pains… chances are that your body is telling you that you have nerve interference.  Like my patient mentioned above, get checked and adjusted right away and maintain it (shameless plug) with your Chiropractor.

What can we do about negative feedback our mind is giving our body?

If you are feeling sad, angry, resentful, depressed, anxious… then START WORKING ON YOU.  You heard me.  You’re not a label.  You have some challenges that you have to face and walk into.  Welcome to life.  And when you have overcome this particular challenge…. You’ll be happy to know that you will run into another one.  I have yet to meet a living thing that doesn’t go through this same situation.  Here’s where you begin:

• EXERCISE.  I can’t “stress” this enough.  Exercise at least 3 days a week.  Get your heart rate going.  Exercise stimulates the reward centers in you lower brain and increases blood flow to your higher brain centers.  Exercise has been shown to lower stress hormones and anxiety, reduce cravings for the substances you’re addicted to, increase mental alertness and memory, sex drive, feelings of control of environment, and ease muscle tension.  If you are depressed, take it as feedback that you probably haven’t been moving nearly enough.  Depression and anxiety are great feedback tools to wake you up to the fact that you need to be moving more.

• Start working on YOU.  Depression, fear, resentment can’t be eliminated by focusing on them.  Trust me, I’ve tried it… it doesn’t work.  Depression is not something you “catch”.  You don’t go somewhere and acquire it.  Depression creeps in when you lose touch with who you are, and you compare your current reality to someone else’s reality—someone you’ve given authority to, and you beat yourself up.  Depression can not exist in an individual who has acquired a high value of himself/herself, is clear on their values, have found themselves to be part of a cause that’s greater than themselves, feel they are contributing to society, to the economy and are getting rewarded in some meaningful way to them (financial reward, reward by recognition and appreciation).  Where can you start to build that?  Simple.  By taking the time to focus on you, your goals, your aspirations, reading, taking classes, seminars. You need to work on YOU, to “bring value to the marketplace.”  One of my hero’s Jim Rohn puts it beautifully, and I recommended this youtube video to my patient as part of his wellness plan.  He’s on the road to improving himself, and attending some classes to learn how.  I share this video with you.  To help yourself grow more value in the marketplace and in your health– a great place to learn some tips are during our upcoming “Health and Wealth” summit coming up in Downtown Vancouver on October 18th.

Fear is an incredible thing.  Sounds crazy, I know… but think about it.  Your fears can be the driving force in your life.  Fear of failure drives many to succeed and go the extra mile.  Fear of poverty makes us become better savers of money.  Fear of going to a “hell” or a “hellish” afterlife can cause us to become very kind and generous to people.

In my case fear of chronic illness, getting obese and unattractive, and fear of early aging all serve to drive my mission and purpose:  To research and find ways of getting healthier, stronger, happier, more balanced, more fit, and more youthful.

In my own quest of running away from my fears, I serve others and make a living by teaching, treating, adjusting, coaching, and speaking to others about how to avoid the things I fear.

THANK GOD FOR MY FEARS.

But fear has it’s downside–I’m sure you’re well aware.

Fear, in it’s extreme cases, can cause such a level of anxiety that instead of pushing you forward, it holds you back.

It holds you back from being the best you can be with all the talents you’ve been given.

There is something you know you really want to be doing—would LOVE to be doing with your life RIGHT NOW.  I know because there isn’t a person who I have met or coached that doesn’t have an inner voice that propels them to do something very cool with their lives, whether they’re aware of it or not.

Not only that, but add on the daily fears— fears that are so constant, and so part of who you are that you walk through your life in a constant state of panic, as though your life is in continuous danger.

The problem with this high level of anxiety is that if left unchecked and unresolved, it could build up to the point that you have a panic “attack” where you suddenly feel like you’re at the end of your rope.

If you’ve ever felt this way, you’re not alone.  Everyone feels varying degrees of fear, anxiety, and depressive states.  It’s all part of the human experience.

The question is, what are you going to do about it?

If you’re like most people in North America, you could end up in a medical doctor’s office, who has training in recognizing signs, symptoms and labeling states of disorders and different states of adaptive physiology.  But be aware…. the only treatments they are trained to offer in medical school are MEDICAL ones.

My biggest challenge in my chiropractic practice is seeing patients in chronic pain, who also happen to be on anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication.

Though they come to me to “relieve their pain”, I find myself wanting to delve into their underlying emotional root causes in addition to their symptoms because I’m seeing more and more how the two are intimately linked together.

Luckily there is help for those seeking to start their inward–bound journey to awakening their own inner healer.

We have a “Law of Attraction for the Advanced Manifestor” seminar that will make you go inward like you’ve never gone before.  Please do not attend if you expect a “here’s the secret to happiness” seminar.  There’s no such thing.

But if you are one of those seeking an awareness and a path to overcome whatever fear that stands in your way to fulfilling your relationships, your career, you mind and body health, and your finances–that’s basically our target audience.

I was lucky enough to discover at a young age that our coping mechanisms for our fears, anxieties and stresses aren’t skills that ever get taught in school.  In school, I learned how to type, but I didn’t learn how to handle relationship conflicts with friends and family, and most importantly, myself.

What happens when we allow our fears to take control of our lives.

My mission is to teach these skills to children and adults around the world in one-on-one and one-on-many form to empower people to realize that their thoughts, perceptions, lifestyle choices, actions, and foods that they eat play a more significant role in shaping their health than anything else in the world.

In the meantime, I’ll just keep using my fears to my (and your) advantage.

So what can YOU do about it?

Aside from going inward and learning more about yourself in courses and seminars, it would be wise for everyone to take the time and ponder on some empowering questions:

1—What is my greatest fear?

2—What are the benefits of me living with this fear? (They wouldn’t be there unless there were some benefit you’re getting out of it)

3—What is this fear costing me in my relationships, career, in my physical, emotional, and financial health?

The problem is, we seldom take the time to ask ourselves these important questions.  And our mind/body health can deteriorate because of it.

Click here to see date and location of “Law of Attraction for the Advanced Manifestor” class (scroll to bottom)