It Certainly Beats Living with Pain

One day I heard the comment, “Pain is all encompassing.” And I wondered if it was true. In less than a week’s time, I had hurt myself and the statement became real. It was a couple days before I was able to get the cause of the pain resolved, and I had reason to contemplate those words in the quiet hours of a sleepless night. If pain has kept you awake, I’m certain you identify with my experience, and I do yours.

Well, one might try a heating pad or a hot shower, or an ice bag to reduce the pain. Massage helps sometimes, or other hands on treatments. I’ve reached for analgesics to lower the pain. Low on my list is over the counter pain medication because I don’t like how it makes me feel, nor do I like the effects on one’s liver and kidneys. However, I’ll use them when the pain is intense. I’m certain you’ve considered many of these and perhaps a few more.

When pain is a part of daily living, one’s first thought might be relief, just give me relief. Breaking the pain cycle is important because it allows the body to do things differently. Finding a way to get relief and to follow it with resolving the cause is my ultimate goal. This experience spurred my interest in finding additional ways to treat pain.

In my toolbox of treatments and modalities is a little device that is a hybrid of two modalities. The first is a very low level laser light. This kind of light source is notable for its high degree of spatial and temporal coherence. When talking about light waves, this means that the waves are ‘in phase’ with each other. Coherent light from a laser has a single wavelength, is highly ordered and well organized. This kind of coherence can affect our tissue cells to stimulate the cell’s innate metabolism that promotes healing.

The second part of the hybrid is micro-current electrical therapy. This applies a small amount of current to the body measured in millionths of an ampere. When applied to injured tissue, this normalizes the ordinary activities within the cell to enhance the normal physiological processes of the cell.

When these two modalities are combined there can be a 93% probability in relieving pain. The good news is the time spent in treating an area with this device is as short as two minutes, however it can be used for longer times when needed. It can also be repeated at intervals to continue the healing of the cells and promote more opportunity for resolution of the pain. One can call this a cascading effect. As the device is used it begins with the cells closest to the skin, with additional use, the frequencies go to deeper and deeper cells like a waterfall cascading in a stream.

Last April, I was working with one of my horses and hurt my low back and foot, severely. By that afternoon, I couldn’t flex my ankle or hardly walk. I hobbled out to feed my horses, had a small dinner and lay down to nurse my pain. Grabbing my device, I used it for 10 minutes on my back, 10 minutes on my leg, and finally 10 minutes on my foot. I rested a while and repeated this. Within a couple of hours I was able to sleep, what a relief. I awoke with the ability to walk without a limp and a 50% reduction in the previous day’s pain level.

I continued to occasionally work on the areas, probably a half dozen times for 10 to 15 minutes during the day. By evening, the pain was even less. I was thrilled as we were hosting a reception in our back yard the following day. Decorations needed to be finished, food to prepare and all the excitement of friends gathering to celebrate a friend’s marriage.

As the party approached, I spent one last application of to my healing back and foot, put on my party clothes and pretty shoes! Yes, I could wear my shoes! The afternoon and evening was a delight, fun was shared. After everyone had left, I looked back on the last three days and was amazed and thrilled that an injury had healed so quickly, and the pain dropped to allow me to enjoy the festivities.

While some pain takes longer than others, many get help. 93%, that’s awesome. Even long standing pain is relieved, and over time, some resolution is achieved. It certainly beats living with pain.

Testamonial for Bowmann's Bowen

"I have experienced knee, ankle, foot and neck injuries after years and years of running, hiking, biking and playing sports. I am extremely active and not very easy on my body.
An active friend of mine referred me to Bowen Therapy years ago for Plantar Fasciitis. I went for 3 treatments and hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon within the next month without a stitich of pain in my foot!
Since she fixed my foot, I go back any time my body bothers me. I rarely see my chiropractor anymore as I feel I get better results with Victoria Bowmann's Bowen therapy. I have referred about 10 people there and all have had positive results. The trick is to keep going after the first round. I usually don't start to feel better until about 2-3 days after the first session and then when I go again, it's even better and my pain is 100% gone by the third round.
At first I was nervous to go to such an alternative place, but now I don't want to go anywhere else!
Thanks!
~ Haillie"

Cheer for the Small Intestine

One rarely gives credit where credit is due when it comes to our marvelous digestion. After all, this is our fuel to power each and every cell, every moment, all day long.

Some digestion happens in the mouth, proteins and fats are digested mostly in the stomach, which also functions as a temporary reservoir. The rate of emptying the stomach will depend on the contents: a carbohydrate meal leaves the stomach in 2 to 3 hours, protein will remain a little longer and fatty meals remain the longest. These contents are called chyme when they leave the stomach for the duodenum, the top portion of the small intestines.

The pancreatic enzymes are excreted into the duodenum with a pH between 6 and 8, which brings the pH of the chyme to a level optimal for assimilation. The pancreatic secretions consist of water, mineral salts and a variety of enzymes. There are numerous enzymes each with specific functions to complete the digestive process of the variety of foods we consume each meal.

• Amylase converts starches to sugars
• Sucrase splits sugars into glucose and fructose
• Maltase acts upon malt sugars
• Lactase digests milk sugars
• Lipase converts fats to fatty acids and glycerol with the assistance of bile salts from the liver and gall bladder
• Peptidase converts peptides to amino acids
  

As the chyme enters the small intestine through the pyloric sphincter, it has begun a twisting, turning expedition of about 5 meters or 16 feet. It is almost like a carnival ride coiling through finger-like villi in slick tubes. They are under 1 cm in length and enclose in a network of blood and lymph capillaries. The walls of the villi consist of epithelial cells that absorb nutrients and, in some cases, complete the final stages of digestion. From here the nutrients are carried throughout the body in the blood.

What is left is a journey through the large intestine to decompose this stuff to “compost” material and elimination. Let’s give a big cheer for small intestine and it’s marvelous accomplishments.

New Years Resolutions for Success

Most everyone is considering this time of year to begin change. Lose weight? Stop smoking? Get in shape? Are the top three, however, most of these resolutions are broken and set aside within 30 days. Is there anything one can do to improve their odds to success?

Pareto’s principle states that 20% of the people do 80% of the work, and 80% of the people do 20% of the work. So which group are you in? or what will you consciously choose today? Sometimes it isn’t what one does as much as it is doing something in the general direction of the goal. So when setting a goal, make a list of as many as 10 things one can do to make that goal more achievable. 

Let’s take a look at what one might put on their list:

Ten things to help me lose weight:

1.     Eat breakfast

2.     Drink 8+ ounces of water a few minutes before each meal

3.     Use a smaller plate

4.     Set my utensils down between bites

5.     Taste my food and enjoy each bite

6.     Count calories, carbohydrates and fat grams

7.     Take a walk after dinner to limit nibbling

8.     Prepare a little snack at night to curb the munchies

9.     Remove tempting foods from the cabinets

10. Be accountable to a family member or friend

Ten things to help me quit smoking:

1.     Check with the doctor on cessation programs

2.     Learn to do self hypnosis

3.     Don’t carry cigarettes, set them somewhere else

4.     Chew on a toothpick

5.     Learn to meditate and do so 15 minutes twice a day

6.     Call oneself a “non-smoker”

7.     Join a support group like “Smoker’s Anonymous”

8.     Take a multiple vitamin

9.     Drink water to flush the nicotine away

10. Look for alternative help, like homeopathic medicine

Ten things to get in shape:

1.     Set a reasonable goal with small goals

2.     Start slow so one doesn’t get “sore”

3.     Enlist a friend to work out or walk together

4.     Have a change of routine depending on weather or time limits

5.     Play lively music to get you moving

6.     Learn to meditate and do so 15 minutes twice a day

7.     Reward oneself on a weekly or bimonthly basis, such as going to see a movie or some other fun activity

8.     Put goals together, get in shape and shed 10 pounds

9.     Get up 15 minutes early for a pep talk and compliments

10. Visualize the body of your dreams: svelte, energetic and healthy

Many times, success comes not with doing everything right, but by doing something consistently. Even 80% of ones program will bring success, it just might take a little longer. Also, these don’t have to be all or nothing. If one “falls off the wagon” then regroup and begin again (before January of next year). It’s ok to forgive oneself, have a big sigh, nod your head in agreement, and start again. After all, these goals are lifestyle changes that will offer a higher quality of life, and that’s worth the effort.

Hangover Help: Cleanse the Liver

The festivities are over, the decorations have come down, and yet many folks are dragging as they go into the New Year. There was too much sugar, including alcohol, too many indulgences, which includes loss of sleep or disrupted sleep. While many love this time of year, it takes it’s toll on the body.

One’s most challenged organ during this time is the liver: the body’s detoxification organ. It processes and clears out all the indiscretions that are tossed its way. So taking a little time and effort to give one’s liver some support can reap wonderful benefits, such as increased energy, vitality and well being.

There are several things that can be used to activate this process. There are numerous products available for a liver cleanse. The herb milk thistle, also known as silybum marianum, is a liver cleansing herb from the flowing plant of the daisy family. It is best combined with other herbs and nutrients to do a more thorough job. When one takes a product like this, slow is best. Occasionally one will feel nauseous, if so, reduce the amount one is taking at one time, or cut the dose in half and take twice as long to complete the process.

Certain foods are also very good for assisting the liver in its daily job. Beets are a great cleanser and delicious when baked. Trim the greens from the top and part of the tail, rub with oil and bake like one would a potato. When ready to serve, slice into the skin and peel it away before serving, season to taste. Another food that can be eaten is zucchini. According to Henry Bieler, MD, author of Food is Your Best Medicine, this vegetable helps to rebuild the liver. It can be eaten raw or cooked or juiced, as well as combined with other vegetables in a stirfry, steamed, or salad.

It is also important to keep the intestines working well, since the liver dumps the trash into the colon. There are herbs to help with constipation and using probiotics to fortify these organs is important too. Whatever you do, the New Year is a great time to cleanse away the old. Find out my favorite products to assist in this process.

Muscle Pain and Injury Improves with Bowmann’s Bowen

Imagine improving posture and ease of movement, relaxing and balancing the body’s nervous system to affect changes throughout the nervous, endocrine, immune systems, as well as the muscles and bones. Tom Bowen of Australia developed this innovative hands-on treatment. It is offered by a few practitioners, although the numbers are growing throughout the world.

One can think of the treatment like playing the guitar on the muscles of the body. Muscles and connective tissues are stretched from the top of one joint to the lower area of another joint. One can challenge the muscle and pluck causing a vibration to occur within the nerves that are found deep within the muscle. After the plucking motion, the area is left alone to continue to vibration, sending messages to the brain, which then determines whether or not the system is “out of tune.” There is a process of retrieving cellular memory of trauma and stress and unraveling it to another cellular memory of a relaxed balanced way of life.

Just as in a piece of music, there are rest periods in the treatment. A series of moves, a pattern, is executed on a portion of the body and then it is left to rest for several minutes. One can address a particular problem area such a sciatic pain, or one can do a whole body treatment. Personally, I prefer to give a whole body treatment with an emphasis on the current problem since many things are connected even though one might not think they are.

Some conditions that have responded to Bowen therapy: back pain, sciatica, old or new injuries, sports injuries, leg problems such as foot, ankle and knee pain, neck and shoulder problems including frozen shoulder and tennis elbow, hand problems such as carpel tunnel syndrome. Arthritis and scoliosis pain has been relieved. Even internal problems such as menstrual and hormonal irregularities, digestive and bowel problems, as well as circulation and lymphatic concerns have responded to Bowen.

A Bowen session initiates a cascade of beneficial changes over 4 to 5 days, so other manual therapies should be avoided for a few days: acupuncture, chiropractic can be taken before a treatment, but should wait at least 5 days after a Bowen session.

When other things don’t seem to help, consider Bowen therapy. While it is powerful, it is gentle and comprehensive. In fact, it is actually easy for the layperson or the massage therapist to learn. A gentle touch with remarkable pain relief.

When Knitting Hurts

Often times when one begins a journey, we don’t even know it has begun. This has been my experience in the natural health field. As a child, I had very negative reactions to medicines and vaccinations, struggled with allergies and the treatments.

As a young adult in my 20s, I was active in competitive sports and suffered a few injuries that were painful. Seeking to find help began my journey into a common sense approach of natural remedies and therapeutic massage. It didn’t make sense to cover my pain with a pill especially when that would possibly be forever. I wanted to resolve the underlying problem whether it was injury, stress or inherent weakness.

However, the crucial moment came in 1999 when I was in an automobile collision on the Interstate during rush hour traffic. Most of us stopped, but one guy, 3 cars back didn’t and 6 cars total were stacked up.

My left foot must have been on the tire well of the driver’s side of my car during the impact. The pain in my foot, knee, hip and low back was intense. While no damage was apparent on X-rays, the pain persisted. I turned to my friends and colleagues in holistic care that included osteopathy, acupuncture, prolotherapy, prolo-zone therapy, magnets, Bowen work and stretching.

Everything helped to some degree and then I found the LaserTouchOne. With this tool, I could self manage the pain even better; relief was possible in just two minutes.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m in pain, I want help now! Not tomorrow, not next week, but now!

This has led me to have empathy for others. When someone calls and I hear the pain in their voice, the struggles they’ve had, my heart opens. I remember the sleepless nights, the shooting pains, and the all encompassing feeling that pain runs and ruins a life.

For over three decades, I have studied natural techniques, remedies, and the application of tools to help relieve and resolve pain. One of my greatest joys is helping others to feel vibrant and alive. This includes being empowered with knowledge and ability to help his or herself most of the time. When one knows what to do and how to do it, they can seek the help of a professional only when it is warranted.

May you be blessed with an understanding of the contents of my eBook and find greater wellness to enjoy your life’s journey.