Healing Arts is one!

One year ago, I relaunched my website with a new name and new look.  In the past year, the gifts I have received in return have been beyond measure.  I am so excited for the future of Healing Arts and what’s coming next.

When I first created my online space, my hopes was to have a creative outlet for writing while continuing to develop my healing skills in Reiki and medicine. The online space has evolved to a podcasting platform, social media presence, and most of all creating amazing connections with other individuals.

I created a podcast thanks to the encouragement of two other entrepreneurs, Lisa Airhart, the health coach (upcoming podcast guest) and Stacey (owner of Stacey’s naturals).  Having believed for many years that no one would want to  hear my voice.

Shine Your Light

What I have learned is that if you have a calling in your heart to share your gifts you need to share it. Your fear is not real, and it’s getting in the way of letting others that need to hear what you have to say. Recording my first podcast I found gave me butterflies and at the same time to be liberating. When I received my first positive feedback, I was amazed that anyone took time to listen.

My advice to anyone who wants to start sharing your healing gifts with the world but is afraid to share: 

• People are searching for you.  Don’t make it impossible to find you.
• When you don’t share your gifts with the world, you’re depriving the world of your love and light.   Not to put pressure on you, but do you want to prevent humanity from moving forward? By keeping your wonderful gifts to yourself, you may be doing this.

• Don’t worry about negative judgement.  The average person is thinking of themselves, and even if they don’t like or appreciate your work, will simply not respond to you.

Step Into the Light

If you are in The Healing Arts such as Yoga, Meditation, Reiki or other similar healing modalities, or if you were in traditional medicine such as a physician, nurse, or therapist and you are looking for a platform that is safe to share your message, I personally invite you to be a guest on my podcast. I understand the feeling of being nervous of putting yourself out there, but in the past year that I stepped outside of my comfort zone I found the rewards to far out way the risk.

Feel free to send me a comment below with your contact information if you would like to be a guest on my podcast. I believe you will find this will be a safe space to step into the light.

As we finish up with the winter months and the days get longer and brighter, we take notice of what could use some refreshing. Now that there’s more light shining in your house you start to notice dust in the corners. Similarly, I think most of us are starting to notice areas of neglect as we’ve been in survival mode getting through the winter.

This is an excellent time to focus your attention on rest, renewal, and resilience. Examining the quality of your rest, finding ways that you can renew yourself, and increasing your resilience are always to assure your health and wellness. Let’s discuss some simple ways we can do that.

Physical Rest

Over the years I’m often surprised at how often I’m communicating to my patients that 5 to 6 hours of sleep is not enough for most of us. Honestly, I am guilty of this as well, often sleeping 6 hours a night and letting distractions keep me awake. Recently I got some simple, effective advice. I participated in my friend’s Cherie’s Reset program, a part of her program Edge of Becoming. I quickly discovered that my own tendency to not sleep enough hours could be dealt with very simply by making a few simple changes in my habits. What this means for me is concentrating my use of computers to certain times a day so that I’m not online in the evening.

Allowing for adequate time to sleep has a major impact on health.  “Shorter sleep duration, measured by wrist actigraphy over a 7-day period, was prospectively associated with increased incidence of the common cold following experimental viral challenge.¹” In women, sleeping an average of less than 6 hours per night has been shown to lead to “cognitive decline and increased risk of cognitive impairment, including dementia” ².

If you have become accustomed to short sleep out of habit or necessity consider looking at your schedule now. I suspect that although you feel there are many obligations that require you to stay up late or get up early they’re not nearly as necessary as you feel they are. Deciding that you can sleep in an hour or go to bed earlier is simple and I would encourage you to do this.  Ideally, you should attempt to alter your schedule so that you can allow for up to 7 hours of sleep at night at the minimum. 

Mental Rest

Much like physical rest, mental rest is necessary. No matter what you vocation is, likely it involves mental tasks that heavily tax your cognitive system.  Taking short mental rest during the day through meditation is my go-to. I have been studying to become a Certified Mindfulness Meditation Instructor. I am studying the details of mindfulness meditation as a daily practice.  Meditation should be accessible and easy to perform.  Simplifying meditation to its most basic aspects, in my experience so far, has greatly increased the meditation experience.  I often recommend tools to assist with meditation, such as music, nature sounds, or aromatherapy.  Mindfulness meditation emphasizes attention, intention and attitude for the meditator.  This means that the focus is continuously drawn inward.  I am now meditating in pure silence for about 10 minutes a day.  My meditation practice consists of this simple sequence:

10 Minute Mindfulness Practice

1. Set a timer for 5 minutes
2. For the first 5 minutes, practice deep belly breaths, focusing the attention on the breath entering the nostrils traveling to the chest.  Follow the breath back from the chest to the nostrils.
3. Reset the timer for 5 minutes
4. This time, practice counting and breath:
   • Inhale and count 1
   • Hold the breath for a count of 1
   • Exhale Counting
   • Inhale and count 2
   • Hold the breath for a count of 1
   • Exhale, counting 2
5. Continue until you reach the count of 10, the count backwards.

I enjoy this meditation because of the simplicity.  No complicated techniques.  No need for complicated visualizations.  It’s truly an effective, no frills meditation practice.

Digestive Rest

DigestiveI rest, or bowel rest, is a term we commonly use in medicine to indicate that someone is going to have a period of time that they are not allowed to eat due to a medical condition. Bowel rest is a very important therapeutic tool to use in acutely ill patients. In patients diagnosed with serious illnesses such as pancreatitis or blockage in the bowels, bowel rest or refraining from food or drink can allow the digestive system to heal.   Intermittent fasting, which reminds me bowel rest uses medical care has been shown to have numerous health benefits including weight loss improving diabetes, and decreasing inflammatory markers. It can also be used in your everyday life.   Many patients ask me about doing a fasting regimen or detox. This is very individualized, so depending on the patient this might be a good idea for them but also this needs to be approached carefully. Overall I would recommend discussing with your physician or care provider before taking all the detox are fasting regimen.

There are many health benefits to having extended periods of fasting throughout your regular schedule of digestive rest. This means eating dinner early and eating breakfast later. The digestive system does a lot of work whenever you eat. It requires extra blood flow to contract its muscles to digest and move the food through your system. Having periods of fasting, basically not snacking mindlessly can improve your sleep, mood, and help prevent unwanted weight gain.

Renew

As a Reiki Master,  my favorite tool for renewal is a session of Reiki that I do on myself. I try to do a Reiki session on myself for at least 9 minutes a day but I will perform sessions up to 45 minutes a day if time is available. I can feel the cells in my body renewing themselves as the energy flows through my hands. Because I’m in a mindful state while I’m performing Reiki I can feel all of the stress of the world melt away. Even when I’m doing longer sessions it really doesn’t feel like it’s lasting for very long. I’ve been very fascinated with the after effects of Reiki on myself over the years. Sometimes I completed a session and felt 20 years younger and full of energy. Sometimes I’ve completed a session and I needed a nap. In any case, Reiki is intelligent healing. The energy goes where it’s needed and when it’s necessary. Its such a simple healing modality, but with time and practice, it can dissolve so much stress and worry.

Resilience

There are times in life where we simply can’t avoid challenges or avoid unnecessary pain. There will be times where we simply have to go through what’s coming ahead of us. This is where resilience comes in.  Resilience is the ability to heal and recover from trauma or injury  Resilience requires healing on all levels including physical, emotional, mental as well as spiritual. The body can best heal and recover when it has everything it needs including nutrition, rest, fluids, and spiritual support.

Resilience improves with improve self-care. It is worth your time and energy to rest, renew, in order to achieve recently ends.

I am working lots of exciting things! Sign up for my weekly newsletter if you’d like to be notified when a new podcast comes out.

1.Prather, A. A., Janicki-Deverts, D., Hall, M. H., & Cohen, S. (2015). Behaviorally Assessed Sleep and Susceptibility to the Common Cold. Sleep, 38(9), 1353–1359. https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.4968

2.  Chen, J. C., Espeland, M. A., Brunner, R. L., Lovato, L. C., Wallace, R. B., Leng, X., Phillips, L. S., Robinson, J. G., Kotchen, J. M., Johnson, K. C., Manson, J. E., Stefanick, M. L., Sarto, G. E., & Mysiw, W. J. (2016). Sleep duration, cognitive decline, and dementia risk in older women. Alzheimer’s & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, 12(1), 21–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2015.03.004

In the podcast from February 22, 2021,  I discussed my philosophy on how chronic pain relates to the human biofield in the form of chakras. In this blog post I wanted explore this topic more in-depth, addressing some specific chronically painful disease and the relationship with the energy body.

Pain serves a purpose.   Pain is a protective mechanism that helps us remove ourselves from danger, stop some sort of assault be it real or imagined, or bring the mind’s attention to one particular part of the body.  Pain is the body’s way to speak to the mind to ask for help. 

When assessing pain, I feel that it is important to make every attempt to examine what other issues are coming along with the pain. Traditional Western medicine tends to focus completely on the mechanics of the chronic pain. I have found that shining a light on the emotional issues that occur with the chronic pain can speed up the recovery process.

Root Chakra Block and Chronic Pain

The root chakra is associated with the ego, stability, and feeling rooted and connected. I’ve often noticed individuals develop back pain around the times that they feel threatened in career, home, or anything related to basic survival.  In my medical practice now I remain very aware that individuals presenting with back pain are often having stress and realized associated with basic survival and safety. 

Having the realization that lower back pain is likely occurring at a time where there is emotional stress related to survival doesn’t necessarily fix the problem but I do like to acknowledge this with my patients as their experiencing pain that at least muscle spasm in this area likely relates to emotional stress. While addressing the pain it is important for the patient or client to be aware of the emotional issues going along with them and to start addressing those.

Sacral Chakra Block and Chronic Pain

The Sacral Chakra is associated with the reproductive organs in both sexes.  Chronic pelvic pain can be caused by a number of issues in both men and women. In women, chronic pelvic pain is often associated with reproductive diseases such as fibroids, endometriosis, or scarring from pelvic inflammatory disease.  Chronic pelvic pain in women can often be crippling and lead to extensive medical workups that often don’t produce a clear diagnosis or clear treatment. Chronic pelvic pain is emotionally taxing, and can be made worse when women must face undergoing frequent medical procedures.  

 I had been a practicing physician for many years before I studied Ayurveda and Yoga. I began to observe the association of chronic pelvic with a history of sexual trauma, sexual abuse or other sensitive issues.  Once I became aware of this, I found it much easier to gently ask my patients if they had a history of sexual abuse.  I’m saddened to find out that often it does. I highlight this issue because it is important to understand that buried emotional trauma related to sexual abuse maybe related to chronic pelvic pain

Men can often suffer from chronic pelvic pain in the form of prostate disorders. This is most impactful in men over the age of 50 or 60 with a history of prostate disease such as prostate cancer. Knowing that there is a strong association of sexual trauma and pelvic pain, men with pelvic pain need to be addressed in a sensitive manner concerning this topic.

Solar Plexus Block and Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain in the solar plexus frequently relates to digestive disorders.  Although irritable bowel syndrome is not classically diagnosed as a chronic pain syndrome there’s a strong component of abdominal discomfort or pain with this disorder.  Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be classified as either being constipated irritable bowel syndrome or IBC or irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea. Irritable bowel syndrome is a poorly understood disorder which is characterized by dysfunction in the muscles, chemical receptors, hormones and overall motility of the digestive tract that leads to changes in elimination of waste, nausea, and generalize abdominal pain. Anyone can develop irritable bowel syndrome but to be properly diagnosed other disorders such as celiac disease, food allergies, or tumors need to be ruled out so often referral to a specialist is required.

I have noticed in my clinical practice a strong association of stress and anxiety with irritable bowel syndrome. Many of these individuals freely admit that their irritable bowel syndrome is made worse in times of stress or depressed mood. It is interesting to note that many of the medications used to treat depression or anxiety can often help irritable bowel syndrome. Medications that raise serotonin levels or dopamine levels may help some individuals. 

The solar plexus chakra is associated with personal will, freedom, and motivation. I suspect that an individual with IBS may feel that they don’t have the freedom that they need in life or that their personal drive is being suppressed. This isn’t a clear medical diagnosis that can be treated with a prescription but just like the other issues I do feel that it’s important to acknowledge this.

Heart Chakra Block and Chronic Pain

The heart chakra is associated with the emotions of love, belonging, and gratitude.  Because of the vital organs in this area, we don’t typically think of chronic pain in this area.  It is possible to have chronic pain from angina, a recurring painful condition from blocked arteries around the heart that lead to pain from ischemia. 

A thorough work up is required since chest pain could be life threatening. Medical science does teach us there’s a strong association with heart attack and developing clinical depression in the months after a heart attack. Many individuals often have chronic angina related to blockages around the heart after a heart attack. Again, I do feel that it is important to acknowledge this relationship although fundamentally treatment would need to be aimed at keeping the arteries open in blood flowing to the heart as much as possible.

Throat Chakra Block and Chronic Pain

Individuals with blockages in the neck that leads to chronic pain will often develop neck pain along with tension headaches.  The muscles of the neck connect to the jaw. Clenching the jaw at night, also called bruxism, is a common response to stress.  This occurs during deep sleep.  Normal bodily sleep responses are disengaged, and muscles that should relax will begin to contract uncontrollably.  Individuals with bruxism often wake up with headache and neck pain.  

After a thorough physical exam and a diagnosis is made this is one area in the body or holistic remedies could be highly beneficial. Focusing treatments on stress relief, relieving muscle tension, and particularly using a regular meditation practice can help reduce the development of chronic tension in the neck.

3rd Eye Chakra Block and Chronic Pain

The third eye is located in the head at the same place that the pituitary gland. Likely energetic blocks in the third eye will cause some sort of headache. The most common type of chronic headache most people think of as migraine headaches.  Other types of recurring headaches include tension headaches, cluster headaches, or chronic daily headache.

Migraines can be a crippling condition that deeply impact quality of life. Blockages in the third eye in my experience as a Reiki practitioner are also some of the most difficult to diagnose because for most of us without focused intention we simply are going to remain blocked in the 3rd eye.  When working with Reiki clients dealing with major blockages in the 3rd eye, I typically recommend a Mindfulness Meditation practice daily for at least 5 minutes.  

7th Chakra Block and Chronic Pain

The 7th Chakra, or the Higher Self, is made of pure energy.  This energy center is located outside of the body.  This is the energy center that connects us to something bigger than ourselves, such as a deity or universal life force. I relate an energetic block in this area to chronic pain likely leading to diffuse painful syndromes such as fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome and maybe even acute pain syndromes related to kitchen a viral infection. In terms of these conditions I’ve noticed that when pain is severe it becomes an integral part of the person’s life. The pain that is experienced often shuts out other aspects of  life and becomes the whole of their existence.  Starting a personal healing practice of some kind often helps to open up energy flow in this area.  A good starting point is a personal meditation practice.

Chronic Pain is not fun to discuss, but is is important. If this topic has helped you, please share with your friends, family and loved ones.

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