Sunday, June 28, 2009

On Being Aligned With The Divine

I am in the process of listening to the new audio presentation of Dr. Wayne Dyer's "Excuses Begone". It is a powerful presentation, and many of the things he says I have never heard before. That's what makes it special. The main message is that we should throw out every excuse we ever used for our not being able to accomplish something and instead think from an "awareness" perspective. The "awareness" part means that all that exists is a manifestation of God. Thus, acting from the awareness that we ARE The Divine made manifest means that excuses should never enter the picture. Excuses are the product of the ego, not of God. Also, the more we think about what we SHOULD be doing, where we SHOULD be, how much money we SHOULD be making, etc., we are thinking from the perspective of the ego. God simply is, and God simply does -- as us, through us.

Yes, I have accomplished quite a bit in my life. I've suffered many health challenges. I've had many life experiences, both as a hospital patient and as a health care provider. I've earned a graduate degree. I have a lovely wife and home. I like where I live. The positives in my life are many. However, taking to heart what Dr. Dyer points out, and what many great sages throughout the millenia have said, I find it odd that God would be content with being sedentary. If God is acting through me, as me, then he must really enjoy having all these ways in which he can love people and help them without actually having anybody coming into the office to receive. Interesting concept. Rather humorous, at that.

So, anyway, I had some ideas of what I wanted to write. But I think I just used them all. It's 5:00 in the morning now, and I really need to get to bed. I have to go back to my $11 an hour job as a security guard in a theater this afternoon.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Enter The "Holistic Physician"

Last week while I was working at my security job at the Guthrie Theater, I got talking to a couple of the ushers. Most of the people I work with already know that I am a chiropractor. But what they don't know is that I am very holistic in how I care for my patients. "I address all of my patients' health concerns," I said at one point in the conversation. At that moment, one of the ushers I was talking to perked up and started asking me all these questions about her high blood pressure problems. She wanted to know what natural ways there are to take care of it. I then thought to myself that THIS is why I became a doctor -- to help people with their health concerns in a holistic way. I didn't become a "back pain specialist," and I really hate being mistaken for one. Even though my business card says that I am a "holistic chiropractor," the word "chiropractor" insinuates, in most people's mind, that I take care of only back pain and headaches. I've been in health care for over 26 years now in many different capacities. I certainly never intended to limit myself by becoming a chiropractor!

What people DO understand is the word "physician". D.D. Palmer, the founder of the chiropractic profession, always frowned on chiropractors who would call themselves "chiropractic physicians". Many medical doctors with an ego would also frown upon a chiropractor considering himself to be any kind of physician. I've always been neutral to using this term because, as the Latin origin of the word "physician" implies, a physician is a practitioner of a "natural science". (Source: the Online Etymology Dictionary) So the question would then be, could I simply call myself a "holistic physician"? To answer that, I turned to the good ol' internet, that magical land where all knowledge can be bestowed. Alas, I came up with an article who answered that question with a profound "yes". Here is the link to the article: http://www.radicalmedicine.com/holistic_physician_defined.html .

According to the article, there are six different healing professionals that can use the title "holistic physician": medical doctors, osteopaths, chiropractors, naturopaths, dentists, and acupuncturists. Therefore, I feel at ease to change my business cards to read "Dr. Patrick V. Suglia, Holistic Physician". Then, to be in accordance with Minnesota state law, I would list chiropractic care among the services that I offer. I do offer a slew of others, such as health status testing (which the American Holistic Medical Association calls functional medicine), routine and specialized physicals, Reiki healing (which the AHMA refers to as energy medicine), and others. I won't go into detail about them here because you can always see everything I do on my website at http://sufletesc.twicmn.org .

People haven't quite made the full paradigm shift yet to fully comprehend and appreciate the words of Thomas Edison: "The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease." The human frame IS the specialty of the chiropractor, and the other mentioned items are the concern of any holistic physician. The paradigm shift started only 18 years ago when in 1991, for the first time, more visits were made to practitioners of "alternative" medicine, with chiropractors leading the figures, than to general practice medical doctors. Yes, the paradigm is still shifting. More and more people are learning about the wonderful HOLISTIC benefits of chiropractic care, while the current being created by the medical establishment, who is trying to hold on to their dying ego, continues to try to push us further from the public's interest. Until the paradigm shift is complete, which I hope I live to see, I will, for now, call myself a Holistic Physician.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Writing Cramps

As you may notice already, I hardly write in this blog. But when I do, it's pretty much to the point. People tell me I'm a great writer and that I should consider it for a career. That would be great, if I was a writer. To tell you the truth, I really have to have something pounding in my brain, begging to come out, in order for me to write well. Otherwise, if I just sat down to write because I had to, it wouldn't sound good at all. Such is life! So, that's about all I have to say right now. I'm still waiting for the next great spark.