When I was a kid growing up, I was captivated by watching emergency scenes. All the firemen, ambulance personnel, and policemen rushing about, putting out fires and saving lives. When I was eighteen, I joined the local volunteer fire department. It was quite a thrill! Only six months later, the fire chief told me to hang it up because he discovered that I had a pretty bad heart condition. I had no idea who told him. I certainly didn’t! I just wanted to be a part of the action. Shortly after leaving the fire state for the last time, my cardiologist told me I needed to have open heart surgery to replace my failing aortic valve. Although the operation put an end to my short-lived passion for being a fireman, I was allowed to work with the ambulance crew instead. That is what opened the door for my lifelong career in health care and to where I am today.
Starting out as a Respiratory Therapist, I enjoyed caring for people in the hospital setting, particularly in lifesaving situations. At the same time, my eyes and my interests were being opened to natural healing practices. Even though I went on to study to be a chiropractor, all this time I was focused on one dimension of healing: the physical. During the latter half of my days as a chiropractic student, I learned about the other dimension of healing, the nonphysical, which involves both the mind and the Spirit.
Thus, today in my practice I address both the physical and the nonphysical realms of existence using a three-tiered approach. Using chiropractic, medical, and “alternative” methods of evaluating one’s health situation, I embrace a truly integrative system to help my patients achieve their optimum potential.
First, I ask, “Is there nerve tone imbalance?” The nerve system controls every organ and action of the body. When bones become misaligned, stress can be placed on nerves causing them to become too taut or too lax. This imbalance results in abnormal function of one or more of the body systems. How exactly this happens was studied in depth by D.D. Palmer, the founder of the chiropractic profession, during a ten year period from 1885 - 1895. D.D.’s findings were later confirmed in a study done by Henry Windsor, M.D. in 1921. Chiropractic care corrects nerve tone imbalance, thereby restoring proper function to body systems.
If a person’s condition is fairly complicated and affects multiple organ systems, I ask, “Is this a problem that is due to some type of toxic exposure or intrinsic dysfunction?” If this is suspect, then I proceed to the physical examination/functional medicine testing tier of care. If abnormalities with a particular system are identified, I refer my patients to the appropriate medical specialist for further evaluation and treatment while still retaining them as a client.
The third tier of care is what transcends the physical, and I promote this avenue sparingly. Not everyone is open to energy medicine practices. I’ve even had people say to me, “I am a devout Christian, and what you are doing is the devil’s work.” Therefore I now discern more closely who I propose this avenue of healing to. If it is rather obvious to me that this person is under a great deal of mental/emotional stress, or if I feel that their cause of anguish has an etheric source, then I will let them know that there are nonphysical issues that need to be dealt with. If I get a good sense that they are openminded, I explain the concept of chi. I explain that life force energy fills this universe. It is that power that keeps your heart beating, your lungs breathing, your blood circulating, your mind thinking. Because of physical and nonphysical forms of stress, life force energy may not flow in the manner that it should, resulting in physical, psychological, or even spiritual distress. The method of energy medicine that I use is The Usui System Of Natural Healing According To Hawayo Takata, which is the oldest and most potent form of Reiki there is.
When a person comes into my office, I am well prepared to evaluate and treat that person on any level. I usually do not announce right away that I am a chiropractor. Instead, I say that I am a Holistic Physician. Not everyone that comes to my office is there for chiropractic care. By taking an integrative approach, I can address the needs of my patients on multiple levels without having to refer them somewhere else. And, if I feel that they are openminded enough, I tell them to be prepared for anything (hinting to the third tier of care). But I don’t view each tier as taking care of a separate physical, mental, or spiritual entity. Each of these realms of existence is woven into one inseparable manifestation of the person as a whole. Each realm affects the other in some way. If I am giving somebody a chiropractic adjustment, I am allowing for a fuller expression of chi energy to take place. If I am taking somebody’s vital signs, I am measuring the flow of life force energy. If I am performing a Reiki session on someone, I am helping the body, mind, and spirit to balance each other in a state of harmony.
It is important to keep in mind that one who comes to us for help is not just a physical person who feels things, thinks, and performs actions. This person is a manifestation of the Universal Intelligence. It is what that person, because of a thing called ego, puts into their thoughts and into their body that creates illness. Our job is not to see if we can rid this person of a disease. Our job, as integrative, HOLISTIC practitioners, is to bring this great manifestation before us to a higher understanding of themself. By helping him or her to be self-sufficient, proactive and preventive, we empower them to take charge of their own destiny. In retrospect, we are truly facilitators of healing. As Thomas Edison once said, “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” He said that in the past, so the NOW must be the “future” he was referring to.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Brilliance Of Autism
What goes through your mind when you hear the word "autism"? For most people who are not autistic in any way, they probably think of somebody who will be "less than" in the worldly, pragmatic sense. But when an autistic person shows that they are creative or are able to contribute to society, the non-autistic person probably oohs and aahs that a "less than" creature was somehow able to show signs of a functioning intellect. Well, maybe I'm being somewhat sarcastic. But to those of us who ARE autistic, I say that it's time the non-autistic population, or the "neurotypicals" as we call them, realize one thing -- that it is usually we, the audies, who end up saving their butts with our brilliance.
We're usually the ones who are able to point out the obvious when others cannot see it. Where would this world be if not for the amazing contributions to it by Einstein, Mozart, Beethoven, Jane Austen, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Thomas Jefferson, Carl Jung, and Van Gogh, just to name a few? Or, in our lifetime, Bob Dylan and Bill Gates! I wonder if Bill Gates, as an unknown way back when, applied for a job and announced that he was autistic if he would have ever been hired anywhere. Probably not. But thanks to an organization called Think Beyond The Label, that may all change someday.
The word "autism" was first coined in 1912. The literal meaning of the word translates to read, "a state of being absorbed by one's self." What this really means, as I see it, is that autism is a state of being so awe-inspired by your own view of the world and not really knowing how to communicate it. Eventually we learn how to, though, much to the askew glances of the neurotypical world. Sometimes when we speak we say the "wrong", or socially inappropriate, things. But always when we speak, we say the truth. We can't help but to be oddly creative by the neurotypical's judgement, but we're just being ourselves by the audie's reality.
I am quite a fan of Temple Grandin. Not because she is an autistic person who can speak brilliantly, which is perhaps why neurotypicals enjoy her (as if they never expected someone with autism to be a great contributor to society). I like her because she tells it like it is. Well, telling it like it is is what makes us appear so off-color, really. We say what we want, we dress the way we want, we do what we want. We make our own rules. And we don't really care what society thinks because we KNOW we are brilliant. We are "absorbed by our own self". It's time that the neurotypical world realizes this and doesn't scold us for being ourselves. If you look past the label and see what we can do for the strange world around us, you'll shut up and listen, and you'll give us a CHANCE.
I got to where I am in life because of mentors, or "guardian angels" as I call them in my "Living With An Autism Spectrum Disorder" class that I teach. If not for a guy named Larry, I wouldn't have lasted more than three days on the ambulance crew that I volunteered with for ten years. Thanks to Larry taking me under his wing, I eventually became somebody who could take charge of the scene of a major emergency, and I became somebody who could train others. Every audie NEEDS a mentor. It's not that we are "disabled". We are not. Because of the way our brains process information, we need to learn, on our own accord, a different way of doing things. We need to repeat things over and over and over again until we get it right. And when we get it, we are not only good at it. We are brilliant! We exceed what the neurotypicals who are all doing the same thing can do. Why? Because our intuition allows us to see the elephant in the room when others can't. We find better ways. We become very efficient -- SELF-sufficient. We are "absorbed in our own self"; we are AUTISTIC.
It is understandable, though, why a neurotypical employer wouldn't want to bother hiring somebody with autism. Who wants to be around somebody who doesn't "fit in"? Who wants to feel like they are having to drag somebody when they need somebody who can magically jump right into the shark-infested waters? But really, who wants to hire somebody who's not afraid to tell them that they can do their job more efficiently than they can? It's a new science -- trying to figure out how to coexist with these creatures from another planet. Well, we are not from another planet. We have always been here, and our "problem", as you see it, is not going to go away. Deal with it.
So why does this condition exist in the first place? In all those years ago, we can truly say that some brilliant people were wired that way, as some are in this day and age. For some, especially in modern times, their condition may have been unfortunately induced by some toxic or allergic exposure or even a physical trauma. In any case, autism is what it is, and autistics are what they are -- people who can contribute to this world in amazing ways. If you are a person with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, or you have a child or loved one that is, get together with others that are by joining support groups. Don't navigate this world alone. There is definitely strength in numbers. Also, find a mentor. Every audie NEEDS one. For employers, stop thinking that audies are disabled. They are completely able!
Because I am a physician and somebody with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, I recently felt the need to expand my horizons in my quest to get the message out there. I am willing to travel anywhere in the 48 contiguous United States to teach my "Living With An Autism Spectrum Disorder" seminar or to speak to your company or special interest group. To see an actual syllabus of the three-hour course, which includes my bio, please click HERE (this file is in PDF format). I am always available to answer any of your questions through my Facebook page. I hope this entry has given you a better picture of what goes through the mind of an autistic person. If you hop on board, you'll find that exploring the mind of somebody with an Autism Spectrum Disorder is a fantastic journey!
We're usually the ones who are able to point out the obvious when others cannot see it. Where would this world be if not for the amazing contributions to it by Einstein, Mozart, Beethoven, Jane Austen, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Thomas Jefferson, Carl Jung, and Van Gogh, just to name a few? Or, in our lifetime, Bob Dylan and Bill Gates! I wonder if Bill Gates, as an unknown way back when, applied for a job and announced that he was autistic if he would have ever been hired anywhere. Probably not. But thanks to an organization called Think Beyond The Label, that may all change someday.
The word "autism" was first coined in 1912. The literal meaning of the word translates to read, "a state of being absorbed by one's self." What this really means, as I see it, is that autism is a state of being so awe-inspired by your own view of the world and not really knowing how to communicate it. Eventually we learn how to, though, much to the askew glances of the neurotypical world. Sometimes when we speak we say the "wrong", or socially inappropriate, things. But always when we speak, we say the truth. We can't help but to be oddly creative by the neurotypical's judgement, but we're just being ourselves by the audie's reality.
I am quite a fan of Temple Grandin. Not because she is an autistic person who can speak brilliantly, which is perhaps why neurotypicals enjoy her (as if they never expected someone with autism to be a great contributor to society). I like her because she tells it like it is. Well, telling it like it is is what makes us appear so off-color, really. We say what we want, we dress the way we want, we do what we want. We make our own rules. And we don't really care what society thinks because we KNOW we are brilliant. We are "absorbed by our own self". It's time that the neurotypical world realizes this and doesn't scold us for being ourselves. If you look past the label and see what we can do for the strange world around us, you'll shut up and listen, and you'll give us a CHANCE.
I got to where I am in life because of mentors, or "guardian angels" as I call them in my "Living With An Autism Spectrum Disorder" class that I teach. If not for a guy named Larry, I wouldn't have lasted more than three days on the ambulance crew that I volunteered with for ten years. Thanks to Larry taking me under his wing, I eventually became somebody who could take charge of the scene of a major emergency, and I became somebody who could train others. Every audie NEEDS a mentor. It's not that we are "disabled". We are not. Because of the way our brains process information, we need to learn, on our own accord, a different way of doing things. We need to repeat things over and over and over again until we get it right. And when we get it, we are not only good at it. We are brilliant! We exceed what the neurotypicals who are all doing the same thing can do. Why? Because our intuition allows us to see the elephant in the room when others can't. We find better ways. We become very efficient -- SELF-sufficient. We are "absorbed in our own self"; we are AUTISTIC.
It is understandable, though, why a neurotypical employer wouldn't want to bother hiring somebody with autism. Who wants to be around somebody who doesn't "fit in"? Who wants to feel like they are having to drag somebody when they need somebody who can magically jump right into the shark-infested waters? But really, who wants to hire somebody who's not afraid to tell them that they can do their job more efficiently than they can? It's a new science -- trying to figure out how to coexist with these creatures from another planet. Well, we are not from another planet. We have always been here, and our "problem", as you see it, is not going to go away. Deal with it.
So why does this condition exist in the first place? In all those years ago, we can truly say that some brilliant people were wired that way, as some are in this day and age. For some, especially in modern times, their condition may have been unfortunately induced by some toxic or allergic exposure or even a physical trauma. In any case, autism is what it is, and autistics are what they are -- people who can contribute to this world in amazing ways. If you are a person with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, or you have a child or loved one that is, get together with others that are by joining support groups. Don't navigate this world alone. There is definitely strength in numbers. Also, find a mentor. Every audie NEEDS one. For employers, stop thinking that audies are disabled. They are completely able!
Because I am a physician and somebody with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, I recently felt the need to expand my horizons in my quest to get the message out there. I am willing to travel anywhere in the 48 contiguous United States to teach my "Living With An Autism Spectrum Disorder" seminar or to speak to your company or special interest group. To see an actual syllabus of the three-hour course, which includes my bio, please click HERE (this file is in PDF format). I am always available to answer any of your questions through my Facebook page. I hope this entry has given you a better picture of what goes through the mind of an autistic person. If you hop on board, you'll find that exploring the mind of somebody with an Autism Spectrum Disorder is a fantastic journey!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Random Thoughts
As you can see, it has been a month and a half since my last blog post. I think I once revealed that the reason why I couldn't be a writer by profession is because I write only when I am deeply inspired to do so. But I challenged myself lately. I was recently appointed to the Executive Advisory Board of the American Association of Integrative Medicine. One of the requirements of being on the board is to write an article for the quarterly newsletter. That pretty much forces me to sit down and write, and what I write cannot be something I wrote and published beforehand. In fact, I've been awaiting the Spring issue of the newsletter so that I can use the article I wrote as my next blog post. The article is about my "three-tiered approach" to healing that is the method of operation I take in my private practice. Whenever it appears, I will post it here. But if you want a sneak peak, you can always check out my practice's website, which I updated since writing the article a month ago.
One thing I have been doing since I last wrote is making my own educational videos. They have been playing on community TV stations throughout the southwestern metro areas of Minneapolis. You can view them also on my practice's website. The manager of St. Louis Park community TV taught me how to film and edit my own productions. He was there looking over my shoulder for the first episode. The second episode was done entirely on my own, without any help. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. I am thoroughly enjoying these news skills I am experimenting with! Now with my own miniDV camcorder and nonlinear editing programs, I think I'm getting pretty good at this. The first program is on carpal tunnel syndrome. The second is on birth trauma. I am not sure what the next episode will be about. Since April is autism awareness month, I am thinking I will make it about autism.
Since we're on the topic of autism, I am not sure if I ever mentioned the class that I put together entitled "Living With An Autism Spectrum Disorder". I've taught it in Ellsworth, Wisconsin and Hastings, Minnesota already. Other community education programs actually balked at the topic because it was too "controversial". Anyway, I feel that as both a health care provider and somebody with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, I could be educative for people who are caretakers of or known a person who is autistic. Using the book, "Unwritten Rules Of Social Relationships" co-authored by Dr. Temple Grandin and Sean Barron, both of whom are also on the autism spectrum, I share my own experiences, and I help people to get inside the head of the autistic person so that they can relate to and understand them better. It would be great if I could travel to anywhere in the U.S. teaching this class because it is so very beneficial for people to have this information. The only part of the class I have had trouble from other people with is when I mention that vaccinations is one of the theoretical causes of autism. Although I do use the word "theoretical," I still get some pretty lame-brained heckling. But still, this is vital information that everyone that deals with the issue of Autism Spectrum Disorders needs to hear -- right from an audie!
This past week I met with the two directors of The Uteam4U, Inc., a consortium of experts that people can call upon to consult in various health and wellness areas. I was referred to them by the general manager of the place where I work part time after he heard that my goal, as a Holistic Physician, was to expand my expertise beyond the walls of my office. But when I saw that the directors were educational experts with autistics and people with cognitive disorders, the bulk of the conversation was about me and how I could possibly get ahead despite having these problems. Although this meeting ended on a very positive vibe, it has yet to bear any fruit. I don't count my chickens before they hatch. In fact, I don't count them at all anymore. In fact, in a conversation I had just tonight with a Minnesota native at the place where I work part time, I was told, "People in Minnesota say one thing and do another." Although I have lived in many different places and found this to be a universal truth, it is PARTICULARLY true in Minnesota.
On the subject of this blog, I once said that I would write more about health and wellness topics. It seems that almost all of my LinkedIn and Facebook contacts who are professionals like me, blogging is a staple, a weekly, if not daily, event. They always seem to have something to say and know every fact in every book. I can't say that I am so gifted. But I guess my new skill of producing my own TV shows will be the way I do my educating. Now I'll stop writing because if I continue I'll just be rambling.
One thing I have been doing since I last wrote is making my own educational videos. They have been playing on community TV stations throughout the southwestern metro areas of Minneapolis. You can view them also on my practice's website. The manager of St. Louis Park community TV taught me how to film and edit my own productions. He was there looking over my shoulder for the first episode. The second episode was done entirely on my own, without any help. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. I am thoroughly enjoying these news skills I am experimenting with! Now with my own miniDV camcorder and nonlinear editing programs, I think I'm getting pretty good at this. The first program is on carpal tunnel syndrome. The second is on birth trauma. I am not sure what the next episode will be about. Since April is autism awareness month, I am thinking I will make it about autism.
Since we're on the topic of autism, I am not sure if I ever mentioned the class that I put together entitled "Living With An Autism Spectrum Disorder". I've taught it in Ellsworth, Wisconsin and Hastings, Minnesota already. Other community education programs actually balked at the topic because it was too "controversial". Anyway, I feel that as both a health care provider and somebody with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, I could be educative for people who are caretakers of or known a person who is autistic. Using the book, "Unwritten Rules Of Social Relationships" co-authored by Dr. Temple Grandin and Sean Barron, both of whom are also on the autism spectrum, I share my own experiences, and I help people to get inside the head of the autistic person so that they can relate to and understand them better. It would be great if I could travel to anywhere in the U.S. teaching this class because it is so very beneficial for people to have this information. The only part of the class I have had trouble from other people with is when I mention that vaccinations is one of the theoretical causes of autism. Although I do use the word "theoretical," I still get some pretty lame-brained heckling. But still, this is vital information that everyone that deals with the issue of Autism Spectrum Disorders needs to hear -- right from an audie!
This past week I met with the two directors of The Uteam4U, Inc., a consortium of experts that people can call upon to consult in various health and wellness areas. I was referred to them by the general manager of the place where I work part time after he heard that my goal, as a Holistic Physician, was to expand my expertise beyond the walls of my office. But when I saw that the directors were educational experts with autistics and people with cognitive disorders, the bulk of the conversation was about me and how I could possibly get ahead despite having these problems. Although this meeting ended on a very positive vibe, it has yet to bear any fruit. I don't count my chickens before they hatch. In fact, I don't count them at all anymore. In fact, in a conversation I had just tonight with a Minnesota native at the place where I work part time, I was told, "People in Minnesota say one thing and do another." Although I have lived in many different places and found this to be a universal truth, it is PARTICULARLY true in Minnesota.
On the subject of this blog, I once said that I would write more about health and wellness topics. It seems that almost all of my LinkedIn and Facebook contacts who are professionals like me, blogging is a staple, a weekly, if not daily, event. They always seem to have something to say and know every fact in every book. I can't say that I am so gifted. But I guess my new skill of producing my own TV shows will be the way I do my educating. Now I'll stop writing because if I continue I'll just be rambling.
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