Integrated Approach

With the widespread availability of the internet and nutrition
information being readily available to almost anyone who needs it,
many people find this to be both a blessing and a curse. The
blessing is that you can search almost any topic and find a plethora
of information. The curse is that it is difficult for the "non-science"
person to sort out what information or products arise from legitimate
science versus those that are based on marketing and hope. Even
more challenging is sifting through that information and attempting
to construct some sort of "self-treatment" nutrition program. That
being said, the objectivity and skill of a professional who is trained
in individualized clinical nutrition applications can be most helpful.

Based on our clinical experience over the past 28 years, we recognize
the inherent complexity of viewing ourselves from the body-mind
perspective….. as an integrated "whole" being, not just as a
"machine" that needs parts and periodic repair. The pre-occupation
with making the symptom "go away" has been likened to placing a
piece of black electrical tape over the "low oil" warning light on the
dashboard and driving on. Yes, the warning symptom is gone, but
the consequences are sure to appear "down the road".

People coming to our office generally tend to fall into 1 of 3
categories: those who need accurate individual assessment and
information about what to do, and 2) those who have been to 2 or
more clinicians, pretty much know what to do, but for one reason or
another, still cannot seem to follow-through or experience a lot of
self-sabotage, or 3) what they actually do seems to be insufficient to
restore vibrant health. The latter 2 categories category include those
who are frustrated by emotional eating, cravings, food and substance
addiction, aversion to exercise, patterns of self-sabotage,
subconscious fears about getting well, and those who have merged
their identity with the illness or disease label and have made IT their
focus in life. These people usually feel "stuck" and "held back" by
some intangible and difficult to describe aspect of themselves. For
these people, more information does not always lead to positive
changes in thinking or behavior. After all, it is the thinking that
arises from underlying conscious and subconscious beliefs about
ourselves and our experiences, and creates our patterns of behavior.
Commonly, for these people, more information or "facts" are
insufficient to alter these patterns and forces.

In many cases such as fibromyalgia, depression or anxiety just to
name a few, clinical nutrition recognizes the value of supporting the
neurotransmitters in both the brain and the gut. We can add
methylation support and enhance neurotransmitter receptor
sensitivity with optimized fatty acid therapies. Inositol can bind to
the benzodiazepine receptors and botanicals such as passiflora and
hops or amino acids such as L-theanine can help calm
over-stimulated neural pathways and the HPA axis. All of these can
be exceedingly effective without the attending concerns about
toxicity or addiction. But what if we could address and release the
imprint of the initial trauma, memory or event that continually
energizes the fight or flight response? Would that not ultimately be
addressing issues at the most basic and causative level? Deciding
what is the ultimate level of causation can be both challenging and a
matter of both philosophy and perspective. For those people who are
open to this approach, the benefits of clinical nutrition are simpler,
synergistic, and with benefits realized is shorter time.

Various emerging techniques, sometimes referred to as "energy
therapies", such as Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and Tapas
Acupressure Technique (TAT), appear to offer a dimension of relief
that originates outside the traditional biochemical model. That is not
to say that one is good or bad, or better than the other, but merely
that they interact within the human system at different levels. As
with acupuncture, the restoration of the "energy flow" through the
channels referred to as meridians, offers "balance" at a different
level than nutritional or botanical medicine. By way of metaphor, if
we were to discuss moving electricity through a copper wire, we
would speak of the integrity and sufficiency of the wire to carry the
anticipated voltage and current. A thin, damaged wire with poor or
no insulation at certain locations would likely lead to "energy losses"
or short circuits in that system or circuit. Likewise, a potential is
needed to move the electrons in the wire to manifest what we call
electricity. That flow of energy can carry information. Neither the
electricity nor the wire is better or less than the other, but both need
to be in good functional states to achieve the end result. As with the
human system, we have a need for optimal mineralization, fatty acid
balance, removal of toxins, and so forth. But the energy of life needs
to be coherent, free of noise, and of sufficient strength to flow along
the intact "wire" of our physiology. We certainly wish to make the
"hardware" of our physiology as healthy as possible. But what if we
did all of that: removed the heavy metals, identified the unique food
sensitivities that we had, improved our neurochemistry and
mitochondrial function.... in other words, vastly optimized the
"hardware" or "circuitry" of the body, but the messages and thoughts
we carry all day are negative, self-loathing, obsessive, and
self-sabotaging? Would we be truly well, even if there were no
disease to identify or treat?

Emerging research suggests that the traumas, griefs, betrayals,
losses, and other "negative experiences" of life that are frequently
stored in the body as "body memory" and remembered in the
subconscious mind, continue to influence our physiology, even many
years later. If our conscious mind can process roughly 40 bits of
information per second and our subconscious mind can process
40,000 bits of information per second, then who or what is running
our lives? It is by far and away, the memories, tapes, programs,
alarms, and behavioral patterns that reside and play in our
subconscious minds. And to this dimension, techniques such as EFT
and TAT can play such a helpful, if not dramatic role. Have you ever
try to create a new habit? How about stopping an old one? Easy?
Habits are repetitive behaviors encoded in our subconscious minds. If
we refer back to our "wire analogy", we would clearly wish to have
"healthy" intact wiring. But what about the information carried on the
wire? With EFT and TAT, we have the ability to change the message
that is carried and eliminate the interference and "chatter" that
speaks contrary to well-being

Our experience with EFT and TAT has opened new opportunities for
our clients for enhanced healing and restoration of "balance" at a
pace and on a level and depth that we would have not thought
possible.

We invite you to challenge your own beliefs and explore this
fascinating and powerful synergy for true body-mind healing.

You can read more about Lisa's work at www.emotionalpeace.net.