Making the Connection
In a couple of weeks, I will be launching my own podcast called Making the Connection. My goal from the start of my acupuncture practice has been to educate my patients. I want patients to realize their emotional state has a direct impact on their physical condition. In fact, it is often the cause of their illness and the reason they’ve come to see me.
Truth: Your Emotional State Dictates Your Physical Condition
The majority of my patients don’t really know how they’re feeling. If I ask, they will usually always answer, “I’m doing fine,” but . . . Seldom do they know how much stress their body is holding even though their leg might be bouncing up and down or they haven’t slept well for the last 3-4 nights. Overall, they feel “fine.”
And yet, when I insert the needles into the key calming points it’s like watching a balloon deflate. Often before I have even left the room, they’ve fallen asleep or gone into a deeply relaxed state. Unprocessed emotions traps energy in our body. Anger towards a parent, sibling or boss often resides in the diaphragm area just above your belly button. People with a lot of anger present with red faces. People who don’t speak their truth or are not able to articulate their emotions will clench their jaw at night or grind their teeth. These emotions are stored in their jaw specifically their masseter muscle. They will often suffer from temporal headaches or dull throbbing pain that worsens with stress. The more they clench down the worse their headaches.
Truth: A Person in Motion Stays in Motion and Will Use Substances Like Wine and Weed To Come Down
Imagine running your car wide open for 16 hours a day, the moment it starts to slow down you add more gas — caffeine, sugar, Adderall. You don’t want to slow down you like the adrenalin buzz of getting things done. We like the clarity of mind and focus that comes at that speed. Cortisol is flooding your blood stream prepping your body for a fight that never comes. It’s just day-to-day living. But the challenge comes at night when you finally try to stop only you can’t. Your adrenalin drug-fuelled body is still going. In fact, when you try to go to sleep, it’s actually physically uncomfortable. Lying down can be upsetting.
Or when you come home from work at the end of the day after battling traffic and kid’s schedules, you struggle to be present with your children. They are moving at a pace you are unable to tolerate. So you try to make them go faster. The results dysregulate them and infuriate you. In short, you’re emotionally out of control but don’t know where the brakes are.
Truth: The Longer You Stay in Motion the More Likely You Will Suffer from Chronic Illness
My favourite word in my practice is dysregulated. People who have been living in a heighten state for a period of time will suffer from some sort of illness. It’s the body’s defence system. If you don’t slow down, it will do it for you.
- Insomnia
- Migraines
- IBS, Crohn’s, Colitis
- Panic Attacks, Racing Heart
- Neck, Shoulder Pain
- Infertility
The bigger issue is not feeling comfortable in your own body. So you reach for more substances. I’ve seen a huge increase in patients suffering from a weed addiction. They started using it to “calm down,” and now they are using it every day, sometimes first thing in the morning and before they can leave their house.
Truth: Exercise is the Best Way to Regulate Your Body
There are many ways to regulate your body, but one of the fastest is breathwork or exercise. Combine both for optimal results. It’s hard to go to a hard stop, so don’t. Move toward it. Or better yet, take some of the energy you have first thing in the morning and burn it. If you are an anxious person exercising first thing will leave you feeling calmer. Fast walk, power yoga, bike or swim. Repetitive movement regulates your nervous system, so your highs are not so high.
Truth: Avoid Caffeine or Limit Caffeine or Sugar (it only amps you up more)
The adage you are what you eat is sooo true. Want to feel good? Don’t skip meals. Eat protein, plants, and foods in their simple state. Have you blood work checked regularly to make sure you’re not low in iron or other essential vitamins like B12.
Maintain Your Body
Going to regular acupuncture treatments and adding Reiki with them will also regulate your nervous system especially if you’re going through a difficult time like loss of job, relationship or moving. Massage and counselling can also help regulate your nervous system and get into a regular yoga practice. Movement and breathwork are way better than weed and wine at calming down the body.
