Healing Innovations Update

Likely you have noticed that I have been unusually “quiet” these last couple of months. My experiences with providing SCENAR treatments have expanded, and with that expansion, my time to write or gather my thoughts enough to write, has been limited. But, what I am doing is inspiring, and I, at least, wanted to share that.

Starting last May, I began collaborating with Mountain Air Wellness Center (a natural health center that has offices in Asheville, Cashiers, Highlands, and Franklin) to provide SCENAR treatments for their patients. The Center provides a comprehensive wellness venue that involves a number of interventions for promoting health. Led by Dr. Jim Johnson, Dr. Resa Falk, and Dr. Sue Aery, the center offers nutritional counseling, acupuncture, massage, Graston technique, and chiropractic care, just to name a few. Their commitment to their patients, continuing education in the field, and desire to provide the best possible interventions for natural health and healing are exemplary. The staff are wonderfully professional, caring, competent, and positive which makes for a sense of welcome, comfort, and “home”. If you are from that area or have friends and family there, this natural health practice provides a state of the art opportunity for  holistic health care. SCENAR treatment has proved to be a collaboration that has been  of great benefit to their patients. Their vision of providing high quality natural health care is a pleasure to be a part of. This may sound like an ad, but it is based in my experience of working closely with the various practitioners and staff in their Cashiers and Highlands offices. They have become my personal “natural health home.”

My practice in Asheville at Asheville Natural Health and Homeopathy has also expanded. I have two office days on Wednesday and Saturday to provide SCENAR treatments. Working with Dr. Steven Coward, Dr. Louise Bahnson, and Dr. Leanne Apfelbeck has also been a wonderful collaboration. Working with these committed professionals in the field of natural health is a pleasure. Within this practice, Healing Innovations is expanding to include another SCENAR practitioner, Christina Morrison, who has been trained by Dr. Revenko and has 7 years of experience with providing SCENAR therapy.  Another office day is being planned so that SCENAR therapy can be offered in Asheville three days a week.

The awareness of this unique and effective treatment is growing. Healing Innovations is expanding in order to provide the best possible opportunities to those who are interested in experiencing for themselves this remarkable pain relief and healing modality. Call 828-337-6854 for an appointment to see what SCENAR can do for you.

Things You Can Do For Foot Pain

I have run into another flurry of a certain type of painful situation and it is foot pain. I have written about foot pain previously, but wanted to provide readily available information about things that anyone can do to prevent and relieve foot pain.

Stretching is the single most important thing you can do for foot pain. Tight hamstrings can communicate issues all the way from the sitzbones to the Achilles Tendons. Keeping them stretched and flexible is an important way to maintain the health of the foot. Two easy stretches we have found helpful are:

The Runner’s Stretch – Place your hands about two feet away from each other on a wall while standing about two feet away and leaning into the wall. Step forward with one foot, while leaving the other with the heel on the ground behind you. You are looking for a gentle sensation of stretch, not discomfort in that leg. Krista Kelley at Mission Rehab Services told us that a stretch any shorter than 45 seconds is not worth doing, so count slowly to 45 and then switch the positions of the feet and stretch the other leg. Doing this in the morning and evening will help the hamstrings to not get so tight. Muscles get tight from normal use so slowly that we may fail to recognize the sensation. Doing this exercise will help you become more familiar with the feeling of muscle tension so that you can monitor the status of your hamstrings more accurately and stretch them more effectively, thus preventing issues from arising.

The Hamstring Stretch – While laying in the bed, before arising, use a towel or strap and loop it under the ball of the foot. Holding an end of the towel in each hand, gently raise the leg while using the towel to keep the foot at a 90 degree ankle to the leg. Raise the leg until you feel a gentle stretch, not pain. Hold for 45 seconds, bring the leg gently down to the bed, and do the stretch on the other leg. Over time you will be able to raise the leg higher and higher as the hamstring is re-educated to be relaxed rather than tight. This will prevent the discomfort and possible micro damage to the tendons that can occur when getting out of bed when hamstrings have tightened up during sleep.

Things you can do to improve the health of your feet:

Massage - In the evening, while relaxing, deeply rub and massage your feet in a conscious way from the tips of the toes to the backs of the heels. Let it be your intention to touch every single inch of skin on the bottom of your foot. When you find areas that are tender, press into them and hold. In just a few minutes the tenderness will dissipate and the area will relax. This can also be a good way to improve your overall health through Reflexology.

Strengthen the Muscles of the Foot - The muscles in the feet need exercise and strengthening, just like any other muscle in the body. However, shoes are not conducive to exercising foot muscles. Take off your shoes and socks and while sitting in a comfortable position, imagine (or use real ones if you’d like) that you are picking up marbles with your toes. This strengthens the muscles in the arch which tend to flatten as our foot muscles weaken with age and wearing shoes.

Strengthen the Muscles of the Ankle and Top of Foot – How many of us have sat on the beach and almost unconsciously (because it feels so good), moved our feet back and forth from side to side in the sand, digging a little trough. This motion strengthens the muscles in the ankles and top of the foot to provide better stability for walking. You don’t need sand to do this. Sit in a comfortable position and imagine doing this little activity as if you were at the beach, moving your feet against the floor back and forth from side to side. If you vividly imagine you are at the beach digging the comforting little trenches with your feet, your body will not know that you are not, and other benefits such as shoulder and neck relaxation can be experienced as well.

Our feet are probably the most ignored area of the body. They carry our weight and do whatever we ask for most of our lives without complaint. As we age, our inattention to caring for our feet can take its toll. Notice your feet. Appreciate how hard they work for you. Do kinds things for them like massage or hot soaks. Become friends with your feet. They will love you for it!

Finding Your Way in the CAM World

The number of modalities and options for treatment available in complementary and alternative medicine can be quite daunting to those who are looking into this field for the first time. With names like craniosacral therapy, acupuncture, SCENAR, rolfing, chiropractic, homeopathy, herbalism, etc. selecting what might work can be challenging. In any medical field, one therapy does not necessarily fit all. In traditional medicine seeing a specialist may actually narrow one’s choices. When you see a orthopedic surgeon, likely surgery will be the main option.

So what are some guidelines for exploring the natural, holistic options? Read more »

Healing Innovations Is Opening a New Opportunity

Beginning next month, we will be offering SCENAR pain relief treatments through Mountain Air Wellness Center in Cashiers, NC. Expanding into this market will give access to this revolutionary technology in the far western region of WNC. We look forward to being a part of this dynamic, creative, and visionary natural health practice.

Twelve Foods to Boost Immune Response

With the near epidemic Norovirus going around, we thought it would be good to send out some nutritional tips to keep your immune system healthy. If you own a SCENAR dose your thymus gland (located at the suprasternal notch between the collar bones) at least once a day. You can also stroke your upper belly (above the navel) and look for stickiness. If you find any sticky spots, dose them. In any case, wash your hands a lot! Alcohol does not kill the Norovirus, only chlorox does, so hand sanitizers don’t work.

There are 12 foods that are recommended for boosting the immune system:

1. Unpasteurized Grass-Fed Organic Milk - raw, organic milk from grass-fed cows contains beneficial bacteria that prime your immune system and can reduce allergies. It is an outstanding source of vitamins, especialy vitamin A, zinc, and enzymes. It also ocntains beneficial fats that will help your immune system. To find a raw mile supplier closest to you, go to RealMilk.com. If you live in Asheville, you can contact a collective that gets grass-fed raw milk from South Carolina at Ashevillerawmilk@yahoo.com.

Whey Protein – you can use a high-quality whey protein that comes from grass-fed cows to receive much of the same health benefits as you get through raw milk. Whey protein can help you fight off colds and flu because it contains beta-glucans and immunoglobulins, which protect your immune system and support your body’s natural detoxification process.

2. Fermented Foods – If you are serious about boosting your immunity, then adding traditionally fermented foods is essential. One of the most healthful fermented foods is kefir. Kefir is an ancient cultured enzyme rich food full of friendly microorganisms that balance your “inner ecosystem” and strengthen immunity. Ask around to connect with someone who can share their culture with you. It isn’t hard to make, and soon you will be looking for folks to give your extra culture to. Another excellent fermented food is Kombucha. A local company, Asheville Kombucha Mamas, sells it under the name “Buchi”. You can get it at Earth Fare or Greenlife grocery stores or you can call them at 828-450-1537. Friendly bacteria have a powerful, beneficial effect on your gut’s immune system, your first line of defense against pathogens, and aid in the production of antibodies.

Read more »

SCENAR: Acupuncture Without the Needles

Do you resonate with the concepts behind acupuncture of clearing blocked energy channels and enhancing the body’s ability to heal itself, but are uncomfortable with needles? Then the SCENAR might be for you.

Referred to as “acupuncture without the needles” in Europe and Australia, the SCENAR uses the frequencies native to the body to open up blocked energy channels and activate the body’s own capacity to heal itself. My first SCENAR trainer was an acupuncturist in Austin, who used needles for 15 years, but after discovering the SCENAR, quit using needles preferring the gentleness of the device as well as its effectiveness. He found he could accomplish the desired healing more quickly and without “needle anxiety” as he called it.

The SCENAR can identify and treat blocked acupuncture points as well as reduce inflammation and re-educate spasming muscles to relax and return to their natural positions. It is also used to help the body restore its internal balance, just as acupuncture does.

So, if you are hesitant about needles, call us at 337-6854 to schedule an appointment. Mention this post and we’ll give you a 20% discount on your sessions.

Research Finds Antioxidants May Be the Flu’s Achilles Heel

In a study published in the November 2009 issue of the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, researchers found that antioxidants may hold the key to preventing the flu from wreaking havoc on our lungs. It is generally recognized that antioxidants are powerful nutrients that protect your health by fighting against free radicals in the body, preventing damage from oxidation. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons. These unpaired electrons cause them to be highly available for bonding and can damage important tissues.

In this study, the researchers found that the flu virus damages the lungs through a protein called M2, which attacks the cells that line the inner surface of the lungs (epithelial cells). They discovered that the M2 protein disrupts the epithelial cells’ ability to remove liquid from inside the lungs, which can lead to pneumonia and other lung problems. However, antioxidants were able to prevent the M2 protein from damaging the epithelial cells.

In this study, antioxidant-like drugs were used to stop the destruction of the epithelial cells, however, it offers an intriguing glimpse into how dietary antioxidants probably work naturally.

Dr. Victor Bachinsky, a forensic pathologist and head of the Chernivtsi Regional Forensic Bureau, who has studied the lethal outbreak of influenza in the Ukraine, states that antibiotics are useless and that only those with a strong immune system will survive.

Antioxidants are the natural builders of the immune system. Enrich you diet with food sources that are high in antioxidants:

• Fruits: All berries, but especially cranberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, Acai berry juice, and red grapes
• Vegetables: Beans, artichokes, broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, carrots, peppers, snow peas, chard, mustard and turnip greens, alfalfa sprouts, and whole grains
• Nuts: All nuts especially walnuts and hazelnuts (best if soaked to deactivate the enzymes that interfere with digestion and then dried)
• Spices: Ground cloves, ground cinnamon, oregano, and garlic
• Other: Tea (both green or black), bee pollen (best if local)
• Vitamins: The antioxidant vitamins are C (be careful-taking too much C in megadoses can deplete your Copper concentrations, however over short periods of time the body can tolerate megadoses), D (get tested to see how much you should be taking) and E (400IU/day – again be careful – too much E, which is stored in the tissues, can be toxic)

Improvement Reaction a.k.a. Healing Crisis

In Eastern medicine and in Europe’s development of homeopathy, the phenomenon called a healing crisis, or Herxheimer Reaction, is well known and understood to be a positive sign that the intervention being used is having the desired effect. When the body begins to detoxify and heal itself, it sometimes cannot eliminate the toxins released fast enough and certain symptoms can appear. These symptoms usually last only 1 to 3 days, but can sometimes be intense.

In Western medicine symptoms of any sort are considered bad and the focus is to supress or eliminate them. Give us a pill and make us feel better! Most of us in this country have grown up without the concept that our bodies have the ability to heal themselves and that the body has its own process for accomplishing that task. However, as people have become aware of toxicity and the disease that can be caused from it building up in the body, various methods of cleansing the body are becoming popular. As a result of using cleanses people are becoming more familiar with how the body responds by eliminating toxins and are more aware of the potential for healing crises.

Bodywork of any sort, energy work, fasting, and improvements in the quality of nutrition can all cause improvement reactions. SCENAR can cause them. In Russia creating an “exacerbation” is desired, and is understood by the patient to be a good thing. In this country, with most people being unfamiliar with healing reactions, we were trained to conduct the sessions in a way so as to not, as much as possible,  create them. This slows down the healing process some, but does not surprise clients with an experience they are unfamiliar with. If a person does not know that what they are experiencing denotes healing, they may think they are getting worse. A small number of our clients have had them and usually the best way to quickly resolve the reaction is to do another treatment as soon as possible. Even without that, the symptoms usually resolve in a day or two.

Typical symptoms of a healing crisis can be:

• flu like aches and pains
• joint or muscle aches
• muscle cramps
• increased pain where the original complaint was
• malaise
• intense emotional states
• skin eruptions
• gastrointestinal disturbances

A healing crisis is a reaction to previously sequestered toxins in the body being systemically released. Such poisons can be stored in all kinds of tissues, primarily muscle, fascia, and adipose (fat). During a treatment these poisons are released from the tissues as the body begins to heal itself, and enter the blood stream. The sudden increase of toxins in the blood causes a toxicity reaction until the body is able to effectively process and eliminate them. While not a pleasant experience, a healing crisis signifies that a cleansing and purifying process is underway.

There are things you can do to help ease the symptoms a healing crisis:

• Take the homeopathic remedy Arnica Montana (3-5 pellets placed under the tongue) which can be purchased at most health food stores. You can also use Arnica gel applied locally to sore or painful areas. If you use homeopathics avoid Camphor in any form (lip balms, athletic/sports rubs and liniments such as Ben-Gay, and some sore throat lozenges). Camphor offsets the effects of homeopathics.
• Drink 1/2 ounce of pure room temeperature or slightly warm water per pound of body weight per day: e.g., a 150 lb person should drink 75 ounces/day (a little more than 2 quarts per day).
• Alkalinize your tissues. Nearly all improvement reactions occur in overly acidic tissues. Toxins are typically acidic. Drink water with fresh squeezed lemon and eat alkalinizing foods such as greens, fruit, cucumber, cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, onions, beets, and pears. Keep your diet as simple as possible.
• Take a hot bath with detoxifying salts such as Epsom salts to reduce muscle soreness.
• Do non-strenuous, light exercise such as a relaxed walk, gentle yoga, or stretching.
• Rest if you feel the need. Pamper yourself. Listen to your body. Don’t “push through.” Your body is working hard to heal. Honor that.
• Maintain good bowel function. Many liberated toxins are detoxified by the liver and eliminated through the gastrointestinal tract usually within 24 hours or so.

A true healing involves cleansing at all levels, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Due to the body’s fascinating ability to store emotions and memories in the tissues, their recollection or release can accompany manipulation of those tissues. The surfacing of memories or emotions without physical symptoms signal an emotional release. An emotional release is often a component of a healing crisis. Most people have some emotional issues or trauma in their life times. These are stored by the body in the nervous system. During any form of bodywork it is possible to release these stored issues. An emotional release may give rise to feelings of anger, grief, or other emotions. This release is indicative of a healthful body transformation, where the body clears itself of the negativity stored within.

Learning to surpress our emotions typcially causes them to go into our physical body tissues. The tensing of neck muscles will prohibit frowning, holding one’s breath can replace crying, and jaw clenching may stifle yelling. Emotional suppression with repetition can become habit and the body becomes a storehouse of unconscious and unexpressed feelings. Suppressed emotions are a key factor in muscle tension and pain.

The release of physical and emotional toxicity followed by restoration and renewal is what healing is all about, and the welcoming of this transformation opens the door to leading a healthier, more conscious, life.

An Excellent Complement to SCENAR Therapy-The Alexander Technique

Because SCENAR is so complementary to other modalities, we are always looking for ways our clients can augment and facilitate what we are doing related to relieving their pain. There are times when the pain we are treating is based in structural issues or ways in which our clients are habitually using their muscles. The SCENAR can re-educate the muscles to resume their natural positions with resulting pain relief, but these changes can be overridden by old postural habit patterns set up in the body, and the pain can return. In chronic situations, consistent and frequent SCENAR treatment can over time shift the body into healthier muscle use patterns. Typically, our clients are interested in what they can do to help themselves and we often give them ideas about things they can do to improve the way they use their bodies. But, we recently encountered something that has the potential to give our clients a way to support what we are doing with SCENAR as well as learn how to use their muscles and bodies in ways that promote health and prevent any recurrence of pain.

One of the things we love about the field of natural medicine is the numerous alternatives that we are exposed to that promote health and well being. I have a personal interest in this because of having had polio with residual paralysis of my left foot. Needless to say, wearing a brace on my left lower leg sets me up for all manner of improper muscle use all over my body and all the varieties of pain from my neck down to my feet that result from that. Complicating that is Post Polio Syndrome which is caused by the death of motor neurons damaged in the initial polio infection that have been overused for a lifetime. A progressive condition, I was told early on that I would end up in a wheelchair. I believe SCENAR has slowed that progression and it is a God send for managing the pain I encounter from living in this wounded temple. Now I have found another incredible tool that will help me assist my body even further.

The Alexander Technique was developed over a hundred years ago by F. Matthias Alexander, a young Australian actor, who discovered that unconscious habits of posture and movement can interfere with the performance of normal activities. Originally used by performers involved in music, dance, drama, and opera, it has now gone mainstream and is used as a practical method to promote body awareness, flexibility, energy conservation, and ease in daily activities. The technique engages the thinking process and refines an individual’s ability to perceive the way they move. Through observation, experimentation, and an Alexander teacher’s guidance, habitual muscular tension and awkward or inefficient movement patterns are reduced or eliminated. The stress and demands of modern life have fostered a virtual epidemic of neck, back, and other problems related to misaligned posture and improperly tensed muscles. The method is considered not a therapy, but an educational process, whereby awareness can be brought to an area of tension in the body and that tension can be consciously released allowing the muscles to resume their normal positioning. The Alexander Technique empowers and enables people of any age to make positive, lasting changes in their personal movement patterns that can be applied to daily functional activities such as walking, stair climbing, moving in and out of chairs, bending, and reaching as well as the more complex movement tasks of work, sports, or the performing arts.

We found out about this technique through Michele Drivon who learned to be an Alexander teacher through three years of training in California. She was interested in how SCENAR could compliment her work, just as we were interested in how her work could benefit our clients. Because of my personal situation, I’ve been working with her individually and have been impressed with the helpful learning experience it has proven to be (for more information on my personal experience, go to the Healing Tips page). We are happy to recommend her to anyone who has pain related to muscle tension and postural issues. She can be reached at 828-712-2804.

Another Tool for Your Health Arsenal

Here is a “home remedy” that you may not have encountered. It was passed along to us by a friend who is incredibly knowledgeable about natural and homeopathic remedies. She hasn’t taken a pharmaceutical in 40 years! She swears by this remedy and that’s good enough for us! The remedy comes from an Ecuadorian Medicine Woman.

“Magic” Syrup For Colds, Coughs, Sore Throats, Flu, Bronchitis, and Sinusitis

Ingredients:

• 3 large onions
• 1 bunch of radishes
• 10-12 large garlic cloves
• one 2-inch piece of fresh peeled horseradish
• 3-5 lemons
• 3-5 limes
• honey

(Organic ingredients are best, especially the lemon peel, but this is not essential.)

Grate the onions, radishes, garlic, and horseradish, on the medium side of a grater (if you don’t have a grater, chop the ingredients very finely). If the garlic is chopped rather than graded, mash the small pieces as well to release some of the juice.

Add finely grated peel (outside yellow and inner white layers) of one large lemon. Put all ingredients (including the juices) in a large bowl or jar. Completely cover all ingredients with equal amounts of fresh lime juice and lemon juice (the number of limes and lemons needed will depend on how juicy they are – probably 3-5 of each).

Cover bowl or jar tightly and leave on counter over night (at least 8 to 10 hours).

After 8-10 hours press mixture through a medium screen sieve, so that a little of the finer texture goes through with the liquid. Discard the remaining solids.

Heat, but don’t boil, about 1/8 cup of the above liquid to dissolve 3 level tablespoons of honey in it. (Preferably local honey where you live.)

When dissolved, add honey mixture to rest of liquid in a large covered jar and shake well. Put in the refrigerator.

Take two tablespoons of this liquid 5-6 times a day and if you awaken at night.

This amount should last 4-6 days.

Note: it is a good idea to make this up ahead of time (it stores up to 4 months in the fridge) so you can take it at the first sign of illness, instead of waiting 8 -10 hours for it to be ready.