What About Swine Flu?

Over the past few days, I have been asked one question more than any other. The question is, “Hey Doc, what do you think about this Swine Flu scare?” My response has been the same to everyone who has asked me. “I think flies don’t cause garbage!” Upon first hearing this response, most are quite surprised. But if you think about it – You don’t ever look at a pile of garbage with a bunch of flies buzzing around it and think, “Look at all the garbage these flies brought with them!” do you? You see, flies will thrive in garbage not create it and viruses will thrive in sickness not create it.

Flies only stay in an environment that is suitable for them to live, grow and multiply. Do you ever see flies swarming around a brand new, clean trash can? Of course not. A clean trash can is not a suitable environment for flies to thrive in. Bacteria and viruses are the same way. That is, they only “put down roots” in an environment that is suitable for them to live, grow and multiply. Regardless of what you may have been taught, the truth is that a healthy body is naturally a very clean and efficient place. As such, it is not normally a good place for these potentially harmful germs to settle into and thrive. How does it stay clean? Well, you have several systems that make sure that all the fluids, cells and tissues are repaired and/or replaced on a continual basis so that nothing is “decaying.” This is important since all viruses are scavengers. Plus, you have an amazing immune system that is constantly working to detect and eliminate any foreign invaders the moment they enter your body.

All of this is true, and yet some people get sick. Why is that? Why is it that some people seem to “catch everything under the sun,” some people never seem to be sick and most of the rest are somewhere in between? The answer is easy – Flies don’t cause garbage! It’s not the germs that decide who gets sick, it’s the strength of your internal resistance to the germs that determines if you get sick or not!

OK, so how do you increase your internal resistance to outside invaders like the Swine Flu virus? There are several things you can do. In our office, we refer to this as our “Wellness Lifestyle.” These are things that when done consistently, will steadily increase your resistance to sickness. This includes laughing, thinking of things that bring a smile to your face and warm your heart (your happy place), deep belly breathing, drinking plenty of purified water, eating high-energy foods that cleanse you rather than clog you, getting plenty of movement and exercise as well as the proper amount of rest and rejuvenating deep sleep every day.

Last, there are three things you need to know about how your body works to understand why and how The Intention Wellness Method can be one of the best strategies of all in continually raising your resistance. These are;

1. Every day, your body either gets a little stronger or a little weaker.

2. In order to get stronger instead of weaker each day, you must have a clear CONNECTION between your mind and your body.

3. In order to have a clear connection between your mind and your body and keep growing stronger every day, your Life Force Energy must be properly flowing throughout your entire system.

The key is in understanding that without a proper connection between your mind and your body, your Life Energy does not flow normally and you will get progressively weaker each day instead of stronger.

So, what can you do? First, use the Wellness Lifestyle ideas written above. Then, make sure you and your family get checked in our office every month to keep your Life Energy flowing normally. You see, this is what our work here at The Intention Wellness Center is based upon. Consistent care at our office will keep your mind and body connected and allow your Life Force Energy to flow freely. This will keep your “house” clean and free of the nasty little bugs everyone else worries about. Then, when your friends ask you what you think about Swine Flu or any other contagious illness, you can tell them, “I think flies don’t cause garbage!”

Stress Patterns

Expanding on the work of Dr. Alf Breig, a Swedish neurosurgeon, I have found that everybody has a specific pattern as to how their body neurologically responds to excess stress. This pattern is established in the womb and will stay with the individual throughout their lifetime. In other words, you have always responded to excess stress the same way and you always will. If you become consciously aware of your pattern and learn what the primary indicators of excessive stress are, you can become more proactive in leading yourself to a higher level of overall health and wellness.

There are two ways that the CNS will typically respond to excess stress: The spinal cord and brain will either compress or stretch. Everyone falls into one of these two patterns.

Stretched CNS: Someone in this pattern will always initially respond to excess stress in this manner. Think of this stretch pattern as an elongation of the brain and spinal cord making it longer measuring from the top of your head to the tip of your tailbone. Every millimeter makes a difference.

The CNS elongating is similar to the tightening a guitar string; once the string becomes too tight it loses its tone and cannot function well (out of tune). When the CNS becomes too tight due to this stretch response, the body loses its natural tone and cannot function to its potential.

A person who reacts to stress in this manner is automatically thrust into a defensive posture, or more accurately, into a state of resistance once stress becomes excessive. They become increasingly resistant to the constant changes that life presents them with. Going with the flow becomes increasingly challenging for this person. If excess stress becomes chronic in this individual, they would become at risk to osteoporosis, chronic fatigue, anxiety attacks, reactive anger and a severe heart attack.

The good news is that there are personal indicators that will alert this person as to when their stress has reached excess. It is literally like a car engine light that goes off to warn the driver of a problem. The personal indicator for this stress pattern is simply irritability. This can manifest as anxiety, frustration, loss of patience and/or physical tension. This person, when over stressed, gets too angry over ‘little things’. Becoming more aware of these indicators will enable a person with a stretched CNS to catch stress before it can cause physical and/or emotional issues.

An important behavioral trait that is typical of this resistance pattern is these people have a high level of self-judgment. They are very tough on themselves. For example, if one of these individuals take on a project, their natural tendency is to give it their absolute best effort. This sounds like a very good quality to posses; however, many times this individual does not believe that their best effort is good enough. The would've, could've, should've thoughts set in creating an extra worry load within (many times subconsciously). Procrastination can also become an issue because this person typically will not take on anything in their life that deep down they know they cannot give their best effort to. In order to register long term breakthroughs with anyone in the stretched CNS pattern, it is vitally important that they become aware of this self judgment and begin the process of consciously softening it.

Compressed CNS: This stress pattern is basically the opposite of the stretched pattern. Think of this compression pattern as a decrease in length of the brain and spinal cord measuring from the top of the head to the tip of the tailbone. Anyone in this pattern will always respond to excess stress in this manner.

Have you ever pushed down on a balloon? What happens? As you squash a balloon, the sides begin to bulge. Now visualize this balloon inside of a cylinder that will not allow the sides to bulge. What would happen if you began to squash this balloon within the cylinder? Intense pressure would be created to say the least.

This is, in essence, what happens to the spinal cord when it is compressed during this type of stress pattern. As the length of the CNS is decreased, the diameter of the spinal cord will increase. This becomes troublesome because the spinal canal, which is composed of the protective bones of the spine, is not very large and it is not designed to allow for an expansion in diameter of the spinal cord. Basically, the cord is already a snug fit within the canal and has very little wiggle room. Increase the stress load on an individual with this type of stress pattern and you will intensify the pressure build up within the CNS.

A person who reacts to stress in this manner is involuntarily pushed into mental and or physical fatigue. If this fatigue continues and progresses into exhaustion, the body and mind will then go into breakdown mode. Chronic excess stress in this individual can lead to severe headaches in the back of the head (due to the expanding diameter of the brain stem), low back pain that radiates into the legs (sciatica) and a higher susceptibility to colds and flu. They would also become at risk to all forms of arthritis, cancer and multiple sclerosis. Depression is also very common among people who carry their excess stress in this way.

Fortunately, there is a unique indicator that will alert this person as to when their stress has reached excess. The signal for this stress pattern is simply fatigue. This can manifest as overwhelm, brain fog or just simply being tired. Becoming more aware of the fatigue factor will enable a person with a compressed CNS to catch stress before it can cause physical and/or emotional issues.

An important behavioral trait that is typical of someone in this breakdown pattern is this person tends to keep everything inside and internalizes their stress to the extreme. When over stressed their minds will continue to race and the internal chatter never seems to ease. For example, if one of these individuals were performing a simple task like brushing their teeth, their ‘to do’ list within their head would be on overdrive. Instead of thinking about brushing their teeth, they would be thinking about all the things that they need to do next after completing the brushing. There is an innate sense of guilt that will set in for this person if they take a break and rest. To register long-term results with anyone in this compressed CNS pattern, it is imperative that they become aware of this guilt and begin the process of consciously softening it. By taking a physical rest and mentally pausing throughout the day, this person will be much more effective and efficient at everything they do.

If you are unclear as to which of these stress patterns is your specific way of dealing with excess stress, be sure to ask Dr. Jay at your next visit.

Why Prioritize Imbalances?

In order to elevate your success rate using The Intention Wellness Method, it is important to work on imbalances in the order that the body needs most. Certain primary imbalances within the body can create secondary or compensatory areas of stress and tension throughout the entire system. It is not uncommon for these secondary areas to be much more symptomatic than the primary imbalances.

For example, just like when you accidentally step on a dogs tail, the noise comes out of his mouth. The primary issue is your foot on the dog’s tail. The loud yelping that is coming out of the dog’s mouth (symptom) is much more noticeable even though it is the secondary issue. You can address the loud yelping by trying to plug the dog’s mouth but you will not achieve any long-term results until you correct the primary issue by taking your foot off of the tail.

I will typically refer to these “primary” imbalances as the “major issues” and the secondary of compensatory areas as the “minor issues”. If we were to only correct the minor imbalances without addressing the majors, our results would be temporary at best. However, by correcting the major issues first, many of the minor imbalances will immediately dissolve on their own. I have found that this is the key to creating those long-term results that we are looking for. The main point here is: Always look for the primary imbalances. And, no matter how tempting it is; DO NOT chase symptoms.

The Flow Chart

Finding imbalances becomes incredibly easy and accurate with very little practice. The only real limitations that you will encounter when determining where excess stress has accumulated on your clients, is within your own knowledge and awareness of the anatomy and systems of the body, mind and spirit.

To aid you in using a comprehensive system of analysis, here is the flow chart that I use to analyze my clients during every session using The Intention Wellness Method:

1. Sleep Patterns: Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of deep sleep.
2. Fight or Flight Pattern: Ganglion of Impar, Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and Nadis.
3. 3 Brains: Pineal, Limbic and Neocortex.
4. Organs: Thymus gland, liver, spleen, pituitary gland, kidneys, reproductive organs, heart, lungs, etc.
5. Ku: Subconscious & Heart Chakra
6. Central Nervous System: Brain Hemispheres and spinal cord.
7. Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF)
8. Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
9. DNA Molecules
10. Emotional Attachment
11. Past Life Patterns
12. Hormonal Balance
13. Body/Spirit Connection
14. Structure: Spinal, extremities, posture and scarring.
15. The 7 Major Energy Centers

In the next posting, we will discuss how to prioritize these imbalances.

Finding an Imbalance

The simplicity of finding an imbalance within the body shocked me when I first figured it out. In fact, I questioned its validity for quite some time. Fortunately, reading and studying the work of others that use a similar form of bio-response or muscle testing method helped to validate what I was finding (for example: Power vs. Force by David Hawkins). Now, after performing well over 20,000 of these leg checks, I not only accept and trust this systems accuracy - but I rely on it.

The easiest way to determine whether or not there is excess stress within an area or system of the body is to simply focus on that area/system and then check the legs. If the leg length deviates from neutral, you have found an imbalance. That’s basically it. It really is that simple.

Here is a step-by-step specific example of how I check sleep patterns: My client (Jane) is face down in a comfortable prone position. I have the clear intention to communicate with Jane’s inner wisdom and for her body to only show me the areas that need my help in returning Jane to her natural state of ease. I first find neutral. Next, I take my thumbs off the ankles and I say to myself (you can say it out loud if you like) “show me imbalanced”. I place my thumbs back onto the ankles and take note that Jane’s left leg now appears to be about an inch shorter than the right. I now know that Jane’s left leg is her indicator leg. I take my thumbs off of her ankles. After a few seconds I place them back on her ankles and find neutral. Thumbs off again and I simply state in my mind’s eye: “REM Sleep Pattern”. I place my thumbs back onto Jane’s ankles and notice that the left leg has pulled short into the imbalanced indicator position. I now know that there is a possible imbalance in Jane’s sleep pattern. Jane’s would not have sleep pattern disturbances had the legs remained in neutral.

To confirm my findings I will repeat the above process a few times. I will also add in a few other statements to aid in this confirmation. For example, with my thumbs off of the ankles I will state: “Jane’s sleep patterns are clear of dis-ease” or “Jane’s sleep patterns need balancing” and then check the leg length. You can play with the words here as long as you use statements not questions. If the legs stay in neutral that means yes or balanced is your answer. Or, if the indicator leg pulls short it means no or imbalanced depending on your statement.

Indicator Leg

It is time to begin our question and answer session with the inner wisdom that flows through us. By now you should have established a consistent starting point (neutral) with the leg checks. Next, we need to see how balanced and imbalanced present themselves through the leg length. This can also be termed yes and no or positive and negative. Depending on the type of information that you are looking for, any of these terms can be used.

It is important to remember to stay calm, quiet the your mind and breathe deeply during the leg checks. With your intention set on clearly communicating with the energy of the body, gently find neutral. Next, immediately lift your thumbs off of the ankles and simply state either out loud or in your mind’s eye: “Show me imbalanced.” Put your thumbs back on the ankles and compare the leg length to your neutral starting point. Did you see a change? Lift your thumbs off of the ankles then place them down again and find neutral. Take your thumbs off the ankles and make the following statement: “Show me no.” Gently place the thumbs back down on the ankles and look for a shift in leg length. Did you see a change? Try this again with the word negative. Did you see a change?

Repeat the entire above process, this time using the statements: “Show me balanced.” “Show me yes.” & “Show me positive.” Remember to lift the thumbs off of the ankles just before you make each statement and gently place them there right after. Did you see a change from neutral using these statements?

Above Picture Shows "Imbalanced" or "No" using the Leg Checks (Note right indicator leg)

With a little practice, you will notice that when using the statements containing imbalance, no, or negative, one leg will appear to be shorter than the other. We will refer to this “shorter” leg as the indicator leg. The indicator leg, depending on the individual being checked, may be the right or the left. The picture above shows a right indicator leg.

Did neutral and balanced look the same? Don’t be alarmed if you did not see a change between neutral and balanced (yes). They will almost always appear as equal leg length. An example of neutral & yes not showing equal leg length would be when one leg bone is actually shorter than the other (anatomical short leg). This rarely occurs to the extent of interfering with these leg checks and we will discuss how to handle this unusual situation later in detail.

Finding it - The Set Up

Before we can thoroughly correct an imbalance, we need to specifically find it. The Intention Wellness Method leg checks are the cornerstone of this hands-on-healing technique. This analysis is a fantastic biofeedback information gathering system where you will literally have a Q & A session with the inner wisdom energy that flows through each of us.

This system of analysis is very easy to learn. In fact, I have personally attempted to teach these leg checks to about 50 people over the last few years and within just a few hours, without an exception, they were all able to perform an accurate leg check. I’m extremely confident that you will learn this method very quickly and with a little practice you will be able to gather a wealth of information about the overall health of the individual you are working on and much more.

The Set-Up

Obviously, you will need a partner to be able to perform these leg checks. Also, I would highly recommend investing in or borrowing a massage table. The use of a massage table is important for two reasons. First, it is extremely easy for your clients to get into a comfortable, relaxed, face down position. The more at ease your subject is, the easier it is to receive accurate information using this method. And second, the height of the table is adjustable. When your table is set to the correct level, it will prevent the need for you to lean over, thus saving your body from too much physical stress due to poor posture. To find a decent quality, inexpensive and sturdy table, I suggest you check your local warehouse store (Costco, Sam’s, etc.).

Have your partner lie in a neutral, face down position (prone) on the table. If you don’t have a massage table, you can start by using a bed. Have your partner lie sideways on the bed with their feet hanging off the side. The key here is to find a comfortable, relaxed position.

Gently Find Neutral

Before we start the leg checks it is imperative that you stay relaxed, always use a very light touch and remember to breathe. If you do the opposite, you may interfere with the accuracy of your readings.

Now we are ready to start the leg checks. The first thing that we do with the ankles is to find a neutral position. Lightly place your thumbs onto the back of the ankle. Make sure your thumbs are pointing towards each other. Try to visualize an imaginary line that runs to and from the tip of each of your thumbs. This will be your starting point and the point at which we will refer to as “neutral”.

When placing your thumbs onto the back of the ankle, feel for the slight divot in the Achilles tendon just above the heel. Spend some time finding this spot on each ankle until you can consistently and effortlessly place your thumbs there over and over again. With a little practice, your thumbs will easily slide into this comfortable little ankle notch every time you touch the legs giving you very consistent readings. Below is a picture of neutral using the ankle notch.

If you discover that you are having a hard time consistently finding this ankle notch on the back of the lower leg, the big bump on the inside of each ankle is another option for you. These big bumps are bones on the inside of the ankle that are called the medial malleolus. Simply place each of your thumbs onto the medial malleolus and look if you can find a consistent “neutral” reading. The picture below is neutral using the inside ankle bones.

If your partner is wearing shoes, simply place your thumbs onto the lower leg just above the point where the shoe meets the ankle. The side of your thumbs will lightly touch the top of the shoe while the palm side of each thumb will gently rest on the Achilles nicely.

We have now introduced 3 different contact points for the leg check and we’ll discuss quite a few more as we progress. It is important to know that one is not better than the other. The key here is not which contact point you use, but which one you are most comfortable and consistent with. If you are able to see whether the leg length is equal or not, over and over again, then you will have great results using The Intention Wellness Method.