Objectives There are many different physical and mental symptoms that are possible when you are in sustained flight or fight physiology. At my lowest point, I was experiencing 17 of them. No one could tell me what was happening despite seeing many physicians. I suffered for over 15 years. The … Read More
Objectives Spine surgery is not an option if there is not a structural problem with matching symptoms. Back pain does not respond to surgery and it is often made much worse in the presence of untreated chronic pain. It is understandable why you might choose it as it seems definitive … Read More
Consider your healing journey in terms of becoming a Major League baseball player. You are the hitter and life is the pitcher. Your goal is to get on base safely. “You are not here to get rid of your mental or physical pain.” This is true because your … Read More
Each new year, many of us spend time figuring out how we’ll make it better and also to really complete some projects that we have been putting off, maybe for decades. Few of us are able to accomplish a fraction of what we envision. Why? It’s because our unconscious … Read More
A person’s stress level has a marked effect on both your central and peripheral nervous systems. The central nervous system (CNS) consists of your brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system (PNS) includes all other nervous system tissue—the nerves exiting your spinal cord, all sensory receptors, and sensory and … Read More
Essentially every person that has experienced deep healing has learned to process anger and nurture joy. It is much more than an intellectual exercise and deeper than “acceptance.” You don’t have to like the person or situation that harmed you. You must “let go” and move on. Anxiety is the … Read More
Living creatures have two basic biological imperatives. The first is to survive and the second is to pass their genetic material to the next generation. Threat physiology is a necessary component to maximize chances of survival while the whole organism goes on alert. The variables are the intensity and duration. … Read More
Jean was a 48 year-old woman who came to me from a neighboring state for a second opinion. She filled out an extensive spine pain questionnaire, which included many questions about her quality of life, in addition to a history and diagram of the pain. She was a healthy physically active … Read More
Surgery on a normal neck?? Last week, I reviewed the films of a young girl who had been in a car accident and was suffering from chronic neck pain. Her attorney sent her to a spine surgeon, who wanted to perform a five-level fusion of her neck. Her MRI was … Read More
Any skill in life, mental or physical is first learned and them embedded in our brains with repetition. This is true for physical sensory input as well as mental. In both chronic mental and physical pain, the impulse are memorized in about 6-12 months and then it does not matter … Read More