Influences on Health
- Dr. Brendan McLaughlin
As we begin to understand that health is multidimensional (see previous post) we can start to discuss the various influences that affect health on these corresponding levels.
Again, nothing occurs in isolation so if there is an issue on one level, in our bodies effort to heal other factors can arise on that level or other levels. We must consider that multiple factors can contribute to ill health.
Many of my patients come in with multiple diagnoses and multiple solutions yet are no better than when they started their healing journey. This is in part because the diagnostic label(s) merely signify a constellation of symptoms rather than the primary cause of the problem. Secondly, many issues that impede healing are never addressed as there is a sole focus on the “diagnosis”.Lastly, many of the interventions are ill timed (correct intervention at the wrong time) or worse the intervention itself is impeding healing.
Rather than seek a constellation of symptoms to fit into an established diagnostic criterion, it is important to ascertain the primary cause of ill health, on what level it develops from and if there are any blockages on lower levels that prevent healing and what those factors are. By looking at all factors involved in the external and internal environment of the patient we can form a healing plan that gets to the foundational issues.
Physical
On the physical level we are dealing with structural imbalances, biochemical deficiencies, toxins and the microbial environment.
Structural Imbalances
The first factor we have to examine is any potential structural imbalance. A structural imbalance can include poor occlusion, spinal misalignment, fascial adhesions, visceral adhesions, faulty respiratory patterns, and poorly healed injuries.
These structural influences can impede the flow of blood and lymph, decrease neuronal transmission, affect proper respiration and alter tissue oxygenation all of which can impede healing not only to musculoskeletal structures but also to organ systems.
These structural issues are more prevalent than ever due to our impoverished modern diet as developing children and a society who does not move their bodies enough.
Biochemical Deficiencies
The next factor we need to examine on the physical level is if there are any biochemical deficiencies present. These include cell salt, mineral and nutrient deficiencies. A deficiency in any of these creates a lack of the fundamental building blocks that hinder the efficient mechanisms of the body to work appropriately. From there we can ascertain if there is a need for certain enzymes or co-factors, vitamins, or hormones.
While not always the most urgent this is where most of alternative medicine resides. This can be very helpful for most as we all have deficiencies due to a lack of quality, nutritious food and chronic exposure to environmental pollutants.
However it should be noted that this is not often the primary cause and more often the downstream consequence of other factors.
Toxins
Toxins are a factor that many are aware of as they are an ever-increasing challenge within our daily lives. It is important to remember that if toxins are identified we also need to ensure there are no other factors-for instance a structural imbalance or biochemical deficiency-that would impair a potential detoxification program.
The crucial toxins we deal with in our practice are man-made chemicals (primarily glyphosate), metals (predominantly aluminum, lead, mercury) and atmospheric aerosols.
Microbial Environment
In addition, we must look closely at the internal microbial environment within the body. Our internal ecology is imperative to our health and understanding the lifecycle of all microorganisms and the roles they play allows us to foster a symbiotic connection with our microbiome. When there is imbalance, certain microbial elements produce endo and exotoxins within the body that can have deleterious effects on our health.
The goal is not elimination of these microbes but rather a reharmonizing and an understanding of the other factors involved to ascertain why they are prevalent in certain forms to begin with.
Energetic
On the energetic level we are considering electromagnetic stress, allergies and internal energetic disturbances on or within the body.
Electromagnetic Stress
The most ubiquitous factor of ill health in our time lies outside of the range of our perception and therefore goes unnoticed by most. The exponential growth in chronic diseases and shortening of our health span has directly coincided with the proliferation of electromagnetic devices that use increasingly penetrating frequencies.
The most important sources to attenuate are from cell phones, laptops, smart meters and wifi routers as they are the closest in proximity to us in our daily lives. We also must consider other sources of EMR within the home and outside of the home including ground current and geopathic stress. EMR has extremely harmful effects on its own but there is also a potent synergy between electromagnetic radiation (EMR), toxicity and resultant pathogens that needs to be considered when looking holistically at all the factors.
It is important to stress that EMF has a multidimensional effect on all levels of our system as often patients experience altered thought and emotional patterns and a discordance within their energetic system when chronically exposed
Allergies
When looking at allergies as a factor in health it is important to recognize that they can stem from foods and environmental exposures, but all be from emotionally charged situations/ people.
Allergies begin as an energetic phenomenon altering the configuration of the structured water within/ around our cells, altering brain wave activity and the function of the autonomic nervous system. It is subsequent to these energetic changes that we experience allergies on the physical level due to cytokine and mast cell activation which triggers adrenal hormone secretion.
When we can desensitize the energetic level to the allergic phenomena the symptoms that present on the physical level cease.
Energetic Disturbance Within the Body
Just as we can have disturbances on the energetic level outside of our body, we can have energetic disturbances within the body that often go unnoticed and impair our health.
The most common energetic disturbance within the body is from scars and scar tissue. Scars not only the effect physical myofascial structures within the body but the light conductivity of the microtubules, nerves, and meridians on the energetic level.
There can also be dysfunction within the intra-organ meridian systems, autonomic and spinal ganglia, spinal membranes, and fascial planes. In addition to scars, we also must consider any metal within or on the body, such as metal implants in the mouth (especially when there is more than one type of metal used) or in joints, jewelry, watches, piercings and tattoos as potential causes of energetic disturbance.
Emotional/ Mental
The mental and emotional levels are most often where chronic illness originates. In recovering from any chronic illness it is imperative that these factors are assessed appropriately and healed in order to create lasting outcomes.
Unresolved emotional and mental trauma
Unresolved emotional/ mental trauma from our own experience or those close to us can create a decoherence or blockages in our energy fields and organ systems.
A decoherence in our energy fields provides opportunity for other energy structures to fill the void created by the trauma. A blockage prevents the optimal flow of information down to the energetic and physical levels inhibiting health.
Resolving these traumas is an integral part in someone’s health journey as often when the trauma is resolved we bring coherence to the patient’s energetic structures and there is no longer a higher-level imperative to maintain other energy structures that are not our own.
Limiting Beliefs
Most of our limiting beliefs we carry with us stem from influences during childhood or the intrauterine period. These limiting beliefs are subconscious in nature and are not perceptible to our conscious thought processes. These beliefs often get reinforced throughout our lives via traumatic experiences.
An integral part of healing is transforming these limiting beliefs into liberating ones and doing so in a way that creates health. All too often when someone recognizes limiting beliefs and tries to transform them by repeating certain phrases or thoughts they can actually be destructive as we have not taken the inner steps to remove the limiting beliefs and associated traumas first.
Spiritual/ Creation
On the higher spiritual and creation levels we can be dealing with limiting spiritual understandings or guiding influences from source.
Limited Spiritual Understanding
Limited spiritual understandings can create downstream mental constructs that are deleterious to our health and wellbeing. In addition, if we do not allow ourselves to fully actualize our spirituality, we deny ourselves the ability to heal and grow at the highest levels of our being.
Guiding or correcting influences from source that may be perceived as illness
At times in our lives, we are given certain lessons or reminders from the Divine. This can often be perceived as “illness” but rather it can be a message from the higher levels. Acute awareness of our spiritual selves is key to discern what is a message and what can be attributed to another factor.
Understanding the levels of healing and acknowledging the influences on our health are imperative to begin to understand how and why we can become ill and what that truly means. Instead of looking at a collection of physical manifestations detected by our senses and categorizing them into a disease we can begin to recognize the influences on our health and the interplay between them and the levels of our being so that we can work toward optimal health.
This often requires we shed many learned behaviors and thought patterns that we have been conditioned into from special interests and a reconnection to our inner selves and our environment. When we can do this the natural state of health that is within all of us can shine through.
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