Monday, November 29, 2010

Biological Dentistry: New Blog, Major Health Support

This is likely the final entry into this early blog that I began for sharing some of the important things that I want my patients and the general public to know. Biological Dentistry can transform the sad and ugly look of mouths such as that one (of a cancer patient).

I have posted a new blog on my clinical website and you are invited to visit that and subscribe to receive future blog postings.

The address is: http://naturalconnectionshealthcare.com/blog/2010/clean-to-the-bone-biological-dentistry/

Many of you have had your Mercury dental fillings removed. The picture above was included so that you will remember the suffering, debility and often pain that you experienced before you were helped by Biological Dentistry. Please tell others about the health recovery that may be theirs if they visit a biological dentist.
Best wishes to you all for a healthy and meaningful Christmas/Holiday season!
Ralph Wilson, N.D., Washington DC

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Deepening Commitment to NIHA Success

Finding your way to the Integrative Medicine services of NIHA is easy: Just follow the signs.

National Integrated Health Associates (NIHAdc.com) has developed an increasingly visible location on what I call "the healthcare landscape" in the USA.

A Holistic Integrative Medicine and Dental Center, NIHA has recently expanded its offerings to include Holistic Primary Care. With the NIHA Newsletter, NIHA Webinars, online Library of health information, and the new easy-to-use online Wellness Store, the word is getting around that NIHA is a giant on the healthcare landscape.

For the past ten years I have known Mark McClure, DDS, FAGD (NIHA co-founder) since meeting him at workshops of Dietrich Klinghardt, M.D., Ph.D. It has been deeply rewarding professionally for me to have been a clinical associate at NIHA since October 2001. I purposely chose to move to Washington DC so that I could help serve our country through my contributions to the growth of health care opportunities for the public.

One of the brilliant practitioners at NIHA is Bruce Rind, M.D., whose innovations are becoming legendary in the integrative medicine community. His assessments and treatments are helping people who had otherwise been given no hope for improvement, such as from strokes, chronic fatigue, thyroid/adrenal conditions and much more. He has information on the NIHA site, as well as on his earlier website: DrRind.com.

These past months and upcoming months mark a pivotal time in NIHA's growth and in the ways that I am contributing to the integrative medicine team there. We have recently been joined by healthcare innovator Steven Shafarman, developer of FlexAware fitness and rehabilitation education. I recently wrote a NIHA blog entry about the Integrative Physical Health Initiative at NIHA which began with Steve's insightful recommendation.

There are other enhancements and additions yet to come to NIHA's services to the public locally, nationally and even globally through the Internet.

I invite you to visit NIHA's internet site (NIHAdc.com) and my own clinical site (NaturalConnectionsHealthcare.com) for more information. It is deeply rewarding for me to contribute to NIHA's success.

Expanding Service for DC Area: Washington Institute

One of the most seasoned of leaders in healthcare growth whom I've met is Dr. Victoria Goldsten -- founder of the Washington Institute of Natural Medicine (WINMdc.com).

The Institute has been a consistent resource for both natural medicine services and training in what they call Traditional Naturopathy or Classical Naturopathy. For several years I have been a supporter of this facility in their former location in the Cleveland Park/National Zoo area of the District of Columbia.

During the past few years when the District of Columbia was considering how to regulate the practices of the relatively new profession of Naturopathic Physician, I have been a consistent advocate for allowing a regulatory structure that honors the public benefits of both of these natural medicine professions. I have observed Dr. Goldsten and naturopaths from DC and surrounding states as they diligently gave inputs to the process and responded to various developments regarding practice of natural health methods in The District.

I am particularly impressed with the Washington Institute's contribution to education in natural medicine and natural health approaches. My repeated statement to them is that their structure for teaching is in alignment with the old-fashioned method of training apprentices using on-site and hands-on learning as a key addition to their online educational opportunities.

Dr. Goldsten's unique "Natural Health Exam" is an example of the eclectic blend of techniques of assessment and treatment that is reminiscent of when I was a student of Dr. John Bastyr, Dr. Gary Berg and others who understood the interface between the "old school" naturopathic doctors and the newly developing profession of "naturopathic physician."

Now that the Washington Institute has relocated to the Tenleytown area of northwest DC, I have begun seeing patients there on a part-time basis. I will be offering the Natural Health Exam, to ensure continuity of their record-keeping system and to enable more effective communication about patient cases when I ask other practitioners at the Institute to participate in their care. I will also offer laboratory testing and other scientific approaches of assessment and treatment as I draw upon my extensive background in western medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, Ayurveda, Craniosacral therapy, biofeedback, counseling, hypnotherapy, physical medicine and more.

I invite you to visit the Institute's internet site (WINMdc.com) and my own clinical site (NaturalConnectionsHealthcare.com) for more information. It is deeply rewarding for me to now include part-time practice there in support of that important Washington DC institution.

Monday, November 1, 2010

"Which lever do I pull, and when?"

Especially when someone has a complex health situation going on, they have multiple choices of assessment and treatments. Whether it is for improving health of body or mind, each person can benefit from looking at life as a process of discovering what works and what does not work for them.

First of all I advise them to learn more about "who is it that is pulling the lever?" What is their basic character type and how might that affect their ability to appreciate the different options for learning about and treating their health concern?

As a doctor of natural medicine I can give them information from these perspectives:
1. Homeopathic personality archetypes [reviewed here];
2. Traditional Chinese Medicine and emotions related to organs [introduced here];
3. Ayurvedic Medicine and personality types [introduction]; and,
4. Rayid Emotional Iridology [introduction].

After we have discovered at least some clues about their personality and neuro-emotional "hard wiring" we can then look at the Three Control Systems that each person has with which to manage their life. [See earlier blog: "Living Inside the Box".] There may be one of the three that seems to offer more return for the investment of time and energies for assessment and treatment using that control system as the starting point.

A quote from Hippocrates is appropriate here:
"It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has."

After choosing which one or more of the control systems may bring about significant improvement in health, we then move to the stage of choosing which assessments and treatments to employ.

My practitioner profile at NIHA will give you an idea of some of the assessments and treatments that I can choose. The NIHA practitioners with whom I sometimes join in integrative medicine programs for patients have an impressive list of assessments and treatments that can become part of a program of combined care if you should choose that option.

Here are two out of several aspects that I consider to be very important in deciding which step to take next:
1. Autonomic Regulation and its importance to health care: Blog--Autonomic Self-Regulation: The Power of Life; and
2. The NES ProVision bodyfield scan with Infoceutical supplements to remove distortions in the bodyfield: NES International Headquarters; NES U.S.A. Headquarters; The Living Matrix Movie (which features NES developer, Peter Fraser, acupuncture educator).

In the end, the decision about what will be most effective depends on you. I act as a coach as well as a detective and a doctor. I have always been impressed with the way people's outcomes depend on their learning about how to manage their life and then gaining access to the assessments and treatments that can help their body heal itself.

I am glad to be part of the NIHA community of clinical associates. You are invited to visit the NIHA website, read in the online Library, sign up for complimentary webcasts about current health topics and choose which practitioner(s) you would like to consider seeing to improve your health.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Infancy to Maturity: You benefit from growth of Integrative Medicine

I have been pleased to practice at National Integrated Health Associates in Washington DC. Our community of health care practitioners offers a varied menu of options for creating an individual health support program for each patient. Each of us practitioners has had different roles in the field of health care over recent decades as medical science and healthcare practices in our nation and internationally continue to develop and mature. In a similar way to a person growing up, the body of health care knowledge has advanced to become more capable of dealing with complex issues than it could previously. And that directly benefits you the healthcare consumer.

The field of medicine has moved through an “adolescence” of awkward recognition that it was undergoing changes that it could not fully control. Now it has finally emerged into its new existence as an intricate body of knowledge and procedures that exists as part of a larger community of health care systems that each contributes to the health and wellness of human society.

Integrative Medicine and Functional Medicine have become very important now that medical science is more openly admitting that it is part of a larger context and that other practitioners offer services and assessments that can also help people be healthier. You can read on the NIHA website about the offerings in Integrative Medicine and Functional Medicine.

The bottom line in the maturing process of healthcare science is that a growing percentage of medical doctors and the general public now realize that simply treating “Disease” with the “big guns” is only part of the process of becoming healthier. We think of you as being much more than a diagnosis label and encourage you to actively include both the “big things” and the “small things” as part of your integrative medicine health care program.

As a licensed naturopathic physician I often observe the effects of people breaking the seemingly insignificant natural laws that require adequate sleep, drinking enough water, getting sunshine, appropriate exercise, effective breathing, dressing and eating in harmony with the cycles of nature, and dealing with "toxic relationships" and "toxic memories."

Regarding a specific "small thing," in recent years we in the Integrative Medicine field have recognized the threat posed by microscopic organisms growing in the body (including bacteria, viruses, parasites, yeast/fungus). Treating these small things has dramatically changed the lives of people, including their mental health as well as physical improvement. As an example, treating Lyme and Co-Infections has become a major focus of NIHA practitioners. Supporting your healthy "internal community" of friendly organisms is the subject of this earlier blog entry that I wrote.

Another deep subject is the Welcome to the human family that is your birthright, and is the focus of Family Constellations therapy sessions. This helps deal with various "toxic memories" that can confuse our efforts to develop healthy relationships with self and others.

You are invited to visit the NIHA internet site and think about the many ways that our community of integrative medicine practitioners can help you move forward into a healthier future for yourself and your loved ones.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Living "Inside the Box": Your body as temple

The more I observe the intricacies of human life the more awed I am at the gift of life. As a doctor I enjoy teaching about how to move forward from where you are to an improved state of health. The more you understand the physical body and its importance to your overall existence the easier it is to make choices that support the life you were meant to have. One way that I describe human health is to recognize the Three Control Systems that each person has by which they manage their life.

Your Three Control Systems: These are: 1) your brain and motor nerves; 2) your physical body with its neurotransmitter receptors located in the gastrointestinal tract so that it can make decisions without your conscious brain; and, 3) your autonomic nervous system which acts separately, “in the background” without conscious control, to maintain for the brain and body a safer, more stable base of operations. I will write more, but first is this disclaimer:

Describing the complete "diagram" of a human being has been a task that many have sought to do. I consider it impossible for us to ever fully create a "map" of every aspect of a human being. The graphic to the right is courtesy of the Institute of HeartMath Research Center and used with permission as part of my project on what I call Human Energy Anatomy.

About your Three Control Systems:
When you work with me your integrative medicine program includes more than one step, more than one way of improving your health. I include the Three Control Systems in constructing individual integrative medicine programs.
1. Your physical body must have good food, rest and appropriate movement. We may begin with laboratory testing to check for things that are holding back your ability to physically heal (such as gastrointestinal microbial imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, heavy metal toxicity, enzyme production polymorphisms, and more).
2. Your brain needs to know what is going on, that you are doing things that will help. This is part of what I call Therapeutic Education and I may assign reading and homework such as temperature graphing and Diet Diary. The clarification of the brain's role in health is the background for the new Integrative Physical Health initiative (more information will be posted in future entries on this blog).
3. Your Autonomic Nervous System needs to sense that it is being acknowledged and supported. On my teaching site you can read more about the ANS as your Internal Protector, Dr. Stephen Porges's writings about the ANS, autonomic dysregulation and ways to treat "dysautonomia." [click here]

A lot more could be said about this way of looking at this life that we have. In closing here is a note about the “Stage” on which we live our lives:

"Outside the Box": I am convinced that there is a consciousness that is outside of these Three Control Systems, which is the You that can influence those three. This "real you" has been the subject of conjecture by philosophers and religious scholars. I classify it as being a more elemental observer and subtle influencer of the three control systems. It does not experience fear and anxiety and is always available to help the three discover successful courses of action. I consider each of those three to be perfect in its conducting its activities in accord with what it knows. I do not blame them for not being given the information or the raw materials for healthy living; that is the purpose for my teachings and my resource networking and for the work of all others in society who are dedicated to helping people experience life more fully.

Each of the Three Control Systems -- as well as the consciousness that is You -- are all worthy of the Welcome that is a key to being part of the human family (see Family Constellations). You deserve to be here and to live a full, rich life. I have written more about the reason for hope and positive outlook in earlier entries in this health support blog [back to Home].

Thursday, August 19, 2010

It's Always Been About You: Family Constellations

[play video]
My approach to counseling is to always honor the client's central position in their life. Sometimes people may criticize themselves for not living up to what their parents wanted for them. Or they may fear that they are not what their social group expects them to be. Or they may purposely give their attention to others (children, partner, family, job, etc.) and in doing so their physical body gets the message that it does not count as much as others do. The process of "sacrificing" one's own needs for the sake of others may leave their body and immune system with reduced ability to handle shocks and traumas that occur in life.

Knowing more about how the whole of you (body, brain, and autonomic nervous system) can be more effective at staying healthy and in healthy relationships can make life more meaningful and enjoyable too. I have placed extensive essays on the NIHA website -- on my Practitioner Profile -- that describe some key factors in gaining and maintaining health of the whole person. [Note: read my newer blog essay on Your Three Control Systems.]

One helpful step you can take is to attend a Family Constellation workshop. This is a type of movement and observation therapeutic experience that is unique; words do not fully explain what the experience does for people who attend. We at National Integrated Health Associates are advocates for the benefits of Constellations; check the NIHA website for upcoming events.

The video that is at the top of this page describes some of the forces behind the flow of personal dynamics in a person's relationships to the Human Family that are grounded in what their own birth parents and their ancestors have experienced.

For some people: A limited time in childhood (according to psychiatrist Clancy McKenzie, M.D.) can act as a "window of risk" in which if a child thinks or feels that it has been abandoned by the mother, there can be established a strong memory of being separated from the source of life. This can become a PTSD ("Post Traumatic Stress Disorder") event, that Dr. McKenzie has detected in the past history of his patients who have later on in their life come to him for psychiatric care for such conditions as Schizophrenia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. There is much more information in his book, "Babies Need Mothers: How Mothers Can Prevent Mental Illness in Their Children." Introducing Dr. McKenzie and his book.

Your "assignment": After reading this description and looking at the linked pages please take time to consider the benefits of Family Constellations as a way to change a person's inner remembering process regarding their family's history of shocks and traumas.

The autonomic nervous system is integral to virtually all processes and perceptions and so it is worth it to also learn about the ANS. The ANS is affected by Family Constellation work and can be a powerful addition to Body psychotherapy and Craniosacral therapy (with Somato-Emotional Release). These all are intended to give you the client more control over your life, so that you can experience more positive changes in your health of body and mind.
I wish you a meaningful and enjoyable day today and always -- Dr. Wilson