True Wellness Comes From The Heart

True-Wellness-Comes-From-The-Heart

I’m sure by now you know about looking after your gut for wellness, and about keeping your mind in check. You’ve probably heard about the gut-brain connection – a lot.  You probably know that most of your hormones and neurotransmitters are produced in your gut.  There’s a lot that goes into great gut health. We all know about the many options to help us with our thinking patterns.

But what do you do when, despite eating all the right things, thinking all the right thoughts and drinking plenty of water, you just don’t FEEL better?  And why does this happen?

Did you know that you actually have 3 brains?

You have your cephalic brain, which we know as the brain.  This brain has up to 100 billion neurons, and controls all the things that we know about – thought, learning, cognitive ability, language, and so on.  Basically, the “I think” and “I understand” brain.

Then you have your enteric brain, which we know as the gut.  Your gut has about 100 million neurons.  It has a very obvious role in the processing of food, it houses our microbiome, and has a role in our survival and responding to challenges.  It’s also very important in our development of our core sense of self. This brain is about your “gut feelings” and “digesting information”.

Then you have your cardiac brain, or your heart.  This brain is your feeling centre – “I feel, My heart says”. This brain has only 40,000 neurons, yet this tiny little powerhouse literally controls your whole body.  Think about it, when your heart stops, that’s it.  In Chinese medicine, the heart is seen as the ruler, or the emperor, and the brain as the Prime Minister.  The Prime Minister can make good decisions, but doesn’t always.  But the Emperor knows what it wants.  It doesn’t have to think about the right response like the brain, it doesn’t have to digest the information like the gut, it just….knows. Think of it as your innate intelligence, or intuition.

Your feelings and those 40,000 neurons literally control what happens in your gut, and what happens in your mind.  How you think about things, how you perceive things is filtered through the lens of how you feel.  And your feelings affect how hormones and neurotransmitters function in your body.  Your gut might produce most of them, but your feelings are the ruler of how they work.

So with this in mind, when you are focusing on your wellness, it is really important to support your heart just as much as your gut and your brain.  Who can help you with wellness that supports your brain, gut and heart?

Kinesiology and mind body medicine therapies focus on the whole of you – mind body and soul – in one.  They delve into your thought processes, what you are putting into your body (or not) and also your feelings on different levels as well.  You have your conscious feelings which you’re aware of, your subconscious feelings which are your underlying patterns, and then your unconscious feelings which are the drivers of the patterns, which make you think and act the way that you do.

You can see from this that even within the 3 brains, there are many layers and patterns within each of them that make up what is uniquely you.  Your kinesiologist, while delving into these patterns and layers, taps into your body’s innate healing wisdom through the art of muscle monitoring combined with a series of tools such as acupressure, crystals, oils, sound, essences and more.  We then interpret what your body is telling us, and help you to connect with what is going on for you and why.

There is great healing ability in this, as when you have a conscious connection with the subconscious patterns and the unconscious drivers, then you have the ability to make huge change in your life.  You become aware of the actual issue for you, coming from your heart, and then you can see where and how that plays out in your life.  By meeting your actual needs, working through any layers of stress that have built up over the years, and changing your patterns, then you can add the layers of fuelling your body well and creating great mental health and have wellness on all levels.

An example of this is someone who has an underlying driver of being accepted.  When they don’t feel accepted, then they feel like they’re not good enough.  So they often will work really hard, people please, try to achieve a lot, and over time stress builds up more and more.  Then they get headaches, sore eyes, tiredness.  They reach for coffee, sugar, alcohol and all the things that people do for stress relief.  It helps in the immediate term.  Then they get angry, migraines, reflux, waking in the middle of the night.

Hopefully they realise at this point that things aren’t working for them.  They might change their diet, reduce stress levels a bit and work out some sort of lifestyle that keeps the symptoms at bay.  For a while.  And so the pattern repeats.  But they haven’t uncovered the core of this, which is about not feeling accepted, so they keep repeating the pattern of seeking acceptance.

When they uncover the driver of acceptance with the assistance of kinesiology, and actually work on accepting themselves, the stress patterns around It disappear, and their health and wellness on all levels improves.

In this pattern, you can see how the heart controls this situation, and how it affects the gut and the brain, as well as overall health.

Your heart really is your emperor!  It rules everything in your body.  True wellness is the innate balance of healthy feelings, healthy food and a healthy mind. If you are seeking true wellness, I would encourage you to seek out your local kinesiologist and work from the inside out to achieve balance on all levels of your being.

Natural Medicine Week – Practitioner Webinar Recordings 2020

Natural Medicine Week – Practitioner Webinar Recordings 2020

During Natural Medicine Week 2020 our accredited practitioners across different types of Ingestive Therapies, Bodywork & Massage and Chinese Medicine came together to present online events in celebration of a natural approach to health and wellbeing.

If you missed any of these fabulous events, don’t worry – they also recorded their webinars, sessions and Q and A’s so you can watch them at your own leisure.

START WATCHING NOW – check out all the links below!

And a huge THANK YOU to all our practitioners for taking the time to support Natural Medicine Week in 2020 and sharing their therapies

TO WATCH – Click  on the URLs below. 

“From Invisible to Invincible” – The Natural Menopause Revolution
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykm3-IOA-5w&t=24s

Presented by Jennifer Harrington, Clinical Director / Naturopath – Menopause Natural Solutions
www.menopausenaturalsolutions.com.au

The Brain- Gut- Hormone Connection
How stress influences Gut Health and Hormone Balance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJAh7LjB6kU&feature=youtu.be

Presented by Jacqui Watts – Healthful Wellness (www.healthful.net.au) & Danielle Elliott -Tummy Rescue (https://www.facebook.com/tummyrescue/)

 

Endometriosis? Why You Should Remove Gluten and How

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjUEBZm_oB0&feature=youtu.be

Anne-Marijke Gerretsen, the Endometriosis Nutritionist – Eat Well Live Well

www.eatwelllivewell.com.au

The Ketogenic Diet – Is It Right For You?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Ek72TV4-U&feature=youtu.be

Sonya Reynolds, Nutritionist & Life Coach, Studio-You

https://www.studio-you.com.au/

 

Homeopathy for sleep disorders

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPZgJA1ZL5w

Christina Boyd, Homeopath, Holistic Kinesiologist, Switch on Health

https://www.switchonhealth.com.au

Natural therapies for Hormonal Skin Conditions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YADvMQXdBe4

Deanne Apostolou, Medical Herbalist & Iridologist, Switch on Health

https://www.switchonhealth.com.au

Natural Remedies for Pain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqF_Az3kqYU

Sally Maizey, Naturopath & Homeopath, Switch on Health

https://www.switchonhealth.com.au

Natural Medicine for Low Thyroid Function

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw06Fx8agQ8

Carol Hannington, Naturopath, Switch on Health

https://www.switchonhealth.com.au

Switch on Health is the only ATMS accredited college to offer non-Bachelor qualifications in Nutrition, Herbal Medicine, and Naturopathy, and the only college in Australia offering an accredited course in Homeopathy. You can study from home in your own time at your own pace.  The courses are fully tutor supported and flexible payment plans are available.  Sample course content can be viewed for free at our learning platform: https://switchonhealth.learnworlds.com/start

 

The Gut-Brain Connection Webinar

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/2f1yL7POykhIH7fz6G72d4wlEo_OX6a8hHMe_PMPyh0BxjbW3SvUT-LDQNCQco0m

Rachel Aldridge, Naturopath – In Natures Hands

http://www.innatureshands.com.au

 

All Disease Begins in the Stomach

https://www.medicinetraditions.com/natural-medicine-week.html

Adam Tate, Practitioner of Traditional Medicine, Medicine Traditions

https://www.medicinetraditions.com/

 

Cuppa with a Kinesiologist

https://www.kinique.com/share-a-cuppa-with-a-kinesiologist-webinar-recording/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share-a-cuppa-with-a-kinesiologist-thank-you_22

Marney Perna – www.kinique.com

Anika Brizuela – www.branchoutempoweredhealth.com

Madonna Guy – www.newleafnaturaltherapies.com.au

Molly Brumm – www.consciousheartkinesiology.com.au  

Vanessa Worn – www.facebook.com/Full-Potential-Kinesiology-107332970999197

Zoie Andrews – www.mybestselfwellness.com.au

 

Benefits of Kinesiology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOskfN5FFeA&t=11s

KinesiAlice – Kinesiology, Mind Body Medicine, Integrative Therapy

https://www.kinesialice.com.au/

Kinesiology and Anxiety

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQL9SCSkdsQ

KinesiAlice – Kinesiology, Mind Body Medicine, Integrative Therapy

https://www.kinesialice.com.au/

Kinesiology and Depression 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDWOTK0YwZc

KinesiAlice – Kinesiology, Mind Body Medicine, Integrative Therapy

https://www.kinesialice.com.au/

Kinesiology and Sleep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vR4rAHyn8o&t=7s

KinesiAlice – Kinesiology, Mind Body Medicine, Integrative Therapy

https://www.kinesialice.com.au/

Kinesiology and Kids

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3OruKmKqZM&t=1s

KinesiAlice – Kinesiology, Mind Body Medicine, Integrative Therapy

https://www.kinesialice.com.au/

 

7 Secrets to Success – how to beat burnout, stress & overwhelm for good!

https://kajabi.awakendivinefeminine.com/registration-page-1

Kristie Hayden

https://www.facebook.com/DreamWeaverCoaching/

For the first to know about the next Natural Medicine Week – sign up to our newsletter – click here! 

#naturalmedicineweek – natural medicine, a natural choice

Easy stress busting tips you can use right now – at NO COST!

Therapist with hands on female patients forehead

By KinesiAlice Holistic Kinesiology

Photo credit: Sarah Keen, Light Her Lantern

Stress is bad – we all know that.  And we get told to not stress – but it’s not like you can just tell your body not to stress!  Here’s some simple techniques to teach your mind and your body HOW to not stress, even if just for a few minutes.  Do some of these each day, and especially when you feel stress creeping in…

Breathing

We all know that breathing is kind of useful!  But there are a couple of simple breathing techniques (there’s lots, but let’s start here) that help your mind and your body to calm down.  People tend to like one more than the other, so try them both out to see which one you like.  Lots of meditation apps have breathing programs in them now, as do smart watches!  Check out the meditation apps below, as well as having a look around to find more.

  • Breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, out for 4 counts, and hold for 4 counts.  Repeat!  Some people with lung issues may find this a little challenging or stressful, so if that is the case, this might not be the breathing exercise for you.
  • Breathe in for 4 counts, and out for 8 counts, in for 4, out for 8.  Repeat!  This exercise is comfortable for most people.

Try each of them for a few minutes, and then do the one you like a few minutes a day.  Your heart rate will settle, your breathing will slow, and your body will relax when you find the one that works for you!

Meditation

5 or 10 minutes a day – that’s all!

A lot of people say to me that they’ve tried meditation and it doesn’t work.  I’ll let you in on a little secret – it didn’t work for me for a long time either.  Until I found the one that worked for me, which I’ll share below: 

Things for you to know with meditation:  The thoughts will still come. The distractions will still come.  With both thoughts and distractions – acknowledge them, put them aside and come back to your breathing, the music or the voice.

Try these guided meditation apps:

  • Smiling Mind
  • Relax Melodies (not free but my personal favourite) –
  • Insight Timer – this is free and has 24,000 meditations as of 30 April 2020

This is the first meditation that works for me, and is scientifically shown to work for 80% of people the first time they try it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl0oX_he_7w&feature=youtu.be

There are lots and lots of apps and YouTube clips – the key is to find something that works for you.

If you would like me to teach you how to meditate – book in for a consultation and I will teach you within your session.  I will be running classes again soon – stay tuned for updates – make sure you read my newsletter or follow me on Instagram or Facebook.

Eat well

Toxic food = toxic thoughts.

Here’s some tips:

  • Eat the rainbow when you have control over your food
  • Drink a glass of water to a glass of alcohol (you’ll thank me the next day)
  • Drink more water, chances are you’re not drinking enough. Herbal tea counts, coffee does not!
  • Reduce your coffee – yes that means you!
  • Be balanced in what you are choosing to do and eat. If you have the capability to make healthy choices, do it.  If not, enjoy yourself, and then get back to it at the next meal.  80/20 will help balance the overindulgence
  • All diets, eating plans, eating styles etc are really some combination of eat more meat, fruit, vegetables, nuts and good fats, and eat less processed food, food-like substances. Look at what you are eating!
  • Missing something? Find a healthier version of it and make it
  • Plan! A lot of the stress around food comes from having to make decisions night after night after night, or having to go to the shops each day – plan a week or a month in advance, and get the whole family involved

Sleep well

Good sleep hygiene is just as important as the amount of sleep you need to function well.  Lack of sleep leads to increased stress hormone production, increased use of coffee, and lower mood.

Here are a few tips:

  • No phones or iPads an hour before you want to go to sleep.
  • Meditation, relaxation, progressive muscle relaxation
  • Chamomile tea, sleepy tea, dreamtime tea – herbal tea is great to promote sleep.
  • Have you thought about reducing your coffee intake? Especially in the afternoon!  Caffeine can really interfere with sleep.
  • Consider your alcohol intake. This affects sleep quality too, as your liver is busy processing the alcohol instead of allowing you to sleep well.

Grounding

Get your feet on the grass!

Grounding (or earthing) is a great way to connect back to the earth and pull energy down from your head back into your body.  My favourite way to do this is to make a cup of (herbal of course!) tea, head out into the back yard in the morning and get the sun on your back.  This has a few extra benefits in Chinese Medicine as well, so you are combining things that will help with anxiety, stress, digestion, circulation and body awareness all at the same time!

Emotional Stress Release

Have you ever noticed how people grab their foreheads when they’re stressed?  They’re instinctively trying to help themselves.

These acupressure points on your forehead are known as Emotional Stress Release points.  They are in the middle of your eyebrows, about 1/3 of the way up your forehead.  Hold these points for a few minutes, and you will feel a lot better!  They’re good for stress, working through something, and getting your thoughts flowing again when you can’t think through something, rather than think ABOUT something.

Get Out of Your Thoughts

This is a great tool to help with this

This tool is great for distracting, resetting and regrouping, and stopping the monkey mind or thought cycle.  Just pick:

  • 5 things you see – e.g. chair, table, dog, telephone, jacket, glass
  • 5 things you hear – e.g. air conditioner, birds, your breathing, cars, talking
  • 5 things you feel – physically feel – e.g. shirt on shoulders, watch on wrist, shoes on feet, hair on neck, pants on legs

Breaking your thought cycle even for 5 minutes will help to lower your stress and bring your awareness to your environment.

Try these tips to help with your stress, and if you need some support in lowering your stress, contact one of the many ATMS practitioners that can help you in a variety of ways!

———-

For more great health tips, check out KinesiAlice’s blog www.kinesialice.com.au/blog

Book online for a consultation at www.kinesialice.com.au/book

You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube as KinesiAlice

Insights from a Kinesiologist – creating a balanced wellbeing

One hand touching pressure points on another hand

Sally Davis, the owner of Living a Balanced Life since July 2015, is a qualified adult Educator, Kinesiologist, Wellbeing Coach, and Reiki practitioner and Master. The main therapy Sally associates with is kinesiology, a specialised natural health care therapy that draws on the ancient wisdom of Eastern cultures and the latest research and understandings from the West. Kinesiology explores how the body and brain work together to heal, create balance and function efficiently and effectively.

How did you get into natural medicine and why?

Both my parents were involved in natural medicine and thought it was important to use it to maintain optimal health. We used to live in the Northern Territory, which meant access to Western medicine was severely limited, it used to take several hours for the Flying Doctors to get to us.

Additionally, I grew up working within an aboriginal community and a lot of the times we referred to their medicine and used it to assist them on their healing pathway.

Other than that, it runs in the family – my aunts and uncles are also into natural therapies. My grandma is 103 and my grandad on the other side of my family was 101 before he passed away, so I think I’m onto something.

Tell us about your chosen therapy:

The main therapy I focus on is Kinesiology. This allows me to lean on Eastern cultures and the latest research from Western medicine.

I like to consult with my clients’ doctors, to understand what is being administered from a Western medicine approach. I like the use of the brain, body and the stomach and being able to understand how the three of those impede on the way that our body works. Then I use muscle monitoring to be able to understand what the key stressor is, so I can tailor it to my individual clients.

Why are you passionate about Kinesiology?

I’m passionate about Kinesiology because I’ve seen how it works. Being the General Manager for Australian Dance Vision, I saw how natural therapies were helpful in relation to some of the issues that are prevalent in dance.

I’ve also spent the last five years working for the College of Complementary Medicine, so I’ve had access to a lot of information in relation to how natural therapies assist individuals, and I’ve also been practising since 2016. I’ve seen the change in my clients and the beautiful progression that kinesiology has made. I love that they are in control of their body.

It’s a beautiful modality that covers a lot of Indian Medicine, as well as Chinese Medicine, which have been around for a long time.

Do you have any tips for what to ask or expect when visiting a Kinesiologist?

Listen to your body. If your body is giving you feedback such as teeth grinding, insomnia, restlessness, headaches, muscle tension and cramping – listen to it. Those are the things that I deal with consistently in the clinic.

We use muscle monitoring to understand the body and understand what is really going on at a subconscious level. Kinesiology treats the whole person, so we’re looking at anatomy, physiology, nutrition, emotion, mental wellness, environmental exposure, energy, and spirituality. We put all of those together, and then we restore your balance.

If you come in and say, “I am overthinking and I’ve got stomach upsets,” then we would deal specifically with that, through energy systems such as acupuncture and acupressure. We use all the meridians and channels to be able to balance out the body. When clients leave, most people feel amazingly balanced.

What types of health issues, ailments or illnesses do people come to you for help with?

A lot of emotional issues such as anxiety, fear, self-doubt and feeling imbalanced. As well as people knowing that there’s something wrong, but they can’t put their finger on it. In terms of pain that hasn’t been resolved by a chiropractor, a physiologist, or even Western medicine, we start looking at the emotional content of that issue. We examine what that issue means in Western medicine, then what the pain means for that specific part of the body in Chinese medicine, as well as how these relate and if that makes any sense in relation to how the client is feeling about themselves at the moment.

Could you talk through a couple of these and then tell me what types of therapy you recommend or administer to improve the clients’ health, reduce discomfort or prevent further issues?

When they come in with pain, first we work out whether they have gone to the appropriate places to get x-rays. Then, I typically talk about the emotions connected to their pain.

I want my clients to understand what the problem is, and the fact that they have the solution to the issue. If it’s an emotional issue that hasn’t been able to be shifted by Western medicine, chiropractors or physiologists, it’s about the client understanding that they can change their emotions or understand their emotions to be able to shift some of that pain.

I start from there, and then I start looking at the acupressure points which are the alarm points in Chinese medicine, to be able to assist that person.

In the cases you are talking about, what were the benefits or outcomes to the client?

I had a client suffering from depression and anxiety. She had been living at her parent’s home for a year, was unable to work and was completely incapacitated. She came to me as the last option before they were going to intervene on other levels and saw me for about six weeks. She had three sessions over six weeks and now she’s feeling amazing. She got a job, moved out of her parent’s house, is studying, and is very happy.

All I do is help facilitate them to understand where they’re at, understand where they want to go, understand what’s holding them back. I use Kinesiology to assist them, but they do all the hard work. They do all the homework and are in charge of what happens next and how they move forward. We are just facilitators in this process.

How long did it take for these results to take place?

People come to me about three to five times. I have a measuring system with my clients where they rate their pain, emotional capacity and mental ability to get out of bed. When I check in with them, they rate themselves again on a scale of 10 to see the progress they have made.

This means the client is in control, but also allows them to see they are progressing in the way they want to.