What are Mirror Neurons and How to Benefit from Using Them

How to benefit from one of the most important discoveries in neuroscience in the last decade
How to benefit from utilizing Mirror Neurons.

The discovery that watching the actions of others activates similar neural circuitry, as if we were doing the action, has been called one of the greatest discoveries in neuroscience in the last decade.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3510904/

How can you use this knowledge to upgrade your nervous system with new behaviors and perceptions? Surround yourself with people who are better than you in what you are trying to accomplish. Play with better guitarists, run with better runners, be around better investors, be in the company of serial entrepreneurs, hang out with philanthropists.

Is there someone who embodies multiple aspects of their professional and personal lives that you admire? Ask them to be your mentor.

We all have the basic hardware, and we build our own software by what we habitually do until it becomes effortless. If there is something you are struggling with doing on your own, or you have reached a plateau, being around someone who is better or more efficient will prime the circuitry in your system, putting you “in entrainment” for those behaviors and perceptions, thus making it easier for you to get there on your own, with practice.

Day of Giving

The holiday season can be a time of stress and rushing around.
Take this special opportunity to take care of yourself while helping others.

Sunday, December 2nd from 3-5 PM

1982 Arlington Boulevard, Suite 1

Call 434-227-7149 for details or an appointment

Dr. Brian Dickert will be donating $20 of every Network Spinal Analysis Entrainment to Children, Youth and Family Services of Charlottesville.

http://www.cyfs.org/

  • Refreshments and Snacks Provided
  • Door Prizes
  • Gift Certificates: Share the gift of health and wellness with friends and family
  • Entrainments: by appointment from 3-4:30
  • Free Group Class: Somato Respiratory Integration at 4:30

Children, Youth and Family Services, Inc.

Dying for more Energy?

A recent article in the New York Times raises awareness of the harmful effects of “Energy” beverages.  I can understand the need to feel energized to do a presentation, or get through a workout, or to just fight traffic in the morning.

Another question you may ask yourself is:  Is there another way?  I had plenty of energy as a kid without artificial stimulants, what is different now?

The first suggestion I would make to someone who feels the need for stimulants is to replace the simple carbs (white flour, white rice, white potatoes) and sugars in their diet with quality vegetables and healthy fats.  What is missing in the former is nutrients, the latter contains vitamins, minerals and fatty acids which fuel your nervous system and brain.

Next, get moving!  Movement is the key to energizing your body, and the benefits are long lasting and wide ranging.

Lastly, take care of your spine and nerve system.  Stress is pervasive, when stressed we don’t always make the best decisions – especially with food.  People under regular Network Spinal Analysis care report and improved ability to think and concentrate (without stimulants).

We all want to be present, alert and full of energy.  You can have this, and be healthy too by taking care of your body and giving it what it needs.

For a free consultation to find out how you can breakthrough to a new level of health and well being call:

Brian Dickert, D.C. 434-227-7149

How does Network Spinal Analysis Change Peoples Lives?

“A central tenant of Network Spinal Analysis is that change rarely comes directly from the area in the body that is defensive, guarded and wounded.  Instead, it comes after the individual becomes aware of the area where resources exist.  Meaningful change comes when a place of connection is brought to awareness and “inspires” or entrains other parts of the system.”

Reorganizational Healing: A Paradigm for the Advancement of Wellness, Behavior Change, Holistic Practice and Healing. Volume 15, Number 5,  P. 477

When your nervous system cannot adapt to current stress and energy demands, the spine, muscles and vertebrae are locked into a limited range of expression.  The Spinal Entrainment contact, unique to Network Spinal Analysis, allows the nervous system to “reset” and reorganize through spinal awareness.

The reorganization of the nervous system is demonstrated by improved posture, more energy, wider range of emotions expressed. Lifestyle changes including: change in diet and exercise habits, change in long term behavior like career or a relationships.  All these findings and more have been associated with those receiving Network Spinal Analysis Care.

What does a chiropractor do when they injure their spine?

When you combine stubbornness with improper form it can lead to an injury. Ten days ago I was moving an area rug to a different room. This required removing all the furniture since the rug left only a foot of floor around all edges. I was getting impatient when I got to the filing cabinets and tried to lift them (while still full) and slide the rug underneath. In order to slide the rug while lifting I had to stand far away from the cabinet thus putting way too much strain on my back. Needless to say this wasn’t a good idea.

I did get smarter with the second filing cabinet and asked my son to slide the carpet while I lifted, but the damage had been done. Although, I didn’t know this right away. I still felt fine for the next few hours and continued my weekend chores. I cut the grass, worked in the garden, then I started moving some stones from the stream bed to the stream bank. Within minutes I was getting nauseated and felt pain in my mid back, I had done way too much.
At this point what would a chiropractor do to “fix” their injured spine?

  • Did I take an anti-inflammatory?
  • Did I ice the area?
  • Did I put heat on the area?
  • Did I use Arnica?
  • Did I have the area of pain adjusted?

Before I answer those questions, it should be known that this wasn’t the first time I’ve injured this area of my spine, although it had been many years since it had bothered me.

This area of my spine was painful a couple times of year in my mid twenties, then about 10 years ago after being in practice for a few years I noticed my spine was sore after a full day of work.  I  realized I had poor mechanics when working with people, and my body had become weak from a lack of exercise. I had no interest in a temporary fix from a pain reliever just so I could re-injure myself again from using the same poor mechanics with a weak core.
As I was writing this I saw this post from Donald Epstein, which explains what I was thinking ten years ago, and what I was also thinking this past week.

Each moment the question is the same..Do I wish to go BACK to my familiar life and be restored, or do I choose to go beyond anything before?

I noticed a pattern in my life and took steps to make my body stronger than it ever was. I started doing Pilates exercises and increased the frequency of my workouts. About this time I started attending J’s Gym, the first time in my life I consistently went to any gym, previously choosing to workout on my bike.

After a few months my back wasn’t an issue anymore and I was fit for the first time in my life. I didn’t have to protect my spine by limiting anything I did for fear of being in pain.  I felt powerful in knowing I had changed my body and changed a harmful pattern of movement.

Now back to the present. Today I did my first full workout at the gym, everything feels great even after having a relapse over the weekend, here is what I did to “fix” myself:

I lived my life as normal as possible, I went to work, I tried to keep mobile, which included some indoor cycling and walking. My spinal care consisted of one Network Spinal Analysis entrainment more than usual (my usual is once a week). I wasn’t comfortable enough to do my twice a week yoga routine so I skipped this until yesterday. I also added this Egoscue Exercise to my normal routine, which I did for 10 minutes a day. (The Egoscue Exercises I have been doing for over 10 years, but had been skipping it lately).

A couple of days of the last week it was difficult to do anything because of the discomfort,  so I rested much more than usual and did some reading, but I know with the way I train my body I would be able to recover quickly. I also knew I wouldn’t need any extra help, this included pain relievers, ice/heat, gels, or manipulation of the “stuck” area. I had full confidence in my bodies’ ability to self regulate it’s own tension, and I also knew the pain was protection, the pain prevented me from doing too much. I didn’t want to artificially “feel better” until the tissues, muscles, tendons and ligaments actually were better.

I know this isn’t the path most people take, even most chiropractors, but it is the one that works for me.  I know I am listening to my bodies’ cues. I am not ingesting anything that is harmful to my body or dulling my senses.  Ultimately I come out of the process more inspired with how my body heals.

You’re Getting on my Nerves!

You’re getting on my nerves!
By Dr. Suzanne
Everyone knows what it means when someone says “you’re getting on my nerves,” but I find it an interestingly and curiously anatomically accurate phrase.  Consider this:
We perceive our world through our nerves, or nervous system.  We not only coordinate the function of every cell, tissue and organ in the body, but also express every emotion through our nervous systems.  It’s the part of us we use to reason, to adapt to stress, and it’s the vehicle we use to create our conscious reality.  The nervous system is also designed to keep us safe from perceived danger.
When our nervous systems are not flexible enough to integrate an event, or adapt to a stressor, the event or stressor is perceived as overwhelming, and we move into a natural protective response – stress physiology.  The energy and information of that overwhelming event or trauma is translated into vibration and tension, which is then stored in our bodies to be digested or integrated later when it is safe, resulting in defense posture.
In defense posture, we tighten; we hunker down in a hostile world.  Our blood pressure tends to rise, we feel less emotion and we live in reaction to every moment.  Over time, defensive posture distorts the spinal system.  Muscular tightness and spasm, and reduced breath into the effected areas occur, and reduced motion and movement results.  Spinal bones lose their normal alignment as the muscles and ligaments strain and pull.  Nerves can become compressed or stretched and irritated which results in abnormal function.
This is the time when we find things get on our nerves.  Before we know it, everything – even little stuff – seems overwhelming.  When we’re already stressed, we tense more easily, and until we move out of defense posture, the brain continues to perceive life defensively, and produces stress chemicals that inhibit not only  our restorative functions, but also the ability to pay attention to the incomplete energy or  “unfinished business” stored in the body.  We’re “stuck” in defense.
Stuck in defense, we react to environmental challenges as threats.  Novel or new ideas are stressful; we have difficulty making changes and we fear things that are different.  We are in survival mode in many areas of our lives.  This pattern of defense posture is held until the brain perceives it is safe to experience that original overwhelming energy again and digest or integrate the information from the trauma – to finish that unfinished business.  That’s where Network Spinal Analysis care comes in!
Network care helps people move from the stress physiology that fixed them into defensive posture, into something new and better.  Most of us remain in defense posture our whole lives.  There are many people whose vertebrae, ligaments and tissues are so locked into stress patterns, creating so much tension, that their focus is on “just getting through another day,” instead of enjoying life.
Network care allows the brain to move from stress physiology into safety and growth.  By using gentle and specific touches in a consistent sequence called the Network Entrainment, a person’s own body learns to release those complex patterns of stress, tension and defense.    You cannot be in defense and growth at the same time.  A brain in defense cannot develop new strategies for experiencing and responding to life.  A brain in growth can.
In growth, we are more attentive to our inner cues, energy, and respiration and we are no longer focused on the outer circumstance of the moment to dictate our health and well-being.  When we’re “entrained” to our internal rhythms, outside stressors affect us less, because we no longer entrain to the stress around us.  Spinal tension patterns, alignment and postural changes all reflect our movement from defense to growth.  We experience a greater sense of grace, gratitude, connection, inner power and love, all previously inaccessible to a brain that was functioning in defense.
Network Entrainments are designed and applied in such a way as to engage the higher part of the brain, through which we observe ourselves and make choices regarding our behavior.  Instead of “fixing” you, Entrainments help your body find that old unfinished business, fully integrate it, and move forward from there utilizing that held tension as fuel for growth and healing.
Network care is about helping your body and nervous system reorganize, become more flexible and able to adapt, and to develop new strategies for not only releasing tension, but also experiencing life in a way that wasn’t available to you before.  In time, this higher energetic, physical, and emotional state becomes more familiar and sustainable and people radiate authenticity, love and hope.  And each time you are more fully “you,” not only is the world is a better place, but also it’s less likely to get on your nerves!

This article is from our April 2011 Newsletter, sign up to receive this newsletter when it is published by visiting www.eylc.com

Being a Patient (with a Concussion)

48 hours ago I had a hard fall on my bike. I was turning on to a narrow road with leaves on the edge, once my tires hit the leaves I was on the ground. My head hit with enough force to crack my helmet. Thank goodness I was wearing one, a relatively new one, thanks to an interaction with Scott Paisley of Blue Wheel Bicycles. I met him at a health and wellness fair at a Nelson County elementary school, our booths were next to each other and we started chatting about cycling, I was telling him my helmet was 15 years old and was due for replacement, he definitely agreed!

When should you replace a helmet? I found a nice article here.

I didn’t lose consciousness, but I immediately knew I was hurt and probably had a concussion. Concussions have been a popular topic in the media, they are more common, and often under diagnosed. In our practice we have seen a few people with lingering symptoms of a concussion 6 or more months after the initial trauma. As a chiropractor I understand the importance of a healthy brain and nerve system. My personal care includes regular wellness spinal check-ups. I have someone who knows what my spine feels like and how it responds when it is healthy, thus she can detect small changes in structure and function when it is under stress (from trauma).

These major publications have all recently reported on concussions:
Time: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1873131,00.html
CNN: http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/01/docs-seek-to-better-id-concussions-invisible-injury/
Sports Illustrated: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/baseball/mlb/10/21/mlb.concussions.ap/index.html?eref=sihp
ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5763375

The most important article I’ve read on concussions is from Oct. 2010. http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/News-concussion-free-athletes-show-brain-inpairment-100810.aspx?xmlmenuid=51 It shows small, repeated trauma cause brain changes, not just large impacts.

“These four players showed significant brain deficits. Technically, we aren’t calling the impairment concussions because that term implies very specific clinical symptoms, such as losing consciousness or having trouble walking and speaking. At the same time, our data clearly indicate significant impairment.”

These are the types of concussion injuries that go undetected. If you are a parent and your child plays sports, this is a must read.

So, what did I do? I immediately had my chiropractor examine my spine, and entrain my nervous system. What is an Entrainment? Watch here:

I knew by getting my spine and nerve system entrained my body would be best able to handle the trauma it had just encountered. I knew my symptoms wouldn’t magically disappear, but would set up the best conditions for healing. Each day I’ve improved, and since it’s only been two days I know I have a way to go before I’m 100%. In the mean time I’ll give myself extra time to rest and recover.

March 2014 – I was going through a memory card and found a picture of the cracked helmet.

Time to replace this helmet

Time to replace this helmet

For an in depth article on bike helmets and concussions, read this: