Pain is a term that gets thrown around quite a bit.

I like the IASP’s  (International Association for the Study of Pain) definition as a starting point ~

Pain: An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.

So an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience where there can be actual tissue damage OR potential damage.

Okay, so is anxiety pain?  What about depression? Is that pain too?  YES!

The tissue damage in these cases could be happening from some toxin, produced by a pathogen, that is driving the emotional experience.

It could also be that you perceive something is harming you.  Or both!

There are a lot of scientific studies out (as early as 1954) that confirm what we have felt in our bodies for years ~ the reality of the Brain – Gut Axis.  The vagus nerve is involved, and/or there is direct communication between bacteria and the brain.  Wow.

So the diversity and health of the microbiome affects our emotional state.

What if your beloved dies unexpectedly or in a protracted illness.  Is that pain?  YES!

What if you are in the tangles of an active addiction.  Is that pain?  YES!

What about generational injury or insult?  Is that pain?  YES!

What about chronic heartburn….or chronic diarrhea.  Is that really pain?  Isn’t it just uncomfortable?  YES THAT IS PAIN.

Eczema?  Is that pain?  YES!  And almost always a result of a dysregulated gut.

Okay, so I know that plantar fasciitis is pain.  That makes common sense since it’s physical pain.  YES!

So pain, from a functional viewpoint, includes not just tissue damage, but mental/emotional and spiritual experiences too.  YES!

You don’t have to live in pain.

You don’t have to settle for managing your anxiety, depression, grief, the ravages of addiction, inherited paradigms, dysregulated digestion or foot pain.

The list goes on and on. I’m sure you have a list of your own.

As an expert in using natural drug-free methods to get you out of pain and keep you there, I utilize my ever growing toolbox to help you unlock your healing potential. 

I focus on the inter-relationship between your physical self, your mental/emotional self and your spiritual self.

Is your foot pain a sensitivity to oxalates and the resulting systemic inflammation?  Over exercising because you have always managed your anxiety that way….and/or is your pelvis affecting your gate?  Perhaps it’s your shoes or the way you sit when you watch tv….it’s probably all of the above.

A mix of classical homeopathy for the anxiety symptoms and acute pain, a specialized food plan plus a few select supplements for the oxalate challenge, and finally some manual therapy, Rolfing, to address the neuromuscular tension.

That’s a functional medicine approach.  I focus on identifying and addressing the root cause of dis-ease. Each symptom or differential diagnosis may be one of many contributing to your illness.

It can take time to heal, and it can be uncomfortable getting out of pain.  Sounds weird right, but the fact is that healing often requires clearing and release, being a bit out of balance, before reaching a state of health.

Everyone’s adventure is different, and it takes as long as it takes.  Healing is a journey, not a destination, but together we can get you out of pain and focused on living the life you were meant to live.

I’m excited to get started.