Is All Pain Created Equal?

Have you ever been presented with the circumstances where you are without-a-doubt confident that the person in front of you, agonizing in pain, is faking it because you know "nothing happened" to cause it. Or, maybe you just classify them as selfish, needy, or a "drama queen" because any negative news sends them into mourning. According to a new study, you may want to rethink your assumptions about pain and how it works.

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science showed that emotional pain and physical pain might not be that different. In this study, researchers form the University of Michigan found that the brain processes and responds both types of pain in a similar fashion. Subjects of the study were given both a physical pain stimulus and later a stimulus for emotional distress, and researchers found that in both cases the same centers in the brain were activated.

"We found that powerfully inducing feelings of social rejection activate regions of the brain that are involved in physical pain sensation, which are rarely activated in neuroimaging studies of emotion," Kross said. "These findings are consistent with the idea that the experience of social rejection, or social loss more generally, may represent a distinct emotional experience that is uniquely associated with physical pain.", said Ethan Kross, lead author of the study.

The fact that emotional and physical pain create similar outcomes reveals a lot about how our body truly works, and for that matter what pain truly is. Pain, from a physiological standpoint is simply a feeling; something our mind perceives and is a result of information it received from our body. In other words pain isn't "real" in the sense that it can be objectively measured. It's only the result of a nerve impulse... a message sent to the brain from a stimulus somewhere else in the body. In fact, the immeasurable aspect of pain makes it a poor measuring stick for what's really happening internally. Now don't get me wrong; to the person experiencing the pain, it is very real, but I'm sure you've heard the expression, "I have a high pain tolerance." It's that subjective variable of pain that allows a woman with a broken leg to walk into the hospital without assistance, while her husband may have needed a wheelchair for his ingrown toenail.

The truth is, we have the ability to control pain (our perception that damage has happened) in many more ways than we know. There are a number of lifestyle choices that play a role in how our body experiences what we perceive in our environment. For example, proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and exercise all have anti-inflammatory effects on the body and have been shown to reduce physical pain levels. Meditation and prayer, a good friend, or even better, a counselor can also be a vital part of managing any painful times in life. Health care providers (chiropractors for example) work to return your body to a normal, natural state of health and healing, which can result in no pain stimulus in the first place. Not only that, chiropractors specifically work to maximize the function of your nerve system- the very system that transports pain messages to your brain.

In fact, since the inception of our profession, chiropractor have acknowledged that emotions, chemicals, and traumas have a profound effect on our physical body, and these stressors can and will drive us to a state of disease. Therefore, if health is our goal, all three of these areas need to be addressed. Are you neglecting any of them?


University of Michigan. "Study illuminates the 'pain' of social rejection." ScienceDaily 28 March 2011. 30 March 2011 .

Do You Question the Power of the Sun

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Genesis 1:3

The sun is infinitely important to the health of our planet. Not only does it give us light to see in the daytime, but it's light also reflects from the moon and allows even our darkest hours illumination. Furthermore, the sun provides the heat energy to warm our planet and ultraviolet rays for energy production in plants (photosynthesis) and vitamin D production in our own bodies. Even on cloudy days we reap the benefits of the sun, though we cannot see it.

Which brings me to my point. We can all agree that the sun, at least for the time being, is quite constant. Relatively speaking, it's intensity does not change; It's brightness does not change; The amount of light it produces does not change. The sun's ability to create heat, light, and energy is always at 100%.
But it's effect on us and our planet is not. Variables affect the amount of light, heat, and energy we experience. A cloudy day; the shade of a tree; clothes; the seasons (axial tilting of the earth); even sunscreen all change the sun's power.

What's interesting is, the sun and our solar system have parallels to us and our bodies. Science now knows that at the sub-atomic level everything in the universe is simply energy. All material, whether that big ball of fire in the sky, or a cheeseburger, or your hand, at it's simplest, quantum level is the physical equivalent of a thought. The energy in all of these things (just like the sun) is relatively constant. It does not change, for if it did, it would become something else. What does change is the ability of that energy to be expressed and experienced.

Just like the sun, you have a constant energy in you. It's called your innate intelligence and just like the sun it has the ability to provide you with all the power, life, and energy you need. It was given to us when we were created and it is constantly with us until the end of our days. Innate intelligence exists is all living things and allows us to be built up in a universe that is slowly breaking down. It never varies in it's power- it is always 100%. What varies however, is it's expression. Just like the sun on a cloudy day, the power your innate intelligence can be veiled by limitations of your body. Your body has certain requirements for normal function. It needs adequate building blocks (nutrients), water, rest, and activity. It can be limited by toxins, traumas, or emotions. When your body does not get what it needs or gets too much of something it shouldn't (toxins, trauma, thought), your innate intelligence is limited and you break down. If your body is given what it needs, and negative trauma, toxins, and thoughts are minimal your innate intelligence will keep you built up- keep you healthy.

So, I ask you this. What can you do today to unveil the God given power of your innate intelligence?

Is Vitamin K the new Vitamin D?

This new article by Joseph Mercola is so good, I'm going to just provide you the link. No reason to re-invent the wheel. The article discusses new knowledge of the important role of vitamin K in our bodies. Where do we get vitamin K? Primarily from vegetables; especially green leafy or cruciferous vegetables. Eat your veggies people! Eat your veggies!


The following is by Dr. Joseph Mercola:

The past decade has brought an explosion of research revealing the many beneficial roles vitamin D plays in keeping you healthy.

But there's a new kid on the block that could end up being "the next vitamin D," and we are finding that some of vitamin D's benefits are greatly enhanced when combined with this other vitamin.

That "new kid" is vitamin K.

Much new research is now focusing on the synergy between vitamin K (specifically, vitamin K2) and vitamin D3, particularly in terms of bone strength and cardiovascular health.

Before discussing the influence of each of these vitamins, let's review a bit about vitamins D and K and what their roles are.

Read the Whole article Here.

What's your Pleasure? Taker or Giver?

Free Radicals: Unstable molecules seeking balance. This instability is often caused by a significant environmental stressor. Free radicals will reek havoc on the environment they are in, are inflammatory, and can lead to system break down, chaotic activity, and eventually death.

Free radicals are neutralized when another entity gives the radical not what it wants, but what it needs. These giving entities (donors) are typically essential to life and health. They were designed to offer balance and peace to these free radicals. They are called vitamins. Made from the earth, vitamins exist among the living. Some vitamins occur naturally within us. Others are found around us, and with their help, allow us to more fully express our potential. When an abundance of vitamins exist, free radical damage is minimized. Where vitamins are lacking, free radicals tend to overwhelm the environment and cause often irreversible damage.

Here's my question to you today. After reading that definition, did you think I was talking about health and the human body or personalities and the human condition? If I were talking about health, what should you do? If I were talking about people, which one are you?