Last March, the tip of my left index finger started to callus over for no apparent reason. A month later it felt like there was a large bone spur in there. My finger became painful, red and swollen. Because I am a chiropractor, I lost the ability to palpate my patients’ spines and immediately headed off to an orthopedist for an x-ray and evaluation. It was soon revealed that a piece of calcium was in the tip of my finger. The calcium was removed and I was sent off to a local hospital for a blood panel. When the results came back there were a few positive “markers” for autoimmune disease and by the next week I was consulting with a Rheumatology specialist at a big Boston hospital. After a long interview process I offered my veins for more blood tests.
Before I went off to the Boston hospital I had time to contemplate what this could possibly mean. On one level I was nervous but on another level I found myself being curious about why I might have an autoimmune markers in my blood. After all, I teach about good eating, have a pretty clean, organic diet, low in inflammatory-type foods. Autoimmunity refers to a condition where the immune system loses its ability to discriminate between foreign cells like bacteria and viruses that enter the body and ‘self’ cells and therefore attacks the normal tissues. Autoimmunity can cause serious damage to the body – think Crohn’s disease, Type 1 diabetes, Rheumatoid arthritis, Alopecia Areata, Systemic Lupus.
I am always searching for meaning in everything particularly those things that are stressful and so I found myself wondering about the metaphoric meaning of autoimmunity. Why would I be attacking myself? If I was attacking myself, then might I be really angry about something, even hate something?
I finally allowed myself to tell the Truth about something I didn’t want to deal with. I came to realize I had a BIG conflict with being a Medicare provider as well as working with other insurance companies. I was taught in chiropractic school about the process of helping people heal, become whole. Medicare only will cover problems like pain and mechanical stress and by and large won’t cover treatment in a chiropractic office to keep a patient aligned and well. Don’t they understand that symptoms are the last things to show up? Don’t they understand that creating a wellness culture, is best for people. Don’t they understand that for the older population, spinal adjustments keep people mobile, pain-free and off addictive pain medication?
Once I realized that I was forcing myself to adapt to a system that didn’t serve the highest good for my patients and for what I have to offer, I had to change some of my office policies in the fairest way I could.
And then it all made sense. Any finger of my body could have had the calcium in it, but as it happened, the one finger that was affected was the finger I use most for feeling and adjusting the spine. It got my attention!!
By the time I got the results of the second panel of blood tests, all the autoimmune markers were normal or almost normal. Do I think my contemplations made a difference? They did for me. Everything made sense. And the calcium in my finger was truly a gift since it helped me be more authentic.
I decided to share this very personal event with you because this story is about my essence, about what I can offer people I work with. It is the way I see. Currently I am leading a program called The Nutritional Re-Boot Camp, a 21-day cleanse that will help Clear your Body and Liberate your Spirit. It is a mind/body cleanse. Not only will you eat in a way that helps the body heal and repair itself, we will also explore the parallels of our life to our body. With experiential practices like guided visualization and meditating we will go deeper than any other cleanse I have offered.
Is this your time to take our program? If it is sign up today!
NUTRITIONAL RE-BOOT CAMP
May 6, 13, 20, 27
1st class 7:00 to 9:00 pm
2nd, 3rd and 4th classes 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Marblehead Natural Healing
10 Spring Street
Marblehead, MA 01945
TO REGISTER: 781-639-0010
office@marbleheadnaturalhealing.com
Register by April 30 $325.00
After April 30 $349.00
