Physician Healer

Issue 47: Chronic Illness and Stress: Navigating Through The Connection

Chronic Illness and Stress: Navigating Through The Connection

Ever since I started integrating Eastern methods with traditional Western medicine some 20 years back, I have often been asked why I chose this path. Individuals who are coming to see me these days are still often both surprised and elated to know that their point of view is listened to and respected. Many of us just want to be heard and to know that we are not crazy in thinking outside the box.

I still remember a story of something that happened at one of my favorite restaurants in the desert, Le Basil, owned by our friends Orn and Tom. It is one of the best Thai restaurants I have ever tasted. I highly recommend it if you are ever there. I often wonder the level of impact it must have made because this incident was “many moons ago.” That’s how long.

One of the patrons, a distinguished-looking woman of mature status, came over to Orn to thank her for the delicious food and hospitality. Orn was at our table at the time casually chatting with us about work and life, also one of our favorite things to do when we go there. Orn introduced the customer to us and then directed her attention to me, informing her that I was her physician and took excellent care of her. The lady turned her attention to me with the kindest look and asked what kind of doctor I was.

“Are you traditional or holistic?”

I remember feeling so proud to answer almost immediately,

“Oh, traditional internal medicine, of course!”

With a gentle smile, she replied,

“Oh, what a shame.”

And then, she proceeded to say her final good-bye’s and thank-you’s to Orn and left the restaurant. I remember looking at everyone at the table who were equally as perplexed and speechless as I was. I don’t know why, but at the time and even now, her brief words really affected me. I have mentioned this incident over the years to all the friends who were at the table at the time and they all still remember that. When I think back, as I am doing write now as I write this, the curious thing was that I was not offended by the woman’s remark. I didn’t know then as I do now, that perhaps she was the very reflection of my own deepest rooted beliefs. After all, the world around us mirrors who we are at our core.

Her comment reinforced this sense of knowing about myself and I felt lacking in some way. I felt she was somehow perhaps giving me hints as if she were a messenger from the universe? At the time, I didn’t even think that was even a concept. Was this where humanity was heading? Probably a year or 2 after this mystical encounter was when I had my own “awakening” if you will, and began looking into the East for methods that I could incorporate into what I already knew from my traditional education and training. I had reached a point where I felt as stuck with treatment methods as the patients were in their illnesses.

The majority of the patients I encounter day-to-day are middle of the road, reasonable folks. On rare occasions I do get the extreme end of the spectrum where I get an earful about the evils of modern Western medicine. Whether we are referring to the East or West, we are talking about wonderful tools we have at our disposal. I frequently explain that if you break a bone, thankfully we have modern medicine to take care of that and if we have pneumonia, gratefully we have medicines for that, as well. The ones that reach a culmination of frustration are those who have issues of an ongoing or chronic nature. They are neither living or dying. They feel as if they are in limbo, not thriving at all.

My first patient who experienced Meridian treatment from me was a woman who had been living with chronic sciatica for more than 20 years. Without warning, she would feel pain in her left buttock and that would shoot down the back of her entire leg. Her MRI’s showed typical degenerative (arthritic) disease and stenosis. Her spine surgeon told her that it was her age and that she would require surgery if she wanted to golf again.

She yearned for so many years to have her life back. So, she opted to ask me for a pain management referral before considering surgery. Prior to getting started, I told her that what I was about to do would not hurt her and that the worst that could happen would be that she would not be any worse off than where she was at that time. I remember getting her up onto the exam table and then working her Meridian points to release them while verbally conducting a guided meditation focused on healing intentions. She felt tingling sensations throughout her body.

After about 20 minutes, I helped her sit up and she admitted that she felt more relaxed than she had experienced in a long time. She then divulged that she had been worried about her friend’s health and recent hospitalization. When she stepped off the table, she was surprised to feel no pain at all. With a quizzical look, she asked me how was this possible. Were the MRI’s wrong? No, the MRI’s were not wrong. Imaging tells us the anatomy but not about the degree of pain because pain seems to be a product of contribution from emotional stress and level of inflammation. Before she left, we made a referral to pain management as she initially requested. She reported back the following week that the specialist discharged her without treatment because her pain had resolved completely.

My second patient had chronic neck pain and stiffness for 30 years. She was only able to turn her neck slightly from side to side. She typically used her eyes or turned her entire body to accommodate her decreased range of motion. She had not been able to play golf or tennis for years and driving had become a challenge. She just accepted this for all these years because she had seen all the specialists and had all the testing and was told this was something she would have to live with because she was old. I told her about humoring me and letting me try accessing her Meridian points and she shrugged her shoulders and said,

“Sure, why not. What have I got to lose?” and smiled with delighted curiosity.

After 15 to 20 minutes, she reported that though she did not feel her neck was significantly better, she did feel somewhat more relaxed than usual. She agreed to return for 2 more weeks for this treatment. At the 3rd visit, she sat on the chair and demonstrated that she had restored full range of motion and was able to turn her head and neck fully from side to side with mild stiffness but no further pain. She could not believe it. She went back to joining her friends on the golf course after her many-year hiatus.

I realized after working with these 2 individuals that chronic issues whether they involve pain, blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, or anxiety, can be traced back to deep emotions past or present, as well as possible energy imbalances within the body. After all, we are electrical. The very paddles that can restart are heart utilize electricity to jump start our valuable muscle. When there is a lightning storm, we are told to wear rubber-soled shoes for grounding because we are such excellent conductors. Sometimes we can shock each other with electricity when we touch each other with out finger tips. Most of the time, however, energy is hardly ever seen but can only be felt. Perhaps this is the main reason why the concept of energy medicine is a challenge to grasp. We tend to believe what we can see. But, I have always been able to feel more than what my eyes can tell me.

Everyday, I do try to remember to remind everyone that however we are feeling, to recognize it as it shows up. If we are feeling sad, angry, stressed, frustrated, disappointed, or even bored, just say out loud,

“I am feeling (sad, angry, stressed, frustrated, and so on),”

and avoid adding to that a reason why or a condition that you think will alleviate this. Sometimes our emotions need to have their own spotlight. They need to be given space and validation. We then tend to find that after a time, the emotion goes away once the attention has been given.

One of the points Kyle Cease (Comedy Central comedian turned personal growth author and speaker) has made is that if people close to us disappointed us and caused us to feel a certain negative way, we can also just take time to feel this disappointment without adding an excuse for their behavior, such as,

“Well, that’s because they did the best they could,”

which is likely the reason, but that then takes away our ability to validate the right to have our feelings whenever we offer an excuse to the offending event or individual.

So, next time you feel something unpleasant and negative brewing inside, whether or not it is a direct effect from an external source (event of person), just give it a space to exist, recognize it by giving it the floor. Remember, the more we resist the more it persists. The more we push away, the more it wants to come back and stay. If you feel called to do so, leave me a comment below if you have tried this method. I would love to know if this suggestion has helped you in some way.

Remember that I have started a new YouTube channel series to further share my journey and guided Meridian meditations under the same name Physician Healer. If that resonates with you, please remember to click the LIKE button, SUBSCRIBE, ring the alert BELL, and SHARE, so that I can continue making those available.

Meditation and Relaxation:

1) Sit comfortably, close your eyes and begin by taking a very slow deep breath through your nose and track that breath down into the belly and feel it expand outward for about 5-7 seconds. Then, release it by sighing out the breath through your mouth taking about 5-7 seconds. Repeat this 2-3 more times or more if it calls to you.

2) Begin accessing the chest points with both sets of finger tips for about 10 seconds, while saying quietly the words “Release, relax and surrender.”

3) Then, access the brow points above the eyes near the forehead with both sets of finger tips for about 10 seconds, while saying quietly the words, “Release, relax and surrender.”

4) Now, access the corners of both eyes with both sets of finger tips for about 10 seconds, while saying quietly the words, “Release, relax and surrender.”

5) Next, access the areas below both eyes at the cheek bones with both sets of finger tips for about 10 seconds, while saying quietly the words, “Release, relax and surrender.”

6) Then, return to the chest and repeat number 2) above.

7) You should be feeling quite relaxed now. Continue with the chest points and quietly say the following intentional statements:

—Why does stress leave me so easily now no matter what is happening?

—Why are so many incredible things happening for me no matter what is happening?

—Why is my life lived so smoothly now no matter what is happening?

—Why do things no longer stress me out no matter what is happening?

—Why am I so resilient now no matter what is happening?

—How did I get so strong and courageous no matter what is happening?

—Why am I noticing so many awesome things in my life no matter what is happening?

—Why is my life filled with peace, joy and love no matter what is happening?

—Why are so many things coming through for me no matter what is happening?

8) Remember that in previous issues, there are more examples of statements you can use and you can also write your own.

9) Set your hands down on your lap gently and just repeat the breathing from 1). Continue to sit quietly in stillness for 20-30 minutes or more if you can.

10) After you are done, you can get ready to move forward with your day ahead. If it is bedtime, just lie down and go to sleep.

Thank you for reading. I hope something here was useful to incorporate into your daily routine. Remember to COMMENT, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE, so that I can continue to publish these every week. Let me know what you found that worked for you and made your life better. Until next time, I send you all peace, joy, and lots of love. May you find many things each day to be grateful for.

With Love and Gratitude,

Celeste Amaya, M.D.