5 minute read
therapy spotlight
GRAVITY
friend or foe
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by Jean McClelland
The human body was designed with gravity in mind. We are built to use gravity to go up and away from it, utilizing the same force that made Isaac Newton’s famous apple fall and that keeps the moon and planets in their orbits.
Our physiology is quite miraculous. In the muscles between the long bones of our feet are specialized sensory nerve endings called muscle spindles. These respond to gravity by sending a postural reflex through the muscles that keep us upright. This reflex is always working in us, but when we bring awareness to how we use ourselves in relation to gravity, our entire body functions in a much more efficient way. We find a renewed vitality in ourselves in addition to less musculoskeletal pain.
In Alexander Technique lessons, we learn how not to let gravity pull us down. Actor Kevin Kline says, “The many benefits that the Alexander Technique afforded us as actors included about an inch-anda-half of additional height. By balancing and neutralizing tensions, I’ve learned to relieve, as well as to avoid, the aches and pain caused by the thousands of natural shocks that flesh is heir to.”
For a great practice to stimulate the “up” in our body, take a moment and sense the earth elevating from under one’s feet. Notice that when we let the earth support us in this way, our body and our joints move much more freely, and our breathing becomes easier and fuller. When we push down into our legs to feel the earth in a false idea of grounding, our body stiffens, and we become immobile. Our ribs fix, and we find it hard to breathe. Our legs get heavy.
For further practice, we can imagine the earth moving us as we walk, as if we are on a moving sidewalk in an airport terminal. We will feel as if we are gliding, and we might notice that our eyesight sharpens, and scenery becomes more vivid and alive around us. When a burst of energy is needed during the day, imagine an earth elevator underneath, and say, “Going up!”
Jean McClelland, MAmSAT, is a senior teacher of the Alexander Technique and teaches voice and Alexander Technique in the MFA acting program at Columbia University. For more information, visit JeanMcClellandVoice.com
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Online Breathing Course with Jean McClelland
Reestablish your natural coordinated way of breathing. Strengthen your voice and lungs. Revitalize your body and mind.
Includes almost two hours of video presentation and exercises, written explanation with graphics, and a half hour Skype or video lesson with Jean.
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For more info, visit JeanMcClellandVoice.com
CANDIDIASIS:
The Great Impersonator
From the desk of Dr. Howard Robins at The Healing Center, in New York City
The Problem
They come into my office every day, all with different health complaints and suffering in their own special way. No two are exactly the same. Most have been suffering for years and tried everything—almost everything, that is—to get well. While many of those treatments and medicines helped and offered hope, at least for a while, they ultimately failed to stop the never- Dr. Howard Robins ending discomfort and pain.
All these patients have been told by doctors that they have this condition or that disease—they show the entire range of classic symptoms, don’t they? So then why didn’t the prescribed treatments work? The answer is that the true, underlying cause was missed or ignored. Ignored because it wasn’t recognized as the real “felon,” the real reason for their problem.
The Cause
With your very first childhood dose of antibiotics, or your first bite of non-organic chicken or red meat (most contain traces or more of various antibiotics), the healthy bacteria (probiotics) in your intestine were killed right along with the harmful bacteria that needed to be destroyed. This allowed yeast—the different types of candida, also known as monilia— to overgrow in your intestinal wall. It also allowed bad bacteria to move in and inhabit your intestinal wall, continually secreting toxins into your system.
The Results
What real difference does this make? Well, after years of research, scientists have discovered that this yeast overgrowth weakens the immune system and the body. As each of us is unique, they are weakened to different degrees and in different ways, causing a wide variety of symptoms, often leading to a misdiagnosis.
What’s worse is that while most doctors know the condition of yeast overgrowth exists, they “don’t see the forest” (as the saying goes) because there are too many trees in the way! They either don’t believe or don’t recognize the relationship between yeast overgrowth and health problems. The symptoms, conditions and illnesses are so varied that it’s hard to believe that they all could have a single cause.
Believe it or not, this is just a partial list of symptoms that have been associated with this horrible illness (found on numerous anti-candidiasis websites):
It’s hard to believe that one problem can cause all these different symptoms. But if you suffer from one or more, or know someone who does, please don’t give up hope (although you may already have). Read on.
• constant, excessive fatigue • brain fog and trouble concentrating • anxiety and depression • mood swings and irritability • poor memory • learning difficulties • hyperactivity • obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) • angry outbursts • headaches or migraines • intense cravings for sugars, sweets and breads (carbohydrates) • abdominal gas and bloating, stomach pain and digestive problems • acid reflux • cravings for alcohol • skin problems (infections, eczema, psoriasis, acne, itchiness) • vaginitis • rectal itching • diarrhea/constipation • sinus inflammation • premenstrual syndrome (PMS) • hormonal problems • low sex drive • inability to become pregnant • dizziness • persistent cough • muscle weakness • sensitivity to fragrances and/or other chemicals • thrush • athlete’s foot and nail fungus • sore throat • chronic muscle and/or joint pain • herpes outbreaks • environmental allergies
The Answer
The answer to this persistent health dilemma consists of a necessary combination of three things: a temporary dietary change (anti-candida diet); Doctors Biome Colon Health™, a special kind of probiotics that adhere to the intestinal wall (available at DoctorsBiome.com); and most importantly, in very resistant cases, intravenous ozone therapy. Without all three, failure to get well may be the result, as it has been with most people.
More information about this amazing, safe and effective treatment is available at OzoneWithoutBorders.ngo; on my website, OzoneDoctor.net; and on my radio show, “Functional Medicine with Dr. Robins,” which is archived but live each week on VoiceAmerica.com’s Health and Wellness Channel. You can also call my office at 212-581-0101. See ad, page 3.
