Dr.
Frisch’s E-News
A Publication of Dr. Glenn Frisch
4137
Woodland Road
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763-784-5304 • 763-784-5349 (fax) • drfrisch@qwest.net • © 2007, Dr. Frisch. All Rights Reserved.
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The Dog Days of Winter March is upon us, which means nothing too exciting is happening. There are some High School Tournaments to watch, but unless you are a sports fan, that is not a real productive activity. The snow storms are finally here and we now have the privilege of shoveling thigh-deep snow, again, not very productive behavior either, but mandatory. "What then are we supposed to do in the Dog Days of Winter?" Projecting ahead about 6 weeks will help. Spring will soon be here and that means green grass, flowers and oh, those smells! In March there are always Home and Garden Shows to take in and the Boating and Camping Shows are also a quick way to beat the doldrums of a fading, but still strong Winter! Reading my ENewsletter is also a good way to break up your day and get your analytical juices flowing! I think that I have brought you some interesting material this month. I break down mind vs. brain function in the first article. So many people coast through life without ever questioning what happens inside the body that they live in. I feel that I presented some interesting facts and ideas about how the brain functions. Mind-body Medicine always seems to strike a sour note with me. Not that it doesn't exist, but rather, the term is so abused that is has become a dumping station for every crackpot idea under the sun. Like this one: "I am going to vibrate your earlobe and harmonize your aura, which will get rid of your constipation" (You think I'm kidding...I'm not!")
Hopefully, my article on Mind-body medicine clears up some misconceptions people have about Mind-body therapy. The article on memory that follows it is pretty cool too!
Chiropractic patients experience a different level of health than the average public. Do you realize that most conversations center around what is physically wrong with someone and whose ache and pain is worse? If you listen, I think that you will find out people who use Chiropractic carry on different types of conversations with others. Rather than calling someone a Chiropractic patient, maybe we should just call them Chiropractic People. It is probably more appropriate. You will be surprised when you read how the world views Chiropractic in my 4th article.
Apathy is a common occurrence, but when you read my final article, I think that you will see how apathy and tolerance can actually be detrimental to each of us.
Don't forget to read Eileen's Corner. She brings us a tasty salad that can be made quickly and your family will enjoy this one!
Enjoy this Issue of ENews and call me with any questions that you may have,
Take Care, Dr. Frisch
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Is There a Difference Between the Brain and the Mind?
In spite of what you may have been taught, there is
actually a difference between the brain and the mind.
The easiest way to think about it is like this: “The
brain is the organ. The mind
is the functioning of that organ.” The brain contains billions of nerve transmission
cells. Nerves exit and enter
the brain for two main reasons. Nerves
either bring sensory information into the brain from the outside world or
they respond to the body based on what the brain tells them to do. This
means that the physical brain responds to input and determines output.
We see a Saber-toothed Tiger (input) and in response we fight or
run or 'freeze' (output). This is
probably the simplest thing that the brain does. The
mind, however, is a horse of a different color. Do you ever wonder what your computer is doing when you aren’t using it, but it is still making noises and processing? Well, your brain works very similarly. There is a physical processing that occurs below your conscious threshold of awareness. This informational processing is usually based on your existing level of learning and knowledge. The brain iis integrating information based on what you have already learned during your lifetime.
Information + Meaning + Integration= MindThis might be a confusing concept to get your head
around so let me make it as simple as I can.
When you are a child, you have a very limited base of life
experience and learning. This
means that everything is new and novel.
That is why a child continually asks “Why? How come? Why? How
come?” They are developing a base of learning and knowledge.
This learning often has meaning and emotional stimulation to the
child. The integration and storage of this information is then categorized
based on what it meant to them, and if there was an association
with anything else that they may have already learned and stored. Our response to all future information and learning
is relative to what we have already learned (or thought that we learned)!
The mind is a learned responsive mechanism.
As a child, you only ‘want’ (“Gimme, Gimme, Gimme”…NOW!)
A child knows how to covet without understanding.
As we age, our mind understands WHY we want something and can
project many ideas or ways to make it happen.
That process is based on associated learning and life knowledge and
THAT IS THE MIND! Our mind determines our personality (or lack of it),
our interests and desires. Our
brain is pretty predetermined in structure, but our mind is evolutionary
over time and it can change based on our individual needs, wants combined
with pre-determined learning and integration. So, the next time someone says they don’t like your attitude….tell them your just evolving!
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Mind-Body Medicine
I actually dislike the term Mind-body medicine very much because it has
been misused and abused. The
concept of mind versus body is a difficult one to understand.
The mind, as I described in the first article is a learned,
response mechanism. The
correct term for health-related therapy should probably be ‘Brain-body
medicine’ because it imparts that a degree of physiology is involved. Most marketing and advertising, which claims success
with Mind-body therapy is using an ‘intangible’ method of marketing.
Everybody seems to want to be a ‘healer’ nowadays and the words
Mind-body healing seems to roll off of the tongue too easily not to be
used. “After all, how
can anyone really tell what I am doing anyway?”
This lack of accountability is rampant in marketing and it is usually not
to the benefit of the client/patient. Brain-body therapy, in essence, means a method of
care that improves or corrects a body dysfunction by using the
brain in a specific manner. The
neurochemicals released from the brain have a specific action in the body. Some neurochemicals are neurostimulators, while others are
neurosedators. Using the
brain in an appropriate manner can improve circulation, decrease the
stress response in the body, decrease histamine response (allergies), and
even alter digestion. This
means that the brain can alter body function when asked to do so in an
appropriate manner. This is
how neuroptropic drugs function. They
try to alter the brain’s signals to the body. Unless someone is licensed, trained and experienced
at altering the brain-body responses, they should not try to play with a
hypnosis therapy or any other brain frequency therapy.
Hypnosis therapy and brain-frequency therapy are serious therapies
that should be implemented by a licensed doctor or therapist.
A license means accountability and responsibility to a client or
patient. Laypersons should
not attempt medical interventions for which they are unqualified and
untrained to perform. In our
society, people have been ‘dumbed down’ by the media and others
to believe that “anyone one can do anything” and that all doctors are
bad. Most people with that
mentality will fly by the seat of their pants until a lawsuit leaves them
penniless and changes their life forever!
It happens. Mind-body therapy is often used as generic term to mean anything from massage with music to meditation therapies, and even psychic intervention. Too many people think that if they just show that they care about someone and try to do something, it will be a real mind and body experience and they can be a ‘healer of sorts’. Many of your new age magazines promote Mind-body health, but when you look into it, it is usually just a new spin on an old idea that has no way to measure outcomes or validity…. but it sounds nice. You know from reading my first article that the ‘mind’ is more than just the brain organ and as such, “The
mind is the interpretation and response to what the brain receives as
sensory stimulation, or sometimes, a lack of sensory stimulation.” With that in mind, any intervention which changes the
interpretation and response to stimuli, should have two distinct foci:
Unless a person has a good reason to want to change a
mind- associated response, with an end-goal to achieve, treatment will be
very hit and miss. Fishing
for answers is frustrating for both the client and the therapist. For that reason, treating emotional responses to stimuli can
be difficult. You would not
ask just anyone off of the street to take out your appendix, so why should
you be any less demanding when it comes to your brain? If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional
distress relating to life experiences and you don’t know what to do, you
are not alone. Countless
thousands are suffering with life imbalances, which result in unsuccessful
and unsatisfying responses, and they end up feeling anxious, ill,
irritable or just plain mad! Emotional, Mind-body responses are a treatable
entity. The right doctor can
make a world of difference for a suffering individual, but choosing a
doctor should not be taken lightly. All
doctors are not the same. Each
doctor has specialty areas in which he or she has more expertise and
qualifications. A good doctor
will tell a potential client/patient whether he or she is comfortable
treating any condition. An
unqualified person, however, will often try to treat everything under the
sun because they don’t know any better. Mind-body issues should not be taken lightly and each of us needs to be wise in our choices of care.
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Memory
In sticking with a theme that seems to
have developed for this newsletter, I thought I would bring to you some of
the latest research regarding memory and how it may (or may not) affect
our daily lives. A study published in the Journal of
Neurobiological Aging (2007)1
reported that socioeconomic status might have a bearing on our
ability to recall and process information as we age. Individuals that had a higher position
in society and were ‘better off’ than others had an easier time on
information recall than did either young adults or those in a lower
socioeconomic group. It was
determined that those people in higher socioeconomic groups had a longer
processing time in the frontal cortex than did others and thus better
memory recall. This means
that a specific elderly population was able to compensate for the aging
process by recruiting additional neural networks in their brain
that others were unable to do! This
would indicate that the higher one moves in society, the better their
coping skills, brain function and aged recall will be.
It would also suggest that taking things as ‘good enough’ is
likely ‘not good enough’ as we age. What about other recall events? Treating pain on a daily basis can be
quite a challenge. All
injuries are different and each patient’s perception of the initial
trauma and the resulting pain and impairment is unique.
The ability of a patient to recover from pain and impairment is
just as individualized as their trauma.
Some of this may be a conscious thought and activity process, but
other aspects of recovery are likely processing at a separate neurological
frequency. A recent study published in the Journal
of Pain (2007)2
suggested that pain is not only an immediate response to trauma, but that
pain may also be recalled and ‘rebooted’ into the nervous system by
simply recalling the event. This
suggests that a memory of pain may be just as important in the recover
process as treating the initial, acute injury and pain. For lack of a better term, I have been calling this phenomenon a ‘neurological echo’ for many years. People like to use the phrase ‘muscle memory’, but I contend that the more appropriate term should be neurological memory or an echo in the nervous system. The brain neurologically remembers trauma as easily as it remembers what ‘normal’ nerve frequencies are supposed to be. The neurological memory of trauma may last long after the actual injury. This is a likely contributor to chronic
pain patterns, such as Fibromyalgia, as well as any number of organ complaints like
Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This is why the Activator Adjusting
Technique is such a phenomenal treatment method for injury and chronic
pain. The treatment is not
just structural; the instrument imparts a vibrational frequency into
the nervous system that fires the proper neurology for recovery.
The brain and nervous system remember the ’echo’ and joints are
stabilized faster, while the nervous system itself learns to recover to
normal frequencies of firing. In addition to physical and structural recovery from pain and trauma with the Activator Adjusting Technique, I have created many ‘brain neurology’ programs that are available in the office to aid in neurological recovery from injury. Those of you who have completed the pain programs and the MyFibro program understand how important the brain is in a more complete recovery of both acute and chronic conditions. The Vason vascular program is a definite hit with the seniors who have ‘cold hands and feet’. They quickly realize how the brain controls circulation. Memory is not just a thought process; it is a physical, neurological mechanism that can self-generate ‘good signals’ of recovery as well as ‘bad signals’, which may result in chronic problems! 1.
Czernochowski,
D., Fabiani, M., Friedman, D. (2007) Use it or lose it? SES mitigates
age-related decline in a recency/recognition task. Neurobiology of Aging.
Feb 3; (Epub) 2.
Terry,
R., Brodie, E., Niven, C. (2007). Exploring the phenomenology of memory
for pain: Is previously experienced acute pain consciously remembered or
simply known? Journal of Pain Feb 14. (Epub)
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Chiropractic
Patients Live Better, If Not Longer! Why do some people seem to enjoy good health
throughout their lifetimes, while others seem to fight a myriad of
physical complaints, injury and disease? The case could be made that some people are just
lucky and have good genetics or maybe an individual’s life was so
‘easy’ that he or she didn’t accumulate physical trauma.
Either argument could be made, but I feel the more important issue
would be who took care of themselves throughout a lifetime of wear and
tear, and who didn’t? There is increasing evidence to
suggest the people who receive chiropractic care, at least periodically,
throughout their lifetime, are physically healthier and may actually live longer
than those who don’t receive Chiropractic care.
This is not just an American approach to better health with aging,
but in fact, encompasses world views. A study published in The Japanese Journal of Public Health (2006)1 reported that in a randomly chosen town, (Oguni) 47% of females and 35% of males had taken herbal/vitamin supplements regularly in the previous 6 months. In that same time period, in that town alone, 70% HAD RECEIVED CHIROPRACTIC CARE! It that fabulous, or what? Ladies and gentlemen, we are not talking about the upper Midwest; we are talking about a Country on the other side of the planet! People like to believe that America ‘owns’ Chiropractic, but there are actually more Chiropractic Universities outside of the United States than in the U.S. The world understands and uses Chiropractic care regularly, but I still hear people make foolish comments like, “I’ve never needed
a Chiropractor…knock on wood!” OR "I really don't believe in Chiropractic" (Like it's a belief system...how stupid!) Most people, even if they ‘know’ about
Chiropractic care, probably still do not understand it fully.
Chiropractic care is about structure and function.
This means that physical problems are both STRUCTURAL (bony,
ligament, muscle) and NEUROLOGICAL (nerves).
The correct term for trauma is a ‘neuromuscular lesion’
and most, if not all, people will suffer with physical pain and debilitation
at one or more periods in their lives.2 Problems and traumas that are corrected and
stabilized allow an individual to regain health and get on with his or her
life. Problems that are
allowed to remain ‘destabilized’ will start the degenerative, arthritic
process. Remember, arthritis
is the body’s way of stabilizing an unstable area.
The brain does not care if you limp for the rest of your life. It just wants structural and neurological stability.
It is that simple. Those people that do not stabilize unstable trauma
begin the body degeneration and the aging process much sooner than their peers
who seek stabilization care (Chiropractic).
To say that early degeneration of our physical body occurs from
everyday wear and tear would be an understatement.
Neurological insult from trauma means that our organs, vascular
system and even our digestive systems begin a downward spiral of health.
When Chiropractors say that they treat Digestive disorders,
Vascular problems (headaches), and even Asthma (respiratory system), what
they should probably be reporting is that they are treating the early
symptoms of body degeneration! By stabilizing trauma to the body, the Chiropractor reduces and eliminates physical and organic degeneration of the body. This means that we live longer and better throughout our lifetime. Our bodies are supposed to live to be about 150 years old, but how many people ever see that number? The human frame degenerates considerably sooner than that. Chiropractic is a significant ingredient in the recipe for longevity. Medicine is beginning to realize that through legitimate research. With an aging population, I can only hope that the American public opens their eyes to what the rest of the world is readily finding out! Chiropractic
makes life better! 1.
Fukuda,
S., Watanabe, E., One, N., Tsubouchi, M., Shirakawa, T. (2006) Use of
Complementary and alternative medicine and health problems. Nippon
Koshu Eisei Zasshi. Apr; 53(4): 293-300. 2.
Journal
of Manipulative Physiological Therapy. (2004) Sept ; 27(7). |
“I
Shouldn’t Have To Do Anything”
“I want a job that has full benefits, a
401K retirement, 3-6 weeks of vacation every year and unlimited sick
time…..even if it is just to sneak a day off of work when I feel like
it.” As a
society, we have gotten somewhat apathetic! We never expect bad things to happen and there is
usually a fix for everything. Our
grandparents, however, can remember a time when things weren’t so easy.
If someone got sick, they might actually die from the flu or some
other disease for which we now receive a simple vaccination.
Too many people expect to have fabulous health through their
lifetimes, purely by entitlement. An entitlement mentality means that one individual
or group owes something to another individual or group. Some of the classical entitlements are: · Shelter · Food · Clothing ·
Basic Health Some of the ‘New Age’ entitlements, however, expand
outward from the basic needs of survival and could be considered DEMANDS,
rather needs. I will call these the “You Owe Me’s”: · Outstanding, higher-level Education · Nice Home in a Nice Neighborhood ·
Exceptional and Cosmetic Health As a society gets easier to live in, people have
greater expectations of that environment and they attribute less
responsibility of themselves
within the environment. This
means that fewer and fewer people end up contributing more and more to
keep the whole society moving forward.
When this happens, Governing bodies usually step in to really muck
things up. The Government (the eye in the above picture) wants you docile, dependent and complacent. A complacent society can be molded into any governmental agenda, including how you receive your ‘needed’ health care. I continually hear patients demanding a National
Health Care System. They
believe that it will be more standardized and be less expensive for them. Nothing could be further from the truth.
When was the last time that you saw any branch of a Government
provide a service cheaper? Try never! That
is not the purpose of Government. To
govern means to regulate and control as a whole! Insurance (and HMO) reform does, however, need to
occur. When you hear talk
about all of the uninsured people in the State of Minnesota, they are not
really telling the truth. The
Insurance industry is not regulated and for that reason they continue to
make obscene profits year after year.
You are there for their benefit, not the other way around!
The problem is not that people can’t afford Insurance, the
problem is that there is no real benefit in having Insurance, unless a
catastrophe strikes. But, with
obscene monthly payments for policies that have $2500 + deductibles, the
Insurance Industry is breaking the financial backs of a complete
generation of people. The
Insurance Industry has stolen too much and we as a society are largely
to blame! Our legislators are supposed to serve us.
Laws and regulations are passed to (supposedly) protect us.
In our “Everything will be fine” world we did not pay attention
to what was happening in our ‘Health Care Life”.
Health care has been stolen by a bunch of accountants and we have
not demanded that our legislators act for change, on our behalf.
We have just expected that someone, somewhere, will do something for
us! For most of us, our health care needs are too
frequently a result of our own apathy as well.
We all know that we need to see the dentist or we will develop
cavities, periodontal disease and our teeth will fall out. No one should be surprised when that happens….but they
usually are. We also need to
see our Medical Doctors. They
stitch us up, mend our breaks and often keep us alive.
A regular checkup can help to stave off an unforeseen crisis. We also need Chiropractors as much as we need
Dentists and MD’s. Chiropractors
fix your injuries and keep your body stable throughout your lifetime. I continually say that you will notice the greatest benefit
of Chiropractic as you get older. As
you age, the traumas that you have sustained throughout your lifetime
begin to accumulate and show their damage.
Those people who receive regular Chiropractic care have better
overall health, less cumulative injuries and lower rates of degenerative
joint disease. Even if a
joint has degenerative arthritis, it can be stabilized and that person can
lead a productive life. Left
alone, degeneration is just that, degenerative breakdown.
It is not a disease; it is a process of neglect! If we don’t belong to a certain HMO, however, we may not be allowed to see the MD, Dentist or Chiropractor that we want to see! I feel that it is an utter failure of any society, which rewards a corporation for restricting an individual’s ability to see a doctor of their choosing. The money is there, don’t kid yourself, it’s just not being administered in a fashion that is in a patient’s best interest. In essence, we are not getting what we are paying for. Until we ‘demand’ a health care revolution, by
forcing our legislators to do the right thing, our apathy will allow
sectors of society to rob us blind. It’s
not that we can’t afford health care.
We are already paying thousands of dollars a year for it;
we’re just not getting anything in return.
Our apathy has brought us to a bad place in history.
I was recently in Chicago and there were banners hanging from
Downtown windows that said, “Keep our Doctors in Illinois”.
The Health Care System is no longer about delivering good health
care to those who need it. Health
care in 2007 is about managing the money that floods the HMO
and Insurance Industry’s front doors.
They have passed the point of greed, and I feel that unless each of
us demands accountability from our elected representatives, the existing
HMO/Insurance Model will only do greater damage within all economic
sectors of our society! We
are not getting what we are paying for! Have
a Great Month, Dr. Frisch
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Eileen's Corner "My
church choir director, Liz Grefsheim, first served this salad at a potluck
event. I was instantly hooked. I think that once you try
this, you will be too." Romaine
Lettuce Salad The
Dressing 3/4
Cup sugar (or less to taste) 1
Cup vegetable oil 1/3
to 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar 1
Tablespoon prepared mustard (Dijon is good) 1/4
Cup finely grated/chopped onion (Omit this if you really don't like
onions.) 1/2
Teaspoon salt Mix
all of the ingredients in a shaker and shake it well to combine. Let
it sit over night (or all day) in the fridge, especially if you add the
onion. Give it a shake every so often. This vinaigrette will
also keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.
The
Salad Fresh Romaine Hearts
Add: The amounts of the next three can vary with personal preferences.
Enjoy! Eileen
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