Your beliefs can make you sick, says Dr. Richard Kradin, author of "The Placebo Response and the Power of Unconscious Healing," and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. Expecting the worst from a medical condition can produce the nocebo effect--the evil twin of the placebo effect.

The placebo effect is beneficial and refers to health gains caused by dummy pills or other treatments that shouldn't produce a positive effect, but do thanks to the power of a patient's belief. The nocebo effect is just the opposite--patients expect side effects to a pill or a bad outcome to a treatment or a condition and that's what they get, thanks to the power of belief, even when the pill or treatment is harmless.

"Your beliefs, doubts, and fears, can produce unpleasant symptoms of illness or slow down the healing process," says Dr. Kradin.

(Dr. Johnson's Comment: So what is the best way to avoid this nocebo effect? One of the first things I learned in pharmacology class is that all drugs have side effects, either known or unknown. Your body is the greatest pharmacy created. If your body legitimately needs something, why not utilize tools like acupuncture, herbs, and chiropractic which have a much higher benefit to risk ratio than man-made drugs, which in many cases only favor slightly better than placebo. By eliminating risky options full of possible side effects, you eliminate the nocebo effect. Utilizing these natural tools of healing will indeed be the best way to keep the nocebo effect far from you!)

Solutions are easy. Figuring out what the problem is....that's hard.

Asking the right question is the hardest part of healing, living wholesomely, thriving, and striving in life. It took at least 6000 years of world history before someone asked the right question to determine the theory of relativity. Once Einstein asked the right question, he figured it out in about 20 years. It took six millennia for someone to "ask the right question," and a simple generation to come up with the solution.

How about you? Do you know what the problem is in your life? Do you have something you struggle with? We all do. If you haven't solved it in the last few years, you probably don't know what the problem really is. You are barking up the wrong tree.

Albert Einstein makes an amazing observation: "Every process begins as a simple solution to a difficult problem. When the true reason for a process is forgotten, or becomes unclear, the process itself often becomes a problem that confounds any solution."

We live a life full of constructed processes, another word for them is behaviors. We have developed them to serve us in specific situations. Sadly, those processes soon become a reflex, and we start unknowingly using them in situations for which they were never made. Road rage is a perfect example. Anger seems to work for that person with road rage in some way, in some circumstances in life. They continue to apply this solution in ever-expanding circles and circumstances, but with a correspondingly shrinking circle of efficacy. It doesn't help their heart to work better, their brain to function better, their spirit to express itself more honestly, the traffic to move faster, or their relationships to improve, but they do it anyway, usually in increasing rates of frequency. The man with road rage forgot that it was originally designed to keep his older brother from physically abusing him when he was only four years old. Now, at the age of 40, he is extending that simple solution far beyond the circumstance for which it was a poor, but effective solution. His behavior was a solution, but he forgot what the problem was. His solution then became a problem without a solution.

We would be wise to reevaluate constantly the reflexive solutions we employ in life. How can we find them? It is actually quite simple. There are two hallmark signals that we are using improper solutions:

1. Stress

2. Negative Emotions: Anger, fear, depression, anxiety, worry, etc.

Stress is one of the first road signs declaring we are using our adaptive mechanisms improperly. When we feel stressed, we are misunderstanding the situation we are in, and we are applying the wrong solutions. Once we see the situation correctly and apply the proper solutions that are cultivated for a properly evaluated situation, we cease instantly to be stressed. We begin to act out of our higher self, our higher possibility, we begin to feel peace, we act out of love, and our levels of confidence and congruence rise dramatically. Ahhhh! Isn't that much better?!?!

Negative Emotions: These are emotions like the ones I mentioned above. These come because we feel we have been a victim of a situation or someone else's choices. When we think we have been a victim, we deny any personal responsibility or power. We stop creating and start fearing. We resort to habitual, reactive processes that have served us in the past, and we seek security from the myriad of negative things we can imagine may go wrong. We stop acting out of love, we have no peace inside, we shut our hearts down, our heads go into overdrive, and we become living examples of Einstein's quote: ...our chosen "process...becomes a problem that confounds any solution."

So what is the key to healing such aberrant emotional and mental pathways?

The solution is really just magic. Stay tuned next month for the "magic in the moment."

I want to share a story which happened years ago. My wife and I decided to eat at a popular Mexican restaurant one night. We took our son, Sam with us, and I think he was around nine months of age. As we were sitting there, Sam in his highchair, the mariachi music started to play and we noticed something very interesting and entertaining happening in that little highchair. Sam was 'going to town,' as one would say, with his dancing. We kept egging him on with the phrase, "Shake your booty, Sam!" From then on, all it took was a little music and Sam would "shake his booty."

"Booty shaking"...I mean, music therapy is being recommended for various conditions ranging from Parkinson's to stroke. "How can music help?" you ask. Well, apparently listening to music can help in several ways. It is believed that music triggers a flood of neurons to render the cadence into organized movement. People who have inhibited movement can use music to help them move again. Do you have balance problems? Well, turn on some oldies and "let the music move you." It actually does work! Stroke and Parkinson's patients are able to use the musical vibrations to help them coordinate their steps and secure their balance.

How's your blood pressure or stress level? Several studies have shown that music can lower your blood pressure and stress levels quite significantly. In fact, researchers have found that patients who listen to music have cut their anxiety, stress, heart rate, and cortisol levels as much as the popular anti-anxiety drug, Diazepam. In the words of my biology teacher, "So...so there you go!" Or in other words, enough said!

If speech is a problem for you, researchers have found that through a technique called melodic intonation therapy, speech can be retrieved or even retrained with stroke patients. Our brain actually processes music through related speech networks. Even with damage to speech areas, patients are able to sing lyrics to songs thus enabling them to recover speech quicker through replacing the lyrics with their own phrases.

I guess the key here is to make sure you listen to only wholesome music, or you could come back sprouting off gangster rap lyrics. No offense to anyone who listens to that type of music, but we only play soft, soothing, and meditative music at Olson Chiropractic because I don't want Dr. O threatening to bust caps in me!

-Dr. J

Arthritis can be a painful and frustrating condition for many in our society today. Odds are, the doctors say, that if your mother had arthritis, you will also. However, a simple technique of tapping acupuncture points, called EFT, can relieve arthritis pain and swelling for many.

EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique, really likes to 'break the rules' of what we have to experience in our bodies. My clients have seen incredible relief when using EFT for arthritis. This process can be a valuable helper in relieving swelling and pain. EFT is an easy healing modality to learn and utilize in your daily life. Through tapping on certain points, EFT is painless and a quick process to learn, whether you are 8 or 80. I initially offered EFT in my Reflexology practice, but I am finding that it is such a beneficial technique that I often use it on its own, with impressive results.

One client of mine has been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, a common form of arthritis that often runs in families, particularly through the female side of the family. This can be an important concept to remember when working with clients with arthritis. One client of mine had pain and swelling in her left hand and was barely able to squeeze her fingers into a fist without pain. She said the pain level was at about a 4, on a scale of 1-10, at the current moment. When we did a few rounds of general tapping on the EFT points, she did not feel any difference or change in the pain level in her hand.

This is where persistence can take center stage! If I'm ever stuck wondering why EFT hasn't 'worked' yet, I find that just by talking with my about their situation, the answer will undoubtedly present itself. We talked a little bit about arthritis and what it means to her, what she thinks of when she thinks about it. She mentioned that her mother and grandmother also had severe arthritis. What an interesting link, I thought. It was this link that I thought was worth a round of EFT. After one round, the pain had lessened. After an additional round, the pain was almost completely gone. She was able to open and close her hand easily and without pain. I have seen this client since then and both of us are continually amazed at the new fluidity of her hands as she waves goodbye after our sessions.

I've also worked with a client struggling with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Through EFT, she has been able to find relief on those days where is particular pain and swelling in her joints. Over time, she is finding it an invaluable tool in her journey back to health.

EFT is an empowering tool you can learn in your hour-long initial session. You will learn not only how to apply this technique to relieve your arthritis pain, but to other areas of your life that are causing you physical and emotional discomfort. Call 636-225-2121 today to learn more about how to add this tool to your Toolbox of Health!

-Annie Bathgate, EFT-ADV

What Is Your Purpose?
Wednesday, October 8th at 6:30PM

Come explore your 'reason for being' as Dr. Olson probes your mind with thought-provoking questions and discussion. Experience a certain aliveness and self-worth as you realize your connection and importance in this physical world and beyond.

Where: Olson Chiropractic
1360 Big Bend Square
Manchester, MO 63021
(located at Big Bend and Hwy 141, 2 doors down from Nicoletti's Restaurant)

Cost: $10 per person, but if you bring 3 or more guests, you are all FREE OF CHARGE!

Seating is limited, so call 636-225-2121 to reserve your spot TODAY!

The Power of Forgiveness
Wednesday, October 22nd at 6:30PM

Join us in a discovery of the empowerment of forgiveness and its effect on both the body and spirit. Forgiveness is one of the most powerful and sacred tools we have toward achieving personal freedom as well as creating the reality we live in. Come and learn the stepping stones as they apply to healing your body, mind, and spirit.

Where: Olson Chiropractic
1360 Big Bend Square
Manchester, MO 63021
(located and Big Bend and Hwy 141, 2 doors down from Nicoletti's Restaurant)

Cost: $10 per person, but if you bring 3 or more guests, you are all FREE OF CHARGE

Seating is limited, so call 636-225-2121 to register today!