As I draw to the end of the year I ask myself… how wide was my reach this year? Did I do all that I could with all that I had and was given?

And what about you, do you think you did all that you could with what you had or were given? And if you did what got you there? Did you have a map or was life blindly taking you in a direction you wanted to go, satisfied with the landing place?

I’ve been reading a book lately called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, a fabulous book and an easy read. I do recommend it for a stocking stuffer! It reminds me of the pops up we have – you know the ones – “you’re no good, do you really want to do that or better yet the pop ups that have you sit procrastinating about your procrastination problem”. Yes I can see the smile on your face and the nodding of your head.

We all have these little pieces of resistance that pop up. And resistance is what Pressfield calls the fear that paralyses us like a kangaroo in headlights for either a short time or sometimes for the whole of our life time and prevents us from putting our blessing out to the world. One of the resistances he so eloquently reminds me of is on page 37 where he speaks of Socrates. He says Socarates demonstrated long ago that the truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery. I wanted to share this piece this month given that 2011 is just around the corner and the question begs to be asked…How wide are you planning to reach?

This is “The Golden Book” on the right there. I took a picture of it when I found it knowing it was something I wanted to share with you all. Things like this are gems aren’t they? I remember doing the Dale Carnegie course back in the 80’s…obviously I knew at one level my life would unfold on a stage! This little book is 4 (small) pages, written in 1936, given to me by my dad and is straight to the point. I image business people carried it around in their hip pocket reminding them of the principles and sayings.

I’m going to share with you the points taken from “How To Win Friends And Influence People” as they are outlined exactly in Dale Carnegie’s “The Golden book”…enjoy.

Become a Friendlier Person

• Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.
• Give honest, sincere appreciation.
• Arouse in the other person an eager want.
• Become genuinely interested in other people.
• Smile.
• Remember that a person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
• Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
• Talk in terms of the other persons interests.
• Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.

Win People to Your Way of Thinking

• The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it (not sure if BJ would agree with this he always said “conflict clarifies!”).
• Show respect for the other person’s opinions. Never tell a person he or she is wrong.
• If you are wrong, admit it quickly and empathically.
• Begin in a friendly way.
• Get the other person saying “yes, yes” immediately (ummm…the “yes yes” agreement!).
• Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
• Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
• Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view (we know trying is an illusion…you either do it or you don’t as my dad taught me!).
• Be sympathetic with the other person’s ideas and desires.
• Appeal to the nobler motives.
• Dramatize your ideas (I see chiropractors doing this!).
• Throw down a challenge (I can also see chiropractors doing this!).

Be a Leader

• Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
• Call attention to people’s mistakes indirectly.
• Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
• Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
• Let the other person save face.
• Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be “hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.”
• Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
• Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
• Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

Copyright© Dale Carnegie 1936

After a series of adjustments, Ben’s cranium started to balance itself. His neck movements started to become larger and overall the boy came alive. Sue and Mark took Ben back to the pediatrician. While Sue was sitting in the waiting room, she couldn’t help but notice another mother sitting there with her child who was already in a helmet. Sue found she couldn’t stop herself from sharing the information with the mother about her experience of regular adjustments and the impact it had made to Ben’s life and their own life in such a short time. Sue sat there sharing everything with this lady until the pediatrician came out to call the next patient. The pediatrician couldn’t help but also notice the changes in Ben’s cranium. He was astonished at the results in such a short period of time.

B.J. Palmer said “you never know how far reaching something you may think, say or do today that will affect the lives of millions tomorrow”. Sue affected the life of the lady in the waiting room by sharing her story and Chiropractic affected the lives of Sue, Mark, and Ben. Nature truly needs no help, just no interference.

Truth

• Nature needs no help, just no interference.
• Let’s not interfere with what is a natural process.
• Do you help the grass to grow? Do you help the sun to rise?
• Babies know what to do every time, all the time, in just the right sequence at just the right time in order to create limitless potential for themselves provided there is no interference.

Questions

• Are you or is somebody you know pregnant? If so, find a chiropractor in your area and begin creating the opportunity for your body and baby to function differently – physically, chemically, and emotionally. Give your child the best possible start to life.

I promised you there would be more on last week’s post this week and here it is…

After three weeks, the intricacies of the construction call for an overseeing system to govern the ongoing development. It is at this stage that we see the formation of the brain and the nerve system to help coordinate this development and shall do so for the rest of our lives, provided there is no interference. The nerve system controls all the functions of the cells, tissues, organs and systems of the body within the embryonic stage through to the adult stage in the physical lifetime. The nerve system is responsible for the homeostasis mechanism which, enables us to adapt to an ever-changing external environment based on our perceptions. Now, a system like this needs no help, just no interference!

The skeleton begins to form at around week five and six and is designed to do so until you are fully formed. Ever noticed that we all have two ears which are situated either side of our head? Or that our eyes are situated just under our forehead in the orbital cavity and below our eyebrows? What enables this to happen? The internal wisdom of the body – the innateness of design, if you will – creates this without us consciously thinking about it. At only eleven weeks all the system of the body are in working order with the muscles and nerves working together to create the first movements and the entire system fits into the size of our little finger. Ain’t that grand! Only five weeks later the baby is identifiable as a human being, with eyelids, ears, nose, mouth, fingernails, feet, and organs. All these are coordinated to enable growth and development under the watchful eye of the intelligence of life within, coupled with the governing system: the nerve system.

At around 18 weeks it is possible to clearly see the child sucking its thumb. We now know one of the benefits to this is the preparation for breast feeding upon birth. It also helps regulate the sacral occipital motion and the pumping of the cerebrospinal fluid around the body delivering nutrients to the nerve system and taking toxins away….and next week I shall add some more to the growth and life of the unborn child. Stay tuned to this blog post!

It’s interesting to note that the power that made your body has the ability to heal your body. Imagine the difference if everybody in the world adopted this knowledge and lived by it – wouldn’t the world’s diseased conditions and illness rates be very different? No longer would we be putting synthetic formulas or tablets into the body thinking that this would improve health. It is most harmful to our longevity on this planet.

I have chosen to be part of a profession, which has a philosophy that is a way of life; a philosophy that teaches that health is expressed from the inside out. Our ability to heal ourselves and express health is an innate knowing far greater than our educated minds. It also suggests we were born with a limitless potential to express health. Regaining, maintaining, growing and educating ourselves in health is our responsibility. Based on our knowledge and understanding, we make choices for ourselves which in turn create our reality. What is important is to respect the life and intelligence within our body and know how amazing it is.

For the sheer purpose of increasing our awareness and our of respect for the internal intelligence that keeps us functioning every day of our life, let me illustrate the intricate order of events that take place in the design of making who we are as the physical being.

Upon ejaculation, the sperm knows what to do – not just once, but time and time again. They swim and swim and swim, competing against each other for the right to penetrate the ovum wall. Provided there is no interference, the sperm find their way to the egg every time. Upon fertilization there is now ALL the necessary cells to form a human being. Remarkable. Proteins, DNA codes, organs and nerves are ready to work harmoniously together to form a human being, and provided there is no interference this shall be complete at the end of nine months.

Read on to find out what the past few months have been like for myself, my husband and our three young children…

Back in March this year I said to my husband…

Something is going to happen in July/August
I don’t know what it is but it’s going to change our lives, the lives of our children and children around the world.

On July 22nd, three days before my birthday, my life changed.

I was at home on the phone and in walked our nanny. She’d arrived home with two of our three children. Our eldest was at home with me, lying asleep in our bed, with a health expression he had created for himself a few days prior. I was on the phone interviewing a new person for a different position in my company.

I sensed that something was up; not quite right. I got up and walked towards her muting the phone I called “is everything okay?”

It was like a tiger being let out of a cage…

I walked closer to our bedroom where she was standing and our eldest was lying. I noticed she’d pulled the doona off him waking him up. She began yelling “I can’t believe he has flannelette pajamas on and water bottles in the bed with him and he is as hot as anything” I relied saying he is in my bed and the water bottles were for me from the night before and they are cold. She proceeded to the freezer to get out something frozen to place on his fore head. He looked at me with a confused, puzzled look having never at the age of 8 had anything like this before. I stood in the kitchen frozen, paralyzed, wondering what was going on.

She turned on me again and pointed at my middle boy who stood over near the couch looking at me with confused eyes as well and she yelled “do you know he has a temperature?”

“And?” I said

“His temperature is 38.7C” (101.66F)

“And?” I said

“Well that is dangerously high and he could have a fit.”

“What’s your point?” I said

She continued finishing with the one line I knew was about to change my world…

“I have no choice but to…

To find out what happened next go to Vital Moms

There is always balance in any situation – the good and the bad. This situation sparked such a HUGE flame under me and it’s the reason why I’m so proud to bring you Vital Moms – the #1 place for VITAL answers when your family is faced with tough health choices.

It has finally arrived and now ready for launch. What I have been working on behind the scenes for the past 2 months has finally come to fruition and I’m excited to be sharing it with you.

People have the right to choose out of the three separate and distinct health approaches available (I’ve shared these in previous ezine issues) is right for themselves and their children.

This is where Vital Moms comes in.

Vital Moms is dedicated to protecting, educating and supporting parents/moms and professionals in the alternate (vitalistic) health choices they make. When my right to choose was threatened because of one persons differing belief I took a vital stand, raised my voice and said that’s not okay!

If you are willing to stand beside me then here’s what I would LOVE YOU to do…

• Go to www.vitalmoms.com and read Dr Sarah’s story in more detail
• Register to receive the Vital Moms resource (top right of the page)
• Go to the Health Professionals page and read how vital moms can benefit you and sign up to receive the vital education for your practice members and clients
• Tell your practice members and clients about Vital Moms and encourage them to register
• Pop Vital Moms in your practice newsletter, and
• Send tweets and FB messages about it.

Lets protect our right to choose and lets protect the right of the people you serve to choose.

Read more here @ Vital Moms

The answer is…SYSTEMS! I know I have spoken about systems before (because I am a vitalistic systems junkie) but I wanted to bring it up again in a slightly different way which may make all the difference to you my valued reader. And if this article can have you take stock of the importance of systems which will then contribute to your practice and business success then I will be plesaed with myself for pounding the point!

Most people attempt to achieve success by repeating accidents, one offs that have no system to it. We all learnt from Einsteins definition of insanity which is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result is not the way to achieve health nor is it the way to appraoch your business. If you are doing the same thing over and over then think again, do something different , get a mentor or close your doors. The key here is to do something diffferent to what everybody else is doing. For example some of the “repeated accidents” might include random acts of internal and external marketing, getting erratic results, demand one day and no demand the next. To escape this you must have consistent, reliable, predictable SYSTEMS that efficiently, effectively and affordably provide vast quantities of quality people through your door.

By definition a system is an organised, reliable and consistent and therefore capable of delivering consistently predictable results. This means you are NOT advertising or doing prospecting work wondering what the results may be; you know in advance. That means you go to bed EVERY night KNOWING, within a small range of variance, what tomorrow will bring. And here is the beauty…a system works for you. It is designed to replace a certain amount of manual labor.

Have this as one of your practice success purposes…

to design, engineer and implement systems that work for you

If I asked you what line of business Fred Smith is in you’d say (more than likely) “sending parcels” and Micheal Dell you’d say “computers” and if it was Ray Kroc you’d probably say “hamburgers” or “fast food”. If you get a chance to read about their lives I suggest you do. You soon start to realise very quickly that they are ALL in the business of SYSTEMS…and we are too.

“Creativity is over-rated. Most business success comes from doing boring, diligent work. from developing a system that produces consistent results and sticking to it”
- Ray Kroc, Founder MacDonalds

Smith, Dell and Kroc all work intimately with systems. As chiropractors of course we do too – both within the body and in our practices!

There are three models of health care available today: the medical paradigm, the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) paradigm, and the real alterNATE!

The medical/mechanistic paradigm is one we all know too well. It is an “outside-in” approach to apparently regaining some form of “health”. In correspondence to The British Medical Journal* , Ron Law noted that preventable medical errors in hospitals are responsible for 11% of all deaths in Australia and New Zealand. Adding deaths from properly researched, properly registered, properly prescribed and properly used drugs to the preventable deaths results in a figure that covers 19% of all deaths. This is almost 1 out of every 5 deaths.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (run by the Australian Government) states that we spend 8-10% of the Gross National Product on health care. Yet 60% of Australians were sick within the last 2 weeks, 60% of Australians take drugs for a chronic health problem, 50% of adolescents are taking painkillers and 40% of 15 year olds suffer some kind of chronic disease.**

Why does society perpetuating the myth that health is found in a pill?

This allopathic/mechanistic model demonstrates a disease-centered focus. A person “gets” a disease and of course something from outside the body heals it, takes it away. You are seen as “unlucky” to have had disease strike you and are viewed as disadvantaged. The “doctor,” under this model, is seen to be powerful with the patient as the passive participant. It’s interesting that the allopathic model is concerned with treating the disease and not the cause. Medicine truly is disease care.

The complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) paradigm is very similar to the allopathic model. The key difference is that professions sitting in this paradigm are doing the same as the allopathic model but they do it with herbs, oils, candles, massage and so forth. I’m not saying people are unable to help themselves by using these methods, however I am saying that this is still working and providing care in a treatment paradigm based on the language they are using and the approach they are taking. This of course perpetuate the myth of disease being bad and needing to be removed or stopped.

The aterNATE paradigm is where vitalism truly sits. A profession which takes a stance on vitalism and embraces its understanding is the Chiropractic profession. It is not a substitute for medicine ― far from it. The chiropractic profession, under the guidance of vitalistic philosophy looks for the cause of the symptomatic expression, rather than treating the disease. The profession puts emphasis on the occurrence of an internal disruption, an imbalanced perspective and/or a neurological compromise when people have changes or departures from their once-ideal expression of health.

Chiropractic is a philosophy, art, and science which concerns itself with the relationship between structure and function. When these are in balance, we see an evolution take place alongside a restoration in health and a preserving of life. Chiropractic truly is health care.

*Ron Law, Executive Director of the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA), in New Zealand Ministry of Health Working Group advising on medical error, listed these findings in an email response to the British Medical Journal. (November 11, 2000; 321:1178A)

** www.nhmrc.gov.au

There are lots of different languages and we no doubt all agree on this. The country you’ve chosen to live in has an indiginous language and if you move to another country you immerse yourself in that countries language to make sure you can communicate within the new culture. For me, I’m an Australian, so I speak English. I also speak words specific to Australia for example “fairdinkum”.

I have noticed however, as health professionals, it appears to be perfectly okay to speak three different languages in the same conversation!

The three health languages I am talking about are from the AlloPATHIC (remaining passive) approach, the AlterNATIVE (offering a choice) approach and the AlterNATE (in born) approach. All three have a separate, distinct and unique language.

Are you using a combination of all three…at once??

When you mix the languages you dilute your message and you begin to play Twister creating for your self the opportuity to be knocked over at any time.

But lets imagine for a moment…

You are in practice, serving from a heart centered space, your systems are aligned to your message and your language is crystal clear. You feel the congruency, the certainty, the knowing and power just eminates from you. People want you.

What follows is a summary of the three different approaches to health. Read on and ask yourself “Am I playing Twister?”

AlloPATHIC (remaining passive)
In this approach you go to someone to get something to take something away. The majority of society knows of this model and uses this model as their primary health approach. This model utilizes drugs, pills, and surgery to solve a health concern. This model demonstrates a disease-centered focus. The allopathic approach is concerned with treating disease rather than identifying the cause. Here you remain passive and the authority is surrended to someone who is percieved as wiser then you.

AlterNATIVE (offering a choice)
This approach is often referred to as the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It is similar to the Allopathic approach but instead uses herbs, oils, potions, tinctures, candles, massage and so forth. This approach still provides care in a treatment paradigm. This approach also sees people go to someone to get something to take something away. The main difference here is the choice that is offered to “solve” the health concern.

AlterNATE (in born)
This approach acknowledges you as a self healing, self regulating organism constantly adapting to your environment. You essentially have everything in order to express health. The Alternate vitalistic approach also acknowledges that interference to the nerve system – the master communicating system of the body – results in altered expressions of health.

So…are you playing Twister?

In the last issue of Vital Communications we looked at the three approaches to health – AlloPATHIC, AlterNATIVE and AlterNATE. I mentioned in that article how people are choosing to play the board game Twister® with their clients and dilute the message of alterNATE vitalistic health by using language from each of the three approaches.

This week I want to give you some snipits of what you and your life could be like if you chose to speak the language of just one health approach…the AlterNATE vitalistic approach

Here’s what happens to you:

• You become congruent with your actions
• You become congruent with people
• You become congruent with yourself
• You are real
• You are you
• You trust in yourself, your message, your team and your business
• You break down barriers
• You are unwavering in your truth
• You are certain
• You know
• You trust your inner intelligence and…

You Speak The Truth…Your Truth…The Vital Truth®

What would your life look like if you decided to speak your truth? Would the people you serve be different? Would your business function differently? Would your lifestyle be different?

The greatest gift you can give yourself, your team and the people you serve is to continue to look at where you are playing Twister® in your practice and tweak accordingly!

We can draw parallels with the Interfering with Nature story when understanding how humans are birthed – or rather, “delivered”. Here are some questions to be answered:

• Why do we allow the educated mind of others to override our own innate knowing?
• Why do we feel safer at a hospital?
• Why do put more faith and trust in technology then in ourselves?
• Why do we attach ourselves to an arbitrary date that doesn’t exist?
(Research tells us only 5% of babies actually arrive on their “due date”!)
• Why do we allow others to interfere?

Babies’ birth like butterflies.

As they pass through the vaginal canal they create pressure changes, which enable the fluid from the lungs to be expelled. This allows the baby to better adapt to life outside of the womb. Breathing takes place in just the right amounts and for the first time. A vaginal birth triggers automatic processes, which enable a cascade of vital milestones to take place outside of the womb.

• Does a baby require our help to develop?
• Does a human cell require our help to grow?

The answer is No: nature needs no help, just no interference.

So why is it that we don’t allow our babies to birth according to their own and the mothers plan – as one?

Why do we allow another person – distant from ourselves – tell us what is happening inside rather than choosing to trust in ourselves?

It was late one afternoon when a man went outside to observe his garden. He thought he would work for a while pulling weeds; after all the neighbor had always said to him “If you’re not planting flowers you will be forever pulling weeds!” He had thought about his life to date over the past few weeks and realized that he hadn’t been focused on what he wanted from it. He was always helping others to reach new levels of understanding in their lives but was in a quandary over his own.

As he worked in the garden he came across a chrysalis. Watching intently, he noticed the chrysalis breaking open. He was about to witness for the first time in his life the birth of a butterfly. What he saw was a butterfly seemingly struggling with the process. The man thought, I should help the creature. Taking a pair of scissors, he cut through the chrysalis in the hope it would help the butterfly to drop out of its home and into the physical world. The butterfly did just that. It dropped out easily but with compromise. The butterfly had shrunken wings and a lifeless body. He watched and watched, all the while thinking to himself that at any moment the butterfly would fly. He was waiting with anticipation for the event to happen, for its body to firm up, for the wings to spread and carry the beautiful butterfly away into the world. The butterfly did neither. Instead it just lay there, never being able to experience what its body was designed to do.

Was nature interfered with?

What the man failed to realize was the “struggle” the butterfly was supposedly having during the birth was no struggle at all – it was the ingenious design of the innate knowing of the butterfly. The sequence of events was happening at just the right time, in just the right order and with just the right amount of pressure in order for the butterfly to reach new levels of growth, opportunity and possibility upon its birth. Here’s the ingenious innate design: a butterfly, when ready to be born, pushes itself through a tiny opening at the bottom of the chrysalis and in so doing forces all the fluid from its body to the wings, which helps it fly. What the man missed was if you touch or pull at a butterfly’s wings it is unable to fly, and without the art of flying, it perishes. Does this sound familiar?

What would your life be like if you redefined health and formed a belief that indeed health is not missing, it is not lost, that it is present inside of you. In fact we never lose health. Our body instead is consistently redesigning and reorganizing itself to continually express health. Health is inside of us and what can change is the expression of it.

In the alterNATE (“nate” meaning in-born) vitalistic health approach there is greater incentive to be the observer in one’s health expression. This approach to health allows us to check in with ourselves, to awaken ourselves to our imbalances and to trust in the answers we receive and make wise choices accordingly.

A different level of responsibility goes with this vitalistic alterNATE thinking. We are responsible (or should I say “response-able”) for our health. People who are comfortable with this approach recognize the internal wisdom of the body and its ability to heal itself. With this knowledge and trust people tend to make healthier choices.

The Vital Truth
• The essence of life is housed in the alterNATE vitalistic approach to health
• Vitalism recognizes there is a (g)rand, (o)rganized (d)esign to the flow of life
• The body is a temple for health expression
• Health is not missing it is just transformed
• We create signs and symptoms for the benefit of finding out more about ourselves and the imbalances with which we are living. It is from this knowing that we are then able to make different health choices for ourselves and our children.

Who are you listening to? Yourself or someone else?

When was the last time you sat down to reflect on the internal workings of the body. When was the last time you thought about your heart beating or your food being digested?

In fact some people never think about it…

I would like to share with you the wondrous internal workings of the body and the gift that it gives to you daily so in turn you will have more appreciation for the life it brings to you. My intention is to also increase your awareness around the many functions taking place and how your attitude, your level of gratitude and your physical, chemical and emotional selves can have an impact on its function and the ability to keep you healthy in all areas of your life.

As you read through these remarkable facts on your body, stop to integrate them into your daily life with thanks. Always remember your body is a regenerating, self healing, self regulating organism which is constantly adapting to its environment all of which is coordinated via your nervous system.

You were born to express health to its highest level and only YOU can make it happen…

What follows is just some of the bodies remarkable facts. Enjoy them, print them off and place them in your news letter for you practice members and clients.

• A nerve can send up to 1000 impulses per second.
• The brain operates on the same amount of electricity as a 10 watt light bulb.
• The adult brain has 14 billion nerve cells and weighs only 3 lbs (1.5kg).
• The human brain triples in size during the first few years of childhood.
• The longest nerve is located in the leg and extends from the large toe to the spinal column.
• The pineal gland, in the centre of the skull, tells the body the time of the day and the season of the year.
• The two halves of the brain control opposite sides of the body.
• Semi circular canals in the ear have small hairs (cilia) which detect movement and direction.
• Shiny white enamel on the teeth is the hardest material in the body.
• The average person eats 3 lbs (1.5kg) of food daily.
• Your mouth makes half a quart of saliva daily.
• Mammals have a growth factor in saliva which makes wounds heal faster.
• Dental plaque begins to develop within 6 hours of brushing.
• The heart beats over 100,000 times daily.
• The human heart may beat up to 2.5 billion times in an average lifetime.
• The size of your heart is equal to that of your fist.
• The normal adult has an average heart rate of 70-72 beats per minute for men and 78-82 beats for women.
• Blood outside the body clots in about six minutes.
• A sneeze creates a force of air moving nearly 100 mph (approximately 160km/hr).
• Humans breathe 20 times/minute over 10 million times a year and about 700 million in a lifetime.
• Only one fifth of air breathed is oxygen.
• The digestive system is a 30 foot (approximately 9.15m) long tube, open at both ends.
• The small intestine averages 21 feet (6.4m) long while the large intestine is only 5 feet (1.52m) long.
• Water molecules in the gut move at 1500 mph (just over 2,400km/hr).
• It takes 4-8 seconds for food to travel to the stomach.
• 94% of all the food digested is reclaimed by the small intestines.
• The colon is home to 100 trillion bacteria.
• The body’s bacteria could fill a soup can.
• Human feces are normally one quarter dead intestinal bacteria.
• There are about 62,000 miles (over 99,780km) of blood vessels in the body – two and a half times around the world.
• Red blood cells reproduce at a rate of 8 million per second.
• The largest vein is the inferior vena cava, which drains the entire lower half of the body.
• Fingerprints form 6-8 weeks before birth.
• 500 million dead skin cells fall off daily due to ordinary wear and tear.
• The skin is the largest organ of the body.

For additional remarkable facts on the magnificent you click here to order your copy of The Vital Truth.

Here I’ll share with you some tips on internal marketing and building your practice.

At the end of one of my philosophy classes whilst at Palmer College in Davenport, Iowa I was still engaged in my head with questions.

I wanted to know more.

The late Dr Fred Barge was my instructor. I was asking questions in class, asking questions as I followed him out of the classroom and was asking him even more questions as I was walking beside him on his way back to the philosophy department office.

He said “I can see you have many questions. How about you meet me in the student union in about thirty minutes?”

My response? “No worries!”

As I left Dr Barge’s office I got out my notebook and started jotting down question after question (thanks Dad for the tips on asking questions!). I arrived at the student union about five minutes early ready to have my questions answered. I was really hoping Dr Barge wasn’t going to be like my dad and ask me all these questions back!

I perched myself up at the bar on one of the stools awaiting his arrival. I couldn’t help but think that I was about to receive a piece of golden information.

Dr Barge arrived adorned with hat, cravat and cane. He sat facing me on another bar stool and asked, “Sarah what other questions do you have?” as he looked to the floor for a space to rest his cane.

I said straight out “I have a list of questions, but I would like to start with this one if it’s okay with you?”

And in I jumped …

“Dr Barge,” I said “how do you build a practice?” Well, it was as if I had asked him the question to life and he had the answer! He sat there, turning his head from side to side, darting his eyes left and right to see if anybody was in ear shot.

Noticing this, I thought Oh man, am I going to have a secret that no one else knows! — and then he told me …

“Sarah, my advice is look after the ones you already have.”

At that exact moment I was transported back to my late teens. I was sitting at our kitchen breakfast bar on a stool. My dad was standing opposite me and I said “What are you looking at?”

“I’m looking at buying a marketing company,” said Dad.

“Why on earth would you want to do that?” I asked. Dad said “Sarah, because it’s the way the people are looked after on the inside.”

Dad’s mantra to me became…

“Look after the ones you already have,

don’t worry about the ones you don’t have

because eventually the ones you don’t have

will become the ones you do have.”

I know a tongue twister!

So here I was with two men who gave me simple and yet profound advice — look after the ones you already have.

I cannot emphasis this enough to you. It is certainly what I do in our practice. I look after the people we already have, the people who have already had our practice experience and I don’t worry about the people I don’t have. It is very liberating to do this and it certainly frees your head space!

Marketing now takes on new meaning!

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The wisdom of the body is far greater than anything we can conceive. Let me give you an example of how the innate intelligence affects the entire system of the body at once; Joan came into the practice a few years ago. She had been everywhere with her shoulder complaint and surgery was the next option for her. She wanted to see somebody else about it before she made that decision. I asked Joan why she thought she had this sore shoulder and why it started in the first place. Like many who think in a mechanistic paradigm she said “I don’t know. I was just reaching up into the cupboard and then I couldn’t move it.” I asked her how long she’d had it for and she replied that it had been a few months. So my next question to Joan was “How has this sore shoulder served you over the past few months?” She wasn’t too sure about my question, so I asked her again. She looked quite perplexed at the thought of there being a benefit to her having a sore shoulder. As we went along she started to see the benefits. She’d had a break from cooking meals, she was driven around, her husband had taken time off from work to help more around the house, and the children became more independent. At the beginning of the consultation, Joan was only seeing the pain without the pleasure. Joan’s sore shoulder was giving her benefits in her life, I am certain of that. She could see the only way this was going to change was by changing the way she was thought about it. I also explained to Joan how the body is interconnected. I explained her sore shoulder could be coming from the hips, neck, or cranium, which then results in postural changes and altered states of health expression.

The postural changes Joan adopted in order to decrease the discomfort she was experiencing had an effect on the organs, too. The nerves exiting a particular nerve root port were under compromise, which further meant a system, or systems could have been affected. So, Joan had symptomatic expression in the shoulder area, which brought her in for a consultation. We recognized that the expression could have been coming from anywhere (thoughts/emotional, trauma/physical or toxins/chemicals – 3Ts) and that there were benefits and drawbacks to the situation and creation of the discomfort. We also surmised that this altered state of health expression might also have had an impact on her various organs and ultimately, systems.

When the body has everything in balance, it is better able to express health to its fullest potential.

Our kid’s love bike riding and my husband and I have the pleasure of running behind them!

But right now you’re probably wondering why Dr Sarah is talking about riding a bike!

Well let me explain…

A few months ago now our youngest, Anais (pictured with me here), decided she wanted to be on a two wheeler like her older brothers. So we caught the ferry across to the mainland, went to “Mr Toys Toyworld”, looked at all the bikes, brought a bike, did some other shopping and then returned on the late ferry to the island.

The next day Anais was up early and ready to go. Hat on, shoes on and all by 5.30am! After breakfast our two older boys donned their hats too, jumped on their bikes and we all went riding – well they did and Randall and I ran behind them.

Anais, in a very short period of time, had worked out how to ride her bike. She in fact followed a system. And so too did I!

I found myself first adjusting her seat height and then adjusting her helmet straps.

I then heard myself saying…

“hold onto the bars; swing your leg over; balls of your toes on the peddles; bottom in the middle of the seat; feel for your balance from side to side; keep your heels off the peddles; here are your brakes; here is your bell; it works by putting your thumb here and flicking; push forward with your feet to get you moving; you stay on this side of the road; when you come to an intersection you stop and get off; walk across the road with an adult; always look right first for traffic then left and then right again; when riding keep your head up; eyes open and look where your going…”

Needless to say she had automated her experience in a very short period of time!

I actually find myself going through the same type of experience when I book holidays for the family or my trips overseas to speak or run workshops.

Have you noticed this too?

There is a system you naturally will follow.

Awhile ago I was attending a team meeting having a discussion on practice success. I was discussing how a practice requires as much detail and automation as learning to ride a bike or organizing a holiday.

Have you noticed the detail you put into organizing a holiday albeit your own or a family one?

You create a vision (where you want to go), then your on a mission to locate the place to fulfill your vision, you then find the place, you know what you want from the experience, then there’s the airline of choice, flight times, connecting flights, airport terminal locations, transfers, currency exchange, buses, taxis, accommodation, interconnecting rooms, smoking or non-smoking, bed configurations, suitcases, clothing, tours, travel insurance, seat allocation, special meals, food, cultural differences.

And the list goes on…It’s huge!

When it comes to practice and business however I have found a lot of people I have conversations with on systemising and marketing their practice/business for profit either do not have a “Vital MAP” – Master Action Plan – (“policy and procedure” manual was the dinosaur name!) or they “kind of” have a plan or they have a few pages outlining a few things and yet expect to have the holiday of a life time! Well unfortunately it doesn’t work that way.

The question to ask is this…

Are you taking a mystery flight; heading blindly to any destination

OR

Are you and your team dedicated to the detail, automation and systems of your practice so you get to partake in your journey and arrive at your chosen destination?

For me, I love systems and marketing. I have everything in our practice detailed, automated and systemised within our Vital MAP which by the way is 300 pages long and 74 appendices. As a result our time is freed up to do more of the things we love to do…running behind bikes and organizing family holidays!

You see innately we follow a system – both internally and externally. Internally we have our nerve system and externally we have our “Vital MAP”

When was the last time you received an adjustment so you could be the best you could be?

And…

When was the last time your practice received an adjustment so it could be the best it could be?

Your practice is destined for stagnation and dis-ease if….

1) You’re not implementing your own unique Vital MAP?

2) You’re not regularly connecting with the systems to see where your practice is subluxated?

3) You’re not adjusting your practice so it can reach it’s full potential?

Your body follows a system and it knows what to do every time all the time. Your practice is no different it requires a system so it can be given every opportunity to reach its full potential.

The mechanistic approach to health care assumes that everybody is the same on the inside. We are as different on the inside as we are on the outside! I remember at the age of ten driving in the car with my mother to see “the family” medical doctor who just happened to be my uncle. It was a rainy day and I stared out the window as we drove, pondering what he was going to do, tell me and give me. My mum, because of the paradigm she was living in, was probably driving there thinking this visit would help and provide some relief. Relief to whom? I had a sore throat and I remember saying to Mom, “He’s not going to do anything; I’ll just get another tablet to take.” When I went into see the “Doctor” he looked down my throat, noticed the tonsils were inflamed and sure enough gave me Amoxil, one of the more common antibiotics. From that day forth I rarely mentioned to my parents details of any type of health challenge I faced. I knew innately that seeing something in the body in isolation wasn’t going to help, but instead would probably hinder my ability to build an immune response.

I share this story because when we look at the back of prescription packets we tend to see a plethora of side effects. This variety comes from the variance in people. People react in different ways as a result of their physical, chemical and emotional experiences and choices, their level of function, their values and their perceptions of life. We truly are as different on the inside as we are on the outside.

Vitalism brings a different approach to health care. The innate intelligence of the body, which created it, really does have the ability to heal it. What happens when we cut our finger? Our body heals it. A whole chain of events takes place in just the right sequence, in just the right amounts and at just the right time in order for platelet coagulation to take place at the site of the cut. Ingenious!

Why do we knowingly put “stuff” into our bodies that we know could possibly harm us? Is there a trade off somewhere?

I wanted to continue today with more thoughts about the mechanistic and the vitalistic view points.

Until 1932 the mechanistic view of health was widely accepted and then something astounding happened.  Ernst Rutherford (a New Zealander) split the atom and discovered that “matter” was comprised mostly of “space”.  This seemingly empty space was actually a large amount of energy unable to be seen with the naked eye.  Einstein realized energy played a critical role in keeping the atom together and in the process he brought vitalistic philosophy back into the limelight.

Since the 1950s the mechanistic philosophy has wavered.  Doctors who were once respected were now being questioned.  The Baby Boomers questioned authority in the ‘60s, challenging everything from scientific thinking to health choices.  Mass media made spreading new values an easy process and today people are making informed choices about their philosophy, their values and their health care.

A vitalist senses that it is not enough to understand the “building blocks”.  Vitalists believe that “something” – an essential energy – is responsible for organizing the human body to keep it functional.  This “intelligence”, this life force, this energy, is the difference between a corpse and a living body.

Yet vitalism isn’t new.  Hippocrates for instance was a vitalist.  Hippocrates held that the body must be viewed as a whole rather than a series of parts.  He believed in the natural healing process of rest, good diet, fresh air and cleanliness.  Ironically, what Hippocrates taught and where the mechanist understanding of health and disease finds itself today appear to be two different viewpoints.

What are your thots?

Did you know the mechanists and the vitalists have been arguing with each other for well over 2500 years about what actually constitutes health and disease and what signs and symptoms represent? This argumentative view of health and medical history was first postulated in writing by Harris L. Coulter, Ph.D., a great medical historian. In Divided Legacy (Volumes 1-4) Coulter traces the vitalist/mechanist division as it permeated history.

As an avid reader and philosopher on these two schools of thought I have concluded for myself the following to be the major differences between the two health approaches…

Vitalism respects the structure and function of living things while at the same time recognizing that there is an “innate intelligence” that designed and keeps the systems working.

Your body, being so intricately designed, that if left to its own devices, the innate intelligence that so perfectly assembled your body is easily capable of healing your body. Yet we have been taught to place our trust in other people to such an extent that we’ve lost our courage and our trust to let our innate intelligence do what it does best: to balance and to heal.

There is however “things” which can affect our body’s ability to communicate with itself. These “things” are known to many as Thoughts (emotional), Trauma (physical) and Toxins (chemical), or the “3Ts”.

It’s also important to understand the differences between a mechanistic and a vitalistic philosophy if we are to realign our thinking and see real change.

The mechanistic theory (sometimes known as atomist, rationalist or allopathic theory) views the smallest components of the physical body’s structure as building blocks. These blocks are understood to make up the whole. This view, however, leaves no room for an “innate intelligence”, looking only at problems in isolation rather than in the complete interconnected form. The mechanistic approach maintains that the body is powerless to perform adaptation and healing. This assumption places a higher value on the educated mind knowing what is happening than on a body that actually made itself! It also assumes a “fix it” mentality and has the user take on a passive participant role.

For more information on the two current and distinct health care models go to www.drsarahfarrnat.com/success-store to view my award winning book The Vital Truth®