Saturday, May 2, 2020
Why Can't My Dog Hear Me When He is Sniffing ?
The following is a presentation I made on the canine nose anatomy and mechanism of smell. A dog's sense of smell can be as much as 100,000 times better than ours. Their brains are bombarded with information with every sniff which activates the limbic area of the brain responsible for arousal, motivation, fears ...... So, no wonder they can't hear us when their brain is filled with overwhelming information coming from their environment. This information can be neutral, positive or even signal danger. When your dog suddenly will not continue in a direction when out for a walk I am sure he knows something you don't. Think about heading his warning.
Monday, April 13, 2020
Power to heal
We are being bombarded by statistics and videos of horrible scenarios. We are being told to isolate ourselves from family, loved ones, support networks. We are being told that if we do these things we won't get sick. What is sickness? As a chiropractor, we believe that the body has the ability to heal itself. Health is not the absence of disease or symptoms.
I wish that we could get the history of each of the people that have died from this virus so that we could examine what their diet was (or was not ) comprised of, sleeping habits, exercise (or lack there of), amount of time they spent outside in a day or week, life stresses, genetic predispostions, medications and preexisting conditions known and unknown or ignored. This would give us the real truth.
We know that a person's state of health is impart due to genetics, enviroment, diet, and many other factors.
Everyday our bodies successfully ward off potential harmful bacteria, viruses, fungus, mold, parasites and other potential invaders. Our amazing immune systems seamlessly identify, locate, isolate, destroy and discard of these unwanted intruders. Sometimes we are aware of this process and most of the time we are not. Fevers are our bodies way of destroying invaders. Therefore fevers are not necessary a bad thing. Fatigue can be telling us that our body is overextended maybe trying to fight off an intruder which is requiring more of the body's resources and we need to slow down to allow this to happen. A cough or sneeze is our body's way of trying to expel a foreign object whether that be a pathogen or simply pollen. The point is that our bodies are designed to keep us healthy from invaders. However, we need to provide it with the correct amount of resources to do so. We need to get enough good sleep, fresh air, sunshine, exercise, stimulation, rest, food/nutrients...... so it can do it's job.
This new virus is giving us all a reality check of where we are out of balance.
Fear and anxiety stimulate the sympathetic nervous system. This system is designed to help us escape a short term danger like running from a Tiger that is chasing us. It is not designed to be turned on every day. If it is activated for long periods of time it causes unwanted and harmful changes in our bodies making us more susceptible to illness. Continuous stress (fear, sadness, anxiety, mental, emotional) causes our immune system to malfunction. First it causes and increase in cortisol which is produced by the adrenal glands that will go to the pancreas resulting in insulin/sugar changes, digestion changes, increased inflammation, and lowered white blood cells which are needed to fight off infections and intruders. In some people this can even lead to an over stimulated immune system that does not know when to turn off and it produces too much inflammation and /or begins to attack certain cells of your body by mistake.
Please check out this video about alternate nostril breathing. Alternate nostril breathing provides equal amounts of oxygen to both sides of the brain. This helps to balance the brain and the autonomic nervous system which is made up of the sympathetic and parasympathetic.
Also, check out an older blog post I wrote on Breathing by going to https://www.donnagigliotti.com// and go down to the BLOG and click on Older Post Contents.
Many of those that have successfully overcome this new virus have done so using nutrition, supplements, exercise, breathing, and rest to name a few.
We must go back to the basics of healthy living. This is a wakeup call for us all. The nervous system is at the front line of control so having a nervous system free of interferences (nerve pinch, pain, stiffness, irritation.....) is very important. Movement, breathing , and rest will help your body to correct itself when getting a chiropractic adjustment might not be possible. All of these points also hold true for our 4 legged companions.
There are a number of different definitions out there trying to define “health.” Here are two of those quotes that seem to approach the fullness of what chiropractic has been speaking about for so long.
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” World Health Organization – Definition of Health
“Health is a dynamic tension towards physical, mental, social and spiritual harmony, and not only the absence of illness, which gives man the ability to fulfill the mission which has been entrusted to him, according to the state of life in which he finds himself.” The Vatican – Pope John Paul, Definition of Health
I wish that we could get the history of each of the people that have died from this virus so that we could examine what their diet was (or was not ) comprised of, sleeping habits, exercise (or lack there of), amount of time they spent outside in a day or week, life stresses, genetic predispostions, medications and preexisting conditions known and unknown or ignored. This would give us the real truth.
We know that a person's state of health is impart due to genetics, enviroment, diet, and many other factors.
Everyday our bodies successfully ward off potential harmful bacteria, viruses, fungus, mold, parasites and other potential invaders. Our amazing immune systems seamlessly identify, locate, isolate, destroy and discard of these unwanted intruders. Sometimes we are aware of this process and most of the time we are not. Fevers are our bodies way of destroying invaders. Therefore fevers are not necessary a bad thing. Fatigue can be telling us that our body is overextended maybe trying to fight off an intruder which is requiring more of the body's resources and we need to slow down to allow this to happen. A cough or sneeze is our body's way of trying to expel a foreign object whether that be a pathogen or simply pollen. The point is that our bodies are designed to keep us healthy from invaders. However, we need to provide it with the correct amount of resources to do so. We need to get enough good sleep, fresh air, sunshine, exercise, stimulation, rest, food/nutrients...... so it can do it's job.
This new virus is giving us all a reality check of where we are out of balance.
Fear and anxiety stimulate the sympathetic nervous system. This system is designed to help us escape a short term danger like running from a Tiger that is chasing us. It is not designed to be turned on every day. If it is activated for long periods of time it causes unwanted and harmful changes in our bodies making us more susceptible to illness. Continuous stress (fear, sadness, anxiety, mental, emotional) causes our immune system to malfunction. First it causes and increase in cortisol which is produced by the adrenal glands that will go to the pancreas resulting in insulin/sugar changes, digestion changes, increased inflammation, and lowered white blood cells which are needed to fight off infections and intruders. In some people this can even lead to an over stimulated immune system that does not know when to turn off and it produces too much inflammation and /or begins to attack certain cells of your body by mistake.
Please check out this video about alternate nostril breathing. Alternate nostril breathing provides equal amounts of oxygen to both sides of the brain. This helps to balance the brain and the autonomic nervous system which is made up of the sympathetic and parasympathetic.
Also, check out an older blog post I wrote on Breathing by going to https://www.donnagigliotti.com// and go down to the BLOG and click on Older Post Contents.
Many of those that have successfully overcome this new virus have done so using nutrition, supplements, exercise, breathing, and rest to name a few.
We must go back to the basics of healthy living. This is a wakeup call for us all. The nervous system is at the front line of control so having a nervous system free of interferences (nerve pinch, pain, stiffness, irritation.....) is very important. Movement, breathing , and rest will help your body to correct itself when getting a chiropractic adjustment might not be possible. All of these points also hold true for our 4 legged companions.
Friday, April 3, 2020
Tai Chi Qi Gong Video Part 3 of 3
You are in the home stretch now. Feel the energy flowing through your body, restoring vitality.
Tai Chi Qi Gong Video Part 1 of 3
This is the first Video of three. This series of moves is what I did every day in order to get stronger and healthy enough to come back to work. When I first began I could only do a few repetitions of each move. Also, I had to modify the moves making the movements smaller. That is fine. What is important is that you are focusing on breathing and what your body is doing and feeling. Energy will begin to flow. Be kind and patient with yourself.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Have You Listened Lately?
The other night I was out walking Spike (10 year old Alaskan Husky/sled dog) when I suddenly stopped in the middle of the field we were crossing. What is different? We stood there for a few moments taking stock in our surroundings. What has caught my attention? We did not sense any danger or threat. Spike was not alerting me of a suspicious smell that usually meant we changed course to avoid whatever it is that he didn't like.
After listening for a few minutes I realized that was it - QUIET!!!!! I was hearing quiet. There was no zooming of cars in the distance, the air was not filled with the energy of the world bustling around us. There was stillness and quietness. I then assessed the feelings in my body. To my amazement I was relaxed. I did not have my shoulders hiked to my ears and my back muscles were not tight all of which are my usual way of protecting myself from the noise and energetic assults of the everyday world living in a busy area.
I realized how this quiet and stillness is what I lived in for 7 years in the Adirondack Park in NY state. It was the 7 years I was my sickest. It was a place where I did not hear cars, nor distance traffic, the noise of a neighbor mowing their lawn or leaf blowing. I did not FEEL the pressure of the outside world. I did not FEEL society. I could breathe fully. My body could expand to its edges. The ancient forest with its healing spores could heal me. For more info on this subject check out https://www.adirondack.net/history/tb-taking-the-cure/ .
Needless to say when I moved back to the Quakertown area in 2015 I immediately felt the assult on my senses. I quickly realized how we and our animals must work at desensitizing ourselves to live in society. Now with it quiet, I realize how the world around me normally is and what effort it takes on my part to shield myself from its many distractions and intrusions. As does Spike.
So take the time right now to experience this unprecedented time of quiet. May we all continue to hold onto it for as long as we can even when the world opens for business again.
After listening for a few minutes I realized that was it - QUIET!!!!! I was hearing quiet. There was no zooming of cars in the distance, the air was not filled with the energy of the world bustling around us. There was stillness and quietness. I then assessed the feelings in my body. To my amazement I was relaxed. I did not have my shoulders hiked to my ears and my back muscles were not tight all of which are my usual way of protecting myself from the noise and energetic assults of the everyday world living in a busy area.
I realized how this quiet and stillness is what I lived in for 7 years in the Adirondack Park in NY state. It was the 7 years I was my sickest. It was a place where I did not hear cars, nor distance traffic, the noise of a neighbor mowing their lawn or leaf blowing. I did not FEEL the pressure of the outside world. I did not FEEL society. I could breathe fully. My body could expand to its edges. The ancient forest with its healing spores could heal me. For more info on this subject check out https://www.adirondack.net/history/tb-taking-the-cure/ .
Needless to say when I moved back to the Quakertown area in 2015 I immediately felt the assult on my senses. I quickly realized how we and our animals must work at desensitizing ourselves to live in society. Now with it quiet, I realize how the world around me normally is and what effort it takes on my part to shield myself from its many distractions and intrusions. As does Spike.
So take the time right now to experience this unprecedented time of quiet. May we all continue to hold onto it for as long as we can even when the world opens for business again.
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