Every day it is a privilege to enjoy the fruits of our labors. It was King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, who declared, “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labor.” (Of course, these wise words apply to all of humanity, men and women alike.) Though it is important to be disciplined (learning to eat wholesome real food, working hard, exercising, and so on), it is equally important to enjoy and acknowledge the fruits and blessings of our labors as they enrich our lives with joy and fulfillment.
Allow me to share a comical anecdote about optimism. Though several versions of this tale have been told over time, one of them goes like this: A doctor brought three little boys into his laboratory to test their mental outlook on life. He blindfolded each little boy and, one at a time, placed them in a room filled with horse manure. After the first little boy was instructed to remove his blindfold, he cried out, “Uh! Horseshit—get me out of here!” The second boy went into in the room and was told to remove his blindfold. He too cried out, “Uh! Horseshit—get me out of here!” Finally, the third boy was placed in the room. When asked to take off his blindfold the boy jumped up with a smile and started digging through the manure, yelling out with excitement, “There’s got to be a pony in here for me!”
The third little boy had the ability to choose how to interpret this stinky, stressful situation, and he chose optimism. Because of his positive choice, his nervous system released positive neuropeptides in his body that help contribute to healthy physiology. On the other hand, harboring negative thoughts and feelings from the past can cause stress well into adulthood. Dwelling on adverse experiences from childhood help flood the body with negative neuropeptides that can keep us from embracing and enjoying greater health.
The body has a regulatory network made up of the nervous system, the endocrine or hormonal system, and the immune system. Working together under the control and coordination of the nervous system, they regulate the body’s ability to maintain balanced function, or homeostasis. The neuroendocrine system is regulated and controlled by the pituitary gland located in the base of the brain. The pituitary releases neurochemicals and hormones that allow the nervous system to monitor, interpret, and regulate physiological reactions and emotional responses in the body. Undo and prolonged stress can disrupt the balance of the neuroendocrine and immune systems, and in turn this can trigger degenerative changes in our brain. Stress can also shorten our telomeres, which serve as the protective armor of specific genetic structures that regulate the body’s aging cells.
Why did the first two little boys react so negatively to the horseshit? Maybe the answer can be supplied by D.D. Palmer who in 1895 listed the three things that adversely affect the nervous system: 1) subluxated vertebra; 2) chemical assault to the body (including unhealthy foods, toxic chemicals, perhaps even toxic horse smells); and 3) negative thoughts, feeling, and emotions. Did the first two boys have a negative subconscious reaction due to some previous smell or emotional experience involving horses? Had they stepped in horse poop before? Were they holding on to an unresolved neuro-emotional complex from earlier in their lives? Was it a conditioned response?
In a Newsweek article titled “Yes, Stress Is Really Making You Sick,” Adam Piore writes, “Childhood stress can be as toxic and detrimental to the development of the brain and body as eating lead paint chips off the wall or drinking it in the water.” Piore notes that the accumulation of adverse toxic stress in a child’s life can cause epigenetic changes associated with a variety of health problems—heart disease, cancer, suicide, dementia, mental illness, impaired immune function, and the abuse of nicotine, alcohol, or drugs. Any of these stress-induced epigenetic pathologies can be passed on to future generations. Piore states, “We found a graded relationship between the numbers of categories of childhood exposure (to stressors) and each of the adult health risk behaviors and diseases.” He explains that individuals who were exposed to four or more adverse categories of stress in childhood experienced a four- to twelve-fold increase in health risks later in life. The June 2019 issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine reported that a higher risk of obesity could involve a patient’s reaction (often unconsciously chosen), to unrecognized traumatic life experiences. Feelings of shame and secrecy, or exposure to social taboos, are hidden away and lost in our subconscious. However, they can still be expressed by the physical body in many ways, including our posture, mobility, and even the internal physiology of our organs. Unfortunately, these conditions are commonly treated with pharmaceutical drug interventions, which have their own associated side-effects.
All of these reactions occur naturally to protect us, yet they can also prevent us from gaining the insight and wisdom needed to develop our full God-given potential. We are created with a hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis that ensures our survival response. In addition to controlling our stress reactions, this axis also regulates our immune system, energy production and storage, and moods and emotions. All of this is possible because of hormones released through stimuli from nerve communication. The key hormone is cortisol. When all is calm (like the third little boy), cortisol helps the body build muscle and bone. It stores excess calories for energy; repairs and regenerates cells; keeps our immune system strong and ready to fight; and fuels the body for normal mental and physical reactions and development. It also prompts a positive outlook on life. In an emergency (like the two little boys who wanted to get away from the horse manure), these processes are put on hold. The HPA axis turns up production of adrenal and cortisol hormones, ramping the body into hyper-overdrive with the fight and flight reaction. The body’s blood sugar levels and heart rate goes up, and meanwhile digestion shuts down. We can’t sit still, and our perspiration increases. There may be “sickness behavior” in the morning. (“I don’t want to go to school today.”) There may also be a lack of appetite and social withdrawal. And all the while, more drugs are prescribed to cover over these naturally occurring reactions in the child’s body.
What can we do? First of all, we know the nervous system controls our physiology. And from D.D. Palmer we know about three things negatively impact the nervous system. In our knowledge of the causes of health, we are the most trained and skilled profession to correct negative stressors to the nervous system. Restoring spinal balance and mobility releases physical stress and promotes healing. Restoring natural nutritional biochemistry releases biochemical stress and promotes healing. Restoring healthy emotional balance neutralizes negative neuropeptides and promotes healing. With our procedures, skills, and resources, we are able to restore greater homeostatic function. We help the body express 100 percent life, health, and wellness. And we lift up our patients so they manifest health to the highest level in their lives.
Every day, let’s reach out our hands, our hearts, and our minds and ask our patients, “How can I help you? What do you want me to do for you?” From their answers and from their hearts to yours, you will be on the same page and achieve even greater results. You will find the pony you are looking for.
Some things to think about:
- Calm the stress reactions with Drenatrophin PMG and Adrenal Desiccated.
- Support the parasympathetic nervous system with Organically Bound Minerals.
- Utilize neuro-emotional technique to neutralize negative emotions.
As we grow and gain confidence from childhood to adulthood, we must acknowledge the wisdom of the body and the experiences we have learned from. By doing this, we will press on with confidence. And, just like the third little boy said, we will be able to say, “There’s got to be a pony in here,”
“As a man thinks in his heart, so he is.”
—Proverbs 23:7
Images from iStock/Ridofranz (main), SIphotography (little boy),
