Transitions by Dr. Chris Jackson, PhD, DOM
In my recent articles entitled “Our Society's Distorted Perception: Normal Physical Function” and “Mindfulness through Meditation” I explored the roots of psychological and behavioral disorders found in physical dysfunction. Relationships among biochemical neurotransmitters, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA), the stress response (fight or flight), the sympathetic nervous system, and the parasympathetic relaxation response were explored. In the most recent article the topic was Mind, Body, and Intuition which explored the brain-gut-microbiome (BGM) axis.
The topics discussed in these and many of my other articles reflect knowledge being derived as a huge transition is occurring in medicine and the human experience as we know it. The mind-body connection is under exploration as various fields of medical science are transitioning toward a more integrative model. To the benefit of patients and the various fields of medicine, the transition we are experiencing is a move toward integration of conventional (allopathic) medicine with natural medical disciplines, including functional, orthomolecular, homeopathic, naturopathic, and traditional Eastern medical practices.
In the practice of this new paradigm I have seen many in their own personal transitions, both away from and toward wellness. People who have come to my practice having been told they were needing dialysis, insulin, statins, pain killers, operations, anti-depressive and anti-anxiety drugs were often on a path from rather than to wellness. Many of these patients have been able to make a transition to a better state of wellness using natural approaches directed toward the underlying causes of their disorders. In fact, at times I have been so focused on the health of my patients that I have gotten off my own path to wellness and have gone through my own transitions to reacquire my own wellness path.
Still, there is much to learn and much growing to do. The more open atmosphere that is beginning to emerge gives us a possibility that we may receive great gifts during this transitional period. Assisted by the biopsychosocial model of health psychology, a deeper understanding of mind-body-spirit emerges as we explore the psychological, neurological, endocrine (hormonal), and immunological functions of our bodies and their interrelations with the energetic world we share.
The breadth of understanding that continuously grows as we explore new realms helps us to target more fundamental determinants of health. Health in this larger paradigm is not simply a lack of illness, but a true state of wellness on many levels. As we transition toward a state of overall wellness we may encounter transitions within this realignment that take us to deeper levels of understanding of ourselves and others, bringing clarity, and greater awareness or consciousness.
With the broader view afforded by an integrative model, a path to wellness is traversed by individuals who are in transition as the underlying physiological and psychological or emotional causes of health issues are addressed. The symptoms abate not through targeted symptomatic medicine, but through a transition that occurs as a natural consequence of truly addressing the underlying causes of disorders, rather than just the symptoms.
© October 2017 by Dr. Christopher Jackson, PhD, DOM
