Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Quiz

Auto-immune disorder whereby one's immune system attacks internal organs. Melanie speaks  about how her home was out of order / too much stress increases symptoms

Things Melanie did to get through the challenges:

Became Intentional

• Stopped focusing on the negative 
• Chose positive thoughts
• Encouraged herself, not berate herself
• Read inspirational quotes
• Surrounded herself with positive, supportive people
• Improved Nutrition
• Started putting myself first

• Stopped people-pleaseing
• Started choosing for HER
• Stopped looking for validation from others
• Stopped waiting for permission from others
• Stopped yearning for approval from others
• Stopped living up to others' expectations
• Started making choices that worked for HER..... not for others
• Started taking care of my body: listening to its signs that it needs better food / more rest / more space

If you could do anything..... and know that you would not fail..... what would YOU CHOOSE?

If you could choose who you wish to be who would you choose to be?

From victimhood to empowerment....... what would that take?

What can you DO or BE to change Your life?

Those suffering from chronic pain often have mental health disorders which include anxiety & depression

• Have a support system: talk to someone about your experience: debrief the situation
• Express vulnerbility
• Know ahead of time the signs of burn-out so as to prevent the development it
• Exercise
• Breathe deeply
• Listen to and/or play music
• Meditate
• Eat healthy food
• Self-reflect on how the impact of the incident

• Easily overwhelmed
• Losing enthusiasm for their job
• Change in sleeping patterns
• Change in eating habits
• Use of drugs & alcohol to help manage stress
• Use of prescription drugs
• Use of process additions: gambling, shopping, sex
• Isolation: can lead to depression
• Development of PTSD: flashbacks of the traumatic incident, ruminating a past event, nightmares, intrusive thoughts, suicide ideation, short-tempered, lack of memory, not being in the present moment, highly reactive / irritable, depersonalization, lowered empathy, 

• Retell: regain control of the story (rather than let the anxiety take over)
• Rethink: see the incident from a different angle / perspective
• Deconstruct:  see individual components of the incident and mentally tackle it piece by piece
• Find Humour: is there any part of the story that could be seen as humorous?
• Change: re-evaluate the impact of the incident and think of it from an angle of success ("I am strong - I survived")

• Firefighters
• Doctors & Nurses
• Paramedics
• Psychologists
• Psychiatrists
• Counsellors
• Police
• Hospice workers

"Those who do not have power over the story that dominates their lives, power to retell it, to rethink it, deconstruct it, joke about it, and change it as times change, truly are powerless."

Within the perspective of mental/emotional wellness, Acupuncture is a process that moves the Qi (chee) through the body. Qi is energy that enters the body by air to the lungs which gets transported throughout the body via the blood to break up stagnant chemistry that can cause health issues. This movement of energy provides an opportunity for new perspective / point of view. A new perspective can lead to different behaviours. Different behaviours can lead to different chemistry which creates a different body outcome!

Acupuncture can:

• Relax muscles
• Turn up organs (increase bowel function to reduce constipation)
• Turn down organs (calm bowels to reduce diarrhea, calm adrenal glands and kidneys to reduce adrenaline and cortisol secretion)
• Turn up blood flow to heal a weak limb
• Turn on immune function
• Strengthen what makes a person feel safe
• Diminish what makes a person feel unwell
• Stimulate collagen and fiber which creates a spark which goes to a nerve which communicates with the  brain and organs which release a hormone or chemical which goes into the blood which changes the tissue

How amazing are our bodies? Thank you body! 

Liver Organ System: eyes, ligaments, flanks, liver organ, gall bladder, thyroid +

• Anger, Rath, Rage, Depression

Heart Organ System: 

• Joy (Love turned inward) 

Spleen Organ System: spleen, stomach, pancreas, pensiveness (thinking too much / worry) 

• Pessimism

Lungs Organ System: 

• Grief, Guilt, Regret,

Kidney Organ System: 

• Anxiety, Fear, Dread, Foreboding, Panic, Heart palpations, Insomnia, Arthritis, 

Bladder Organ System: insecurity, prolapsed organ, incontinence,

Changing your point of view / perspective changes the energy which changes the chemistry with changes your immune function: it is healing from the inside ~ out!

Pain, trauma, stress, injury.... all change chemicals in your body which affect emotions: if you don't EXpress it.... you Depress it ~ In your body! The key is to move through your emotions.

The chemistry in the body from the emotion is what motivates your muscles to move through space and take action.

Anger is the chemical / the emotion to enforce our boundaries (strike a threat for example)

Rage is when you turn on every muscle in your body and EXpress those chemicals. If you are in a wheelchair - EXpress rage!

Rage will get you out of the wheelchair. Love will keep you out of the wheelchair.

"Your environment shapes your character"

When eating, do not read, work or watch TV: your body doesn't have enough blood to generate digestion and mental processing and physical movement simultaneously. If your energy is being used for physical or mental activity then your body has less energy for proper digestion

Chinese Medicine:

Qi: energy in the blood

Shen: compilations of your personality

Jing: what you inherit from your parents (usually runs out in your 40s)

When your body produces anti-bodies, designed to fight off germs and disease, yet attacks your own body tissue instead! This causes inflammation... which puts a lot of stress on the body.

Some medications, some environmental toxins, certain chemicals, some bacteria, viral infections.... even a stressful / traumatic childhood! When the body is unable to eradicate the effects of these..... your body can develop auto immune disorder!

• Lupus
• Diabetes, type 1
• Celiac disease
• Crohn's disease (attacks intestinal tract)
• Hashimoto's thyroiditis (attach thyroid)
• Grave's disease
• Gillian-Barre
• Ulcerative Colitis

• Fatigue
• Weight changes
• Abdominal pain
• Changes in bowel movements
• Skin rashes
• Joint &/or muscle pain
• Muscle soreness / weakness / numbness
• Hair loss
• Dry skin

• Reduce stressors in your life
• Create downtime
• Avoid cramming so much into one day
• Some medications may help
• Avoid eating foods that cause inflammation in the body
• Process & resolve any traumatic incidents that may still be affecting you (contributing to stress)

Yup! During childhood children are developing psychologically, emotionally, physically, physiologically. These systems are not yet mature so the stress can get imprinted in the child's immune system.... which continues to develop into adulthood.... with programming from childhood. The environment can influence gene expression; if the environment is traumatic / abusive / stressful / neglectful..... then the body can store this. The body will "produce" that which is programmed!

Dr. Amy Myers writes an excellent book called "The Auto Immune Solution".