Nice to meet you.

So I was reading through my posts and other inserts and I felt that a nice, in-depth write up on myself was way overdue.  I get emails from many who don't know me or have received a treatment from me so I think it is only fair to give you an insight on me and my life.

My name is Adam Hewitt.  I grew up in Tacoma until 5th grade, at which point my parents felt moving to the country was a safer place for us to grow up.  So we moved to Napavine, Washington smack dab in the middle of Lewis County.  If you've never heard of Napavine, don't worry, you're not alone.  After a tough middle school life (soccer players weren't welcomed with open arms and as such I was teased throughout my 7th and 8th grade years) I moved schools to WF West (Chehalis) for High School, which was an incredibly good choice.

While going to WF West, I excelled in a few different types of classes.  My favorites were art classes, including drawing for the school paper, and playing in the different types of band classes including Jazz, Symphonic, and Marching Band as a trumpet player.  I have many amazing memories from these classes. 

This is me actually drawing something for the school paper.

I would love to say that Health Class was a favorite of mine, but I'm not going to lie, I usually was asleep in the back of class during it.  Had no interest in it whatsoever.  Boy, how crazy the world can turn out.

After High School, I didn't really have any idea what I wanted to do.  I thought maybe I could get into art, music, dance, acting, playing soccer in college, or even photography.  Though when it came down to it I was afraid to make a specific choice for the fear of making the wrong one.  So, instead I became a Casino Dealer at the Lucky Eagle Casino.

Wow... what a wake up call to reality.  I felt, leaving High School, that when people graduated High School they were now filled with wisdom and commonsense.  What I learned while working at the casino was that adults are simply just older kids.  I got to see a tough side of the real world while working there.

My beautiful wife, Julia

Though thankfully I was working there, because after having a crush on a beautiful waitress in the restaurant for 4 years I finally got the courage to introduce myself to her.  It just so happens that this major crush ended up agreeing to marry a crazy guy like myself.  And this beautiful woman is of course my wife, Julia.

After 4 1/2 years of dealing at the casino I felt that it wasn't the path I was destined for.  So after talking with my sister who had just graduated from Massage School, I felt that that path might have been what was waiting for me, mostly because I was always the guy with the good hands for back and shoulder rubs.  What I didn't expect was that I was going to fall in love with learning how to help the body heal.  And this is when I realized that this is the job I was destined for.

I went to Massage School at Ashmead, which is unfortunately not a company anymore since it has since been bought out.  But while at Ashmead I fell in love with massage, the body, and learning how to help it.  Massage school was very successful for me as it seemed to have come naturally.  I was chosen by my colleagues to speak at our graduation (about 100 people graduating) and that was a pure joy.

Right out of school I got into the massage business as an independent contractor in a cute spa seemingly in the middle of no where in Centralia, Washington.  I was there for 6 months but it wasn't really working out and an opportunity to work for a local Chiropractor presented itself.  I worked there for 1 1/2 years but that also wasn't the right place for me.  I was then approached by the woman I rented my space from when I first was an independent contractor and was asked if I wanted to take over ownership of the spa since she was having a hard time running it.  This was an intriguing opportunity, though I definitely was nervous with how I'd be able to do it.  I learned a lot in the world of business while running my own spa.  We had some tough goings with some people outside of the business who wanted to take over and a nasty flood in the area decimated many of my clients houses and businesses and we had to shut our doors.  But the experience gleaned from that was invaluable and will help me in the near future unquestionably.

Right after my spa closed down I went to work for the Great Wolf Lodge as the lead massage therapist.  I was with a group of fun spa employees who opened the lodge, though we had a difficult job finding a capable spa director who would last for any length of time.  Our first director came and went because she just didn't mold well with most of the employees.  Our second director was great... until she got caught stealing.  It just so happened that this was an opening for me to become the third spa director.  I definitely had my work cutout for me.  Most of the staff was onboard and we worked well together.  Unfortunately... I said "most".  There were definitely a few that caused some issues but nothing I couldn't handle.

Rayven Alexis Hewitt

While I was knee deep in fixing a spa that was neglected from the previous director, I was also busy getting ready to become....... a FATHER!  On August 13th, 2008, my beautiful daughter, Rayven Alexis Hewitt was born.

While I knew becoming a father was going to be a journey all by itself, little did I know that I was going to experience something surprisingly more life changing.  The day after Rayven was born I started feeling an ache in my left thigh that over 2 weeks became worse and worse.  After the pain began, other bad symptoms followed.  Ultimately, after a trip to the Urgent Care facility, which led to nothing except a prescription for pain meds and anti-anxiety medication, I found myself in the Emergency Room with a life threatening DVT blood clot and a Pulmonary Embolism (clot in the lung).  Little did I know that I had a genetic blood clotting disorder and my entire life would forever be changed from this moment on.

I had to take some significant time away from work to heal up from the clot, at least to the point where I could stand again.  When I finally was able to go back to work they had found a new Spa Director, this wasn't a surprise to me.  I went back to my lead massage therapist position and it wasn't too much longer that I was working when I met a young lady who changed my life for the better.  She was a client who was visiting the lodge from the Seattle area.  Unfortunately, I can't remember her name but I'll never forget her nonetheless.  Truthfully, if it wasn't for her saying "you need to get up to Seattle" I might not be alive today.  After she felt I shouldn't be down in Lewis County I took that to heart and looked up the Pro Sports Club... saw they were hiring, put in a resume, was called for an interview and an audition, and next thing I know I was offered a full time job.  I commuted for a few months to make sure it was a place that I could support my family and found very quickly that it was just that.

Early on as an employee with Pro Sports Club, I heard that an amazing Japanese man was going to train up to 4 massage therapists in his family's rare form of shiatsu.  I've always loved oriental medicine so I applied.  I was one of the few lucky enough to be chosen and my career was reborn.

Mike Kazunori Shimizu worked on me on a early morning March day and blew my mind away.  I was still recovering from my blood clot and was scared to get worked on.  He told me not to worry, but after having a few doctors almost kill me it was hard for me to trust anyone fully.  That was until he started working on me.  I had never felt such a change with such simplicity in his technique.  I devoted my life to this technique from that very moment.

Over the last 4+ years while practicing the art of Sennin-So Shiatsu, plenty of stories, events, and adventures have come my way.  One amazing story was the birth of my second daughter, Jasmine Isabella Hewitt.  Unlike her sister who was calm, quiet, collected when she was born, Jasmine came yelling and fiesty from the very first moment oxygen hit her lungs.  To this day Jasmine has a fire inside her that makes me very nervous for all of the unexpecting young men who'll try and seek her out for a date on Saturday night.  She feels she can do everything her sister does... and I mean everything!

Julia, Rayven, and baby Jasmine

The world has brought me tough times and great times, just like everyone else.  I am a relatively simple man.  I am a Mariners, Seahawks, and Sounders fan.  I love soccer and can't wait to have my knee repaired (ACL is literally gone) so I can play my favorite sport again.  I love music and sing like crazy in my car.  Inspirational stories, pictures, and movies make me tear up.  My favorite drink is Bailey's on the rocks.

There are more fun stories involved and if you'd like to hear more, just come on down and see me.  I hope you have been entertained, if only for a little while.

Stay Happy, Healthy, and Ready for Anything.

My family

So it doesn't matter???

A new client I had yesterday mentioned that they have been told by medical practitioners that it actually doesn't matter what you eat and drink, for your body cleans everything and all the waste simply just leaves the body.  Thankfully not every medical practitioner is this ignorant.  Eating and drinking the wrong "fuel" will change many things in your body.  We all react in different ways to different foods and drinks, thus making it difficult to understand things if we look at them in a "black and white" perspective.  The world is gray... VERY gray.


I've talked about how important the circulatory system is.  I cannot stress the importance of this system.  EVERYTHING feeds off of it.  So with that said, I ask you to pick which circulatory system you'd like to have in regards to the pictures below.

This stream is to simulate a flow that is unhealthy... obviously.  Slow, congested, littered with junk.

This stream is to simulate a flow that is clean, free flowing, and healthy.

-Which stream would you like to drink out of?

-Which stream would you like to bathe out of?

-Which stream would you expect to deliver healthy fish and nourish local plants and wildlife?

-If this was a direct comparison between you and your circulatory system, which would you rather have?

If you do not believe that what you eat and drink, as well as the impact of your lifestyle in regards to stress, causes any negative effects to your body, then you probably wouldn't mind swimming and drinking out of the first stream.  After all, according to my clients health care practitioner, we clean everything that we consume, so what's the harm???

I don't know about you, but just looking at the first stream makes me nauseous.  The idea that our body is a parallel to that just makes me sad.  We all have the ability to fix that.  But in order to do so you need to take responsibility of your body.  You need to take responsibility of your life.  Stop looking to others to create a drug that will fix it all and still allow you to live an unhealthy lifestyle.  THAT IS NOT LIVING IN REALITY!

Come back to the real world... we've missed you.

Stay Happy, Healthy, and Ready for Anything!

Our "Complicated" Health Path

We all started with a simple act between two people, hopefully in love, that turned into a 40 week adventure for our mothers.  We started in a form that was so small, so theoretically invisible, it's amazing what we became after those 40 weeks.  Then the day comes where we're born and brought into the brighter world.  What an amazing adventure just to get to that point.  Think about it... what our body went through just to get to the point of being born.  Now think about what our body does daily to keep us alive.  It really is amazing.  And just like in the first 40 weeks of your existence, most goes on without our knowledge.

Too often I am confronted with questions on "who's right" and "who's wrong" in regards to which treatments work and which are more gimmicks.  If you were to type in the phrase "Health Path" at Google's search engine you'd receive 764,000,000 websites you could look into.  Wow.  "Who's right" indeed.

After practicing Sennin-So Shiatsu for over 4 years now and learning more and more about myself and the human body, I have come to a simple conclusion:  We make it all too difficult.

We are all different.  Genetics and life styles play a vital role in our individual "Health Path".  But nonetheless, one thing we do on a daily basis is take a complicated machine like the body... and make it even more complicated.  Take this, don't take that, eliminate this, pump you with that, workout like this, but not like that, on and on and on.  It makes it impossible to fully understand what is needed to be healthy.

So through shiatsu and my training, I've tried to simplify it the best way I can.  What I have learned to be optimally healthy for my body is to:

1-Limit stress
2-Limit sugar
3-Limit dairy
4-Limit gluten
5-Eat more vegetables
6-Stay active in exercise but not overactive
7-Keep blood flowing
8-Keep the body's pH balanced and alkaline

That is about it.  The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th can theoretically be clumped together with a healthy diet style.  The 6th and 7th can relatively be worked in together, though "keeping blood flowing" in all honesty needs manual help and those, like myself, are the best way to help that.  The last has been shown to be possible with the consumption of the baking soda, like suggested by my Shiatsu Master.


That leaves number 1 left unaddressed.  This is probably the most difficult, to be honest.  There are SO MANY variables that cause us to be stressed.  Your adrenals are pumping adrenaline daily, hourly, sometimes by the minute, to handle our environment and the bombardment we're being hit with.  Most of us have no idea how to balance that either.  If someone makes you angry, doing whatever, that act will effect us for most if not all of the entire day, sometimes longer.  We, culturally, do not have any idea how to drop these stressful situations.  We don't know how to simplify our lives to make them healthier.  Until we can stop the craziness and simply just be simple, we'll be dealing with these symptoms forever.

One of my associates asked my Shiatsu Master how he stayed so healthy.  I was eager to hear his reply.  And I smiled once delivered.  "Be happy." he simply stated.  Nothing else.  "Be happy."  Seems way to easy.  Maybe it is... and that's our problem.  "There's no way it's that easy!"

You see there are millions and millions of things our body is doing without our intervention on a daily basis, so isn't it possible that in order to live efficiently all you need to do is ALLOW IT TO DO IT EFFECTIVELY?  Your body needs a specific environment, which in all honesty is easy to obtain.  It needs:

-Efficient sleep
-Fun, physical activities
-Healthy food
-Healthy fluids
-Good oxygen intake
-A balanced pH

The problem is is when we start throwing junk in replace of healthy food, junk in replace of healthy fluid, and figure that it isn't "that bad', it then creates an acidic pH throughout parts of the body.  When the body is too acidic, oxygen isn't delivered efficiently throughout the body.  This then makes life not as much fun and very stressful (Pain will do that)... which also effects your sleep.  It all comes full circle, always.  Every organ in your body works off each other.

Try and keep it simple.  Do you need to purchase hundreds and thousands of dollars in vitamins and supplements???  Last time I checked, most of these vitamins are in our vegetables, the foods we SHOULD be consuming.  Animals in the wild don't suffer from the same crap we do.  My foster brothers from Sudan, Africa didn't start having crazy health issues until they came to America... and they were living in extreme poverty while eating little.

I have a book, "The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity", written by Daniel P. Reid, and in this book (first of all it is an amazing book and I have a link at the bottom on how to obtain one.) he talks about a study that showed school children from a school in Michigan that were tested for their nutritional level with their daily meals compared to a homeless street beggar on the streets of India.  The astonishing results were that each child was technically considered malnourished, even compared to the beggar who so happened to have significant better nourishment.  I don't know about you, but that blows my mind.

Keep it simple.  Did nature intend for you to eat it?  That is the most basic and simple question to ask oneself.  Is a full grown human consuming dairy (another animal's milk) natural?  Yes???  If so... when's the last time you saw a full grown cow drinking milk out in the pasture from another cow???  "Excuse me Bessy, if you wouldn't mind leaning to one side... I'm a bit parched."  Silly as it might sound, I'm being very serious.  The only species meant to consume cow's milk... is a cow!  But they stop doing so when they have the ability to eat their own food.  This is the same across the board with all mammals.  But for some reason, we believe as a society that drinking milk is ok.  Why?...... Because you're told it's ok.  Good marketing strategy.  Drink milk or you'll suffer from brittle bones, osteoporosis, etc..  You "need the calcium".  What they don't tell you is that there is significantly more calcium in green vegetables then cow's milk... significantly more!  I personally haven't seen any cows suffering from osteoporosis... have you?

Your path is your own, never forget that.  I can't help you if you don't want me to, and that is not a frustrated statement, it is simply the truth.  If you're not willing to be helped, you wont be, by anyone... even yourself.  Nothing changes if nothing changes.  The majority of our symptoms are derived from lifestyle choices and how the body is adapting, or lack there of, to them.  There are many programs, stories, and information out there that talk about how people have eliminated, not lessen but eliminated, chronic symptoms and saved their lives from numerous diagnosed conditions by changing their life and their diet.  Most of these come from basic changes that bring their life back to simplicity.

It isn't rocket science.  If you put junk in your body expect junk as an output.  Our body doesn't just absorb freely whatever you put in it without some specific consequence.  "To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction." -Sir Isaac Newton.

Simplify your life.  Take care of that amazing machine that is your body... because throughout the majority of your entire life it has been taking care of you.  As far as we know you don't get another one.

Stay Happy, Healthy, and Ready for Anything.

Mike Kazunori Shimizu

The man who has humbled my life and who has shown me more in the past 4 years then any school could ever dream, has been written on a website that I absolutely have to share with all of you.  Mike Kazunori Shimizu is my Shiatsu Master.  This write up is great... except that the woman doesn't know there are those, like myself, who will live on and continue this amazing therapy when he is gone.  Please, jump onto the web site and take a look.  Read about someone else who has been touched, both literally and figuratively, by this amazing man.  (Be sure to click the "Read The Entire Article" link for the entire story!)

Mike Kazunori Shimizu, by Elana Zaiman

Let me know what you thought.  I found it interesting, for she knew things about him I never did.

Logical and Factual

logic |ˈläjik|noun1 reasoning conducted or assessed according to strict principles of validity : experience is a better guide to this than deductive logic | he explains his move with simple logic | the logic of the argument is faulty.• a particular system or codification of the principles of proof and inference : Aristotelian logic.• the systematic use of symbolic and mathematical techniques to determine the forms of valid deductive argument.• the quality of being justifiable by reason : there's no logic in telling her not to hit people when that's what you're doing.• ( logic of) the course of action or line of reasoning suggested ormade necessary by : if the logic of capital is allowed to determine events.2 a system or set of principles underlying the arrangements of elements in a computer or electronic device so as to perform a specified task.• logical operations collectively.

fact |fakt|nouna thing that is indisputably the case : she lacks political experience—a fact that becomes clear when she appears in public | a body of fact.• ( the fact that) used in discussing the significance of something that is the case : the real problem facing them is the fact that their funds are being cut.• (usu. facts) a piece of information used as evidence or as part of a report or news article.• chiefly Law the truth about events as opposed to interpretation : there was a question of fact as to whether they had received the letter

When our society is confronted with a problem and we don't know the answer, we generally fall back to two forms of problem solving tools:  Facts and Logic.  I mean, after all, that is the intellectual thing to do, yes?

Well, I'm here to tell you that our body, unfortunately, takes our ideas of "facts" and "logic" and laughs at them.  After all, we, as a species, are very simple minded creatures working to try and understand an extremely complex, but surprisingly simple, machine.  That machine of course is the human body.  Now there is a flaw in the way most look at the human body, and if you've been worked on by me you might recall I've spoken on this.  That flaw is:

-We focus so much on symptoms, we forget that they're symptoms.

When your sink is clogged, do you blame the water that is sitting, unwilling to drain, in the tub of your sink?  Of course not, that would be foolish.  Do you blame the dog for soiling your living room carpet when he's been inside all day and not let out?  Again, no, It'd be foolish.  If you solely focus on a symptom, you're being foolish.  Now, if you're not understanding where I'm going with this, then I ask you,  "In order to have a symptom, you need what?"................ a Problem.  Now do you want to know the funny thing about problems and symptoms, there are different levels of them.  It rarely, and I mean RARELY is just one problem causing one symptom.

For example, I'm going to explain a symptom I see on a regular basis, and as such I'll explain what I look for and how it effects the body, as learned through Sennin-So Shiatsu.

(Many might recognize this example)

-A Client comes in complaining about low back pain.  "Low back pain"= SYMPTOM!  No matter how much it hurts, you must remember that it is a symptom!  One might debate though, "but the disk has herniated, that is a problem".  That is actually true.  A herniated disc could very easily be categorized as a problem.  But it is actually, in this case, a Tertiary (3rd) problem.

You see, a primary, or root, problem and symptom creates a secondary problem and symptom which creates the tertiary problem and symptom... and it continues to go until you address the Primary Problem.  Let's take a look at the chain in a favorite client of mine. (her name will be anonymous and go by Jane as in Jane Doe)

-Jane's Symptom-  Back Pain.  Muscles in the back are extremely tight creating tension and torque as she goes about playing volleyball, making it very difficult to perform at her normal level.

-Adam's findings-  Stomach Tension and extreme sensitivity.  Muscles in abdomen are extremely tight and sensitive, thus stimulating the brain to fire the balancing muscles which are all in the back.

-Back is in pain because the muscles in the back are extremely tight.  Symptom to Problem.
-Back is tight because stomach is tight.  Symptom to Problem.
-Stomach is tight because circulation is poor throughout the abdomen.  Symptom to Problem.
-Circulation is poor throughout the abdomen because: ??? (and here is where the real work of prevention kicks in since there are always multiple variables!)

After 2 sessions we were able to release the tension in the abdomen and the back pain was gone!  Now Jane found me after going to 5 doctors, physical therapists, a chiropractor, massage therapy, and nothing was helping her.  Do you know why?  Because they went straight to "logic" and "facts":

-Client's back is in pain
-Client's back is extremely tight

So, they of course focused on the back.  Doctors scan the back for abnormalities, breaks, strains, fluid retention, you name it.  But what happens if they find nothing?  I've actually had clients tell me that doctors have told them the pain is all in their mind because they can't find anything wrong with them.  Wow... talk about a cop out!  That is code for: RUN!

Now when pertaining to back pain and Physical Therapy, most physical therapists, (I say most because I cannot obviously speak for all PT's) go on the theory that if the muscles in the back are too tight and causing pain, the problem is that the core muscles in the abdomen are too weak.  Thus they have you strengthen those muscles to try and balance out the two.  Yes, this is absolutely logical.  Except, logic doesn't always guarantee success no matter how right it seems.  For example, it was logical that the earth was flat, and for many years it was believed to be true by countless individuals both peasants and scholars alike.  Well, they were unfortunately wrong.  And in the case of the PT's theory on back pain, it is flawed.

Now, I have talked with a few PT's and get the same type of reaction when I explain to them their back theory and its flaw.  Mind you that I don't approach them like "you should know better" or "how could you not know".  These, in most cases, are great people wanting to make a difference and doing what they can to help, using methods they've been taught.  Not to mention just because the back theory is flawed doesn't mean EVERYTHING they do is flawed.  All medical practices have their flaws, even Shiatsu, and they all have benefits.  Some just more then others.  

With the PT's, I first ask that isn't it true that the only clients who see back pain relief are those who live and die off their abdomen workouts, and the answer has always been yes.  Whereas those who do their exercises only every now and then continue with the consistent back issues.  What I've learned through Sennin-So Shiatsu gives me the ability to explain this.

You see, like mentioned above, when the abdominal muscles have poor circulation, due to multiple variables, they contract.  Your brain senses this and fires the counter balancing muscles in the back to keep you upright.  If the brain did not do this, you'd be bent over at the waist all the time.  You couldn't protect yourself if all you did was look down at the ground.  So we fix this in Sennin-So Shiatsu by increasing the blood flow through the abdominal core and down to the feet.  WITH EXERCISE you also increase the circulation, but since you never addressed why the blood stagnated in the stomach to begin with, something we do in Shiatsu, the root continues to come back and only gives you little amounts of relief when you're doing the actual exercise.

If you took the theory that one group of muscles could under-develop through sheer lack of strengthening, thus causing an imbalance in the body where the opposite muscles would then be in pain because they were over developed, simply look at your arms for the best example.  Ever see guys at the gym walk around like they're gorillas?  Their biceps are significantly more developed then their opposite acting triceps, thus giving the impression that they're carrying jugs under their arms.  When's the last time they've talked about how bad their biceps are killing them in comparison to the amount of people suffering back pain on a regular basis?  Like I said, it's logical, just not what is actually happening.  And because the PT's have seen results with their theory, they stick to it, not realizing that they are just doing what we do, inadvertently, and at a slower pace.

A Migraine is the same type of situation.  Here are two Migraine definitions according to New Oxford American Dictionary and the second being from Wikipedia :

migraine |ˈmīˌgrān| (also migraine headache)nouna recurrent throbbing headache that typically affects one side of the head and is often accompanied by nausea and disturbed vision.

Migraine is a chronic disorder characterized by recurrent moderate to severe headachesoften in association with a number of autonomicsymptoms. The word derives from the Greekἡμικρανία (hemikrania), "pain on one side of the head",^[1] from ἡμι- (hemi-), "half", and κρανίον (kranion), "skull".^[2]

Typically the headache is unilateral (affecting one half of the head) and pulsating in nature, lasting from 2 to 72 hours. Associated symptoms may includenausea, vomiting,photophobia (increased sensitivity to light),phonophobia (increased sensitivity to sound) and the pain is generally aggravated by physical activity.^[3] Up to one-third of people with migraine headaches perceive anaura: a transient visual, sensory, language, or motor disturbance which signals that the headache will soon occur.^[3]

Migraines are believed to be due to a mixture of environmental and genetic factors.^[4] About two-thirds of cases run in families.^[5] Fluctuating hormone levels may also play a role: migraine affects slightly more boys than girls before puberty, but about two to three times more women than men.^[6][7] Propensity for migraines usually decreases during pregnancy.^[6]The exact mechanisms of migraines are not known. It however is believed to be a neurovascular disorder.^[5] The primary theory is related to increased excitability of the cerebral cortex and abnormal control of painneurons in the trigeminal nucleus of the brainstem.^[8]

Now I want you to read them both and highlight some key words in there that, for whatever reason, the medical society has COMPLETELY over looked.  I have taken them from the definitions and they are:

-"throbbing" and "pulsating"

-"nausea"

-"disturbed vision"

-"vomiting"

-"photophobia" and "phonophobia"

-"believe to be due to a mixture of environmental and genetic factors"

Now take a look at that last sentence from the Wikipedia definition:  

The primary theory is related to increased excitability of the cerebral cortex and abnormal control of painneurons in the trigeminal nucleus of the brainstem.^[8]


Uhhh.... what???

Sadly, the truth is that they are looking so close to their "facts" that they are missing the big picture all together.  Have you ever tried putting a puzzle together, but did it using a magnifying glass glued to your eyes so you'd have to look at the pieces so close and only as individuals?  If you were lucky enough to finish one, it'd take months, maybe years to complete it.  Sometimes you need to take a step back and look at the entire object to better understand what and why things are happening. As in Occam's Razor principle, "In explaining a thing no more assumptions should be made than are necessary."  The shorter version sound somewhat like "when confronted with a problem, the simplest answer is usually the best answer."

So looking at the keywords mentioned above, does anything strike you as interesting?  How about the words "throbbing" and "pulsating"?  In order to throb and pulsate (like pulse), you need what?  Pressure from fluid, yes?  So, right there you know that circulation has to play a vital part.  How about two other words directly associated with each other:  Nausea and vomiting.  Are they just side effects of the migraine or... could they mean more... hmmm.  How about, "believed to be due to a mixture of environmental and genetic factors"?  That is medical jargon for "we think there are actual reasons for them, but not sure what they are and why they effect the body as such."  Again, tough to figure that out when looking so closely at the body... and in this case... so closely to the head.

Here is what we do with Sennin-So Shiatsu.  A Migraine, in most cases, is simply a circulatory build up of pressure.  It really is a simple explanation, though to release it can be tricky sometimes.  In other definitions of Migraines it is said that during a Migraine the blood vessels in the head dilate.  This, of course, should be obvious.  There needs to be a place for the extra pressure to move to.  So, to help the body eliminate the symptom of the Migraine, you need to release the pressure.  We release specific parts of the body to help the blood flow move more balanced and freely throughout the body.  When this is properly achieved, the pressure is then relieved and the Migraine is gone.  Funny thing... one of those areas is the stomach.  In fact, it is debatable that it is the most important area to release.  You see, the stomach, in most cases, has literally become a tourniquet, slowing the blood flow through the lower half of the body significantly and thus causing the heart to pump harder to get through the congestion.  When that happens, BOOM, Migraine baby!  Especially if the blood flow through the feet and arms is slow, then it is really bad.  So it isn't a shocker that the words "Nausea" and "Vomiting" are used in the definition of what a Migraine is... or properly deciphered, what the "Symptoms of a Migraine is", because neither definition has explained the root of a Migraine.  

Nausea and Vomiting play a SIGNIFICANT role in Migraine symptoms.  Like a fever when you get an infection, Nausea and Vomiting are the body's own selfdefense mechanisms to the build up of pressure effecting the head.  Think about it... what happens when you vomit?  The stomach purges all contents within itself.  What do you think that does to the stomach's size?  It shrinks it.  When you eat, the stomach, on average, can expand anywhere from 1 liter to 4 liters worth of space for food.  That can be quite big.  So if blood is trying to get through the abdominal core and it is having a hard time doing so because the circulation in the abs is poor, causing them to constrict, a great way to make more room in the abdomen for the blood to pass through would be to purge the stomach organ and shrink its size.  THUS taking pressure off the upper body  And there you have why Nausea and Vomiting are involved with Migraines.  It's the body's way of saying, "If you're not going to fix this, WE'LL fix it for you!"

My wife, Julia, is the prime Guinea Pig for this understanding.  She has had Migraines her whole life and it isn't until vomiting that they go away.  If I can get to her in time, I can release it and she doesn't need to be sick.  That's if she tells me before it is code red, something she rarely does!

Now, when involving the environmental factors like they were talking about, I can explain those as well.  If you ask anyone who has suffered from Migraines for long stretches of time and has sought out doctors on ways to either prevent or lessen them, you'll get the key word "trigger".  I've read up on many "triggers" on Migraines.  ALL OF THEM are on the list of the most acidic things you can do to your body.  And when you become too acidic, your gall bladder is effected, your stomach organ is surrounded with blood, the blood stagnates, tightens... and it's game on.  Popular triggers are Wine, Cheese, Chocolate, Caffeine, and Processed Foods, just to name a few.

A few years ago my wife and I went to my work's Christmas Party.  She was wearing a beautiful dress and looked amazing.  She is also someone who can't drink a lot of alcohol because it is very acidic to her body and as such her body doesn't let her go with much of it in her system.  Well, halfway through the night I was with a friend and looked over at my wife and saw she was as pale as they get.  I went to ask how she was doing and she told me a Migraine was kicking in, and kicking in fast!  We left for the car and unfortunately she couldn't make it without losing everything she ate for dinner.  Her body purged 3 times before we got home, leaving nothing in her stomach.  She told me she only had 2 drinks and thought it wouldn't be that bad.  To my surprise, as I helped her get undressed and ready for bed, she was wearing a corset under her dress.  I almost laughed as I connected the dots!  Though knowing her she would have probably knocked me out, so I chose not to.  What she did was almost quite literally taunt her own body's circulatory system by not only creating an acidic reaction in her stomach because of the alcohol and deserts at the party, but also by creating an EXTERNAL tourniquet with the corset.  Quite simply her body couldn't get a sufficient amount of blood to the lower half so it was going through emergency purge to decrease the pressure.

I helped an associate with somewhat of the same problem one day.  She was a hairdresser who was starting to have a Migraine.  I took her to my room to work on her for 10 minutes.  I didn't realize until she was taking it off, but she was wearing a belt around her abdomen as nothing but an accessory to her fashion statement.  When I saw that I about cried.  I told her that that was why she was having the Migraine.  When I released the congestion it caused in her abdomen, the Migraine was gone and she couldn't believe it.

Ladies... say no to tight things around your waist if you are easily prone to headaches and Migraines!!!

Many people have their own theories about their bodies and the pain they experience through life.  Pain in your shoulder makes you believe it is because of work, or that you slouch at the computer, or because you play sports, or because of this or that or the other thing.  I've heard countless theories on why people think they're hurt.  But rarely do I get to hear a perspective that has factored in that the body's symptoms aren't the root and thus they know the real problem lies elsewhere.  It is never one thing, either.  There are always multiple factors.  And if you wanted to know what is the closest to the "one thing" that is causing all of your issues, you can say blood flow or your circulation.  There are multiple variables as to why your blood flow starts to slow down, but it still comes down to your circulation.

Fix your circulation and it will fix you!

The Ulcer That Is... and Was

With having the health history that I have endured in my life, I find myself being my own guinea pig way more than I probably would like to choose. For the past two months, I have been recovering from an ulcer that has formed above my ankle on my left leg. Now most people are used to hearing about ulcers forming in the stomach, which is the most common site of ulcers, but I am here to inform you that, yes, they can develop in other areas.

The ulcer has formed in the same leg where the blood clots of my past had also existed. This is not a coincidence. The blood clots have weakened the entire circulatory system in my leg, and in my case where blood slows and pools, especially around the ankle, it can break the integumentary system (skin) down and an ulcer can form. The healing process is long and painful, so I wish it not on anyone of you. But just recently I have found something that internally I knew all along, just not at the level of which I should have known, and was to weak to let it go.

I have talked to everyone about weaknesses. I am not immune to this cultural problem, no one truly is. Where some people have alcohol, or sugar, or computer games, or whatever, I have to admit that mine is simply: A Grande Caramel Frappuccino from Starbucks. I started getting into them when I went to massage school 10 years ago. Until then I hated coffee and the idea of drinking anything close to it made me cringe. I did find that the boost of "energy" helped the 1 hour drive to school in the early afternoon for 5 days a week for 1 full year, and found myself drinking at least one a day. The financial hit definitely isn't fun, but it took a far more dangerous toll to my body.

In 2005 I developed my first blood clot. It was light and not regarded as a big deal by the ER Doctor. So he sent me on my way not knowing I over coagulate genetically, something he should have looked into as being a professional healthcare provider, but we can go into that another day.

3 1/2 years later, a life threatening DVT showed itself one day after my daughter, Rayven, was born. This is where they found that I have a genetic blood clotting disorder. All of my blood clotting problems occurred at times where I was consuming a high amount of coffee on a consistent basis. In between my clots, for a 3 year period, my coffee consumption didn't disappear, but it dropped significantly. I was an independent contractor in massage, which is code for "I was broke", and couldn't afford coffee on a regular basis. And usually the only time I drank coffee was when I carpooled boys I coached when we had road trips which usually averaged 1 1/2 hours of driving one way to the games.

Deep down I've always known the coffee was bad for me, but it was my weakness. I have been addicted to my coffee ritual routine each day for a while now and my leg was getting worse and worse and worse, then the ulcer occurred. While trying to heal the ulcer I still consumed the coffee and things kept going the wrong direction.
I finally came to a fork in the road: Either I allow my leg to get so bad that I could be looking at amputation before I'm 40, or I give up the unhealthy things in life and allow my body to fix itself, aka... ditch the Frappuccino's.

Two weeks ago I did just that. After a week without the caffeine, I noticed that my leg actually felt like it was getting a little better. And when healing an ulcer, you'll take whatever you can get. Two weeks after giving up the drink my leg not only feels significantly better, but it LOOKS significantly better. And while I was at the dermatologist today, we joked about the caffeine in the frappuccino and she said something that I thought I knew, but found out I was always wrong. She said, "Well yeah, caffeine is a vasoconstrictor so it surely wont help the healing process."

Not help the process??? It is shutting the process down completely!

For as long as I could remember, I always thought that caffeine was a vasodilator, meaning it opens the blood vessels instead of closing them (vasoconstrictor). Truthfully I am not sure why I always thought that. But in truth it causes the heart to pump harder. The caffeine prevents the vasodilating inhibitors from reacting properly, so because of such, the blood vessels constrict, the heart pumps harder to get the blood through, which is that "burst of energy" you feel. It can also cause one to have a headache, get light headed or have erratic heartbeats (I've had both), as well as high blood pressure and so on.

The reason for the ulcer is simple. The consistent flow of caffeine into my system has made it to where my leg's circulatory system, already weakened and damaged from the previous blood clots, encloses even more on a regular basis, leaving it prone to many different ailments, like Ulcers and Blood Clots, and the inability to repair the damage. The only reason most don't get clots who still drink a lot of coffee is because most don't have the over coagulating gene like I do. I was perfectly fine, until I started pumping caffeine into my system on a daily basis. The excessive sugar and acidity were also major contributors, but it is now that I realize the true culprit.

I am writing this to you now with a leg that actually feels cool to the touch. This might not seem a big deal to most, but understand that with the weakened circulatory system from the clot, I am used to a leg that is hotter than my hand, which is pretty warm all the time. (Something my clients can attest to)
Daily, I am on the quest to learn more and more about the human body through the eyes of what I've learned in Shiatsu. Most of my quests involve learning aspects of the human body that medical science haven't entirely focused on. After all, that is why Sennin-So Shiatsu is so fascinating and impressive. Even doctors are shocked with the physical reactions of the philosophy and technique.

Truthfully, very little is found to prove what I have written is correct. Whether they want to prove it or not is obviously debatable. The coffee industry is rather large and making caffeine look dangerous isn't the best marketing move. But while I can't give you proven scientific evidence, I am willing to offer my own experiences and excitement over my own findings.

My own personal battles with the truly unhealthy things of our culture just took a major step in the right direction. When you feel better the world opens up to you faster and in more amazing ways then one could ever imagine. I hope that I can continue learning and discovering more amazing connections that we all have to get ourselves, our family, and our friends in better health.

Stay Happy, Healthy, and Ready for Anything.

Who is in charge?

When your leg breaks, who fixes it? Most think the doctor does. That is partially true... and also misguided. If the leg needs a splint or a cast, the doctor puts it in place. If the leg needs pins or plates to stabilize the bone, the doctor does that too. But who actually fixes it? Who actually rebuilds the bones? Who adheres the connective tissue together to allow your structure to be mobile again? That would be you. Or more specifically, your body.

The body is an amazing machine. It does millions and millions of things every day to keep you alive and enjoying life, and most of those things go completely unnoticed by the average person. When injured, the body begins a process to heal you. When seriously injured or sick, what usually happens is that doctors try and stabilize you in whatever method they can to allow your body the best chance to heal itself. There isn't a single treatment in existence that 100% heals you without the help of the body. And when they try they usually cause more significant side effects then the original problem.

They always say that the most contagious a sick person is is when they aren't showing symptoms. So that would suggest you are probably surrounded by sick people everyday. Why are you not sick everyday? Do you think it is because of all the vaccines you take? Or maybe because of all the alcohol based cleansers you drown your skin in? Or the consistent amount of Vitamin-C you shove into your body? None of the above. It is that your immune system is strong enough to prevent the viruses from taking hold and infecting your body. You're being attacked daily, but you are sick infrequently... at least if you are generally healthy. Surprised that those who smoke for a living get sicker more often and tike 5 times as long to kick the disease?

I've always found it silly that when we are around things that we discern as disgusting or unsanitary that that is when we are aware of bacteria and viruses. When you take the garbage out and get back inside, most people go straight to the sink and wash up. But if you were to go the car, drive to the store, buy groceries, drive home, and put the groceries away... how many of you would now wash your hands? The numbers would shock and scare most of you.

They've done research and studies on all the popular areas we touch but don't think of as being infested with bacteria. Places like the steering wheel of your car, a man's wallet, the bottom of a woman's purse, and every door to your house are all great places to house bacteria. In fact, bacteria is everywhere, including in the air we breathe!

Oh whatever will we do?!?!?!

It is simple in theory, difficult in practicality. Difficult only because most of us have been conditioned to live a unhealthy lifestyle and the addictions that have been created are very difficult to overcome. Your body needs very simple ingredients to live a life full of energy and limited sick and injury time. These ingredients are:

- Clean water

- Minerals, Vitamins, and Fuel (Carbohydrates)

*Which should be absorbed from healthy, fresh vegetables, fruits, and proper proteins and carbohydrates

- Exercise

- Oxygen

- An Alkalized pH system

- A limited stressful environment

- Consistent sleep

If you give the body these ingredients your life will be exponentially healthier then the average person in this country. But let's all come to reality. Not many people fit in the category that that is all they give their body. Many of us love sugars, fats, alcohol, quick foods, watching TV, and playing on the computer, just to name a few of our cultural and personal weaknesses.

So with the fact that we all have our own little devil on our shoulder winning many of the one-on-one battles with the little angel, what are some of the things that you can do to help your body to help you stay healthy?

1) The quickest way is to go as healthy as possible in the 6 items mentioned above.

2) You can also seek out natural healthcare practitioners who perform services like Sennin-So Shiatsu, Massage, Acupuncture, Reiki, and Reflexology. Practitioners like ourselves can help your body to kickstart its own healing ability. But don't rely on us like we are healing you, remember that it is ultimately your body that does the healing. We just give you a loving push.

3) Get involved with some sort of outdoor activities. Get away from your technology!

4) Breathe properly into your diaphragm! That means breathing into your nose and out your mouth, putting all air into your stomach (abdomen) and allowing your lungs to absorb the most oxygen possible. Shallow breathers have a ton of health problems and their inability to take proper breaths is one of their root causes.

5) Keep an eye on your pH by using pH strips you can get at health food stores. Antacids like Baking Soda are really useful in balancing your pH, as is cutting out sugars and limiting the wrong fruits and meats.

6) Work on realizing what stresses are real and what are a waste of time. A death in the family is a real stress. An idiot cutting you off on the road and making you angry... waste of time!!!

!!!Remember!!! Your body fixes you. It's what it is designed to do. When you are sick or hurt and it is chronic, it simply means you are not giving it the environment needed to sustain a healthy life, and as such the body cannot heal its injuries. Many of my clients DON'T balance their pH, or DON'T stop eating the wrong foods, or DON'T help their circulation in ways I suggest, and because of such they see me more often.

Take responsibility for your body! It's what it wants! After all, you're the only one truly responsible for you.

Stay Healthy, Happy, and Ready for Anything! -