Both Sides, Now
My father once told me that “there are two sides to every story, and then there’s the truth”. In his concise way, he was illuminating a critical piece of sense-making. The thing we refer to as “the truth” is something we can only see through a glass, darkly…it is something known only as well as we know ourselves.
In a similar way, our limited ability to make sense of truth is reflected in the parable of the blind men and the elephant. A band of blind men encounter an obstacle on the path. One man grabs a leg and declares it is a tree. Another is wrapped by the trunk and proclaims it is a snake. Yet another is flicked by its tail and decides it is a rope. Another feels an ear and calls it a fan. We are always at the mercy of the limitations of our perception. The only chance we have to address the complex issues that currently and will continue to face us is discourse. Discourse requires the willingness to communicate what we “see” and have that heard and reflected back to us by others who are also having their own experience even and especially when we do not agree on what we perceive reality to be.
These days our elephant is the incredible vehicle of the internet. Never before in the history of our species has so much information been so accessible for so many. This technology has facilitated our ability to find facts, proof, evidence, and opinions for any position. Yet the process of inquiry has always been about more than simply researching information that supports what you already believe. In its essence, science is a process of inquiry. Science derives from philosophy and the dialectic tradition of Socrates. Dialectic means investigating the truth of opinions; it is the art of debate. The root of this word is shared with dialogue, which means “to converse with”. My point is simply this - in order to do science, to investigate truth, to practice inquiry, there must be an open, transparent exchange of ideas. Without this criterion, without a conversation to propel meaning, refine arguments, and clarify positions, we are doomed to hug one leg of the elephant and convince ourselves it’s a tree.
There are always (and at least) two sides to every story, which reminds me of the courage and humility in Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides, Now:
Oh, but now old friends they're acting strange
And they shake their heads and they tell me that I've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained
In living every dayI've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all
It is unlikely any of us will ever know all life has to offer. But we can engage with it in a way that is meaningful, draws us closer to the truth, and employs a best practice that was recorded long ago: charity does not behave unseemly, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil.
Heart Rate Variability
Each February, I offer current and prospective practice members an opportunity to measure how well their autonomic nervous system is currently adapting to stress (Click here to request more info or to schedule an HRV study). I use Heart Rate Variability (HRV) as an assessment tool to determine what their resting baseline state is. This allows us to see how they index sympathetic (fight/flight, defensive physiology) with parasympathetic (rest/digest, recuperative physiology) tone. It also allows us to get a read on how resilient their physiology is, which is a measure of the ability to withstand and recover from difficult conditions. This information is important both clinically, as it helps me to better understand and guide care, and personally, as it provides a quantitive measure of an important physiological marker.
HRV looks at the interval between successive heart beats to determine how much variation is being expressed. Like any other biometric, too much or too little variation indicates the body is working harder since it has moved outside the range of baseline normal to highly adaptive. There are several devices that offer HRV tracking as wearable tech, which are used by folks to determine when to train (or rest). Most recently, information from these wearables has been analyzed to see if HRV changes can predict immune system outcomes related to the pandemic. By contrast, the instrument and system I use in my office employs a 3 minute resting capture that collects heart rate data as well as skin temperature and galvanic skin response. These additional measurements help build a more complete assessment of autonomic regulation and ensure accuracy of collection. To be clear - the HRV used in my chiropractic office is an assessment of autonomic nervous system function used to teach people about their bodies and guide practice members in their health and wellness journey. It is not used to diagnose or treat viral or other pathogenic diseases.
“If the first two decades of the 21st century have taught us anything, it is that uncertainty is chronic, instability is permanent, disruption is common, and we can neither predict nor govern events. There will be no new normal. There will only be a continuous series of not normal episodes defying prediction and unforeseen by most of us until they happen.” Jim Collins
The past year has been a tremendously trying time and has highlighted and underscored the need to reframe how we relate to uncertainty. When I consider the above quote, the word that comes to mind for me is adaptability. Adaptability is defined as the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions. If we agree with Jim Collins (and I do), then the ask here is clear: how do we learn to accept the nature of reality as being in constant flux while we learn to improve our ability to adjust to new and changing conditions?
Once you have some HRV data to work with, here are 6 ways that you can support your body and your nervous system, which have been shown to improve HRV:
Sleep - The body heals, the brain detoxes, mind rests. This is the primary way you communicate self-respect to your body and your spirit. Physiologically speaking, 8 hours is the minimum to allow your systems to refresh during a 24 hour period. The book and podcasts featuring Matthew Walker are great resources for more information.
Water - The many fluid tasks your body performs to cultivate health require adequate hydration. From blood pressure to lymphatic flow, liver, kidney, and skin detoxification to general digestion, we all need more water than we typically consume. The 2 guidelines that help me are 1) to have a designated bottle (or bottles) that I know is my minimum target to finish by day’s end and 2) to use either the dryness of my lips and/or the color of my urine to gauge hydration (clear to straw color is a good indicator).
Movement - The natural state of the human body is to be in motion. The casts we lock ourselves into in the form of desk chairs, car seats, couches, and the like are antithetical to providing the quantity and quality of movement our joints, muscles, fascia, circulation, and neurology need to be healthy. See my earlier post about the importance of a Movement Practice here.
Reduce Alcohol - Simply stated, alcohol depresses the function of the central nervous system. As with ANY chemical introduced into the body, set, setting, and dose determine experience and the relative benefit or detriment of consumption. Although it is easy (and likely true) to say that blanket abstinence is the best policy for physiological health, this misses the nuance of being able to intentionally and responsibly enjoy a beverage either for its craft or on the occasion to celebrate company. To wit, the measured benefit of alcohol seems to max out at the equivalent of 1 drink per day.
Nutrition - The quantity, quality, and relationship we have to what we consume directly impacts our health. A diet that is based on whole foods, organic products, a (colorful) diversity of offerings, and is locally sourced when possible will facilitate nutritional health. Other helpful notes are to try to eat at regular times each day, minimize refined sugar, and use high quality oils when cooking/preparing food. See my previous post about Consuming Consciously here.
Chiropractic - Last but certainly not least, chiropractic care has been shown to positively influence HRV. By working directly with the tone and tension of the nervous system, chiropractic adjustments help the body to up-regulate parasympathetic activity, move more effectively, and clear the central channel of the spine, which prompts the innate intelligence of the body to reboot and reorganize the patterns of stress held in the system. For more information see here, here, and here.
We use HRV as part of our objective measurements to track the progress of our practice members who receive care at Mutter Chiropractic. It is a valuable tool and a great way to open a conversation about ways to positively influence health, wellness, and adaptability.
Winter Mint
As we transition from the chaos of the Holiday season back to the normalcy of routine and the onset of winter, I encourage several things to help boost the immune system. In addition to seeing your friendly neighborhood chiropractor, getting adequate rest (aka sleep), keeping hydrated (aka drinking water), and having clear lines of communication in your personal, professional, and social lives are some of the best things you can do to support your immune system and your overall well-being.
I would also like to share some info about one of my favorite warm winter beverages: peppermint tea.
The use of mint leaves in herbal, folk, and medicinal traditions has roots worldwide. The cultivation of mints in China and Japan is an ancient practice. Mint has been found in Egyptian tombs that date back to 1000 B.C. Mint was part of the pharmacopeia of ancient Greece and both Eastern and Western medicine utilize mint for a variety of ailments.
Peppermint (mentha piperita) is hybrid of spearmint and watermint, and as a perennial herb, it is naturalized throughout Europe and North America. It is purported to have many actions, especially as an essential oil, not the least of which include analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-septic, and anti-spasmodic. Historically, peppermint has been used as a digestive aid, to freshen breath, and to relieve headaches. Aromatically, peppermint has been traditionally used to soothe upper respiratory ailments. More recently, peppermint aroma has been shown to improve memory and reduce mental fatigue.
As any evidence-based empirical machine likes to do, Western medicine has studied this plant and its effects in its reductionist, sterile sort of way. They have studied its use as a pharmacologic “alternative” for conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), non-ulcer dyspepsia, and gastrointestinal spasm, and have come to the resounding conclusion that peppermint oil is “probably effective”. With regard to tension headaches, two trials have shown that topical application of peppermint oil is effective in reducing symptoms. In fact, in one of those studies, it was compared to acetaminophen (Tylenol), and was found comparable (“no significant difference in effectiveness”), with the difference being that the peppermint oil had no adverse effects.
More recently, a more detailed biochemical investigation into the protective effects of the phytochemicals in peppermint found several interesting results. Compared to industry standard anti-oxidant chemicals used to preserve food, peppermint essential oil was found to be a more potent scavenger of free radicals. In addition, clinical findings in rats showed a significant decrease in serum uric acid (marker for gout) and an increase in HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
Although these recent scientific claims support the medicinal aspects of a natural plant and it’s beneficial effects on the body, it is important to keep in mind the weight of tradition. The use of peppermint, peppermint essential oil, and all other essential oils and traditional remedies has been studied and refined for centuries. The appropriate use of them, as with any healing modality, needs to be put into context. Context means not looking at the results with disregard to the entire process. Ultimately, I encourage you to explore the “alternative” avenues of natural healing, but to do so with respect. For me, I am already looking forward to a cup of warm peppermint tea.