Arthur J. Barsky, M.D., is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and director of psychiatric research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He was asked about what hypochondriasis is (being a hypochondriac). They actually don’t call it that anymore. Now they call it illness anxiety disorder, or somatic symptom disorder. He said that a hypochondriac hyper-focuses on pain or some other symptom. …

Working with thousands of patients over the years, I’ve noticed that a majority of them tend to feel like the body has let them down. They’re feeling pain or some other symptom is interrupting their life and they want to get back to living. Well who wouldn’t right? What is notable though is that a lot of people feel at …

Last week we looked at the influence that various devices are having on our health and quality of life. We considered how when we learn to give our attention to external devices, we are more likely to lose our connection to our bodies. This sets the stage for imbalance and dysregulation leading to disease and a poorer quality of life. …

The age of technology that we’re living in these days is astounding. The number of self-help apps and devices that are available is growing every day. If you consider the development of the smart phone, it offers us a plethora of functionality in addition to being a phone. You have a camera, a timer, an alarm, a calendar, text messaging, …

Does life have to smack you with a 2×4 to get your attention? Or are your senses more finely tuned to where you can recognize life through a whisper? When I ask many people during a session, what they’re noticing, they will very often tell me things like: ‘I’m noticing pain, stiffness, imbalance’ and if it’s not one of those …

Lola, a prospective patient came in for a consultation the other day. I should note that in most clinics, especially chiropractic clinics, a consultation really means an examination. I do things a little differently because I’ve learned over the years that there’s no point in starting a relationship without first seeing if both parties are on the same page. So …

“My hips are really stiff” said Karen after her session the other day. She added: “I guess I’m only noticing them now because before the session, my back was really tense and compressed and now it’s not, so I’m able to notice my hips more.” I told Karen to stay on the table and stretch so she could work the …

Every once in a while a prospective patient comes into the office who has had a negative experience with chiropractors in the past. Unfortunately, Susie was such a person. During the consultation she relayed that she felt taken advantage of by this chiropractor. He had done an assessment and treated her for neck stiffness but she ended up feeling worse. …

Analysis paralysis is a common habit of the modern mind. Many of us are so used to it that we don’t even realize that we’re doing it. Difficulty focusing, zoning out or spacing out, feeling drained; these are some of the effects of overthinking. Another major problem that overthinking leads to is systemic inflammation. And systemic inflammation is at the …

When we hold a grudge or feel resentment towards another or ourselves, we actually hold tension in our bodies, creating an enormous physical burden. In the nervous system, we hold that tension in the lower neck (around C5). This tension speeds up degeneration in the spine, creating more arthritis. Unresolved conflict not only has us holding tension in the lower …