This is No Vacation

As I was walking around Venice Beach this afternoon, I noted this very good reminder that hard work is its own reward.

My appointment this morning at the Garage was with Bryan (not Ryan).  He, like everyone at the Garage, is kind and attentive.  In anticipation of my nutrition consult tomorrow morning with Simone, he went over the results of the lab work I had done previously.  One of my big problems is that I do not metabolize protein at all well, and my adrenals are working overtime.  The immediate problem this presents, (other than the level of cortisol and my difficulty building muscle mass) is that my body may not be able to sustain the changes I have made in these first few visits.  This was disappointing to hear... Bryan gave me an amino acid supplement that I am to begin taking immediately, and he started me right then and there.

The first thing Bryan had me do was energy work.  Sitting with eyes closed he took me through a meditation using a particular essential oil to target the Third Eye.  I put my right hand over my left and was told to visualize myself standing and facing the seated me. I was to visualize the standing me sending healing energy and communication to each organ.  Starting with the brain, pituitary gland, thyroid, I progressed organ by organ methodically through my entire body.  Bryan instructed me to use an inner smile of love and positivity wherever I sensed a blockage.  This caught me off guard.  It reminded me of the time, during my mother's last weeks, someone looked me in the eyes and asked me how I was.  The tears came of course - I hadn't at all been considering how I was.  That's kind of what happened here.  Just the reminder to love and accept one's self hit an emotional chord.  Why does this always surprise me? This meditative practice is one I am encouraged to do daily and he is going to send me the protocol.

Following the meditation, Bryan made some initial physical assessments, and work began.  He did a few things, had me walk, and get back on the table.  It came to his attention that I had not yet had a jaw release.  A few years ago I elected to have a root canal tooth removed.  It took two years before I received an implant due to surgery to build up the jaw bone where the dead tooth had been.  Without a tooth in my upper right jaw, I was chewing predominantly on my left side and the imbalance is noticeable.  That information alone indicated to Bryan it was time for the jaw release work.  So face up on the table I was.

He warned me that the jaw work is intense.  If I thought anything thus far had been hard, it was a cake walk compared to this work.  With gloved hands, Bryan worked inside the mouth at the insertion point of the mandible into the skull, first on one side then the other.  He asked me to rub my abdomen in a clockwise direction while he worked to release the jaw and muscular attachments.  I can't even begin to describe my discomfort.  I saw stars.  It took every ounce of my being to keep my hands moving.  The pain was debilitating and honestly there was a moment I thought I would throw up.  And then he stopped.  Holding a tongue depressor on my teeth, Bryan had me open and close my jaw several times against his pressure.  Then I had to walk.

Are you kidding me??  I could barely sit up.  I know the guys at the Garage do this work every day, and I'm sure most people respond similarly (although I know women have a much better overall pain tolerance), but wow!  Bryan absolutely gave me as much time as I needed.  I walked - felt stumbling drunk again for the first few times down the floor, but I did ultimately feel a significant change particularly in my right foot as it struck the floor. And, my teeth actually occlude properly for the first time since I have gotten the implant.   It is Bryan's opinion that all my current issues of misalignment stem from my jaw.  This makes complete sense to me.  Compensatory actions cause issues like a snowball rolling down a mountain.  It also explains why my migraines have been worse in recent months.

He took pictures, then I saw Dr. Luke for the first chiropractic adjustment.  He's a chatty fellow (I've never met a chiropractor who wasn't), but kind and offered reasons for every adjustment he did.  I walked again, and the visit was over for today.

Being a gorgeous LA day I decided to spend the day walking, and I covered a lot of ground.  From Culver City to the end of Abbot Kinney to the beach, on the beach, through the canals of Venice and back.  Lots of time to think. I stopped on the beach and sat a while looking at this view.

 I was a little down in the dumps this afternoon because I kept coming back to the comment about my body's potential inability to hold the changes.  I can't obsess over that.  There's a reason for it, and it's fixable!  I just have to remember to increase my protein and do whatever protocol is asked.  Human Garage's philosophy is that supplements are only temporary to support change.  I say bring 'em on.

I am determined to change.
I'm determined to stay positive and do the work.


I don't notice much difference here today. 

Can you see that my face is actually longer in photo on far right?