The Mind Body Connection…why I decided to add HeartMath Biofeedback and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) assessment to my practice.

Most of my patients and clients come to me with pain and joint tightness in some area of their body that they are seeking relief from. Many of them tell me that they have been to a variety of practitioners including Physical Therapists, Massage Therapists, Chiropractors, Doctors, Nutritionists, and more. Healthcare has evolved into a very fragmented, silo’d model that is, in my opinion, not in the best interest of the patient/client. Each practitioner has a very focused intervention, but what many of us need is a more holistic approach including a variety of techniques, which has led me to add a variety of modalities to my toolbelt including Massage, Dry Needling, Spinal Manipulation, Graston/Gua Sha, Nutritional coaching, Infrared Sauna, etc. But we are still missing something. What is the root cause of this pervasive bodily tension and pain? What about the mind-body connection? Most of us have heard of the best seller “The Body Keeps the Score”, but what do we do with this information? We know that stress and trauma is stored in our bodies, but what do we do with it? How do we correct that? Some of us experience a major traumatic event, and some of us experience mild stress for an extended period of time which keeps us in a Sympathetic Nervous System response, which releases Cortisol, leading to inflammation, pain, stiffness, and a cascade of health related problems. That leads me to the topic of Heart Rate Variabililty (HRV)…HRV is a predictor of health and longevity. The greater your HRV, the more resilient your heart is and the more balance you have between Sympathetic and Parasympathetic responses during your day. A low HRV is a risk factor for a cascade of health problems many of which you have heard of before…high blood pressure, inflammation, autoimmune problems, cancer, depression, weakened immune system, dementia, alzheimers, the list goes on. Any of these sound familiar to you? Believe it or not, HeartMath biofeedback and interventions to improve HRV is an evidence based practice effective for reducing all of these risk factors! By adding this to my practice, I will be able to more effectively help people with their pain and overall health. If you are interested in scheduling a session, please contact me or schedule an appointment. I look forward to hearing from you!