The end of insomnia

About five years ago I descended into major insomnia.

I would go to bed and have a panic attack within seconds of drifting off.

This led to intense sleep deprivation which, in turn, led to total hell.

I lost my medical practice. I lost my life.

I feared at times that I would never find my way out of what was a continually downward spiraling hell.

In an effort to get out of all of this I sought help from many quarters.

Going all over the map I sought out practitioners whom I believed could help me.

They were good people and I did get help from them in many ways but the sleeplessness persisted.

I went on medications which helped me to deal with the anxiety and other symptoms.

Because of my philosophy regarding healing and life I really resented having to take these medications but I couldn't find any other way to sleep.

And without sleep I knew I wouldn't last much longer.

Most of the nights, by my own calculations, I slept about 3-4 hours with frequent stretches of just lying awake in bed.

I would never have believed that anyone could live on 3 hours a night of sleep.

I am living proof that it is possible. I lived this way for years.

However, it was not a life worth living.

A colleague whom I really like and trust told me that I would be on these addictive medications for the rest of my life. I was very angry when she told me that. I don't want to live on addictive medications forever.

In the meantime, my life went on.

I got up each morning and drove to work to help my patients.

Then I crashed.

Many years ago I came across the work of John Sarno, MD, who works at New York University Medical Center.

Recently, I revisited his philosophy.

I decided that I would take my own medicine to see how it worked.

If I could cure my own insomnia then anything was possible.

In brief, Dr. Sarno discovered that the unconscious mind speaks through the body and mind ( emotions).

However, the degree that this is true with everyday disorders was something I had never realized.

Most of these disorders are misdiagnosed as physical problems or psychological issues.

Many of them are, in fact, primarily physical and emotional and respond to appropriate care.

However, many are not mainly physical or emotional.

Many stem from a misunderstanding of the role of the unconscious in our lives.

This is Dr. Sarno's major contribution, I believe.

There is nothing wrong with many of these patients. They need to have this confirmed by a physician who does a thorough exam and who understands the role of the unconscious in our lives and how to help such patients to realize this and obtain full healing, not just live on medications and go from doctor to doctor.

By following this philosophy I have totally overcome my insomnia.

I now sleep quite well.

I awake refreshed which I haven't experienced for five years.

I am so happy that I want to scream.

My patients tell me that I look better than I have in years.

At least two over the last few days have mentioned, " You look like you are sleeping really well."

They are right.

In a few days I shall be off the last bit of the medication.

The same medication that I was told I could never live without.

Thanks, Dr. Sarno.

I am very excited to share what I have learned with others.

This is now becoming an important part of my practice.

In March I will go to UCLA where the second annual conclave of TMS (tension myositis syndrome - the name Dr. Sarno gives this condition) practitioners will take place. I am very proud to be known as a TMS doctor.

There are fewer than 30 TMS doctors in the world, mostly here in the US.

It is exciting to be part of what I believe will be a major revolution in medicine.

How I treat asthma

One of the conditions which I love to treat is asthma. Why? Because traditional medicine considers this a chronic, life long problem which can never be cured. It can only be held in bay with medicines. These medicines, essentially different varieties of steroids, are administered via nebulizers and many other ways. They help keep things from getting out of hand.

An asthmatic attack is frightening for everyone involved. The patient is gasping. They can't breathe. They feel like they are suffocating. It's horrible.

Recently, I had a child brought in who was a few months old. The wheezing could be heard across the room. When they left the wheezing was no longer to be heard. I had a medical student with me. We both listened with a stethoscope. No more wheezing. The child had also been pulling at one of its ears. Examination revealed a nasty ear infection. At the end of the treatment - no more ear pulling.

How can osteopthy not only help but actually cure conditions like asthma? What I did was carefully examine the child. Besides the regular exam that any well trained physician would perform, I also do a detailed osteopathic exam. I put my hands on the patient and feel for how the body is actually, at the moment of examination, functioning. If there is a problem in function I can often spot it. If you have read my earlier post on sprained ankles you will be familiar with the reality of sprains and strains which, unless removed, really limit the way the body functions.

To get to that post go to: http://www.healthresourcespress.com/harold_goodman_do.htm

They are present in 100% of asthmatic patients whom I have examined. The same can be said for all of my patients with ear infections.

I remove the strain and the symptoms are gone. This after untold time on nebulizers, inhalers, etc. At some point the patient no longer needs these medical crutches. The problem is solved. There is no nebulizer in the world that can remove a strain. There is no blood test or X ray, CT, MRI in the world that can detect what the skilled hands of an osteopathic physician specializing in osteopathy in the cranial field can uncover - and successfully treat.

So, people get better. The patient is not only free of symptoms, they feel better overall. More vitality, more energy.

For me, it's a no brainer. Osteopathy is my love. I also practice acupuncture, I am trained and licensed in traditional medicine and surgery. I am board certified in homeopathy. However, I am an osteopath in my bones ( no pun intended). After 17 years of treating thousands of patients I know what works. I only wish that more people knew that such an option is not only available but covered by most insurance. People just don't need to suffer from asthma and other so-called chronic respiratory diseases.

Dream Running

Today a friend told me about a wonderful experience. She runs in her dreams. It reminded me of what H.H.Lui, a teacher of Taiqichuan in Chicago, told me in the early 1970's.

Mr. Lui told me that he received one of the first business ( or economic?) graduate degrees from Harvard Yenching University in China. Subsequently he went to work as a vice president of a major bank in Shanghai. The Communists took over and barricaded the bank building. They held him and the other administrators hostage.

No one would be allowed to leave unless they "contributed" bank funds to the People's Liberation Army. After refusing to sign the papers authorizing this for several days, Mr. Lui saw the writing on the wall. He signed and fled China.

How? He was a good swimmer. He swam from mainland China to Hong Kong. When he got to Hong Kong he had nothing but the dripping clothes on his back. He earned his meager income pulling rickshaws. Then he became paralyzed with rheumatism and was no longer able to work.

Finally, after exhausting his financial resources on both Western and Asian medicine doctors someone suggested that he do Taiqichuan. He laughed at this. "Only old people do that!" However, desperation led him to finally try it. He totally recovered from his illness and eventually emigrated to the US.

At one point he was hospitalized and bedridden. He decided to do Taiqichuan while laying in bed. He allowed himself to access the feelings associated with actually doing it, seeing himself performing the movements and as many other perceptual associations as he could muster. He fully recovered in a short time.

We are all capable of experiencing anything we wish on any level possible by knowing the experience in this moment. This I know from my own experience.

As Tolstoy wrote, "The kingdom of heaven lies within."

Healing

For the last seventeen years I have worked as a physician. I have my own office and do my own thing. My license says physician and surgeon. I have extensive training in osteopathy, homeopathy and acupuncture. However, to be most honest, I would have to say that I am a healer.

I am a conduit, a channel to be used by higher powers for the healing of my patients. I have no special powers or talents. Many of my patients believe that I do but I disagree with them. I believe that we are all part of something bigger than us as individuals. You may call it whatever you wish.

We may be compared to drops of water in the ocean. Why do I say the ocean? Well, it is only the conceptual, reductionistic mind of man that would take a perfectly fine, single body of water and divide it into little pieces and then label them: Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and so on. We, of course do the same with the earth. Canada, North Dakota, Essex County, New York City, Brooklyn, Crown Heights and on and on. I guarantee you that the birds flying in the heavens are not aware that they are passing over the Indian Ocean or Brooklyn. Only human beings would become caught up in such nonsense. And yet, this passes for our reality.

So there is no drop of water in an ocean until the conceptual cookie cutter mind of man creates one. It just is. It all may be experienced as One whatever you wish. Anyway, that is the starting point for my approach to patients and life.

If you want to learn more about my background in these things you may wish to visit my other site: http://www.healthresourcespress.com/harold_goodman_do.htm

I shall be writing about this aspect of my journey as well on the above site as well as here at learnetarium.com.