Health Grooves

John Weeks is a writer, speaker, chronicler and organizer whose work in the movement for integrative health and medicine began in 1983. He is publisher-editor of The Integrator Blog News & Reports which since 1995 – in various forms – has created primary connective terrain for the diverse stakeholders and professions in the field. Archived content from 2006-2015 is available here and subsequent content here.

As an organizer, Weeks convened the Integrative Medicine Industry Leadership Summits (2000-2002), directed the National Education Dialogue to Advance Integrated Care (2004-2006), fund-raised the start-up and was on the founding steering committee of the Integrative Health Policy Consortium (2002-). He co-founded the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health, which he directed 2007-2015, was on the founding board of the Academy of Integrative Medicine and Health, and is proud to be on the advisory board of Integrative Medicine for the Underserved.

Since mid-2015, John has re-focused his work on presenting, teaching and mentoring. He has keynoted, led plenary sessions, breakouts and offered guest lectures for dozens of organizations. These range from the Association of American Medical Colleges and Harvard University to Bastyr University and American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine; from the UCLA School of Medicine to the Institute for Health and Productivity Management and Palmer College of Chiropractic; from the International Congress for Research on Integrative Medicine and Health to the American Hospital Association and the Midwives Alliance of North America. Since 1995, he has consulted with multiple insurers, employers, professional organizations, universities, and government agencies at all levels.

In this interview, John discusses the state of integrative medicine and the challenges that alternative and complementary modalities face in today's health care landscape.

Following there interview, Ricky describes his own perspective on the importance of complementary medicine and the paradigm shift in health care that we are in the midst of.

Links:
http://www.johnweeks-integrator.com/posts/

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David Escobar has served as an Administrative Aide to former Fourth District Supervisor Steve Kinsey in Marin County for 15 years. Before taking the appointment with the Marin County Board of Supervisors, he served as a parole and probation officer with the Marin County Probation Department in the Adult Division.

After 21 years of service with the County of Marin, he took an early retirement to take on the position of Director of the State mandated re-Entry and rehabilitation programs at San Quentin State Prison. David identifies as an indigenous Salvadoran, recognized as a member of the Lenca-Poton nation which encompasses the eastern region of El Salvador, Honduras and parts of Nicaragua. David has attended the Indigenous Permanent Forum at the United Nations in New York for several years as a delegate with the American Indian Movement and on behalf of his maternal grandmother’s Poton community.

He is the current Director of Programs & Operations for the Canal Welcome Center, a non-profit in San Rafael.
David has also worked as an adjunct professor, at Dominican University and has taught Indigenous Perspectives, and Mayan Cosmologies. He will also be teaching pre-Columbian and Native studies at Holy Names University in the fall of 2018. David holds a Bachelor’s degree in Humanities from the New College, Masters in Organizational Leadership from Saint Mary’s College, and is currently completing his dissertation at the California Institute of Integral studies in Anthropology and Social Change with an emphasis on Indigenous Cosmopolitanism.

He has been published in several publications including the Marin County Independent Journal, Nectar Magazine, Point Reyes Light and Kaiser Permanente’s Latino Association Newsletter which reaches several thousand members throughout the State of California. David lives with his daughter Kila in Windsor and in their spare time, they both work diligently on a 1952 Chrysler lowrider.

In this episode, we discuss David’s ideas about cultural resistance and healing.  He describes “low-riding” culture, how it evolved and the many misconceptions and misunderstandings the dominant Anglo culture of the United States has about "low-riding.”

David talks about the pain and trauma of cultural isolation and dislocation and how immersing oneself and ones group in activities that bond and empower can have profound individual and cultural benefits.  As an anthropologist, he places this resistance within a cultural and historical framework.  As a first generation Salvadoran-American he sees participation in low-rider culture as his own healing journey; one that has the added benefit of asserting his “cholo-power.”

Following the interview, Ricky describes his recent work as part of the Integrative Health Project in Guatemala.
That monologue is transcribed here:

I just returned from a week in Guatemala working with the Integrative Health Project. The project was started by a few acupuncturists about six years ago to work with the underserved, indigenous population around Lake Atitlan, a beautiful, fertile and impoverished region in the Guatemalan highlands.

I provided chiropractic care for men and women experiencing musculoskeletal, mainly back, pain. These are hardworking people, doing manual labor on the farms, in the hotels, on the lake.
Guatemala has been devastated by decades of civil war and the results have been profound, both structurally and socially.

Surrounded by fertile green fields, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes are epidemic. Too many eat cheap processed foods available at the small corner stores. Surrounded by fresh water, the people drink all manner of sugary drinks.

Into this landscape drops the Integrative Health Project. In addition to acupuncturists, there are nurses, medical anthropologists, interns and local trainees and me, a chiropractor. Together, we are working to help educate and to treat; to mitigate the negative effects of lifestyles sure to kill.

In light of David Escobar’s perspective piece and interview about healing the trauma of intergenerational and cultural abuse, multiple questions came up for me:

----How does a group of privileged middle-class Americans contribute in a significant way to the healing of devastating traumas of an indigenous population?

---Are we just a bunch of “do-gooders” making ourselves feel better? Are we giving, or are we the primary beneficiaries of the healing process?

---Is the work of this project an extension of a kind of colonialism; the creation of a dependency on the developing world, the superpowers with our superior health care modalities?
David Escobar describes the effects of the colonization of minds and bodies. Ultimately, he locates healing in the artistic expression of the “low riders,” those rolling pieces of art that embody “cholo” culture; music, fashion, self-expression, and assertion of “we-ness.”

I hesitated to participate in the project because of the questions I raised above. Was our role to just drop into a village beside Lake Atitlan, treat the “natives” and leave; if so, I surely would not have come. But this was not the case. This was not my job.

My task and that of the Project was to treat, but more fundamentally, to educate; to relieve pain but to shine a light on the “why;” to provide tools, whether exercises, soft tissue self-help techniques, or advice on lifting; to leave something behind when I am long gone.

Guatemala has suffered years of cultural and physical destruction. The wounds have left generational scars that will take a long time to heal.

The Integrative Health Project is being received and accepted by the local population for three reasons. The care offered is free. It is given with love. And it works.

Healing occurs most deeply when two or more people connect, when they see and feel each other with trust and respect. The various techniques matter; each has its place. Whether chiropractic, acupuncture or massage. But without the magic ingredient—love—those techniques will not provide their maximum benefit.
That healing is badly needed in Guatemala; it is needed on the rest of the planet as well.  And it is possible.
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Julia Plevin, nature connection guide and author, is the founder of the Forest Bathing Club, Julia has more than a decade of experience guiding individuals and groups of people into the forest, where the practice of shinrin-yoku helps calm the mind and create space for wellness and prosperity. Through studies with Shamanic Reiki masters, Shugendo Buddhist monks, Mayan elders, Bhakti yogis, and Renewal rabbis, she has developed a unique program that both respects and transcends tradition and brings us back into direct connection with Source. Her work has been covered widely in outlets such as CNN, Outside Magazine, Business Insider, The New Yorker, and Sierra Magazine, and the Forest Bathing Club has more than a thousand members from around the world. She recently published her first book, The Healing Magic of Forest Bathing: Finding Calm, Creativity, and Connection in the Natural World.

In this conversation, Julia describes how she came to be involved with forest bathing and what the work means to her and those she guides through the experience. She is actively engaged in bringing forest bathing to the world.  Following the conversation, Ricky reflects on the nature of healing from an energetic perspective, where he believes forest bathing is doing its deepest healing work.

Links:
http://forestbathing.club

To purchase Julia’s new book: https://amzn.to/2XVmPrG

John Scaringe has been serving as President for the Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) for nine years. He began his career at Los Angeles College of Chiropractic (LACC) as faculty in 1991. In addition to private practice and over 25 years of teaching experience, Dr Scaringe has developed a reputation in change management and is a frequent lecturer on academic leadership and trends in healthcare education.

In this episode we discuss the state of professional integrative health education.  The Southern California University of Health Sciences began as the Los Angeles Chiropractic College.  It later absorbed a college of traditional Chinese Medicine and recently added a Physician Assistants program. With this move, SCU is working to fully integrate western allopathic medicine and the complementary modalities of chiropractic and Chinese medicine.  In addition SCU has certificate programs in massage therapy, Ayurvedic medicine and health and wellness coaching.  Dr. Scaringe is a true leader in integrative medicine, setting up a medicine of the future where MDs, PA’s, chiropractors and other practitioners can work together seamlessly.

Following the interview with Dr. Scaringe, Ricky does a solo reflection on one of the greatest challenges for students entering the health care field…debt.  The obscene load that these students face is a major obstacle to going into the field as well as a burden on society at large. 

Link: https://youtu.be/t5j4BjRlAOw

Chanda Williams, MA, RYT, is a yoga therapist with a background in body mechanics, wellness coaching, and advanced training in trauma-informed yoga practices. Chanda has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in integrative health studies, focusing on resiliency and wellness in the workplace. She is a doctoral student in the Somatic Studies specialization in the Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute and is interested in researching the transformative aspects of movement-based contemplative practices for trauma and post-traumatic stress. With a deep devotion to service, she taught trauma-informed yoga in the San Francisco County jail for two years prior to joining the Prison Yoga Project, where she has taught regularly since 2014 at San Quentin State Prison. Prior to returning to full-time graduate studies, Chanda designed and managed corporate wellness programs for Fortune 100 companies.

In this episode we discuss Chanda’s work as a health and wellness consultant and a yoga therapist with the Prison Yoga Project.  Chanda teaches classes with incarcerated men to support them in their personal transformation through yoga practice.  She describes how this work touches the men but also how it has changed her. Combining her work as a yoga therapist and her doctoral studies in Depth Psychology, Chanda assists these men who are choosing deep, personal freedom through yoga, working to release the mental and spiritual shackles so many experience both within and beyond concrete prison walls.

Links:
www.prisonyogaproject.com
www.yogawithchanda.com

Dr.  Cliff Hochberg practiced as a chiropractor for 31 years before deciding to go full time into health coaching. After having had a personal health and weight loss transformation himself, Cliff felt he could serve people in a more meaningful way by helping others do the same. He currently works with people all over the United States virtually on the phone or via videoconferencing. Cliff is a COPE Certified Health Coach through Villanova University College of Nursing’s Center for Obesity Prevention and Education.

In this episode, we speak with Cliff about his journey from successful chiropractor to health coach. Cliff is on a mission to transform the world one client at a time by teaching them about healthy eating and lifestyle. He has helped hundreds of people attain a state of natural health, full of energy. Cliff describes a system that enables people to tap into their innate abilities to heal themselves.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

Connect with Dr. Ricky Fishman:

www.conditionhealthnews.com

www.rickyfishman.com

https://www.facebook.com/ConditionHealthNews/

Jeff Raz has performed nationally and internationally for decades, starring in circuses (Cirque du Soleil, Pickle Family Circus and more) and plays, including Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors on Broadway. He co-founded the Medical Clown Project in 2010. His first book, The Secret Life of Clowns, was launched at the Smithsonian in 2017; his second book, The Snow Clown, is hot off the presses. Jeff continues to write, perform, direct, and teach as well as work globally as a communications consultant with Stand & Deliver.

In this episode, we speak with Jeff about the role of clowning in health and healing as well as his own journey to become a world-renowned clown.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

Connect with Dr. Ricky Fishman:

www.conditionhealthnews.com

www.rickyfishman.com

https://www.facebook.com/ConditionHealthNews/

Ricky Fishman has been a Doctor of Chiropractic since 1986. As a leader in the field of integral healing, he has brought together and assimilated the work of chiropractors, medical doctors, acupuncturists, nurse practitioners, psychologists, physical therapists and others. Complementing his clinical work, Ricky has taught both graduate and undergraduate coursework in the history and philosophy of science and medicine. In addition to the treatment of back pain and other musculoskeletal injuries, he works as a consultant in the field of health and wellness with companies dedicated to re-visioning health care for the 21st century. “Condition” is the culmination of his many years in health care; of practice, teaching and research. In this, the first episode of the Condition podcast, Health Grooves, Ricky introduces himself and the purpose behind both the site Condition: Health News That Matters and the podcast.

To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes.

Connect with Dr. Ricky Fishman:

www.conditionhealthnews.com

www.rickyfishman.com

https://www.facebook.com/ConditionHealthNews/