Mind/Body/Spirit
Organic Structure: The Underlying Nature of the Thing
By definition, in art the way “all of the parts fit together” creates the art of a thing. So this is with persons, and we seem to forget this all the time… By definition, in art the way “all of the parts fit together” creates the art of a thing. So this is with persons, and we seem to forget this all the time. The way all of our parts fit together is our organic structure. It is this underlying structure that those of us who heal body/mind seek to understand. Happily, it is what the person questing to heal the self also seeks.
In illness of the body, brokenness of spirit, and emotional pain, what is at odds is some part of the underlying structure. It is usually not the symptom we see (although the symptom is what usually presents and brings the patient in for treatment); rather, it is the deeper dysfunctioning of the structure or underpinnings of the patient physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually that precipitates what we call illness.
Now this seems simple enough, and it is. BUT….and isn’t there always a but?!….the complexity forms by understanding the structures of the body (either through an eastern or western view), then comprehending the structures of emotion/mind in a psychological sense; then being able to see the “path” of the individual’s spiritual seeking. Anyone who claims to heal and is not able to see all three levels in the patient/person does a disservice to that person. The part that they cannot see is where the healer will fail to heal and where the deepest harm will come.
We all know (at least I hope that we do) that no single individual can know everything! However, as healers/seekers it is incumbent upon us to be aware of our blind spots and collaborate with colleagues who fill in those gaps. As seekers, we must be responsible for our own quests for health and wholeness….we must become aware of our own structures and the misfunctioning within those structures. The questing and the things we avoid and are drawn to are part of that understanding.___also appears in April 2 Light Forum
Watch for Dr. Kathleen Quinn, beginning this week! April 6&7 on CTSA’s Channel 15 or on website www.catholictv.com at 7 p.m. CST. Dr. Quinn will host Broken Wings, a new television program featuring compassionate conversation in areas as diverse as building healthy relationships, discussing medical diagnoses and treatments, formulating effective parenting skills, and learning effective methods for personal growth. The show will air Friday’s and Saturday’s on Channel 15 and is also available on the Web at www.catholictv.com.
Dr. Quinn will be offering a free lecture for men and women called “Riding the Could’s,” Wednesday, April 25, 2001, from 7 to 9 pm. Call Unlimited Thought Bookstore or email Dr. Quinn for more information, or call her office for information or appointments. In San Antonio–7300 Blanco, Suite 712. Phone 210-226-1170 or email info@drkathleenquinn.com. You may also visit her website at www.drkathleenquinn.com.
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Ask Dr. Quinn…
Often in the course of the work that we do, I receive letters such as the following. It is a pleasure to be able to respond personally, and these interchanges are often the basis for teaching others. Please feel free to send your requests, and I will make every effort to respond and then use your questions as a part of our teaching newsletter.
Hi Dear,
I want to know that is it possible in Reflexology to Treat Acromegaly with the size of Pituitary tumor is 1.2 cm, if answer is yes than let me know no. of Patients treated successfully.
Need Urgent Reply
Thanks
Wasim R
Subject: Re: need Help
Hi, Wasim R.,
Acromegaly is an uncontrolled growth that makes everything in the body grow including bone tissue. The treatment of choice is surgical removal of the pituitary tumor and then medical treatment…..It is possible to use Chinese herbs as well as diet and some naturopathic choices to impact the sequela. I have never heard of reflexology being used to remove tumors, and that sounds like a misuse of its function. It should be used as a positive support activity. In this case you are right….it is urgent that your patient have the very best allopathic medicine available and supplement with complementary!
Where are you? If your patient is close enough or able I will see him or her.
Dr. Kathleen C. Quinn
Now, this is not an uncommon request. And, I always try to give all of the possible options whenever we have that information. When in doubt, I always ask those with greater expertise in the area than I have. So follows the response from Kevin Kunz, who in my book is the premier reflexologist in the USA today.
There are no studies to my knowledge on acromegaly. There is only one study to my knowledge on tumor growth. I think Dr. Quinn is right on target. Even with strong research evidence it makes no sense to fly solo. All the best, Kevin Kunz
Menopause Management
I had a call this week from a 35-year-old woman wanting to know at what age she should begin menopause management. My answer to her forms the substance of this article.
In psychotherapeutic terms, mid-life begins at approximately age 35 for women; this is probably the impetus for my caller’s “seeking.” Medically, a woman in her mid-thirties is in the period called “advanced maternal age” if she is trying to conceive and suffering from “premature ovarian failure” if she begins menopause at this age. This is the terminology; the way in which it fits with the fluidity of women’s health and the liquid shifts and changes of a body is an entirely different matter.
The answer to the question is complex and simple. Menopausal management begins in adolescence!
I’m not kidding. The reality is that we should have begun the care for ourselves which we begin to be concerned about at mid-life in our adolescence. The further truth is that we should also be doing this for our daughters, nieces, our best friend’s daughters….Every young woman with whom we have contact receives the modeled behavior that we demonstrate: “This is what a woman’s life and body are about.” How often do we think this? How often do we teach this?
I was blessed with a remarkable man for a father….he was a gynecologist and healer using the very best in natural healthcare….he practiced against the flow of his time fifty years ago. He taught me about my body and helped me to appreciate the miracle that my body is. His wisdom guided me through my quest for fertility and pregnancies and through miscarriages. And, my gifts as a parent I also attribute to him. He was my first and best teacher. Having said this, I will tell you in part what he has taught me about managing the health care of women. Current research is the foundation for all the work/healing/treatment that we do in our Centers. Bless him, my father was ahead of his time; what he practiced anecdotally is being demonstrated through today’s research. And, in the 36 years I have practiced, I have done the same for my patients.
How a woman begins menarche, starts having her periods, shapes her psychologically and physically for her lifespan. This is why when you go to a healthcare practitioner she wants to know all about your early menstruation, medical care, diet, and exercise….she wants to know you. There are medical conditions which present in adolescence, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, amenorrhea, that express themselves differently across a woman’s reproductive years and finally bring consequences into her menopause and the healthy functioning of her body as she ages into the end of life. The question of menstruation is not, “when did you start” and “when will you stop!” It is a matter of using this biological, psychological functioning as a diagnostic tool to describe the endocrinology of any specific woman’s body, to predict what care she might need for successful conception, to bring into awareness the complex functioning of her body as it impacts other aspects of her life (such as her relationships with others, which often are hormone based!). We forget that this marvelously obvious part of a woman’s life indicates to us the hidden aspects of her personal life…what supplements she may need, what is precipitating her exhaustion and fatigue….all can be diagnosed from a clear understanding of this particular woman’s body and its comparative functioning in relation to what is known about other women’s bodies.
By the time a woman reaches climacteric, she begins to exhibit bodily changes that reflect all that has gone before in her life. How her pregnancies were, what her marriage or intimate relationships were, what career, what wishes, dreams and longings are present directly affect her menopause. This is true for the treatment and care she will accept and how she will collaborate in her own health management. How a woman quests for her own life, seeks the path for her journey, is expressed in everything she does. No woman can not express her Self (no man cannot either for that matter!), and the way in which she approaches changes in her body, her life, are as much a self expression as any other area. Which hormones she uses, how she perceives weight loss, what her sexuality is (or is not) is as much a self expression of the soul and longing of each woman as is the color of her lipstick and the clothes she wears.
When a woman enters treatment for “the change,” we are really looking at all the aspects of her life changing…What that means to the individual patient and how it is managed will go back to her adolescence and winds its path into the future woman she is building. The mistaken notion that a woman at menopause simply has to deal with her hormones and hot flashes and she’ll be alright must be dispelled.
Dr. Kathleen Quinn is the CEO of Discovery Integrative Healthcare Centers in four states. She holds five graduate degrees, with a Doctorate in psychotherapy, Master’s/Nurse Practitioner in obstetrics/gynecology, and certification in high risk obstetrics. Dr. Quinn is beginning a growth group for Menopause Management in our NEW CREEKSIDE OFFICE COMPLEX LOCATION (7300 Blanco Road). The group will include the use of meditation, QiGong and discussion of weight loss techniques, natural medicine and hormone therapy and much more. This group will be limited in number, so CALL OR EMAIL TODAY to register! 877-4-DRQUINN (877-437-7846) or info@drkathleenquinn.com.
