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The Body Doesn’t Lie Question: For those of us who may
not know who you are, Who are you? Vicky Vlachonis:I began my profes-
sional career in London as a European osteopath and musculoskeletal specialist treating dancers from the Royal Ballet and major productions such as Cats and The Lion King. While working on my Masters of Science in Osteopathy, I was very lucky to work alongside some of the top holistic practitioners in the world at the Hale Clinic and the Integrated Medical Centre before establishing my own practice in
2001.My passion is help- ing others release their pain and find peace and success through their passion. What led you to write “The Body
Doesn’t Lie” I’ve been treating patients for more
than 20 years and I’ve seen all kinds of pain. My goal in writing this book is to reach out to people who are not able to come have a treatment with me. I want to help people suffering with chronic pain and show them my approach to living a pain-free life. I created this 3-step pro- gram to benefit everyone and especially those who haven’t been helped by con- ventional methods. No matter how pain begins, illness, injury, aging, withmy pro- gram you can get immediate and long term results. Is the chronic pain you are refer-
ring to, emotional or physical? The two are intimately connected.
We talk about the mind-body connection, but they are one and the same.We feel our emotional pain as physical pain, some- times long after the original heartbreak. In my experience, many people suffering from low back pain for an extended peri- od of time tend to be repressing an emo- tional hurt sometimes from long ago. If the patient is able to identify the pain and face the issue, release it – the pain is like- ly to release as well. A study from the University of Michigan shows that the brain processes all pain, physical or emo- tion, the same way. The brain doesn’t know the difference between burning your hand or having a heartbreak. Is all chronic pain in the body emo-
tion based? Sometimes the pain can be due to a
long-standing injury which flares up when our immune system is low or when we eat foods, such as sugar, wheat and dairy, which increase inflammation. Ironically, it’s when we are at our weakest physically and emotionally that we turn to junk foods and soft drinks to “feel good”. In my book I show you the incremental steps you can take to help you permanent- ly break that negative cycle and release your chronic pain for good. I awoke a month ago with a “kink”
in my neck that progressed to a horrible pain that radiated down my arm and lasted for weeks.What was the first thing I should have done? What could I have
done to stop the pain from increasing and progressing? In my experience, people suffering
from neck pain tend to be about anxiety and pains in their daily lives. Take a step back and assess where you are in your life. Think back to when the pain started. Your body is talking to you through your pain, so you must reflect. Are you eating the wrong foods? Are you stressed out at work? Are you in a healthy relationship? When was the last time you had a blood test? Possible physical causes can be thy- roid disease and low vitamin D. If you are able to identify and face the source of your pain, you can release the underlying cause and the pain will melt away. Can our emotions affect not only
our bodies, but what we manifest in life? For example, not enough money? The stress from financial insecurity
can build up and manifest itself through sadness, worry, fear and anger. All these emotions and negative thoughts trigger neurochemical changes in your brain, releasing hormones in your endocrine system and affect your organs. Your sym- pathetic system is your “get up and go”; our fight or flight response, and many of us overuse this system. To counter this addiction to stress, you need to conscious- ly engage your body’s “rest and digest” parasympathetic system more often. Actively relaxing your facial and body muscles will relax your body so your heart rate slows down and your cortisol levels and other stress hormones start to even out. You can also engage your parasympathetic nervous system simply by exhaling for three seconds. If you can do only one thing to help yourself release, slow your breath to trigger this parasym- pathetic reflex while you give yourself a mental pep talk: “I am safe. I am focused. I am powerful.” How do we in this crazy busy world,
take time to heal ourselves? The best way to heal yourself, com-
mit to your long-term goals and make positive long-lasting changes is to break those changes into microscopically small units, then repeat those tiny steps over and over until they have a daily place in your life. For example, the key to releasing the stress of your day can be a warm salt and pepper bath or beginning your day with warm water and lemon. The small changes have big results. What is positive feedback? It begins with Reflect, in order to get
back into the Positive Feedback, youmust understand all the aspects of your health and your environment that are putting stress on your body. Once you have a full understanding, you can begin to Release. In the Release stage there are quick med- itations you can do at the office, or stress relieving acupressure points, and soothing salt and pepper baths to help you release the pain. Once you’re living a pain free
life you’ll be glowing inside and out, radi- ant. You’ll be able to fully develop your physical and emotional
strength.You’ll be more productive at work, you’ll feel stronger in your relationship, your hus- band or wife and children will feel the change and they’ll feel stronger them- selves as a result. You talk about moving through
reflect, release and onto radiate?How do we finally accept “Radiate” as a goal? Once you’ve fully developed your
physical and emotional strength, you’ll be more productive at work, stronger in your relationships, your partner and kids will feel the change, you’ll feel stronger as a result. Once you’re living a pain-free life you will be glowing inside and out. What is one thing we can do today
to begin the healing process in our bod- ies? In our lives? One thing you can begin today is my
Morning Glory Routine. Every morning will begin with a glass of warm water with lemon, dry brushing, Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation, and specific empower- ing meditations. That’s the first stage of my program, and it’s all spelled out in my book.
Vicky Vlachonis was born in Athens,
Greece, to a tennis coach father and a yoga teacher/health guru mother. She began her professional career as a European osteopath and musculoskeletal specialist treating dancers from the Royal Ballet and major productions such as Cats and The Lion King. After working in London’s most prestigious holistic clin- ics, including the Hale Clinic and the Integrated Medical Centre, she estab- lished her own practice in 2001. Today, Vicky shares her holistic healing treat- ments and methods all around the world, helping clients release their pain and get radiant before PTA meetings and play- dates, concert halls and board rooms, movie sets and red carpets. Vlachonis lives with her family and practices in Beverly Hills, California.
www.vickyvlachonis.com
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