A client came to me recently with mild depression, lack of motivation, total lethargy and reduced decision making capacity. His life long GP had taken standard blood tests and not found any outstanding issues. He suggested that age may be a factor and that anti-depressants might be useful. The client had chosen not to act on this advice and came to me for alternative treatment.

In my work, I consider five key areas of health for a full and dynamic life. And it’s not a linear model. They each build on the other, with a weakness in one often being caused by a weakness in others on the list.

These five key areas of health are:

(a) Physical movement and exercise

(b) The surrounding environment – air we breathe and the water that we drink

(c) Attitude and relationships – includes our conscious thoughts and our ability to develop lasting, loving relationships

(d) Nutrition – food as medicine in our lives

(e) Subtle energy – the flow of energy through and around our bodies impacting on our physical and emotional wellbeing.

The final one on my list, subtle energy, is often not included in people’s considerations for a healthy life. It is not deliberately left out, but more often people are not aware of its existence and importance. Subtle energy has been the subject of many of my previous blogs and I encourage you to review these, also as audio recordings. It fills a critical underpinning role in our overall health.

When our subtle energy systems are not functioning at their optimal level, this can impact widely. This may include a limitation in your physical movement and exercise due to a twisted pelvis or uneven leg length. It can also impact on your thought patterns and your ability to generate clear, positive thinking to progress through many of life’s challenges. A reduction in your optimal subtle energy can also impact on the function of your organs including your digestive system, thus reducing the absorption of nutrients.

Our overall health is not achieved by following a linear model. I do consider our subtle energy systems to be of critical importance to allowing the other areas to function at their capacity, as detailed above. However, it may be that one of the other key areas of health is the first priority that will ‘flick the switch’ to allow a higher level of wellbeing to be achieved. I experienced this first hand with this client recently. My experience led me to wanting to share with you a little of the client’s journey and what we have all learnt along the way.

The client in this case study came to me for alternative treatment, having exhausted his standard medical avenues. I undertook a correction in my discipline of vibrational medicine, with a later follow up correction as part of my standard practice. Although much had been identified in these two corrections, at his follow up correction, it was obvious that the client had not achieved the improvements that he and I had expected. This caused me to consider the other key areas of health that I am writing about in this blog. What I was able to identify through the use of applied kinesiology was that the highest priority for this client at this time was issues that could be identified and treated by a naturopath.

I am learning more and more that it is wisest not to assume the area of health that is the highest priority for any individual.

I recommended that he follow up with Stacey Curcio, a very dedicated naturopath who also recognises the importance of an open approach to healing. Working with a GP who specialises in environmental health, Stacey was able to identify three very interesting results for this client. The first was extremely high levels of lead poisoning. Symptoms of lead poisoning can include depression, general malaise, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping. The second was extremely low levels of DHEA, which is a precursor to the production of essential hormone activity. He also had virtually no cortisol which is the hormone produced by our adrenal glands in response to stress. Failure to produce cortisol means that your body is unable to lift itself out of a state of lethargy, regardless of the pressures surrounding you, representing as adrenal fatigue. In an effort to find some energy, the client’s body was craving an immediate ‘hit’ and he had become addicted to sources of sugar.

This client is now in very capable hands. It will take time, rest and a great deal of commitment to detoxify his body, and balance out his endocrine system to allow his adrenals to function effectively again. You can see from this case study that environmental toxicity, a weakened immune system, lack of physical stamina and cloudy thought patterns, combined with nutritional deficiencies, all fed off each other to create the complete malaise that this client was experiencing. I am confident that the subtle energy work already undertaken will provide a foundation for this focused priority healing to now be progressed. Rebuilding his immune system through improved gut bacteria will be a key plank in his healing program. This will be assisted by fermented foods such a kombucha, yoghurt and sauerkraut.

What is important in this story is that for all of us, there will be one area of health that is the highest priority at the time. Our bodies know the right answer. Our job is to find ways to tap into the body’s needs and follow through on the messages that we are given. My training in applied kinesiology allowed me to identify this need and open a suitable path for that client to pursue.

If you would like to follow up on any aspects of this article, please contact me.