Headache Treatment #1: Tongue at Fire-Point

What started with a daily dose of 2 Relpax, 2 Excedrin Migraine and a lot of caffeine has turned into "Tongue at Fire-Point" and "Tui-Na."

Yes, my headache treatment also took the plunge from the West to the East.



Many friends and pharma colleagues smirked in disbelief when I told them about the two Chinese "treatments" above, but the ironic thing is:
BOTH MEDICINAL SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT ARE WORKING JUST THE SAME TO HELP MY HEADACHES, EXCEPT THE LATTER DOES NOT INVOLVE MEDICATION!

Now I am truly a Gemini*: Pharmaceutical Pill Pusher by day and Chinese Medicine advocate by night.
*Geminis are supposed to live dual lives...if you believe in that stuff ;)

My headaches started about three years ago. Initially, I would get one a month. Three years later I was suffering from severe-headaches more often than I was not (about 20 a month), and I was taking more medication than ever (see first sentence up top). The more physicians I saw, the more medicine I was prescribed. My MRI scan came back clear, and I was at a loss for an explanation (as was the medical community).

However, the Yoga community came to my rescue! Specifically, Claire, my instructor came to my rescue. On the first day of Yoga Teacher training, I warned Claire that I may miss a few classes because of my headaches. "Would that be ok?" I asked, anxiously, hoping that this wouldn't interfere with my goal of being a teacher.

My instructor Claire replied in a very Zen, yet matter-of-fact tone, "Yes, that would be fine. Make sure you keep your tongue at Fire-Point throughout the day though. This will relax your jaw and prevent the headaches from happening. You are probably clenching your teeth from stress."

Tongue at WHAT? I wondered, with the naive skepticism of a pharmaceutical rep, and the curiosity of a wanna-be yoga teacher. The Pharma rep wanted to know how she, Claire the yoga lady, could possibly help me more than my Internal Medicine docs, webMD, wrongdiagnosis.com and Google? The wanna-be yoga teacher told the Pharma rep to shut up and listen.

She went on to explain that Fire-Point is the point on the ridge of your gums right above your two front teeth. This is an energy point in Chinese Medicine / Tai-Chi.
Claire continued, "place the tip of your tongue gently behind the two front upper teeth on the ridge of your gum, and your jaw will relax. If you clench your teeth a lot, the muscles in your jaw can send pain right to your temples. By keeping your tongue at Fire-Point, you can break the pain cycle."

I didn't think I was a teeth-clencher, but I had nothing to lose but a few Relpax-Excedrin-Caffeine cocktails.

I rested my tongue at Fire-Point for the rest of the day, and sure enough - I DID try to clench my teeth! (Take THAT cocky Pharma rep)! I never knew I was clenching all day, every day until I actively tried to stop. Towards the end of the night my jaw muscles even started to twitch a little from being relaxed for so long. How long was I clenching for...3 years? With all of the stress from work and hours at the computer, it made sense. I realized I even clenched in my sleep!

Claire not only opened my eyes to Chinese medicine, but helped me to cut the number of headaches I had in HALF.

THANK YOU YOGA INSTRUCTOR CLAIRE AND CHINA!

Full disclosure: I still have a lot to learn about the ancient eastern medicinal explanation for Fire-Point, but just knowing as much as I do has allowed me to continue on with my daily Western life!

Little did I know, but my adventure with Chinese Medicine was just about to begin...

The Beautiful NOW

"You cannot change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future."

Ekhart Tolle, in his books "The Power of Now" and "A Whole New Earth" challenges us to be present. What he means by this is to live in this very moment, because really, that is the only thing that exists! The past, the future, those are both illusions. Time is an illusion. All we have is right now, this very second. NOTHING ELSE IS HERE IN FRONT OF YOU BUT THE NOW! (and your computer).

What is so beautiful about this, is that if you think about this current second (without letting your mind wander into thoughts of the past or future), you are FINE! In this very second you are reading a blog and you are OK! Well, to be exact, after reading my blog, you are fabulous! :)

Tolle continues on to say in his book "A Whole New Earth":

"You look at the present through the eyes of the emotional past within you. In other words, what you see and experience is not in the event or situation but in you."

We are often so consumed by the past that we mistake it for our present reality. If you were emotionally hurt by someone in the past, you may not allow yourself to fully enjoy or trust being with someone new for fear that they may hurt you in the future as well. However, in this moment, right now, there is nothing wrong!

Like everyone else, I've had my fair share of pain from childhood, and like everyone else, I have certain anxieties about the future. However, when I think about this very second, as I sit here typing, I'm just fine. The "now" is a beautiful thing.


The present is certainly something to be grateful for. Being present is a daily goal to strive for.

Good Evening,

Dahlia

Being Yoga versus Being Corporate America

I've been successful in sales for my entire career thus far. However, about 3 months ago, I came accross quote that had me thinking for days:

"The majority of our time is spent at work; therefore it is critical that we love what we do."

Do I like what I do? Yes. I thought to myself, if someone asked me if I love what I do, I would probably say yes to that too.

However, what does it mean to LOVE what you do? If you ask me if :
-work makes me feel whole
- my work makes me feel blessed to be living each and every day
-what I do helps contribute towards creating more positive energy in this world
- I truly help people become happier or healthier
I would probably say no.

Since I am a pharma sales trainer, one could argue that I do make people happier: my training classes are entertaining, and the trainees always learn alot. Once they are out in the field, they are able to sell more drugs and make more money...and after all, isn't that what happiness is about? Making more money?
(you see where I am skeptically going with this).

Don't get me wrong, I love sales and selling to doctors is a ton of fun. The competition is addicting and exhillarating. I think that everyone needs to support their family, save for their goals in life (a baby? a house?), but when money is at the very heart of your intention, you are missing the mark on what life is all about! Money comes and goes, but you will always be left with who you are inside.

I wonder...

Can I make money at work to support a family, but have a better intention at the heart of what I do?

This is why I signed up for Yoga Teacher Training. This question inspires me and the more I think about it, the greater the energy I feel inside propelling me to change...or become what I already AM.
(Eckhart Tolle would argue that a "sales trainer" is just a "label" or a "role" that I use to identify with the mind...that I am neither a a"sales trainer," or a "yoga teacher"...I am just "me," my consciousness :) )

Yoga is an ancient Sanskrit word that literally means "yoke" or "union" and perhaps that is where my journey will take me: to find a union between the world of corporate america and yoga...or perhaps it will lead me completely into one direction or the other. This is the exciting part - the unknown!

This blog will document this journey.

Whether you are also a yoga teacher, teacher in training, or student...(or perhaps you are someone who is just looking to be less stressed in their daily life) this blog is for you!

Have a beautiful day,
Dahlia