Happy Thursday to You!

I hope your day is as beautiful as mine; the rain is falling and as I sit here writing, it is as though I’m sitting inside a cloud with mountains peeking through at me.

Yesterday, my son and one of his friends came to visit me for a workout. I was so tired from lifting heavy stones, about all I could do is a breathing and movement session on the cables with light loads. When I got home, I had a nice tai-chi session to round off my active recovery for the day.

I also enjoyed delivering my well attended webinar: Living a Vital Life with the 6 Foundation Principles that I gave for the CHEK Institute. They are offering monthly webinars that are educational in nature. I highly recommend that you sign up for these as many of the CHEK Institute Instructors beside myself are participating with excellent content.

Today is the DAY!! At 5pm PST, I’ll be answering questions via live streaming regarding the Fungus and Parasites DVD program. Pre-order purchase can be made at that time and shipping commences the week of Feb 4. I’m very excited to know that my program will help a lot of people.

A huge Thank you! to my entire team who has helped to make this program available.

CELEBRATING HOLISTIC INTEGRATION OF CHEK and NUCCA

From the very beginning of my professional career, I have worked in a multidisciplinary environment. As trainer of the US Army Boxing Team in Ft. Bragg, NC, I worked with the team physician, an Osteopath, three coaches with differing backgrounds of expertise, and a variety of other health and medical professionals assigned to the army boxing team.

My job was to create the daily training format for the fighters, provide nutritional counseling, perform corrective, restorative, and prefight massage therapy, and work with the team physician in cases of acute injury care.

My approach to nutrition was derived largely from Rudolph Balentine’s book, “Diet & Nutrition – A Holistic Approach”.

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My whole approach to caring for athletes was based on the concepts I’d developed for myself as a competitive athlete; one in which I consulted multiple experts to round out my view of optimal athletic training.

I continued to approach conditioning and rehabilitation with this form of multidisciplinary approach after leaving the army and becoming certified as a Sports Massage Therapist, Neuromuscular Therapist, and Holistic Health Practitioner.

By the time Penny and I started the CHEK Institute in 1995, I had been practicing professionally for eleven intense years. In that time, I’d worked with and studied from numerous highly acclaimed surgeons, therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, acupuncturists, dentists, and many others.

Through my studies of the different systems or approaches my peers used, I was able to see where each professional group has good vision, and where they lack vision.

I learned to use each different professional as a tool in my overall holistic toolbox, guiding my clients/patients as to which professional was needed and where in the sequence of their healing journey each one should be included.

This approach brought me into contact with many experts and I’ve learned much from all of them.

Prior to studying to write my chapter, Posture and Craniofacial Pain (which can be ordered by the link to the CHEK shop) it was published in the book, A Chiropractic Approach To Head Pain, Ed. Daryl D. Curl, published by Williams and Wilkins in the early 90’s.

I had worked with Glen Cripe, DC, who is National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA) certified chiropractor. He helped some of my athletes, and myself, clear chronic injuries through proper assessment and correction of upper cervical mechanics.

My successful experiences with the NUCCA approach led me to study everything I could about the method, philosophy, and related anatomy and physiology. I found that I had two excellent NUCCA chiropractors right down the road in Solana Beach from me. Kenny and Ann Marie Sheppard, whom I’ve now worked successfully with for over 20 years have been a tremendous support for many whom I’ve referred to them (we even shared the same offices for a brief period).

It was with great joy that I showed up to teach HLC 2 December in Vista, to find Marshall Dickholtz, DC and his seventeen year old son attending the course.

Marshall’s position in NUCCA is as co-chair of Standards and Certification. He is also on the NUCCA and UCRF board of directors and an instructor at NUCCA seminars.

It’s now been a few years since Marshall began working with CHEK Practitioners and their clients. I was sharing clients with Marshall many years ago, when the CHEK program was in its spring phase of growth and development, so he’s quite familiar with my approach.

In 2010, Marshall invited me to speak at the annual NUCCA conference, where I shared an overview of my holistic approach to addressing upper cervical subluxation syndromes.

I had many opportunities to meet and discuss my approach with many NUCCA chiro’s while there. Marshall is one of the first NUCCA professional to not only study the CHEK system, but to take it on and implement it as an integrated part of his chiropractic practice.

I knew that if he took my teachings into his own life, it would be easy for him to see how he could help the other NUCCA chiropractors improve their results when working with atlas subluxation complexes.

In the photo above you can see Marshall in the back and blue shirt learning tai-chi while at HLC2.

I thought it would be fun for you to read the words of Marshall from a recent communication exchange we had. I asked Marshall how his experience and practice of the CHEK methods have helped him in his practice. This is the message he sent back to me:

Marshall Dickholtz and the CHEK Experience:

Over the past 15-20 years it has been my pleasure to work with CHEK practitioners, whether they specialized in corrective exercise or Holistic Life Coaching. The opportunity was working as part of a team with patients that were getting the best advice and insight to help them recover from debilitating conditions both structurally and physiologically.

Patients excelled in care that had access to actively participating in their own health program that was designed specifically for them. Providing the best advantages to address the correction of the Atlas Subluxation Complex as well as the chronic improper muscular firing patterns and life style habits that would interfere with their optimal wellbeing.

I am sure over the years there have been hundreds of patients that were referred back and forth from CHEK practitioners to my practice and vice a versa, with the patients always being the benefactor.

The insight the CHEK professionals have, has always intrigued me and I looked forward to a time that I could dedicate myself to increase my own education in Paul’s work, because I’ve experienced my own results while personally working Karen Redmond, Kyle Shay and others.

Actually just hanging out with CHEK people is always stimulating and informative.

This past year I have been able to attend HLC 1 & 2 with my son while he is still in high school and is pursuing his own path in healthcare. The knowledge and insights that I have gained through my own participation in the CHEK seminars have helped me immensely in recognizing and designing life habits that support my own wellbeing, performance and future longevity.

It is really interesting for me as I continue the work I do in the correction or reduction of the Atlas subluxation, how easy and obvious it can be to support patients in addressing some of the other issues that further complicate their health. I look forward to completing HLC 3 not only for my own personal interests but the impact I know it will have on my patients.

I just completed my 50th Chi practice ( half way baby ) just prior to opening your email!!!”

My best,

Marshall

Thank You Marshall!

It’s been a great journey we’ve been on learning and growing over the many years we’ve collaborated on with mutual patients. I’m excited to know that a man with the knowledge and skill that you have sees the benefits of my holistic approach to healing and life.

Thank you for being brave enough to be different. That is a rare quality in leaders today.

I continue to encourage CHEK and HLC Practitioners to get out into the field and explore other systems and ideas so they can round-out their knowledge and experience base.

The CHEK Practitioners and HLC programs were designed as multidisciplinary training programs from the beginning because that’s the only approach I’ve seen that offered consistent long-term results. It is great to see the wide variety of medical professionals that study my training programs today, and to read all their letters, which are usually very much like Marshall’s letter above.

I encourage all of you CHEK and HLC Practitioners to keep an open mind and find people, first and foremost, who get results. Let them explain the mechanisms to you first and foremost, before reading books and assuming you understand what’s happening.

Here’s to holistic integration!

Love and chi,
Paul Chek