The Physiology of Performance

By Dr. Molly Brown, PhD, D.N.M

What does it take to be at our top performance, not only “in our zone” physically, but with a balanced endocrine and nervous system, with well-nourished, mineralized, and hydrated tissues and balanced, engaged, and strong muscles. This orchestra of functioning is what I consider to be at a top performance potential for health, wellness, and feeling alive. And we need to feel our best not only for sports performance, but also for our busy daily lives, work, and school performance, social performance, family performance, community, and spiritual performance. There are amazing techniques that allow people to feel this harmony each and every day. The paradigm of healing has expanded in the past decade or two, with techniques for health that seem to be taking us to a new consciousness of healing, ones that are efficient, elegant, and supremely intelligent. 

We can start with the physical body. Our goal is to be in a pain-free state with strength, balance, and energy. The muscles, in particular, display areas of stress in the body, and point to imbalances or weakness in the spine or musical origin and insertion points. According to 

Dr. Craig Buhler, “Muscle overload comes from many causes including one or more of: lack of conditioning, traumatic force, neurological inhibition, nutritional deficiencies and excesses, overuse, dehydration, organ/gland stress, emotional stress, sleep deprivation, disease, medications, ice, toxic overload, and improper training.”  There are amazing ways to nourish the tissues, engage injured and aberrant muscles, and balance the brain and endocrine system to deal with all of the above. And if we approach our physiological functioning from a truly holistic viewpoint, we can ensure success and well-being to the best of our ability. 

Physiologically, the work I use to predict and prevent injury, and accelerate healing is a muscle integration technique developed by Dr. Craig Buhler that corrects aberrant muscles, or muscles that have “switched off.” With this work, it is possible to return an athlete to sport with pain-free function in 20 minutes after an ankle sprain. It is possible for a groin or hamstring tear to be corrected immediately. It’s hard to believe that this work is out there, until you experience it. When I found out the potential of the properly done muscle integration work, I incorporated it into my practice for pain, sports injury, performance work, and prevention of injury. 

The theory of the muscle integration technique, AMIT, created by Dr. Alan Beardall and developed further by Dr. Craig Buhler and Dr. Spencer Williams, is that when a muscle is overloaded beyond its ability to sustain the load, it engages in an attempt to stabilize itself. If the integrity of the muscle is exceeded, the muscle switches off, a term coined as “enthesis”. If the muscle continues to be stressed, the body creates pain and/or inflammation. As Buhler states, “Once the muscle is inhibited, the nervous system develops an adaptive strategy to use other muscles or tissues to take on more of a load. The body will not allow motion to an unstable area. Eventually, there will be no muscles in an area to adapt to, which places more stress on ligament and connective tissues, and then degeneration in the joint.” This makes total sense, and is what I have seen happen previously, and I’ve even experienced it in my own body in the past. 

For example, an old ankle sprain injury can lead down the road to knee weakness and instability, causing pain at the knee, and sure enough later on in the hip. Dr. Buhler goes on to state that the body has the ability to heal as long as all essential components for healing are present, including: nerve supply, circulation, nutrients, energy flow, lymphatic drainage, lack of toxic burden (chemicals, heavy metals) light, water, and sleep. With his method of muscular integration, using touch therapy on muscle insertion and origin points, with organ and acupuncture points, injured and overloaded muscles can be instantly corrected, leading to balance, harmony and strength again in the body within minutes. At this point, the muscles can be rehabilitated with strength and physical therapy. In other words, with this type of treatment work for an acute injury, there are typically no missed days. Imagine that! 

In addition to physical and physiological work, the endocrine system including the nervous system and adrenals needs to be balanced and calm, nourished and well-mineralized, in a state of ease and grace. This highly desirable state can also be facilitated with the proper work. If we are training hard, or working hard, and the adrenals are in a state of exhaustion, we cannot perform to our best ability with clear minds and calm presence. The technique I use for nearly instant sleep, as well as nervous system, and adrenal balance is neurological work called QNRT. Through simple neurological tests, it is possible with this work to evaluate where the brain is stressed, the state of the adrenals and nervous system, inflammatory markers in the body, and underlying contributing emotional stress. Through a QNRT reset, the body can be guided quickly toward balance and health, even in the most difficult cases. 

Another therapy I use to facilitate neurological balance and balanced stress response is neurotherapy. Neurotherapy can balance abnormal activity in areas of the brain that cause anxiety, depression, impulsivity, reactivity, lack of focus, sleeplessness, and lack of motivation. Using neurotherapy in conjunction with QNRT is incredibly effective for all of the above, specifically in cases of trauma and hyperactivity. 

Now, with all the above work, supplements play a much smaller role in the work I do. Simply used to facilitate a priority in the system, the supplements used can target specific organs, glands, systems, emotions, blockages, or constitutional work needed. Work can be specifically and individually tailored for optimal results. 

The work that has been developed, refined, and created by some of these great doctors, and is being refined, spread, and taught efficiently, is really a whole new paradigm of health and healing, and allow for the body’s own wisdom, innate intelligence, and consciousness to guide the process. Techniques like QNRT (neurological), PEMF, Pulsed Magnetic Therapy, neurotherapy, AMIT, (muscular integration), and supplement companies that use pure ingredients and manufacturing practices with targeted nutrition, can set us up for success in all areas of our lives. When we are fully functioning, alive human beings in full health and awareness, we have so much to give to ourselves, back to our world, our children, and our community. At this point, we live life in a state of grace, gratitude, ease, and awe that I would consider to be the ultimate goal for each human being.

Dr. Molly Brown, PhD, D.N.M has a health and wellness practice in Ketchum, Idaho, specializing in sleep, endocrine issues, autoimmune, anxiety, depression and pain and sports injury. In addition to her health practice, Molly opened GLOW, her plan-based organic cafe, in 2008 to provide a space for positive lifestyle and health to the community. She is a lover of all things plant-based and passionately holds space for limitless healing for our community.

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