Matrix
The Matrix is one of my foundational detective tools. It provides a great roadmap as we embark on your healing journey. It provides an overview of where you’ve been, where you are now, where you want to go and what skills (or navigation tools) you’ll need to master in order to arrive at your “health” destination.
In this blog we’ll explore what the different sections of the Matrix mean to your journey. You can see that this roadmap is divided into 3 sections.
SECTION 1 - YOUR STORY
Antecededents: This section provides an overview of your heritage. We’re looking at your genetics through diseases that run through your family. How’s the health of your mom, dad, grandparents, siblings. How does that relate to what’s going on with your health?
Triggers: This part of your roadmap explores triggers in your life.
Were you vaginally born or C-section. This simple factor can greatly impact your health.
Did you take antibiotics at any point in your life?
Do you feel better or worse when eating certain foods?
Have you been in accidents?
Did you experience childhood traumas? Divorce, abuse, bullying, death of loved ones …
Birth of children, marriage, divorce, deaths
Mediators: These are factors that make you feel better or worse.
When I drink more water I have more energy
When I eat gluten, I feel bloated and experience constipation
When I exercise, my joints are more mobile
When I spend time in nature I feel calmer
Sample Functional Thyroid Matrix
SECTION 2: THE SOUP
This section shows the web of interconnections between all systems in your body. Think of yourself being the orange dot in the middle (see diagram above). The lines are like spokes on a bike wheel and go bidirectionally. Spokes come into you and go out from you. Every system is connected to every other system and impacts the health of every system. By making shifts in any one system, you often see positive results or symptom resolution in other systems. Let’s take a look at how this works.
Digestion: This system is key to many health challenges and is intricately connected to every other system. If digestion is dysfunctional, your brain health, immunity, hormones, detoxification, oxidative stress and spiritual/emotional spokes are all impacted. When you start correcting imbalances within digestive function, you often see improvements in thyroid and other hormones, reduced inflammation, enhanced immunity and you’re probably happier because of the gut/brain connection.
Immunity: Immune function is deeply impacted by gut health and is often impacted by everyday toxins, oxidative stress, hormones and mental health. Immune dysfunctions show up as frequent colds, allergies, skin rashes, autoimmunity, viruses, inflammation, and more. As you start practicing skills that improve immunity, you’ll see improvements in all other systems.
Environmental Inputs: You live in a world full of chemicals. You eat pesticides in our food. You apply toxins daily in make up or beauty products. Trying to protect your skin, you slather toxic chemicals on with sunscreens. You breath polluted air. Your cleaning chemicals are laden with toxins. You’re breathing toxins in from carpet, furniture, bedding, new car interiors, etc. You may be exposed to chemicals where you work - dry cleaning, beauty salon, auto repair, construction, etc. By slowly shifting purchases to less toxic ones, you can have a big impact on outcomes. As Dr. Walter Crinnion stated, “The solution to pollution is dilution.” By shifting the number of daily toxin exposures, your gut begins to heal, you enhance immunity, hormones come back online and all other systems improve.
Oxidative Stress: This is where symptoms like fatigue, high blood pressure, low energy & mitochondrial damage often show up. Think of oxidation like rust on your car. That certainly impacts the beauty of the vehicle you’re using on your health journey. Oxidative stress is also like an apple turning brown when the white flesh is exposed to oxygen. The goal is to minimize oxidative stress in your body so you age gracefully while enjoying optimal health.
Detoxification: This spoke takes a look at how well your body is able to detoxify daily exposures. If this system is dysfunctional, all systems in the body are impacted by high levels of contamination. Cells are unable to perform at optimal function and you experience symptoms like fatigue, constipation, brain fog, pain, etc.
Hormones: This is a busy spoke. Many people experience dysfunction in multitude hormones. Certainly thyroid, which is linked to blood sugar dysregulation, which is linked to all sex hormones, neurotransmitters, gut function, immunity, etc. Hormones are chemical messengers secreted and communicating with all systems of the body. If one or more hormone is deficient or over active, the whole body is compromised by the dysfunction.
Mind, Spirit, Emotions: This is an often overlooked spoke in the body but is so important to overall health. Many people experience traumas in their life that impact every spoke in the body. Ignoring this reality lengthens the healing journey or stifles healing all together. Another often overlooked aspect of health is your spiritual connection. Having and engaging with spiritual practices deeply impacts how well you heal. These practices often bring calm, serenity and a sense of community support.
Structural: The structural component of the matrix reflects any structural issues that may be impacting how well you function. Think of how leaky gut disrupts the integrity of your gut lining, contributing to suboptimal gut, immune and hormone function. Have you experienced head injuries, accidents, sports injuries, broken bones, missing teeth, surgeries, etc. These all impact different spokes and overall health.
I hope you’re beginning to appreciate how complex and wonderfully you’re created. When you take care of your body, it will serve you long and well. It’s worth the effort you put into yourself now. Taking Baby Steps now assures optimal function for years to come. It might mean the difference between ending up in assisted living, a nursing home or living where you want to live.
SECTION 3: THE SKILLS
This section is where you have the power to transform how you feel. These are simple, yet powerful, skills that you can learn to turn your health around. I spend most of my time with clients helping them learn these skills so they can start taking control of their health. Practicing these skills over time is where the power lies in improving your health situation. You learn to become the CEO of your health by taking ownership of the things you have the power to change.
Sleep / Relaxation. Let’s be honest. This is an area that most pay little attention to, either intentionally by staying up late, or unintentionally because you struggle with insomnia, pain or other symptoms that keep you up at night. Improving sleep quality, timing and quantity are areas I work on with all my clients. Without proper sleep and relaxation, you won’t heal. It’s that simple and that important.
Exercise / Movement: Some people are great at this skill, but many aren’t. I often see clients falling into extremes. Either they don’t appreciate the myriad benefits of exercise and movement at all. Or they’re damaging their health by overtraining. Especially with thyroid health, balance is required.
Nutrition / Hydration: Both of these skills are essential for optimal thyroid function. For many people, making shifts in these two areas is key to feeling better and resolving nagging symptoms. As with all things, a personalized approach will help you achieve maximum results. Making healthy food choices isn’t easy. I get it. It wasn’t easy for me either. But the rewards are so worth the time and effort required to learn new skills in these areas. I can help you navigate the tangled web of nutrition theory to find out what’s best for your unique body.
Stress / Resilience: Are you aware that stress is one of the most common underlying root causes for thyroid and overall dysfunction? Failure to address management of daily stressors will keep you sick and often in pain. On the bright side, learning to manage common stressors puts you on the path to freedom from many nagging symptoms.
Relationships / Networks: Unhealthy relationships create a lot of health havoc. For some people this is the cause of unresolved symptoms. Learning to build and sustain healthy relationships and networks of positive friends will make your health journey more joyful and can help you achieve your health goals more quickly. Don’t neglect how relationships may be impacting your health.
How are you doing navigating your health journey? Could you use help arriving at your desired destination?
The matrix, along with your health assessment, provide a roadmap of where to focus our attention on your health journey so you can arrive safely, enjoy the journey and enjoy quicker results. You have the power to transform your health. I can help you get there.