If stress is the cause of all disease, then everyone should be looking for a stress-free life!  Dr. Sean has a great way to remember the core elements of living a stress-free life.  He says that it lies just over the RAINBOW.

When we think about stress, most people think of the emotional stresses of our lives, but our physical health can also play a big part in adding stress and keeping our lives out of balance. Stress manifests itself in our lives in different ways, but according to Dr. Sean, it is always caused by a combination of several aspects or qualities of these three areas:

  • Mechanical
  • Emotional
  • Nutritional

We call this “M.E.N.”…M.E.N. are the cause of all stress.  It is important to acknowledge and address all three aspects of stress if you want to succeed in living a healthy, balanced life of perfect health.  Once you understand the importance of each, you can begin to address each in turn and bring balance to your life.

The McCaffrey RAINBOW Rule

As a part of our treatment plans with our patients is to explain that a stress-free life can be found ‘somewhere over the rainbow.’ One easy way to address all of these aspects is by remembering (and living by) the McCaffrey  RAINBOW rule. The RAINBOW rule helps you remember how to live a balanced life, which should then help you manage (or eliminate) several of the stresses of your life.

Rest – You start with the first letter, “R,” which stands for Rest. The body has to have rest. It needs six to eight hours uninterrupted rest every day. If it doesn’t get that uninterrupted rest, it becomes a problem.

The A is your Attitude. Do you think you can get better? Do you think you can feel better?  If you do not believe you can get better, if you do not believe you can feel better, it can physically affect your health.  How you THINK about your health, your situation, your world, is very important….and you need to guard your thought as strongly as you would guard your loved ones or your home or your money.  “Auto suggestion” is a very prevalent dynamic in our lives, from which we need to aware. World thought is constantly attacking your mental attitude, trying to draw you to the negative view of life..  TV commercials, well-meaning friends who belabor conversations about illness and disease, even your own doctor can inadvertently be a drag on your thinking.

Dr. Sean explained, “A great example of this auto suggestion is a young lady who came to see me.  She had been to see a doctor that did the genetic test for her and told her, “Oh, you’ve got the genetic markers for getting breast cancer.” Now, she’s 28 years old, gets the test for this and is being told, “Oh, look, you’ve got the genetic markers for breast cancer. We should do a double mastectomy as a preventative.”

It’s absolutely insane…but that’s what those doctors were recommending. Now, every time this woman has a cycle and her breasts hurt, what do you think goes through her thinking? “Oh my gosh, that could be breast cancer.” That’s auto suggestion, and it originated from a well-meaning doctor who has planted that thought in her head! If you keep telling the body, “You’ve got it, you’ve got it, you’ve got it,” and it dwells on that idea, ironically, your body tends to manifest what you think.  Every time that tissue hurts now, just during normal menstruation, she’s going to think about that. And she’s going to think, “Oh, my God, I’ve got cancer.” And unless she counteracts those negative thoughts, she’ll be thinking those thoughts for the next 30 years.
That’s why Attitude is so important.”

Intake of Nutrients

The I in rainbow is Intake of Nutrients. It’s your diet. It’s your nutrition. It has to be balanced. You’ve gotta have proteins and vegetables and fruits. You have to have fat in that diet. It’s critical, and your body has to be able to digest, absorb and utilize those nutrients and remove its waste.

Nike

The N stands for Nike™ shoes….which is to remind us that we need exercise. We have to exercise the human body—and not just walking. Even in this activity, you should look for balance from both cardio and strength training. You should lift weights to try to build muscle. You have to keep the cardio side intact, but you also have to keep the muscular side intact.

Believe

The B is Believe. It’s important to believe in something bigger than you. Whatever brand of spirituality or religion resonates with you, it’s important to believe that there is something of vitalism in that body that wants you to survive…and if you just give it what it needs, you can do well. If you do those sort of things and you focus on that, amazing things can happen.

Oxygen

The O is “oxygen.” You have to breathe. The body needs air, and not just any air. It needs clean air because not only does it bring air in for life, it expectorates and pushes out waste through the lungs. People don’t often think about the “elimination” function of breathing.  Breathing is one of the ways the body cleans itself. Breathing exercises can really help bring balance and health.  In our clinic, we teach people very specific breathing exercises to help the body flush and clean the lymphatics and stay oxygenated.

Water

The W in rainbow is water. We have to drink water. You’re 70% to 80% fluid in the human body. A lot of that is water. It’s important to bring water in.

You may ask Dr. Sean, “So what do I do next?” You apply the RAINBOW rule, and ask yourself, “Based on these various aspects, where is my greatest weakness?” Once you pick one, that’s where you focus your energy and your assets. You go through and ask, “Can we find the source of that stress and remove it? Can it be fixed or is it just something that we’re just going to have to manage?”

By following the McCaffrey RAINBOW rule, you can eliminate stress from your life.  Get enough rest, make sure you’ve got the proper attitude, that you’re providing the proper nutrients and exercising regularly. Master your thoughts, believe you can be better, and believe in something bigger than yourself. Make sure to provide plenty of oxygen and water. By doing this, you’ll find yourself ‘somewhere over the rainbow,’ living a stress-free life!