AIMM Philosophy

AIMM is a self-directed, self-care method that is founded on the fact that the body and the nervous system contain a great intelligence. They have a detailed understanding of the body in its most healthy functioning condition. The Nervous System remembers exactly how an injury happened, which parts are affected, and how severe the damage is. It also knows the precise process necessary to complete a thorough healing. Because this innate wisdom exists, there is an internal ability to heal. Our AIMM is to stop interfering with it, to relax, and to follow that wisdom.

THE FOUNDATION OF

PHYSIOLOGY

-------

FEEDBACK MECHANISMS

The nervous system keeps all of the body's organs functioning, and is constantly making appropriate corrections to keep it healthy. To do this, the body and nervous system have amazing internal feed-back mechanisms. All body regulation is based on feedback--everything from blood pressure and heart rate, hormone levels and kidney function, digestion and blood sugar balance, blood clotting . . . and the list goes on. Modern medicine has learned scores of information about the body's feedback mechanisms--but the more we learn the more obvious it is that there is a lot more going on that is, as yet, still a mystery.

CONTEMPORARY THOUGHT

It has become assumed in our society that when things get "off balance" in the body, the feedback mechanisms are not working and that the only way to achieve correction is through outside intervention--whether the help be in the form of herbs, medication, electrical devices, or other people's acquired knowledge. This approach is particularly necessary in emergency or life-threatening situations, such as severe injuries that require surgery, poisoning, gunshot wounds, or broken bones that need to be set. But what about the myriad of less threatening symptoms we commonly experience.

ARE SYMPTOMS REALLY

"THE BAD GUY"?

Because the body and the nervous system function on feedback, a primary way for the body to let the nervous system know what is happening inside the body is through sensations-- many of these we perceive as uncomfortable and label them "symptoms." Through these sensations or "symptoms," we are merely hearing the system talk to itself. "Symptoms" are messages that go back and forth between the body and the nervous system. Just getting rid of the symptom may be like killing the messenger before the message is delivered. It would be like sending home the work crews before they have completed the repairs on your house just because they create too much dust!

FOREST FIRE LESSONS

It used to be presumed that all forest fires have only negative effects. In the Summer of 2002 there was a large unquenchable forest fire in Arizona. The Forest Ranger interviewed on the news said they discovered that their 20-year effort to prevent ALL forest fires had backfired on them. Preventing all the small fires allowed the small undergrowth in the forest to become so dense that when a fire finally got started, it had so much fuel they could not put it out and had to just let it burn itself out (over weeks). He explained that the typical fire generally burns the underbrush more than the trees themselves. This means that the small fires actually clean up the excess brush and debris, preventing fuel buildup for larger fires. Thus, small fires provide a 'great service' to the forest.

PERHAPS . . .

. . . we can learn from this lesson of nature. Perhaps the body's feedback mechanisms are not as "broken" as we think, and there are wise (although un-divulged) reasons for the symptoms it manifests. Perhaps we could benefit in the long run by realizing that some of the uncomfortable changes our body goes through are not bad--but actually have a positive intent and will have a positive effect if we let them complete their efforts. In his book How to Raise a Healthy Child In Spite of Your Doctor, Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D. reaffirms this concept over and over. For example, pg. 80, he says that fevers are self limiting as long as there is not an outside source of poisoning or heatstroke. He also said it is irrelevant if the fever is 99 or 102. In other words, the fever will stay below brain damaging levels if it is doing its intended, important work (like perhaps, fighting an infection--which is considered the primary reason we get fevers). But instead, we interfere with the body's intention and work, and we rush to lower the fever. Hmmm. . .