“Anyone can do art.”I strongly disagree. Maybe it’s my art school talking, but I think it takes a serious dedication of time and effort to learn any art form.In order to paint, I had to first develop a solid foundation in drawing and rendering. Then there’s the terminology of painting: engaging the compositional frame, de-intensified color, luminosity, chroma, etc. Then you have to learn the nature of the medium. Acrylic or Oils? Matte or shiny finish? How do the pigments mix?Until you have an intimate understanding of the basics, you’ll never have all the tools at your disposal to communicate your intent.With painting, the basics include canvas preparations, using paintbrushes, medium (acrylic, oil, or egg whites), and so on.In martial arts, the basics include striking, blocking, grappling, distance, positioning, timing, posture, and power. Only after these basics are thoroughly explored can any student of the martial arts begin to understand physical conflict on any sophisticated level.Art education is not just left to personal discovery and trial and error. Without systematic instruction it could literally take a lifetime to teach yourself the skills necessary to become an effective artist. With an experienced teacher you may find a friend, mentor, and guide on your path to success.More than showing you the basics, a teacher can help you find your voice in any given medium.The same goes for martial arts.Whatever style you’re studying, there should be a clear-cut process of instruction. Any school worth their while will focus, first, on communicating the system and then move on to advanced techniques. Be wary of any school that focuses too much on “free form” instruction. You could do that on your own; no reason to pay for it.What you should be getting for your tuition is a qualified guide on your pathway to martial arts success.The best schools will intertwine the higher levels of understanding into the basics, so you’re actually learning at a much deeper level than simply one lesson at a time. This is different than simply trying to gain access to the highest levels of understanding as quickly as possible.In the art world, this is done in your exploration of the basics. Consider drawing, for example. With something as simple as a pencil there is a myriad of applications. Line character, width, hardness, cross-hatching, shading, and so on. These basics are the essential building blocks used to create your masterpiece.In the martial arts world, the concepts of how to fight should be woven into your instruction from day one. While you’re working consciously on the simple tasks, you’re being exposed to the higher functions.In conclusion, there’s no great mystery to learning martial arts. Learn from a good instructor who can make sure you understand the basics and then help you discover the higher levels of martial art concepts embedded in them.Happy training!

Have you ever felt torn between your chiropractor and your MD? Have you ever felt like you were cheating on your MD with your chiropractor or vice versa? If so, you are not alone. In fact, many individuals wonder if they should even tell their medical doctor about their chiropractor. With medical doctors having varying views on the field of chiropractic care, it is hard to answer the question: what does your MD think about your chiropractor?During the mid 1980′s, a political event caused a change regarding the medical community’s obvious disrespect for the field of chiropractic care. During this time frame, the American Medical Association or the AMA was sued for antitrust violations and the chiropractors won the case.What did this mean for chiropractors? Medical doctors were no longer able to slander chiropractors! No billboard, magazine article, television advertisement or radio advertisement would mock the chiropractic industry. If anti-chiropractic slander seems shocking to you, how about AMA laws prohibiting medical doctors from publicly socializing with chiropractors? In the mid-1980s, this was the case. In today’s world, this is likely to seem very shocking. You are very likely to come across chiropractic-MD pairs that are friends, family members and even husband and wife.Back to the question: what does your MD think about your chiropractor? In 1994, the US and UK published guidelines indicating that spinal manipulations were the best option for those with acute lower back pain. If you’ve ever been to a chiropractor before, you are likely very aware that spinal manipulation is the primary form of chiropractic treatment.This was the first time ever that a non-chiropractic group of individuals had recommended chiropractic treatment based on research. The research is overwhelming. Spinal manipulation is seen as a safe, effective and cost-efficient form of care when compared to all over options patients can choose from when it comes to treating acute lower back pain. This report was not the end of recommending spinal manipulation in the treatment of chronic lower back pain. The research continued to pour in and the evidence is overwhelming when it comes to choosing spinal manipulation as the preferred treatment method for acute lower back pain.According to these published guidelines, all patients who suffer from acute and chronic lower back pain should be paying a visit to their chiropractor first. However if everyone followed this guidelines, there would be a major shortage of chiropractors. Additionally, chiropractic care would be one of the most sought after professions.While chiropractic care is becoming increasingly more popular and accepted by the medical field, many MDs do not have the knowledge about chiropractic care to recommend to inquiring patients. In the medical industry, many are uneducated about chiropractic care?Many chiropractic offices go out of their way to educate medical doctors in their surrounding communities about the benefits of chiropractic care.Some medical schools are now offering “Alternative Medicine” courses in the curriculum of undergraduate MD programs as well as rotations in alternative medicine during post-graduate work.Education is one of the best tools as more and more medical doctors are seeking chiropractors to work with when it comes to treating patients with chronic back and neck pain as well as headaches.Again, looking at the question: what does your MD think about your chiropractor? The answer today is going to be far different from the answer most MDs would have given you in the mid-1980s. In today’s world, the MD/DC relationship continues to grow and improve. This is evident by the inclusion of chiropractic care in hospital program, on military bases and in VA hospitals and based on the fact that routine chiropractic care is covered by a vast majority of health insurance companies.If you are considering chiropractic care or are already an active user of chiropractic care, your MD just may support it!Copyright (c) 2014 LifeWorks Integrative health